Brolgas in a SE Melbourne suburb

["michael norris" <>]

Mike Carter suggests Brolgas were not known within 100km of Melbourne until
about 10 years ago.

Not so!  In his "Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist" Horace Wheelwright wrote
about Native Companions breeding in SE Melbourne in the 1850s.

He made his money by hunting for the burgeoning Melbourne population so he
bagged a few.  See pages 90 and 91 of his fascinating book.  You can read it
on Google Books.

The human population continues to burgeon and we now have these great plans
to cover more of our rare grasslands (and their animals) with houses and
seek to live off an agricultural base dwindling through climate change.

So even if there is enough water for them in the future those 6kg Brolgas
may still be targets for the pot.

Michael Norris

37° 59' S  145° 0' E