Am happy to offer and announce a field trip for COG members and their
family/friends through the Mount Majura Vineyard (MMV) on Majura Rd,
commencing at 9am sharp on Sunday 24th July. MMV is now the ACT's only
working Vineyard that offers both wine making and cellar door facilities
and sits at the foot of Mount Majura, on the eastern side. A long term
fan and customer of MMV I was delighted to start full time work there in
March this year (middle of vintage, aka deep end) as the Vineyard Hand
(not as a scarecrow as many have suggested) assisting the viticulturist
in production of wine grapes and upkeep of the vineyard and its
grounds. In doing so, this birdwatcher spends nearly every working day
outside, working hard, though with eyes and ears alert to any birds in
the vicinity. In the past 4 months I have managed to 'tick' more than
50
species within the parameters of MMV so this belies the notion that
agriculture (viticulture) creates 'poor birding zones'. During Autumn
migration, a virtual procession ensued, with sugar rich dried grapes
left on vines providing an accessible energy source for those passing
through. To my surprise, with the advent of winter, an avian exodus did
not occur, to the contrary, with large flocks of Diamond Firetail,
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos and both Flame and Scarlet Robin being
sighted on a regular basis. Goes without saying that 'nothing can be
promised' and at worst you will experience a nice morning walk, with
some hills, fresh air, outstanding views and some tid-bits of info about
MMV and
Canberra Wine in general. Please dress appropriately for this walk, the
terrain ('terroir') is quite open and the ground can be uneven and
rocky in parts (though we will be sticking to established paths as a
rule). Rabbit holes hidden by grass pose a threat to ankles.
So,
if you could make your way to MMV and park in its large car park between
845-855am we can set off at 9am and should be finished by 11-1130am at
the latest. Majura Rd (see map link below) runs approximately between Canberra
Airport/Pialligo (in the South) and the Federal Hwy/Horse Park Drive (in
the North). There are toilet facilities and the cellar door will be
open if people wish to avail themselves of a seated wine tasting at the
conclusion of our walk.
Look forward to seeing you there
Stuart Harris
PS
- on entering the vineyard, the bottom of your shoes will be sprayed
with Methylated Spirit which will prevent the spread of Phylloxera fungal
spores which have, and have had, a devastating effect on the root
systems of grape vines..
PSS - Sorry for lateness of this field
trip though it was only conceived a matter of days ago after reading the
Gang Gang that was asking to fill a vacant weekend walk spot.
Map to find Mount Majura Vineyard - http://www.mountmajura.com.au/index.html
From:
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Winterbirds 2011
Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2011 22:54:28 +1030
From:
To:
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Winterbirds 2011
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:53:19 +1030
Have just jumped on this Winterbird tangent, so excuse me if i have missed something, but what I enjoy about our Winter birds is their flocking together in larger numbers.
While pruning vines at Mount Majura Vineyard this week, i have seen very large (30+) flocks of Magpies, and last Friday was delighted to be 'surrounded' by no less than 26 Diamond Firetails in one group. The vineyard is surrounded by good quality open woodland so i wondered what drew them in amongst the vines? A smaller group of 12 Diamond Firetails made their presence known today as well. The vines are also hosting small groups of Flame and Scarlet Robin, plus Jacky Winter. A migratory flock (x 9) of BFCS were perched high in a dead tree today as i zoomed past on the quad. Last but by no means least, a young Grey Currawong (yellow gape apparent) has taken up residence in a large Yellowbox close to the winery and calls consistently most mornings...lovely.
Stuart Harris
PS apols to chatline and Kamprad as didnt send this days ago as intended, but send it return to Kamprad only :)
PSS Little Eagle flew low over me whilst cycling behind the Defence College at Weston today
From:
To:
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:34:38 +1000
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Winterbirds 2011 honeyeaters
To further add to the honeyeater
discussion
I saw a group of approx. 20 Red Wattlebirds 'moving
with intention' in an easterly direction this afternoon in
Hoskinstown
Julienne
