Brian Lea and David Dore, The Buloke Times
For the last 5 years the Birchip Landcare Group has been funded, by the Mallee CMA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, to seek out paddocks that could attract the critically endangered Plains-wanderer.
The funding provided song metres to be set up in paddocks that the Birchip Landcare Group thought would attract the Plains-wanderer, due to a certain criterion.
The Trust for Nature, together with the Birchip Landcare Group, would service the song meters and have the SD cards analysed by staff from the Victorian Department of Conservation (DEECA).
The call of the Plains-wanderer is like the moo of a cow. The song metres are programmed to record in the evening and the early mornings. The data from the SD card in the song meter is collected by Landcare together with Trust for Nature every 6 months and analysed by staff from the Victorian Department of Conservation (DEECA).
One such paddock is a 91-hectare paddock on George Cullinan’s property, and over a period of time the song metre on George’s property picked up a number of calls over a matter of a few weeks, indicating that a number of Plains-wanderers use the property.
George’s paddock has been found to be attractive for the critically endangered Plains-wanderer because of the mix of native grasses and shrubs that continue to grow. This is because the paddock has not been cultivated for a long time and the native grasses etc. (that would disappear after cultivation) continue to thrive. These plants are critical as food sources and habitat for the birds, who like open tussocky grasslands that they can run through without obstruction.
George Cullinan, one of Birchip’s local legends, has been farming in Jil Jil all his life. At 99, in October this year, he is still active around his farm. At his latest shearing in July, he swept the shearing board clean of locks, and he worked all day for 2 local shearers who come to shear his 200 ewes.
When George was shown a written report of all the calls from the Plains-wanderers he said it was the best news he had had for a long time. He was overjoyed that his paddock was being used by these little birds. It was not surprising that George wanted to establish a conservation covenant with Trust for Nature on 91 hectares of his property, where natural grasslands provide important habitat for the Plains-wanderer.
George is very interested in caring for the wildlife in and around Birchip. He, and his fellow hunters, are well known for the large number of foxes that they shoot in any given year, and the rabbits get the same treatment.
George’s conservation covenant, to help preserve the Plains-wanderers, is just the latest example of his desire to care for the environment. George is determined to help this little bird by providing a lifelong safe area, for the Plains-wanderer on his land.
The habitat for the Plains-wanderer is rapidly disappearing and what George is doing is exactly what is needed for the survival of this little bird.
The conservation covenant is a voluntary, legal agreement made between George and Trust for Nature, which permanently protects natural and/or cultural values of the land. Conservation covenants are negotiated, so that George’s needs for grazing are balanced with the maintenance of the natural plants that occur on the property.
Covenants frequently have different zones within them, to allow for different management of parts of a parcel of land. The beauty of covenants is that they are registered on title. They don’t lock up the land, but they do provide habitat forever.
George’s covenant was registered on title in March, and Trust for Nature presented George with the deed of Covenant on March 27, 2024.
This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 5 April 2024.
