Upper Hopkins Landcare Newsletter February 2004 Contacts Edited by Louise Thomas, Department of Primary Industries Ararat Technical advice: This bi-monthly newsletter is mailed to around 400 farmers in the following Landcare Groups: Upper Hopkins, Louise Thomas DPI Ararat, Fiery Creek, Buangor, Beaufort and District, Watgania, Willaura-Hopkins, Combined Willaura Groups, Ararat 5355 0526 Lake Bolac. To be added to the mailing list please call Ararat DPI 5355 0526. This newsletter can be emailed if or 0408 535 733 you prefer (its much clearer and looks good in colour!). Large print copies can also be made available. CMA grants and technical advice: Peter Forster Glenelg-Hopkins CMA Steep Hill Pasture 5355 0530 or 0418 802 875 Landcare Group Field Day Draws Facilitators: Una Allender: the Crowds Upper Hopkins 5350 4244 A field day was held in November on Ararat Rural City Environmental issues John and Helen Stevens’ property at Virginia Harris 5355 0200 Warrak, to look at perennial pasture Assistance for Community establishment in hill country. The day Groups: was a huge success with around 74 people viewing the pasture trial plots, which contain Thea Laidlaw CMA Beaufort more than 22 grass species plus chicory and plantain. Farmers came from as far away as to Ballarat 0417 337818 Seymour and Maryborough to see the trial. The trial came about after a local farmer Rabbits: Greg Akers DPI workshop held several years ago identified that perennial pasture establishment and Ararat 5355 0534 or 0418 persistence were major obstacles in hill country management. This is the “sister-site” to 599469 the grazing management trial in the Challicum Hills where another successful field day was Gorse Buangor-Ararat: held earlier last year. Between the two sites, researchers are aiming to come up with a Simon Martin DPI Ballarat 5336 6760 or 0408 594 785 range of pasture species sowing recommendations suited to the hills as well as optimum Indigenous Cultural grazing regimes for existing hill pastures in order to obtain maximum cover of desirable Heritage Management perennial pasture species. This will help prevent erosion and recharge to the groundwater Framlingham: Herbie as well as raising productivity in hill country. For further information or a copy of the field Harradine 5567 1236 day notes please contact Louise Thomas DPI Ararat on 5355 0526 or Darren Keating on Ballarat: Peter Lovett DPI Hamilton 5573 0739. 0409 391 475 Goolum Goolum (Horsham): Alan Burns 5381 2365 Conservation agreements, Woody Weed War on Waterways Day grants, technical advice: The Glenelg Hopkins CMA and the Department of Primary Industries are hosting Sue Mudford, Trust for a Woody Weed Control and Waterway Information day on the 17th February. The Nature tel/fax 5599 5223 day will commence at 9.30am and finish at around 1.30pm. Don’t miss your Pasture and sheep management: Darren chance to keep up with the latest control methods for Woody Weeds such as Keating DPI Hamilton Gorse as well as viewing ongoing gorse control sites on Middle and Fiery Creeks. 5573 0739 The day will start at the property of Bill and Gwen Twigg, Western Highway Farm Forestry: Martin Middle Creek - CFA Map 394 E6 (follow field day sign). We will travel between Clark DPI Hamilton the three sites by car convoy (diesel vehicles only please-car pooling can be 5573 0725 arranged at first site). Greening Australia The “Gorse Groomer” James Scholfield 5571 2806 Demonstrations and Talks include: • Live demonstration of the “Gorse Grooming” In This Edition machine (Weather dependant) • Nature Page p2 • Initial and follow up control options • Salinity Incentives p3 • Waterway fencing and stock access • Salinity results p4&5 • Sustainable management of waterways • Grass seed harvesting p6 Please RSVP to Simon Martin at DPI Ballarat on • Cultural heritage day p6 5336 6760 or 0408 594 785 or Peter Forster CMA Ararat on 5355 0530 by the • Another Find P7 13th February. Please BYO lunch but light refreshments will be provided. • Boundary Fencing p8 Page 2 Bird Watchers’ and Field Nat’s Reports Joan Pitaro -Ararat and District Field Naturalists Irene Sturt, President Friends of The Field Naturalists have had a break over the holiday period and our Lake Buninjon formal excursions will begin again in March. We thought that readers may be interested in the results, so far, of some studies that are taking place at At Lake Buninjon there Doug Hopkins’ property “Challicum”. Peter Homan from the Department are a number of waders, of Applied and Environmental Sciences, RMIT and his assistant Maryrose including Black winged Morgan are conducting studies of the vertebrates on the property. The Stilts, studies began in December 2002 and are intended to be long term. Studies Whiskered Tern Red-capped Plovers, Red- are done 5 times per year and each visit covers four nights. The results so shown above from necked Stints, and Sharp-tailed far have been rather interesting. Neville W. Cayley’s Sandpipers. Whiskered Terns Mammals- 16 species of mammal , 3 of these introduced ( excluding the book What Bird is swoop overhead. At first glance sheep) and the other 13 are native. 8 species of bats have been identified That? Angus and the Terns look similar to a with the most interesting being the Eastern False Pipistrelle as this species Robertson seagull but they have a black normally occurs in the wetter tall forests. A large number of bats are using Publishers, 1984 head and point their beak down Doug’s old garage as their nursery. Doug also has platypus in the as they fly, dipping into the permanent pool near his house and it is great to see these surviving in what water frequently. They also fly over crops in a is a seasonal creek. Black (Swamp) Wallabies are found and it has been noted that over recent years these wallabies have extended their range similar manner. A large numbers of Black Swans considerably. and Coots drift along and a small flock of Australasian Grebes bob up and down with their Reptiles - 7 species of reptiles have been observed, 3 snakes and 4 skinks. fluffy bottoms and longer necks making them The tussock skink has not been recorded previously in this area. Previous easy to pick from ducks. records are 100 km to the south east. It is quite possible that these skinks are reasonably common in this area but has not been found before In Willaura, a smallish garden in town can host because few studies have been done. unexpected bird life. A Collared Sparrowhawk Amphibians – 6 species of frog have been seen or heard with the most paid us a very brief visit alighting on a gum tree exciting being the Growling Grass frog – a species that is fast disappearing. before flying off again. A Sacred Kingfisher has been around town and flew away from the edge Birds -60 species of birds have been recorded. The Barking Owl is rarely recorded in our area so it terrific to know that they are around. Some of of a small garden pond. While I was delighted to the other birds recorded are Crested Shrike-tit, Rufous Songlark, Olive - see him I do not suppose the little goldfish were backed Oriole and Brown Treecreeper. Brown Treecreepers are one of the very thrilled. It sits up on the overhead wires and species in decline and one of the requirements for their habitat is fallen in trees in town calling “ek ek ek ek” and has limbs and logs. Special thanks to Peter Homan for providing us with the been around now for several weeks. information for this report. Left: During December a small visitor cools himself in a dog’s drinking bowl at Moyston. This little Right and above: Brolgas echidna stayed around snapped above by Una the house for several Allender on a farm visit last weeks before moving on week at Maroona Peter Forster’s Bird Notes A small group of elegant parrots has returned to feeding on phalaris seeds on the side of Jackson's Creek Road. When startled by passing vehicles they fly high into the air in a flash of yellow and continue for some distance before settling. These birds are regular visitors to this area (just north of “Crosskeys” corner). They are smaller than the common red- rumped parrots and slightly larger than the rarer blue winged parrots, both of which occur in this area. Spotted on Port Fairy Road south of Dennicull Creek was a dead tawny frogmouth (grey morph). These large birds require a woodlands habitat to survive and small remnants occur on the west side of Port Fairy Road at this location (Rocky Point turn-off). The tawny Frogmouth would have been killed at night while chasing insects in front of vehicle headlights. While inspecting a tussocky wet grassland at Stoneleigh recently I disturbed a Latham's (formerly Japanese) Snipe. This is the first snipe I have seen since I was a teenager!!! They are strong and erratic flyers. It landed in front of us and was flushed twice more. Louise and I observed a male white browed wood swallow on the Hopkins River Road last week. The bird, which has a distinctive white brow and chestnut lower breast, was busy devouring a large insect. These birds are often seen in mixed flocks with masked wood swallows, arriving in windy weather associated with a cool change. Also noticed a small flock of Brown-headed Honeyeaters on Captains Creek. Page 3 New Salinity Incentives Louise Thomas DPI Ararat Implementation of the Glenelg-Hopkins Salinity Plan has been given a boost by the arrival of some new CMA incentives through the National Action Plan (NAP) on Salinity and Water Quality.