Hi all,
A day or two after arriving home from New Zealand, over the Labour Day
Weekend and into the following week, I attended a birding camp on a large
property at Fernihurst, south of Boort, Victoria.
The owners of Fernihurst estate are very conservation-minded. A patch of
Acacia armata has been left because Zebra Finches breed in it. Lots of
indigenous plants have been planted on the property.
In the area where we camped was an old tree. A Boobook spent each day in a
hollow of the tree. It was constantly harassed by White-plumed Honeyeaters.
Birds observed on the property included Brown falcon, Peregrine falcon,
Brown Goshawk, Little eagle, Masked Lapwing, Red-rumped parrot, Tawny
Frogmouth, Brown Tree-creeper, Spotted and Striated Pardalote, Southern
Whiteface, Singing Honeyeaters, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Brown-headed
Honeyeater, Jacky Winter, Restless Flycatcher, Dusky Woodswallow,
White-winged Chough and Zebra Finch.
Nearby Lake Murphy was completely covered with thousands of waders and
water birds, including Brolga; Black Swan; Grey Teal; Zebra (Pink-eared)
and Musk Duck; Little Pied, Little Black and Great Cormorant; Black-tailed
Native Hen; Coot; Avocets; Black-winged (Pied) Stilt; Sharp-tailed and
Marsh Sandpiper; Greenshank; Red-kneed, Red-capped and Black-fronted
Dotterel and Masked Lapwing.
Alongside Lake Murphy, some duck k shooters were surveying the scene and
complaining that Laurie Levy might protest in the area the following
Saturday morning. A fellow-birder who struck up a conversation with the
shooters told them he might join the protesters. That left them short of
words. It is a shame that Lake Murphy was open to duck shooters when almost
all the surrounding lakes and wetlands are dry. There has been ten years of
severe drought and Lake Murphy is one of only a few places in our region
where waders and water birds can forage. Under the circumstances, I don't
think Lake Murphy should have been open to the shooters. One of my birding
friends rang whilst I was typing this and told me she read in The Age that,
amongst the birds shot at Lake Murphy was at least one Freckled Duck.
On the way home we saw a flock of Grey-crowned Babblers and scores
(hundreds?) of Brown Quail on the dry bed of Lake Boort.
The following day, others also observed Freckled Duck, Wood Sandpiper and
Pectoral Sandpiper at Lake Murphy.
A few people are so conservation-minded as to purchase and maintain bush
blocks. One couple allowed us to visit their lovely 300 acre property a few
kilometres to the south, near Borung. Much of the block is covered in
mallee and there are resident Lowan (Mallee Fowl). The owners run a
wholesale nursery east of Melbourne and have spent much time propagating
and planting indigenous plants on their bush bloc k.
There were lots of honeyeaters, weebills, thornbills and parrots on the
block. It is protected by a Trust for Nature covenant. The Wychitella
Nature Conservation Reserve wraps around part of the property. Neighbours
opposite have planted thousands of indigenous plants but a next-door owner
is building a huge dam which, no doubt, to the detriment of the plants,
will result in an increase in the kangaroo population.
I heard some great news: the Bush Heritage Fund has purchased a second
property in the area, thereby linking some sections of the Wychitella NCR.
All up, the group observed 127 species in the Fernihurst area.
--------------------------------------------
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