The Clematis Autumn 2006 Issue No 67 BAIRNSDALE POSTAGE Victoria 3875 PAID Quarterly Newsletter of theBairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc A0006074C 24 1 BAIRNSDALE & DIST FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB INC. A0006074C List of Office Bearers for 2006 President: Pat McPherson ph. (03) 5152 2614 Secretary: Wendy Parker ph. (03) 5152 2615 Treasurer: Margaret Regan ph. (03) 5156 2541 Correspondence to: The Secretary, P.O. Box 563, BAIRNSDALE 3875 Web Site: www.eastgippsland.com/bdfnc General meetings take place at: Noweyung Centre, 84 Goold Street Bairnsdale 3rd. Friday of the month at 7.30pm sharp. No meeting June, July, August Committee meetings take place: Thursday of the previous week before the 3rd. Friday of the month at members homes except June, July, August when held on field excursions if required. Group Co-ordinators: Botanic Group: James Turner Ph. (03) 5155 1258 Fauna Survey Group: Jenny Edwards Ph. (03) 5157 5556 G.L.O.G. Lynn Turner Ph. (03) 5155 1258 Bushwalking Group: Noel Williamson Ph. (03) 5152 1737 Newsletter Editor: Pauline Stewart Ph. (03) 5152 2135 80 Bengworden Rd. Bairnsdale.3875 email: [email protected] All articles for Winter Clematis must be in by June 1st. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 1. To further the study of natural history in all its branches, promoted by periodical meetings, field excursions and other activities. 2. To observe and strengthen the laws for the preservation & protection of indigenous flora and fauna and habitat and important geological features. 3. To promote the formation and preservation of National and State Parks and Reserves. Jeremy and Nina 2 23 WEDDING OF THE YEAR RULES TO OBSERVE ON FIELD TRIPS: 1. Excursions are cancelled on days of TOTAL FIRE BAN. On Sunday March 12 at “The Junction”, Dargo, members Nina Wil- Members may proceed on the planned trip AT OWN RISK. kinson and Jeremy Stewart celebrated their marriage. The property, 2. Participants to keep a visual on the car in front and behind. 3. When making a turn, give signal, and stay at intersection until owned and developed over several decades as a walnut and sheep following car has also turned. enterprise by Nina’s parents, is located at the confluence of the Dar- 4. If separated from other cars, stop, and stay with your car. go and Wonnangatta rivers. Other members will return to find you. Not only are both Jeremy’s parents, Pauline and George, Club mem- bers, but Jen Wilkinson, Nina’s mother, is a member too. We are going to work on her father! SUBSCRIPTION FEES The wedding ceremony took place in a magical walnut grove setting beside the Wonnangatta River with the late afternoon sun slanting Family membership $25 through the trees. Guests were summoned to the site by the tolling Single membership $15 of a bell and were able to sit peacefully in the shade, listening to the Mid-year fee (new members only) $ 7.50 sounds of nature, while they waited for the bride and her parents to arrive by 4WD (a very clean one!). Bird calls noted while we await- ed the arrival of the wedding party included pied currawongs, rufous Responsibility for the accuracy of information and opinions expressed in this whistler, sulphur crested cockatoo, kookaburra, bellbirds, crimson newsletter rests with the author of the article. rosella, king parrot, white winged choughs, wood duck, black duck and bower birds. It was a wonderful green and peaceful setting. Nina, accompanied by her parents, one on each arm, walked to the site along a pathway of dried rose petals. The ceremony was simple CONTENTS and moving and the poetry readings left many moist eyes. Program - March to June 2006 5-6 Jeremy lit a brass welsh miner’s lamp as a symbol of the occasion Colquhoun & Lake Tyers 6-8 and indicated that this would occur at each anniversary of the day. Native Dog Campout 8-13 The reception took place within a marquee beside the homestead on Excursion program for Sale & Dist. Field Nat. Club and the property and guests not only enjoyed wonderful hospitality, but Latrobe Field Naturalists Club 13 were able to wander through the enclosed orchard and vegetable Falls Creek 14-18 garden and wonder at the evident productivity. The Great Wattle Debate 19-20 The nearly full moon which rose later in the evening was a fitting Snippets from Nature Australia 21 end to a very happy occasion. Wedding of the Year 22-23 All members of the Club wish Nina and Jeremy a happy and joyous life together. Wendy Parker 22 3 CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS and email address’s for meetings Snippets from “Nature Australia” and field trips. Spring 2005 Andrew Bould 5156 6494 [email protected] The DNA of animals can be extracted from their scats (poo). Brush-tailed Jenny Edwards 51575556 [email protected] Rock-wallabies are found in south-eastern Australia and their numbers Heather Oke 5156 3231 [email protected] have seriously declined due to massive hunting for pelts, habitat destruc- Pat McPherson 5152 2614 [email protected] tion and the introduction of predators such as foxes, cats and wild dogs. Wendy Parker 5152 2615 [email protected] Estimating their numbers to monitor their abundance is not easy. The Margaret Regan 5156 2541 rocky cliffs they inhabit are hard to access, and they are difficult to ob- Pauline Stewart 5152 2135 [email protected] serve and trap. Trapping may also cause stress to these animals. It was James Turner 5155 1258 [email protected] discovered that DNA could be obtained from scats that were less than a Noel Williamson 5152 1737 [email protected] week old and individuals could be reliably identified. This was found to be a non-invasive method of identifying animals in each colony. DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY FOR BUSH WALKS Easy Flat, good firm track. Summer 2005-2006 Moderately easy Mostly flat, track in good to fair condition Until recently our knowledge of the sex life of the Common Wombat was Moderate May be undulating, track in good to fair condition a complete mystery. There had been no recorded observations of the Mod. difficult May be some steep sections, track may be rough in courtship and mating in wild wombats. There were no documented claims places of successful breeding in captive wombats. Biologists suspected that mat- Difficult May have long steep sections, track may be non ing occurred in the burrow and few attempts had been made to construct existent at times artificial burrows. When wombats were newly introduced, the male would Walks vary in distance from 6 to 12 km. attack the female, vigorously biting and clawing her hindquarters. The Contact the leader of the walk for a rating if it’s not included in the animals were then usually separated. It was in the German city of Hanno- program. ver that the first successful breeding of the Common Wombat was record- ed. It was observed that the mating was a physically demanding process, Please take note of safety procedures in your Bairnsdale & District complete with chasing, biting and grunting. The courting and mating of Field Naturalists Club Inc. ‘RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY’ wild wombats was then observed using infra-red film at a farm at booklet. Tonimbuk in Victoria. The female trotted in circles and figures of eight with the male chasing her. When he bit her on the rump, she stopped and allowed him to mate, both lying on their sides. This sequence was repeat- Please note this program could be subject to change. ed seven times. It appears that a large amount of space is needed to allow the courtship routine. At the Hannover Zoo, the wombats were permitted It is your responsibility to contact the co-ordinator of each field trip to notify them of your intention to participate. The co- the free run of the elephant and rhinoceros enclosure at night. At Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW, by increasing the size of the wombat enclo- ordinator can then notify you if the trip has to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. sure, they had spectacular success with the first recorded instance of wom- bat twins. Evening committee meetings may not be required. Please check before arriving. 4 21 the genus and, in the case of Acacia, this has long been accepted as PROGRAM - MARCH TO JUNE 2006 A.nilotica, which is a native of Africa and Asia. Thus, in the event of Aca- cia being split, and with A. nilotica regarded as the ‘type species’ the name Acacia would have to be applies to subgenus Acacia, which is one MARCH of the smallest groups with only 163 species, 13 per cent of the total ge- Frid. 17th. General meeting 7.30pm. Speaker: Members from the EG nus. Bird Observers Club to help us with identification of birds Under this scenario, most of the Australian species would have to be given which may be seen or heard and the Waterholes Guest House. a new generic name, Racodperma. However, in circumstances that are 17,18,19,20 Fauna Survey at Waterholes Guest House. regarded as exceptional, the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature Contact: Jenny Edwards allows for the ‘type species’ to be changed. These exceptional circum- Sun. 18th. Monthly excursion 9.00 am (Bridge Club) to Waterholes stances must be ones that are judged to be in the best interest of stability Guest House. for the group concerned, and a formal process must be followed. Contact: James Turner Sun. 26th. Bushwalk 9.30am Bruthen Walking Trails Contact: Pauline Stewart WHAT’S IN A NAME Not yet graded.