The Babbler Number 53 July 2020 Occasional newsletter of Birdlife Australia Murray Goulburn Branch Birdlife Murray Goulburn LAKE CARGELLIGO President: Pat Feehan Pat and Denise Feehan Ph 0437 354088 Email: [email protected] Lake Cargelligo seemed like a good spot for a bit of Secretary: Denise Feehan June bird watching on a Covid-19 escape tour from Ph 0484 195698 Email: [email protected] Victoria. We figured the forecast rain and cold wouldn’t extend that far north, but we were wrong. The Lake Cargelligo Caravan Park was a good starting NOTE. Because of the Coronavirus point with its resident Grey-crowned Babblers and pandemic, all future branch activities morning Pied Butcherbird choruses (and plenty of are on hold, as at July 2020, until Galahs). further notice. Birdlife Murray Goulburn on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/birdlifemg/ Facebook queries to Graham Boast. [email protected] Contents Grey-crowned Babbler. Photo Pat Feehan p. 1-2. Lake Cargelligo, NSW. Pat & Denise Feehan Rain overnight made the mud very sticky and the cold p. 2-4. Meet the Kerr’s. Mike and Ann Kerr made gloves mandatory. Our visit to the local p. 4-5. A Corvid retraction. Val La May Wastewater Treatment Plant was very productive with p. 5 Vale Bill Morecraft 34 species seen in the gloomy, cold and muddy conditions. This site has 474 eBird checklists and 209 p. 5-6. Notes from Numurkah. Gary & Lisa Deayton species and it obviously is a very popular spot. It has p. 6-7 Photos during COVID 19 been described by some as “one of Australia’s best p. 7. What’s in a name? Pat Feehan treatment plants”. Along with a good range of waterbirds, Purple-backed and White-winged p. 7. Brolgas at Moodies Swamp. Peter Ockenden Fairywrens were highlights. p. 7-8. Unusual Sighting White-fronted Honeyeater After a quick lunch we set off to Chat Alley where light p. 8. Report of June 2020 outing rain and mist made for poor birding (or so we thought). After almost giving up, we stopped at an intersection and heard Bushlarks, Songlarks and chats. Next thing there were many White-fronted and Orange Chats on the bitumen. A good sighting! Chat Alley is The Babbler another popular spot, boasting 117 species and 229 the wilds of Wantirna, armed with one pair of Kmart checklists. binoculars and a hard cover copy of Simpson and Day (a lucky choice for beginner birdos, as it turned out), Conditions improved slightly the next day and we only and not even knowing what a New Holland Honeyeater had fog to contend with. Visits to State Forest south of was. Eight months later we returned home with 250 Lake Cargelligo yielded Red-capped and Eastern Yellow species recorded, our eyes now wide open, and with a Robins, Speckled Warblers and the mandatory yearning to get out of the big smoke. Fairywrens. After lunch we decided to give Chat Alley another go and were rewarded again with Orange and On the advice of birdwatchers we met on that trip we White-fronted Chats and numerous Banded Lapwings. joined the Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA) early in 1987 and attended the monthly night meetings Some other species we observed in the Lake Cargelligo in the AMP Plaza in Melbourne and regularly attended area included White-winged Triller, Apostlebirds, Olive- club outings, including to Werribee Sewerage Farm. backed Orioles and plenty of raptors – mainly Nankeen This was in the era of BOCA stalwarts Fred Smith, Kestrel, Brown Falcons and Whistling Kites. Keith and Beryl Richards, Reg Johnston, Geoff Deason, A visit to Deniliquin on the way home gave us views of Tess Kloot, Ellen McCulloch, Barbara Longmuir, Leslie Superb Parrots, Crested Shrike-tits and Azure Feather, Howard and Jill Plowright and David Ap- Kingfisher. The spectacular early morning Corella fly Thomas. Ann also volunteered on Saturday mornings past was worth the visit alone. in the BOCA shop in Nunawading. A favourite birding experience was a three week boat cruise in 1993 with So, despite the weather, our trip to Lake Cargelligo 6 other birdos, our guide Kevin Coate and a crew of was very productive and extended visits in warmer three, from Broome up the Kimberley coast as far times are being planned (when we are allowed in!). north as Cockatoo Island and back to the Broome Bird Overall, we saw 91 species. There seem to be plenty of Observatory, during which we saw 185 species of sites to visit, birds to see and readily available on-line birds. regional bird information so planning for our next visit might be more comprehensive. Pied Butcherbird. Photo Pat Feehan MEET THE KERRS Over the last two decades there having been several club outings to “Girral”, the Kerr’s property in Ann and Mike Kerr. Photo by Russ Jones Upotipotpon, and many club members will already be Escape from the city was not achieved until 1994, quite familiar with this 80 acre island of remnant Box when Mike’s employer, VicRoads, offered staff the forest, but many are also curious as to how and why opportunity to transfer to a selection of regional offices the Kerrs came to be at Girral. Here then, is a potted co-incidentally all beginning with the letter ‘B’. history…. Preferring to head north we dismissed Bairnsdale and In 1986, and at the tender young age of 30, we did a cold Ballarat, then, failing to find a suitable bush block tent camping 4WD trip clockwise around Oz. We left near Bendigo we chose Benalla, especially after 2 The Babbler No 53 The Babbler discovering that a bush block advertised in the BOCA managed to regenerate and prosper. Lots of other newsletter some 2 years previous was still for sale. native groundcovers and shrubs have also survived or regenerated and we have enjoyed watching, recording We sold our house in Wantirna and moved into a unit and adding to our list of native flora, including 13 in Benalla for two years while clear title to the block species of native orchids. However, persistent drought was organised, along with fencing, a dam and power, years have now caused a considerable depletion of before construction of a shed could commence in both the canopy and understorey. 1995. The shed project was interrupted by a fabulous birding trip to Africa, which was virtually our last When the property was acquired in early 1994, only holiday for ten years. This shed was to be home from months after the floods of October 1993, there were 1996 while we built our mudbrick house on weekends, Southern Whitefaces, which sadly have not been seen flexidays and during ‘holidays’. The house incorporates since. What we didn’t know, at the time, was that the passive solar design principles, addresses CSIRO block had some important resident species such as guidelines regarding aspect and orientation, makes use Gilbert’s Whistler, Hooded Robins, Brown of recycled timbers with the walls of mud brick (made Treecreepers, Yellow Robins, Crested Shrike-tits etc, from clay off the site) and local stone and with lots of all of which are still plentiful as well as resident Tawny north-facing glass, but disappointingly all not as Frogmouths and occasional Diamond Firetails. Painted thermally effective as expected. Despite Mike’s Button-quail, which were plentiful, have sadly not been estimate of the build being a 2-3 year project, with seen in the last two years. The Girral bird list tally is only the bare minimum of tradesman assistance, it now 119 species and so far this year 35 species have ended up taking over 8.5 years, much to Ann’s been seen at the birdbath near the house, the latest chagrin. being a Flame Robin. We finally moved in to our still not completely finished house on 1 January 2005. It was only then that we could start regularly participating in the BLMG monthly outings. On retirement from VicRoads, Mike served as BLMG Branch President from June 2011 until March 2018. Is this a fluffy toy or a sodden Crested Shrike-tit? Photos Ann Kerr The block is a wildlife refuge in a landscape otherwise largely altered for marginally profitable farming Bird bath trifecta. Male Hooded Robin, Jacky Winter and practices. In terms of non-feathered fauna, Yellow- Willie Wagtail. Photo Ann Kerr footed Antechinus were quick to take advantage of the Prior to 1994, the property had been continuously and giant antechinus castle we built and the Brush-tailed selectively grazed, most recently by Welsh ponies, Possums would quickly decimate the veggie patch if Santa Gertrudis cattle and sheep. This grazing regime they did not receive their nightly ration at the adjacent left a persistent cover mainly of prickly Spreading feeding table. Squirrel Gliders can also be occasionally Wattle and Gorse Bitter-pea amongst the Red Box observed at the feeding table. Wallabies have trees on the elevated eastern end of the property, with discovered that Girral provides safe harbour and they only Grey Box and sparse Danthonia on the lower, too demand their daily offering from the fenced veggie level ground to the west. Very few specimens of patch. Echidnas regularly drink from and cool off in the Golden, Gold-dust, Bent-leaf and Plough-share water bowls on the ground in warm weather. Wattles, Dillwynia and Common Fringe Myrtle could be found anywhere on the block. With stock excluded, it was remarkable to see how quickly all these species July 2020 3 The Babbler Is there any advice for others contemplating a similar move? Make sure you go into such a move with your eyes wide open – research Council policies thoroughly and choose your area and neighbours carefully.