May FOBIF walk

A strong group of walkers followed Joy Clusker and Dianne Davies on a route through the Pilcher’s Bridge Nature Conservation Reserve yesterday. This was FOBIF’s first excursion ‘north of the border’ into the City of Greater Bendigo, and guess what? The country was pleasantly familiar and interestingly different! This irregular block of land was radically cleared by the 1930s, and recovery is intriguing, highlights including some impressive pink flowering Ironbarks and promising fungi and moss sightings.

Our thanks to Joy and Di for their stimulating route planning—plenty of participants are already planning a return in the wildflower high season, and a repeat trip next year is on the cards.

Noel Young provided us with this bird list from the walk. Most birds were seen or heard in the first part of the walk, especially near some flowering eucalypts.

Magpie
Musk Lorikeets
Red Wattlebirds (lots)
Grey Shrike-thrush
White-throated Treecreeper
White-winged Choughs
Grey Fantail
White-naped Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Fuscous Honeyeater
Crimson Rosella
Scarlet Robin
Striated Pardalote
Yellow (?) Thornbills

Next month we’re offering a choice: a shortish walk in the Fryers Ridge NCR, or a longish one on Mount Alexander. There will be a detailed post on these walks in the next few weeks.