In episode 2 Coen chats to Gary Visser about caring for the forest and what you can do to help. We also touch on the plant of the month, the Mother Shield-Fern.
Gary Visser is a long time naturalist. He manages Friends of Hughes Creek Sassafras and Our Mountain Home. He spends his time protecting and advocating for the environment. He has a wide knowledge of plants in the Dandenong Ranges Area.
Episode Gallery
Hughes Creek.Gary Visser in Hughes Creek.Gary Visser using iNaturalistMother Shield FernOur Mountain Home Sign.
Birdwatching at the Lilydale Sewage Treatment Plant was a must for my local big year. As the number one hotspot in the Yarra Ranges on eBird, I had to plan a visit.
When I arrived in Lilydale, I turned down Nelson Street. On your right hand side, you will see the Yarra Valley Trail heading towards Coldstream. Since there is no public access to the Lilydale Sewage Treatment Plant, this is the best option. The trail runs parallel to the plant with views to the ponds. This is where the birds are.
Common Starling
As I walked down the flat gravel trail, the open paddocks to my right where full of Common Starlings, Common Mynas, Little Ravens and Noisy Miners. On my left (the sewage ponds side) there was tall fence, disabling view into the area where the buildings are located. There are medium sized gum trees with Galahs, Grey Butcherbirds and more Noisy Miners.
Noisy MinerCommon Starling
Walk along a little further, and you can see through the fences the sewage ponds. Full of Eurasian Coots, Grey and Chestnut Teals and Hardheads swimming about. Australian Shelducks turn upside down and Black Swan sail gracefully through the water. Pink-eared Ducks (a lifer for me) tuck their heads into the body’s, Straw-necked and White Ibis sit on the banks with Masked Lapwings huddled behind. Pacific Black Ducks fly over, Wood Ducks waddle and Australasian Swamphens patrol.
Australian Shelducks.Eurasian Coots and Australian Shelducks.A number of waterbirds.Black Swans
Walk a little further and there is a viewing platform looking across a pond. Signs there tell you there is Freckled Ducks, but we didn’t see any. I couldn’t see many of the birds at the back as I left my binoculars in the car (the camera couldn’t reach that far).
Pacific Black DuckAustralian Reed Warbler
In the reeds alongside there where very noisy Australian Reed Warblers and chatty Superb Fairy Wrens.
As we drove out to Badger Creek, rain was splattering our windscreen. We thought, for our first outing with Birdlife Yarra Valley, a local birding group I found, would be a big dip with very soggy twitchers. But it turns out, the birds don’t care.
After we introduced ourselves, we walked towards the dam. Someone spotted a Sacred Kingfisher, perched on a branch, looking gorgeous. I saw a few White-naped Honeyeaters feeding in bush, (a new lifer for me) Australian King Parrots, Galahs and Crimson Rosella where seen. Eastern Whipbirds, Yellow-faced Honeyeater and Fan-tailed Cuckoos where heard in the background.
When we reached the lake, we were greeted by the squawk of the Little Corella overhead. In the lake, there where 100s of Eurasian Coots swimming about, Black Swans perched on the muddy banks, Little Black and Great Cormorants observed the lake from branches. A Little Pied Cormorant circled overhead and Swaphens strutted the banks. We saw Hoary-headed and Australiasian Grebes (also a lifer for me) as well as two Hardheads swimming about (another lifer). Musk Ducks splashed about, causing foam and bubbles to arise. A Swamp Harrier flew overhead, its distinctive white rump showing (also a lifer).
We moved on from the lake and heard both Striated and Spotted Pardalotes calling, Brown and Striated Thornbills and a White-browed Scrubwren near a small swamp.
As we walked back to the carpark a patch of scrubby woodland resulted in good views of a Female Golden Whistler. We also heard Rufous and more Golden whistlers calling nearby. It was quite the challenge to pick them apart! There was also Eastern Yellow Robins and Eastern Spinebills calling.
Towards the more Eucalyptus Forest area, we saw a few Varied Sittella (a new lifer for me), White-eared Honeyeaters and that Sacred Kingfisher from before. Faint Bell Miners were calling in the distance.
Sue Bendel is the new president of the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater Inc. She is a long-time naturalist, and works hard to protect two animals very close to her heart, the Leadbeater’s Possum and Helmeted Honeyeater. She is very keen to protect and advocate for the environment.
Episode Gallery
Helmeted Honeyeater. Credit: EveEve, Coen and Sue Bendel.Helmeted Honeyeater. Credit: EveHelmeted Honeyeater. Credit: Coen
For our first ever edition of our newsletter, we deep dive on the Helmeted Honeyeaters. With an iD guide, photos lots of facts and a feature story that takes you inside the conservation efforts by the Friends of The Helmeted Honeyeater. Plus, Plant of the month is the Mother Shield Fern and fungi of the month is the rainbow bracket. Enjoy!
From the 20th to the 26th of October, Australia’s biggest citzen science event is set to take place.
What is Citizen Science?
Citizen science means anybody, like you and me can contribute to science. This could be doing a bird survey or just taking photos of organisms on your phone. A good way to get started is iNaturalist, where you take photos of organisms, then other naturalists and AI help you identify it.
What is the Aussie Bird Count?
The Aussie Bird Count is run by Birdlife Australia, Australia’s leading bird conservation charity. Anybody can participate, from experienced birders to someone who can’t tell a magpie from a parrot. You don’t even need binoculars! All you need to do is download the Aussie Bird Count app on your phone (or you can write it down and submit it after), 20 minutes and the great outdoors. Just sit outside for 20 minutes, mark down the birds you see (or hear) and identify them using the app’s find a bird feature. Or, buy a field guide (I recommend the Compact Australian Bird Guide). Then, you are contributing towards protecting Australia’s Birds!
Watch this video to learn more about the Aussie Bird Count.
What happened last year?
More than 57,000 participants counted an astonishing 4.1 million birds as part of the week-long national event in October last year. View the full results here .
How else can I do citizen science?
As aftermore metionted, upload your organism photos to iNaturalist to contribute to the Atlas of Living Australia, which is used by governments and decision makers.
For our first newsletter, we are hard at work writing and researching Victoria’s bird emblem the Helmeted Honeyeater. This critically endangered bird only lives in a small patch of swampy forest in Yellingbo, Victoria. Did you know there are only 200 left in the wild! We are also going behind the scenes into the tireless work that is done to protect this amazing creature with an interview with the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater.
Helmeted Honeyeater, Yellingbo. Credit: Coen
We have chosen the Mother Shield Fern as the Plant of Month and the Rainbow Bracket as fungi of the month.
