Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

At the farewell event for Doug Ralph in the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens early last month Phil Ingamells gave a speech about Doug’s contribution to the environment movement in this region. Phil who lived in Castlemaine in the late 1990s was a good friend of Doug’s and one of the founding members of FOBIF. Phil now resides in Melbourne and works for the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) on their Park Protection Project. One of his memories was about Doug’s part in the re-routing of the Calder Freeway:

There are many stories that could be told about Doug’s endeavours, but I’d like to tell just one. When the Calder freeway’s Taradale bypass was being planned, Doug got wind that it would plough through a small but valuable native woodland on private land. He quickly got a few people together to speak at the planners’ public hearings.

Now, as you drive towards Melbourne, you’ll come to a point where the freeway flies over the Taradale Metcalfe road. Shortly after that, as it starts to bend to the left, you can see eucalypts poking up between the two sides of the freeway. They mark a wildlife corridor between that private land on the western side and another woodland to the east. The freeway then follows a long swooping curve, leaving the threatened woodland very much intact.

Whenever I go that way, I think of it as Doug’s bend.

If you missed Doug’s farewell you can now read the full text of the speech that Phil made here.

The sounds of our natural environment are comprised of many voices; birdsong, frog choruses, seasonal insect choirs, mammal calls… But how have all these varied animal repertoires evolved? What can we learn from studying, or simply listening, to nature’s sounds around us? How may the noise of our modern world be impacting upon this delicate sonic balance, and conversely, how have the songs of nature influenced our own species?

Andrew Skeoch is a bioacoustic researcher, musician and Australia’s best-known nature sound recordist. His nature albums ‘A Morning in the Australian Bush’ and ‘Favourite Australian Birdsong’ have each sold over 50,000 copies. Over the last twenty years, he has journeyed to remote locations in Asia, India, Africa and the Americas in search of some of our planet’s most beautiful and fascinating sounds. 

“I feel that we need to listen to the natural world afresh, and hear ourselves as part of it. Perhaps then we can find more organic ways to express ourselves, and celebrate our natural place in the biosphere”, he says. 

Andrew will be giving a presentation on his work and research at the Castlemaine Library on Thursday the 23rd of April. Featuring his recordings accompanied with sonograms, he will have you hearing birdsong and natural sounds from an entirely fresh perspective. Click here to download a flyer. Bookings are required.

FOBIF has been informed that the Inspector General for Emergency Management has postponed his report on fuel reduction programs, which was due this month. It will now be released at the end of April.

Led by Geoff Park, twenty-five people walked leisurely around the Rise and Shine Bushland Reserve last Sunday (March 16). This was first FOBIF walk for this year. The Reserve is 30 minutes drive from Castlemaine and south of Newstead.

Many people had come on this walk to observe birds with the benefit of having photographer and bird expert Geoff Park as leader. There were many birds about so people were not disappointed. Noel Young has supplied us with a bird list which totalled 24 species!

A further feature of the walk was Geoff and Frances Cincotta’s identification of trees and shrubs, both indigenous and introduced. The history of the reserve which has included 5 separate clearing for timber and the use of the area as a source of gravel was also discussed. The main focus was however birds and walk had attracted some serious photographers.

This bird and photography enthusiast had come up from Melbourne for the walk.

Geoff with some of the walkers in bird observation pose.

Marie Jones hugging a giant Red Gum. Photo by Liz Martin.

This photo of a Striated Pardalote was taken by Geoff Park on our Rise and Shine walk. You can see more of Geoff’s recent bird photos taken in Rise and Shine on his Natural Newstead blog.

The next walk will be in Muckleford Forest. See the Walks page for more details.