Author Archives: fobif

Where there’s water . . .

Posted on 14 August, 2011 by fobif

Two FOBIF members went to Walkers Swamp on the Moolort Plains recently. They wanted to observe the abundant wetland birdlife Geoff Park has been documenting on his blog, Natural Newstead, for the past year or so. It was a still and … Continue reading →

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Small birds – how to identify them

Posted on 8 August, 2011 by fobif

At this time of year, the Box-Ironbark forests are alive with birds – you can hear lots of different calls and see movements in the trees – but what are the common birds in the forests? Throughout the Box-Ironbark forests … Continue reading →

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Hurry–season ends soon!

Posted on 4 August, 2011 by fobif

From a few feet away they just look like vivid splashes of various shades of green. Close up, mosses are very different from each other. The Rosalubryum below has characteristic nodding capsules, for example. They’re barely visible to someone standing … Continue reading →

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Pollution monitors

Posted on 29 July, 2011 by fobif

Spring is around the corner, with spectacular flowering of Hardenbergia, and emergence of many other flowering plants like Hovea, Daviesia and Hakea. But by far the most prolific forms of life in the bush at the moment are the mosses … Continue reading →

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Beautiful weeds

Posted on 25 July, 2011 by fobif

The lovely foliage in the picture below belongs to the Cootamundra wattle, Acacia baileyana, which is in prolific flower in our region this month. Unfortunately, the Cootamundra is a good example of the rule that most weeds are quite beautiful. … Continue reading →

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More than wildflowers

Posted on 22 July, 2011 by fobif

Two FOBIF members recently visited the south end of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park to see what was in flower. Common Heath Epacris impressa in its pink and white forms was everywhere. Downy Grevillea Grevillea alpina, Bushy Needlewood Hakia … Continue reading →

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Nuggetty Walk

Posted on 22 July, 2011 by fobif

Thirteen people braved the cold, foggy and wet conditions on the July FOBIF walk to the Rock of Ages. This magical site is situated on top of Mount Moorul which is a couple kilometres north of Maldon. It is part of … Continue reading →

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CMA responds on creek clearance

Posted on 22 July, 2011 by fobif

At the FOBIF AGM a question was put to the Catchment Management Authority’s Damian Wells about vegetation clearance along Barkers and Campbells Creeks. We’ve had the following response from the CMA this week: ‘The CMA inspected sites in the region … Continue reading →

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Broom attack on Mount Alexander

Posted on 20 July, 2011 by fobif

FOBIF members in April alerted Parks Victoria to the existence of a substantial and dense clump of English Broom on the east side of Mount Alexander. We had not previously noticed this pestiferous weed on the Mount, although it is … Continue reading →

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Floods: keeping ‘out of harm’s way’

Posted on 13 July, 2011 by fobif

The North Central region had between four and seven times its long term rainfall average in January this year, and Castlemaine had five times its long term average. The rainfall between September and January was unprecedented, and came into an … Continue reading →

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