Thanks Susan for this great commercial for Chiltern, site of the field trip
and campout part of Birds Australia's first Congress, in October this year.
Yes it is a wonderful spot, and there are lots of other wonderful spots
within easy range.
You have given me the perfect opportunity to give a commercial for the
Campout and Congress.
The Campout is based at the old Cornishtown school within sight of the
park; you don't have to be a Birds Aust member to come to either the
campout or the Congress. You can camp with everyone at the school but there
is also accommodation in Chiltern itself; you have a choice of catered
meals including cut lunches or looking after yourself.
While there is plenty to see in the area just birdwatching on your own, we
have many activities planned including spotlighting, owl banding, nest
searches for rare birds and various other surveys. Most of the Congress
trade exhibition will be there on the first day, especially the optics.
(Chiltern also has lots of non-bird things to do, and is handy to
Rutherglen wineries.)
The program for the Congress has now been finalised and looks terrific. The
theme is Birds and Woodlands, and there are speakers from all over
Australia. Early speakers deal with threatening processes - not surprising
since woodland birds live in what is arguably our most threatened
ecosystem, in terrible trouble almost everywhere - and there are case
studies on such birds as Swift Parrots, Turquoise Parrots and of course
Regent Honeyeaters. Fortunately the second day is more optimistic and
includes papers on topics like community action, revegetation, "rebirding",
and incentives for conservation on private land. Again, you don't have to
be a Birds Aust member to come, in fact I think this program would be
interesting and useful to almost anyone involved in woodland conservation,
Landcare, catchment management, etc as well as birds.
The Congress will be held at the Albury campus of Charles Sturt University
on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October. The Campout starts on the Sunday
night and goes on throughout the week.
It is not too late to book for either or both, but DO IT NOW, we need to
know numbers for catering etc. Also this is a long weekend in NSW so you
need to book Albury accommodation promptly. If you email back to me I can
send a brochure or you could phone Birds Australia 03-9882 2622.
Margaret Cameron
Congress Convenor
At 09:57 AM 18/08/97 +1100, Susan Myers wrote:
>G'day everyone,
>Last weekend a few of us Melbournites (Stuart Dashper,Scott
>Chandry,Cecilia Chandry & myself) escaped to the north to one of our
>favourite spots - Chiltern. For those who aren't familiar with the area,
>Chiltern is a box/ironbark forest situated just south of Albury-Wadonga
>on the Vic/NSW border. The weather was cool but fine with the wind
>gradually strengthening over the weekend and some rain on Sun AM.
>As usual Chiltern lived up to expectations with a number of goodies
>being observed,as follows:
>
>Powerful Owl - holding the bottom half of a very large Common Ringtail,
>observed during the day.
>Barking Owl - called in by tape
>Turquoise Parrot - a total of eight birds seen
>Swift parrot - not in large numbers but brilliant views of one feeding
>in a flowering ironbark
>Little Lorikeet - quite common
>Painted Buttonquail
>Brown Goshawk - quite common
>Noisy Friarbird
>Little Friarbird
>Black-chinned Honeyeater
>Regent Honeyeater - 4 birds seen altogether,no evidence of breeding
>observed by us (but who knows,not enough time...)
>Speckled Warbler
>Jacky Winter - a declining species in Vic,about 6 seen in one spot
>White-winged Chough
>& Yellow-footed Antechinus - very cute!
>
>Of course we also observed all the usual common woodland species.
>Chiltern is possibly one of the best birding spots in Victoria, it will
>be declared as a national park very soon (the first area of box/ironbark
>forest in Vic to be afforded such protection).Well worth a visit.
>cheers,
>Susan Myers
>
>
Margaret Cameron 03 5229 9792
4 Connor Street
East Geelong
Victoria 3219
Australia
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