Wildlife

A deadly disease that attacks water birds, known as Avian Botulism, is suspected to have struck at Bells Swamp on the Bridgewater-Maldon Road in Neereman, 10 or so kilometres from Maldon. Bird rescue teams, including Victorian Wildlife veterinarians and volunteer regional wildlife lovers, spent the weekend searching the swamp for dead and unwell birds.

Forestry Corporation of NSW has launched a program across eastern NSW to monitor native plants and animals in State forests, finding a strong recovery in spring after previous droughts, fires and floods ... “We have already detected a number of koalas, yellow-bellied gliders, parma wallabies and quolls, which are all threatened species": North Coast Senior Field Ecologist, Mark Drury.

Apart from the Corryong Wetlands being a place to go, enjoy, relax and soak in the surroundings it is also envisaged that as the project develops the area will become a useful place for both young and old to learn about our natural environment ... Twenty-five ‘Bee Hotels’ and ‘Bee B&Bs’ had been prepared for the day and after Karen’s talk the group adjourned to the Corryong Wetlands site where a number of them were placed in trees awaiting their new guests.

Valkyrie the Wedgetail Eagle at the Rockhampton Zoo will be receiving a belated Christmas present with a brand-new enclosure being constructed ... “The new enclosure will be built opposite the Kangaroos at the Zoo which will get Valkyrie down with her Australian buddies in the bottom section": Parks, Sport and Public Space Councillor Cherie Rutherford.

Last month marked the first time wild dog baits have been substituted for fox baits in Bounceback, a flagship program working to achieve conservation outcomes in South Australia’s north ... They replaced the fox baits normally used in their central and northern Flinders Ranges aerial baiting programs which covered National Parks and nine surrounding pastoral leases.

Narrandera Landcare’s quarterly bird survey at The Wetlands recently surprised the group, with participants finding 25 species! There were almost no waterbirds but lots and lots of woodland birds.

A group of Denmark Senior High School students took a long walk from Greens Pool back to the school as part of Duke of Edinburgh International awards camp ... Along the way of their walk, the group collected rubbish littering the trails ... Lightning weed was the target species over the morning in what had felt like a gym work out.

It was a year of new challenges for turtle nesting protection on the western Cape York Peninsula, with unprecedented early nesting, vehicle breakdowns, weather events, shifting landscapes and data collection unreliability ... Rangers from Apudthama Land Trust and the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC), Napranum Aboriginal Land Council, Mapoon and Pormpuraaw gathered in Weipa in December for the annual forum on the turtle nesting season.

A public environmental review has been set for a mineral sands project proposed for about 21km east of Ledge Point and 800m south of the Moore River due to the extent of further information required, the number of preliminary key environmental factors identified and the moderate level of public interest in the project. When the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) published its decision to assess the Bidaminna project proposal it said out of the 156 submissions received 153 had called for public environmental review.

"Skip has now travelled more than 2,500 kilometres south, where he’s currently having a feed on the East Tasman Plateau, after spending Christmas week on secluded Craggy Island, north of Flinders Island, where he spent a few days hauled out and making short fishing trips": Minister for Environment, James Griffin.

Emma Pritchard. Clarence Valley residents are being encouraged to hop into action this month to help prevent a devastating pest from spreading further across the region by participating in the Great Cane Toad Bust 2023. An annual national incentive, the event aims to raise awareness of the invasive species, to help control their numbers, educate communities to correctly identify them, and to ensure any cane toads captured during hunts are humanely euthanised.

Suzie Christensen, LHIB. The woodhen survey has seen another increase in woodhen number with more than 1,000 woodhens counted. This is a record number of woodhens for the Island, surpassing the 778 individuals counted last March.

Whether you are an avid bird watcher or simply a casual admirer I highly recommend adding this to your bookshelf for ready reference. Trust me, you’ll need it - as some people may not believe you when you tell them about some of the avian oddities described.

The rescue of Bruce the macaw has been in the news recently after his escape and rescue by the CFA. The Times paid a visit to the Maldon Takeaway where he resides during the week to see how Bruce was coping after his misadventure, and all seems to be well.

Vic Jurskis. The principles of monitoring animal numbers are no different for koalas or beetles. Monitoring should not be an end. But the first step should always be to look at historical information. They are irruptive animals which sometimes occur in plagues. Koalas and Christmas beetles have both gone through booms and busts in the same places at the same times for the same reasons ... ARR.News asked some further questions of Vic.

Conservationists are feeling hopeful for the future of the endangered Kangaroo Island Dunnart for the first time since the 2019/20 Black Summer fires. The newfound optimism comes after a large increase in detections of the species within the feral predator-free Western River Refuge.

Heather Gibbons. Health Harmony and Happiness Inc. has recently made a donation to Jodie Hutchins Born Free Native Wildlife Care in Millicent. This assists in covering some of the many costs Jodie has such as fencing, food and veterinary bills.

A number of state forests across south east Queensland will be conserved earlier, the Palaszczuk Government has announced ... Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said it’s part of the Palaszczuk Government’s election commitment to transfer 20,000 hectares of state forest to Queensland’s protected areas.

This intriguing book was launched in Warwick last week by Chair of Darling Downs-Moreton Rabbit Board (DDMRB) Lockyer Valley Regional Councillor Janice Holstein. It tells the Board’s story and that of rabbits in Australia. The DDMRB maintains the oldest and longest purpose-built, rabbit-proof barrier fence still in use in Australia, if not the world.

David McPherson, NSW DPI. Dr Law is one of Australia’s leading forest ecologists, with the sustained excellence of his research and distinguished service to Australian zoology recognised with his appointment in 2021 as a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW. In the history of the Society there have been fewer than 100 Fellows elected ... Criticisms of the scientific excellence or objectivity of the research undertaken by Dr Law are unfounded.

Kym Watling. November has come and gone in Unumgar without the sighting of a Christmas beetle – once a reliable reminder that the Christmas season was about to commence. It wasn’t that long ago that Christmas beetles were plentiful in the Northern Rivers.