_ Bingi Babbler

Binginwarri Landcare Group Newsletter No. 14                                                                       Friday 12th October 2012

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Co Chair:  Kevin Heggen                      5185 1322      [email protected] 
Co Chair:  John McClumpha                 5185 1455      j[email protected]
Secretary: Jenny Wolswinkel                5186 1340      [email protected]      
Newsletter: Kaye Proudley                    5185 1398      [email protected]
Social Secretary: Margaret Ferguson   5185 1358      [email protected]       ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Previous Issues

Newsletter No.5
Newsletter No.6
Newsletter No.7
Newsletter No.8
Newsletter No. 9
Newsletter No.10
Newsletter No. 11
Newsletter No. 12
Newsletter No. 13

Late, late, late – that could be my motto!  This newsletter is late but no one noticed…did they?
There are a few items coming up that you may like to know about but I have not included our own arranged activities in the following calendar, as you should all have received reminder emails for these.  The rest are as follows ~~

1.  The Mullungdung to Coast Project will be holding its next workshop on Friday, October 26th from 10am – 3:30pm.

Morning Session: 10am at ‘Warrigal Creek’, Giffard Rd, Darriman for morning tea.

Topic: Working together to preserve Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

Presenters: Barry Kenny and Lloyd Hood, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.

 *  Lunch provided  *

Afternoon Session: 1:30pm at Darriman Grasslands Reserve, Giffard Rd, Darriman

Topic: Grassland Conservation and Management
Presenters: Vanessa Craigie and Susan Taylor, DSE
RSVP to me for catering.

Cheers

Bronwyn Johnson
Landcare Project Officer,
Mullungdung to Coast
Yarram Yarram Landcare Network,
Livingston Street, Yarram, Vic, 3971
Phone: 5175 7896

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2. MAKE MONEY OUT OF YOUR COASTAL MARSHLAND & POSSIBLY PROTECT RARE PARROTS AT THE SAME TIME!  Details are available here…www.ccma.vic.gov.au.                                   

OR see attached flyer for details about the Expressions of Interest for Saltmarsh Protection Tender.  With $1 million set aside for this project, which opened on 10th Sept 2012 you may need to get in quick before it is oversubscribed.  The parrots?  Rare Orange-bellied Parrots (only 50 birds left in the wild!) are to benefit from better land management accruing from this program.

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Recent Activities
The last few activities have been interesting and fun, for a variety of reasons.

Starting with a report from Dallas Wyatt from our Bird Watching Group.  Let me just say here that the bird watching we do is not all just for pleasure – Dallas actually puts the records of what we see onto a database run by Birdlife Australia (the old Bird Observer’s Club and Birds Australia combined) which helps to inform the government about the state of Australia’s bird population and what they can do about falling bird numbers, helps groups gain grants to revegetate specific areas for the good of birds, etc.

Binginwarri Landcare Group Birdwatchers

Report No. 1 Alberton West State Forest - Sunday, July 8th 2012

A small group of five hardy birdwatchers attended the first scheduled outing to Alberton West State Forest on Sunday, July 8th 2012. The morning was very cold and frosty, as we set out just before. 9.00 am to leisurely walk a circuit, starting at the North Boundary Track and Hedley Range Road that lead the group through the north-western corner of Alberton West State Forest.

 Over the next three hours birds observed were a number of honeyeaters, including Crescent, New Holland, White-eared and Lewin’s Honeyeater that were sighted in the forest canopy. Thornbills, very small brown birds (that are often difficult to separate and require patience to identify) were noticed feeding as a mixed flock on two occasions in the trees. Striated, Yellow and Buff-rumped Thornbills were identified in these mixed groups. Gang Gang and Sulphur- crested Cockatoos were recorded along with Crimson and Eastern Rosella’s and noisy Rainbow Lorikeets flew overhead. Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Little Raven and Laughing Kookaburras were added to the list along with a number of other woodland birds like Superb Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, White-throated Treecreeper, Eastern Yellow Robin, Scarlet Robin and Grey Fantails.

A flock of over 120 Little Ravens was noticed on the ground out in a paddock adjacent to the state forest along the Hedley Range Road as we completed the walk. It appeared they were probing the ground. What could they be feeding on?

A ‘birdcall’ was held to conclude a very enjoyable outing with 30 species recorded. A thank you is extended to Kaye Proudley for organizing and leading this outing.

Reptile ramble

Then we had the Reptile Ramble in Gellion’s Run on Sunday 16 September – not any reptiles whilst we were walking! Luckily, Steve Darby had managed to catch two different skink species earlier to show us.  Then as we were walking Dallas spotted a red-bellied black snake nicely coiled up in the grass beside the track.  We were all admiring it when our reptile expert Steve leapt upon it. Foolishly. Carelessly, we all thought, until he brought it up in his hands, still coiled and sitting on a plaster base!  The rotten scoundrel had ‘’planted’’ his plaster-cast snake for us to find!!  And if we hadn’t spotted it, we were in trouble from him for not being alert enough to see it.   Got the hearts started anyway!

Tree Planting

Next came the two planting days on Hedley Range Road which were reduced to one in the end as all the plants went in, in one day (thanks to the efforts of the tireless planters and the fact we did not guard any of the trees as they were within a fenced-off area.) Sunday 23 September, the weather was not kind - a very cold and blustery day working on a steep slope in cattle-pocked land full of water…. and then it rained…and then it briefly hailed!  Gosh!  But in the end, we stood trying to warm ourselves, drinking hot tea, around a Webber BBQ while the roast lunch cooked, provided by the property owner. (Thanks Paul, it was delightful.) Here is his thanks to all who took part…

Hi Kaye
Thanks again for all your help on Sunday, can you please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in the next newsletter. Hope everyone had a nice day.
Cheers, Paul

Wild Flower Wander
Then came the Wildflower Wander in the Won Wron Forest on 7 October.  It turned out to be a nice day after a drizzly start, with a great many wildflowers seen - over 40 species, including several pretty orchids.  We went to the same place as we held the reptile ramble last year - when we found no reptiles - and this year we found a reptile whilst we were not specifically looking!  To be honest, we suspected that the reptile expert might have been hiding in the bushes awaiting our reactions but no, it was no plaster cast of a snake as John discovered when he went a bit close… the red-bellied black snake took off like a rocket!  As did I.   

BBP
And in between all this fun, we had three Bingi Biodiversity Project days, out in the field identifying and mapping the plants we saw.

The first of these , 19 August, at the Alberton West State Forest we only walked a distance of about 100 metres for most of the morning whilst we recorded what we saw – about 40+ species in that space.

But we got better for the next walk in Kaye’s forest. 9 September.  Though we probably walked even less, concentrating on a small patch a few metres long and wide, we saw about 50+ species and the comment was heard “I was astounded at the diversity that occurs in such a small patch when you stop and really look!”

The last of the BBP days, 4 October was held in a private bush block of Kevin’s and consisted of a lot of scrub bashing to make our way through – along with the leeches!

We had 5 young boys join us on this day which made it quite interesting – we had to keep moving reasonably fast to keep their spirits up, but at the same time the botanists were slowing us down!  The boys were shown lyrebird ‘practice’ mounds and how to set up a motion sensor camera, and will be responsible (under adult care) for removing the memory cards to look at whatever they may find. One of the boys took photos on the day of the people and plants as well.  We look forward to seeing what they produce.  Thanks Charlie, Fergus, Leo, Oscar and Lindsay.  Sorry you got bitten on your foot by an ant Charlie, we hope the paw paw ointment worked on taking the pain out of your paw!  J


COOK’S CORNER:

Did anyone try out the recipes in the last Babbler?  Let us know what you think.

Please join in and send your favourite recipe in.  Here are a couple more ~~

Grandma Hodson`s Toffee  (from Margaret Ferguson)

You can pour this toffee into silicone muffin moulds or Grandma simply brushed melted butter generously into a slice tin, poured the toffee in then shattered the toffee into shards when set.

It has a nice coating of butter, and was made for us as children when we had colds and sore throats, as it was both soothing, and mildly antiseptic with the peppermint.

See, it’s really a "health food", not a sweet! 

500 g white sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon butter
1 small teaspoon peppermint essence

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.

Bring to boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolved, then don’t stir again.

Cooking is complete when a small amount dipped out with a spoon, forms a hard ball in a glass of cold water, and it is a nice toffee colour.

Stop heat immediately and then pour straight into moulds or slice tin.

Let cool on bench a couple of hours. Flex tin to shatter.

Keeps for weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.  

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What's for dinner?  A dish that is as 'easy-as-pie' to make and full of rich cheese flavour.

Two-Cheese & Tomato Pie  (from Melissa Scott)
 
3 eggs, lightly whisked
250ml (1 cup) milk
80g (1 cup) coarsely grated cheddar
140g (1 cup) pastry mix
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
3 bacon rashers, rind removed, coarsely chopped
1 tbs shredded parmesan
1 tomato, thinly sliced
 
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.  Line a round 18cm (base measurement) cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
Combine the egg, milk, cheddar, pastry mix, onion, bacon and Parmesan in a bowl.  Pour into the lined pan.  Arrange the tomato on top.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and just set.
Tip:  Find the pastry mix - a dry mix made from wheat flour, margarine and sodium bicarbonate - near the flour section at Woolworths.

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RAIN
It rained and rained and rained
The average fall was well maintained
And when the tracks were simple bogs
It started raining cats and dogs

After a drought of half an hour
We had a most refreshing shower
And then, most curious thing of all
A gentle rain began to fall.

Next day bur one was fairly dry
Save for one deluge from the sky
Which wetted the party to the skin
And then, at last, the Rain set in! 

               Anonymous

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By the time you read this I’ll probably be in NZ taking a break (and it appears that I’ll be taking this awful weather with me) so enjoy your three weeks Kaye-free!




Kaye Proudley ~~ Newsletter Editor
5185 1398.   0409 803 341.   [email protected] 

(Please ring or email me if you want to be unsubscribed from the newsletter.)