No images? Click here August to September 2020Welcome to our Growing Biodiversity Newsletter. September is Biodiversity month. It is also the first month of Spring – nesting season for birds and wildflower season so take the time to smell the wattles on your daily walks and keep an eye out for nests and fledgling birds. On Tuesday 1 September we will be launching our first Biodiversity Blitz with Casey Council and we also have an exciting wildlife gardening webinar series every Tuesday evening from 8 September through to 27 October. Workshops and UpdatesWildlfe Garden SeriesJoin us each Tuesday from 8 September to 27 October to learn more about gardening for wildlife. All events are free, but bookings are essential. Each session must be booked individually. Presented by Richard Rowe from Sustainable Gardening Australia. Sharing your Garden with Wildlife – An Introduction Healthy Soil in a Wildlife Garden Attracting Small Birds to Your Garden Attracting Bees and Butterflies to your Garden Attracting Frogs to Your Garden Growing Veggies in a Wildlife Garden Food Waste Avoidance Workshop Join us for this free online workshop for some great tips about reducing your food waste and saving money on your grocery bills. Free event. Bookings essential iNaturalist Training If you would like to learn more about using this App or need a refresher, join iNaturalist veteran Tricia Stewart from the Cranbourne Gardens who will present on the basics of the iNaturalist App. Register here Spotlight on Spring NestingSpring is a wonderful time in our bushland reserves. Over winter our blue tongue lizards go into semi-hibernation, finding a log or a rock crevice to hide, but as the weather warms you might be lucky enough to spot one sunning itself. Spring is also nesting time for birds so you may come across some fledgling birds or territorial magpies on your walks. If you see young birds on the ground, please leave them unless they are obviously injured. They are most likely learning to fly, and their parents will be close by. For more information visit RSPCA Victoria. Birds such as magpies and masked lapwings are very protective of their young during breeding season and may swoop if you get too close. If you encounter a swooping bird, protect you face and eyes with you hands and calmly walk away. Try to avoid this area or walk in a group. Please do not harm the bird or damage its nest – they are following their instinct. Report the incident to Council on 8571 1702. Biodiversity BlitzThe Cities of Casey and Greater Dandenong invite you to join us outdoors to record our indigenous plants and animals. All you need is your phone. Using the free iNaturalist app, you will snap and upload sightings of local species. We are running a competition between the two Councils on who can record the most species. There will be individual prizes as well as school categories. The competition runs from 1 September – 16 October. To register visit iNaturalist Greater Dandenong To find out more visit Biodiversity Blitz Below are some other ways to get engaged in your great outdoors. GrasslandsNative grasslands are some of our most critically endangered ecosystems in Australia and home to many endangered fauna and flora species. To learn more about these special places download Grasslands: Biodiversity of south-eastern Australia. iNaturalist"Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science." Visit iNaturalist to get involved and from 1 September register at iNaturalist Greater Dandenong to contribute to local science. Victorian FaunaExplore Victoria's wildlife with Museums Victoria’s free Field Guide App. The App holds over 950 species, including birds, mammals, fishes, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates from terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Amersham Reserve, located in Amersham Avenue in Springvale South, is a beautiful wooded reserve. It is small but makes up for its size in the diversity of animals that call the reserve home. The tall Mahogany Gums - Eucalyptus botryoides are full of hollows which provide nests for Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Galahs, Rainbow, Lorikeets, Australian Wood Ducks and possums. Mid-morning is a great time to visit - the noise of the parrots in the canopy is a beautiful sound. The reserve has also been planted with wildlife attracting gardens for insects, birds and butterflies. In fact, this reserve has several ‘pollinator observatories’ for visitors to sit and watch for Blue-banded Bees, Flower wasps and butterflies. A great spot for birdwatching, Amersham Reserve attracts large and small birds. Bring your binoculars to peer up into the branches and spot the nesting galahs or stroll around the path and watch the honeyeaters and wrens flit from bush to bush. Please observe Stage 4 restrictions which are currently in place. Growing our FutureWe are proud to announce that the City of Greater Dandenong was successful in receiving ten Australian Government Communities Environment Programs grants. These grants will fund on ground habitat enhancement for nine key species across the municipality. We would like you to introduce our Kookaburra ambassador. Works undertaken at Fotheringham Reserve will improve habitat for this beautiful Australian bird. |