Re: Chiltern Info - Regent Sites?

As a regular visitor to the Chiltern area I'd thought the following of interest to Peter and others.

1. Maps covering the park
(a) Parks Victoria (PV) has most of the Victorian park areas covered, including maps etc via its web site - http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/
The PV map  for Chiltern National Park shows the Honeyeater Picnic Area (previously known as Cyanide Dam), Skeleton Rd. (in the block sth of the freeway) and Bartleys Block (to the east of Bartleys Track in the block north of the freeway)

(b) 1: 25 000 maps.  The following 4 topographic maps cover the Chiltern area and are very handy for detail: Ochtertyre, Lady Franklin, Barambogie and Cheesley.  Note that these may not be GDA (Geodetic Datum of Australia) compliant but are otherwise quite OK.

2. Friends of the park
The Friends of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park have their own web page which has heaps of useful information - http://home.iprimus.com.au/focbinp/

3. Woodland birds at Chiltern August 2005
Haven't heard of any Regent Honeyeaters in north east Victoria so far this winter.  We certainly had no luck  a month or so ago at Chiltern and also Benalla/Lurg.

At Chiltern we recorded Swift Parrots at Crusher Rd (off Lancashire Gap Rd.) and again at Ballarat Rd./Lancashire Gap Rd. and Speckled Warblers (heard singing) at other sites.  Flowering of ironbarks was very poor and patchy.  We really only came across box and some other gums in flower.  This was often where the Swifties were as they appeared to be gleaning leaves for lerps.

Not aware of any web calls for Regent Honeyeaters but the recent Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA) CD (check http://www.birdobservers.org.au/GiftShop.asp) for honeyeaters (no. 7) has Regents and is a great production.

I encourage all birdos to submit their records to the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife or Birds Australia atlas to assist in conserving our avifauna.

cheers, Martin

Martin O'Brien
Threatened Species & Communities Section
Department of Sustainability and Environment
2/8 Nicholson St. (PO Box 500), East Melbourne  3002


Tel: 9637 9869
(prefixes: Interstate 03 International 613)
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