What’s that on the ground?

Posted on 14 August, 2011 by fobif

After the success of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists folder guide to the indigenous plants of Castlemaine and surrounds, FOBIF has embarked on a project to produce two more guides in the same style, this time on fungi, mosses and lichens. In view of the complexity of the subject matter, we’re aiming for a careful timetable, and a planned launch in Autumn 2013. The project has the support of the Norman Wettenhall foundation.

Ceratodon sp, Mcay reservoir road: You need to get down on your knees

An initial meeting to plan the project was held on August 12, and a field day to survey local mosses is planned for August 27. Members interested in having some input to the project are encouraged to contact us. Commitment to diligent and systematic observation and recording will be necessary—and a willingness to spend some time on the knees in the bush.

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This bridal is creepy

Posted on 14 August, 2011 by fobif

FOBIF is following up its initial 2010 attack on bridal creeper around the giant yellow box alongside the Great Dividing Trail, with another shot at making an impact on this unpleasant weed. The site is a hundred metres from the point where the GDT crosses Forest Creek, and is a veritable wilderness of every imaginable bad weed in this area.

Our efforts are clearly very modest, and a more coordinated effort will be needed taking into consideration the values of the area, the extensive revegetation work done by landcare groups from Golden Point right through to Castlemaine, and the important issues of flood mitigation and fire risk minimisation. Tentative efforts to devise a coordinated plan for Forest Creek have been mooted in recent years, and now Max Schlacter, a Melbourne University post graduate student, has undertaken to prepare such a plan, in cooperation with Connecting Country and interested other groups. We will update on this project as it develops.

The Friends of Kalimna Park have also embarked on an ambitious bridal creeper clearance program along Moonlight Creek, on the eastern edge of the Park.

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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 sunny morning so the swamp with its reflections of Red Gums looked at its best.

Walkers Swamp, Moolort Plains. Photo by Bronwyn Silver, 11 August 2011

Most of the birdlife was fairly distant but we did manage to capture a White-necked or Pacific Heron Ardea pacifica sunning itself and a Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus in a nearby tree.

White-necked or Pacific Heron. Photo by Bronwyn Silver, 11 August 2011

Striated Pardalote. Photo by Damian Kelly, 11 August 2011

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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 there are a range of small birds – the “Little Brown Jobs” – that are tricky to identify, but worth the effort as they are fun to watch.

Robins

These birds tend to be on lower vegetation and are easy to see. Their colours help a lot in identifying them, especially the males.

The Scarlet Robin Petroica multicolor is the brightest coloured and can often be seen foraging for insects from low branches.

Scarlet Robin (male), Mount Tarrengower. Photo by Damian Kelly, 27 July 2011

The female has a much less striking plumage.

Scarlet Robin (female) Mount Tarrengower. Photo by Damian Kelly, 27 July 2011

At first glance, the Flame Robin Petroica phoenicea appears a bit like the Scarlet, but its rich flame-coloured breast extends all the way up to the bill, unlike the Scarlet which has black at the throat.

Flame Robin (male), Walmer South Nature Conservation Reserve. Photo by Damian Kelly, 7 August 2011

A more subtly coloured member of this family is the Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata. Quite a distinctive colouration.

Hooded Robin, Muckleford, Pullens Track. Photo by Damian Kelly, 7 July 2011

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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 up–but well worth getting down for a close look:

Rosulabryum sp, Cobblers Gully August 3: the stalk is only one or two centimetres tall, but close up, with its red colour and drooping capsule, it's very distinctive. Photo, Bernard Slattery

The moss itself is also distinctive, shaped like a tiny green rosette:

From a distance the Rosulabryum is just a dark green satin surface. The delicate rosettes are clearer if you get down and peer at them. This moss--with and without capsules-- is prolific along the track in the Walmer South Conservation reserve, where this was taken on August 4. Photo: Bernard Slattery

Now is the time to get out and have a look at the wonderful moss carpets in our bushlands. We had great rain last year, and through the summer, but since March, our rainfall has been about 15% below the long term average. Already some of the mosses are starting to look a bit dry in the early August warmth–so maybe the season won’t last much longer. Of course, with a new burst of rain they can recover remarkably…but why wait?

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