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Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network

Phone: 84007300

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25.01.2022 A very lucky brushtail possum!! Meet ‘Captain’, this lovely boy was rescued after he was found in a very poor state. His rescuer immediately took him to Gisborne Wildlife Shelter for further assessment & care and what an incredible outcome! Captain truly had been in the wars! He had sustained burns to his paws, an injured eye, and was underweight. Lynda has rehabilitated Captain and soon he will be fit for release & we are so please this boy got a second chance. Also thank you to the person who donated Captain his possum box! We don’t have your name but hopefully this message reaches you somehow

24.01.2022 This adult male brushtail was rescued and taken to Gisborne Wildlife Shelter in a very poor state. His injuries included burns to back of front paws, hind feet and tail. He also presented with head trauma causing concussion and partial loss of sight (improving with time) due to a small ulcer in eye. His carer suspects he was injured while residing in a chimney, unknowingly people would have lit their fire while this poor possum was in there! Due to burns, he most likely suffered a fall as he fled. He is doing remarkable now & thanks to such dedicated care from Lynda, this boy is expected to be released very soon :)

23.01.2022 Thank you to the Midland Express for highlighting our concerns.

23.01.2022 With more of us driving again now that lockdown measures are being lifted, remember to look out for wildlife on the roads especially near dawn and dusk. If you do hit an animal on the road, please pull over and check on the animal. If injured its vital to call for help, and if it’s deceased it may still have a live pouch baby, so it’s still important to make that call. You can call Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300. Why not save this number into your phone now jus...t in case you need it? We understand that accidents can happen and sometimes hitting wildlife is unavoidable, it’s what you do afterwards that matters, and taking a couple of minutes to call a wildlife rescuer so they can get there as quickly as possible is essential. You can now also report a wildlife emergency using the Snap Send Solve app for iOS or Android. For more information or to download the app please visit www.snapsendsolve.com

21.01.2022 Pity about the short Notice.... submissions close Friday 17th July. Bird Life Australia have a brief, to the point submission you can use. https://www.actforbirds.org/ratpoison

21.01.2022 I stumbled across something Dean Lamb wrote in response to McDonalds potentially been built in Kyneton, I felt it should be shared. You know there’s an old story about an old man that lived on a small island. He had very little in the way of material possessions. He slept in a bark hut or under the stars. He grew his own food and fished every day off the little jetty and played with his kids and grandkids. He lived a simple life. One day a developer came along in a big yach...t. He moored the yacht and went looking for the old man. He said, old man, sell me your island, I will give you $20 million for it, the old man said, no thank you . The developer countered, but you have nothing here, what would you do if you had $20 million? The old man thought for a moment and then he said, I’d buy a quiet little island. One with a jetty that I could fish off and a sandy beach that I could play with my grandkids. Often in our rush to get something new, something bigger, something brighter, something faster, we forget what we already have. There is value in a paddock that grows grass. A paddock that changes colour with the seasons, a paddock that feeds a creek. There is real mental health value in watching the magpies on a rusted bar wire fence. There is value in the eagles having some open space to grab a rabbit from. Value is not always transparent, value does not always equate to money. See more

21.01.2022 A flash back to when Bubbles, Squeak, Pebbles & Bam Bam were soaking up some sun at the Woodend Wildlife Shelter! How cute are they?!!!

20.01.2022 Have you seen the cute hand made echidna sign on Blackforest Road when travelling to or from Woodend? It’s spring, and that means Echidnas are on the move in the Macedon Ranges! As temperatures rise, Echidnas emerge from the burrows they’ve hunkered down in over winter and go in search for a mate (and tasty insects!) Echidnas emit an odour during mating season which helps them locate each other. They can even form trains- a long line of male Echidnas following the scent of... a single female echidna! In searching for a mate or foraging for food, they may cross over roads and into private property. It’s important to know that Echidnas have a strong home range upon which they roam. Echidnas will share their territory, but they cannot be relocated. If you are lucky enough to see an Echidna on your property, make sure any domestic animals (especially dogs) don’t go near the Echidna or harass it. It will most likely move on in a day or two. Like other wildlife, it’s important to be on the look-out for Echidnas when driving. Injured animals (such as those hit by a car) need to be taken to a vet. If this has happened, don’t forget to look for baby Echidnas (called puggles)! For the first couple of months after a winter-spring breeding, female Echidnas carry a puggle in their backwards facing pouch. Puggles can be discharged out onto the road in traffic accidents. After a search of an adult road victim, don’t forget to scout the ground nearby as well. Orphaned puggles need to be taken into care. When summer arrives, Echidnas can restrict their movement to the cooler parts of the day or even the evening. They may also look for water in drainage lines on the sides of the road. At this time, older puggles are usually in burrows, where they wait for their mother’s return. Adult Echidnas can use scent trails to find their way back to their burrows and their waiting young. This is another reason why it’s important to make sure Echidnas are not moved unless absolutely necessary, and to always leave uninjured Echidnas to go on their way. Habitat loss and development have contributed to a decline in the number of Echidnas in Australia, as have introduced species. We are very lucky here in the Macedon Ranges to still be able to enjoy the sight of wild Echidnas, and should look out for them where we can. Picture attached is of a Woodend Echidna freshly emerged at the end of winter. (Thanks to Mel Lewis for this post)

20.01.2022 A koala from Kerrie. Unfortunately she didn’t survive but incredible images showing what koala teeth look like up close!

19.01.2022 We often do posts on the effects baits/poisons have on wildlife so we thought we would share this link. Will you take the pledge?

19.01.2022 We are on the look out for our next cover photo!!!! If you have a high quality image of some native animals in the Macedon Ranges & would like it to feature as our cover photo please post it below We know you guys have some incredible images! If you have previously offered one and it wasn’t chosen, don’t be shy to try again. ... Thanks ‘Noah&Lil Helping Aussie Wildlife’ for sharing this pic of K-Tee the feathertail glider who was rehabbed & released!!

19.01.2022 From our friends at Mount Macedon Volunteer Fire Brigade.

18.01.2022 Duck Shooting (or should I say banning it) has been a very important issue for our team. Each year, volunteers head off to be apart of triage teams rescuing the wounded. They have witnessed unnecessary brutality in attempts to get reactions from them, yet each year they continue the fight for the slaughter to end. Please take the time to vote against Duck Shooting. Our waterbirds deserve better than this.

18.01.2022 We are looking forward to presenting some helpful advice & tips alongside our friends at Mount Macedon Volunteer Fire Brigade. Volunteer Sharon will be answering some questions and we hope you can join. Let’s all be prepared this summer. Check link below for details and save the date

18.01.2022 The Victoria Agriculture Minister has today announced an increased kill quota under the Kangaroo Harvesting Programme of 37,780 to 95,680. Mary-Anne Thomas has based this decision on a supposed increase in kangaroo populations of 40% between 2018 and 2020. This increase in kangaroo population is biologically impossible. Even when conditions are ideal, the most kangaroo populations can increase by is 10%.... AT MOST a kangaroo can have a Joey every 12 months. AT MOST. So if we have equal amounts of male and female kangaroos, and every single female had a Joey and every single joey survived and none of the adults died, the most the population could increase by in a year is 50%. But these assumptions are ridiculous. Let’s look at them one by one. Firstly we know not every female roo has a Joey - roos do not have joeys until they are AT LEAST 2 years old (often older), and the rate of reproduction decreases as a roo ages. Even at their most fertile, it is common for female Roos to only have a Joey every 15-18 months. Secondly we know not every Joey survives - in fact estimates of Joey mortality in a normal year are 73%. Thirdly, we absolutely know without doubt that every adult roo has not survived 2020. It is estimated the fires in early 2020 killed 5,000,000 kangaroos (many of which were in Victoria) either through the fire event itself or starvation afterwards. And that on top of the many many kangaroos that are killed every year by human factors including cars, fences, dogs, guns or the government’s kangaroo harvesting programme. In addition, there are the kangaroos that die of natural causes. With all these facts, the Minister’s claim of an increase in kangaroo population of 40% cannot possibly be accurate. Nor can the increased kill quota possibly be justified. Please email Mary-Anne Thomas on [email protected] or call her on 54282138 to ask her to take action immediately to significantly reduce this kill quota announced or better still, abolish the programme in its entirety. https://animaljusticepartyvictoria.good.do/kangarooshoot//

18.01.2022 Another dear little orphan is in transit to a fantastic wildlife shelter. A huge thank you to rescuer Kim & Shiloh. Rescuers get very little acknowledgment for all the time out on the field responding to some of the worst cases. Not only are they doing that, they also spend hours transporting animals to various shelters. If you’re keen to become a wildlife rescuer and/or transporter, please contact Wildlife Victoria. Our wildlife need all the help they can get! Thanks again Kim & Shiloh!

15.01.2022 Some of the natives enjoying their new feeder at a local wildlife shelter. There’s lots of easy ways to help local shelters out. Adding in a bag of rolled oats when you’re shopping is a cheap way to help support wildlife carers. Bird seed, hay/bag of chaff, tissues, toilet paper or paper towel & pony mix is another great way too. ... *** DROP OFF POINT IN WOODEND IS FIREBIRD MOTORS*** *** GISBORNE DROP OFF POINT PLEASE PLEASE PM FOR DETAILS*** ***SUNBURY DROP OFF POINT PLEASE PM FOR DETAILS*** All donations will be distributed throughout the local shelters. If you are a Shelter or Foster Carer but not in MRWN feel free to get in touch and we are more than happy to distribute to you guys also. We love how much community support we get when we do call outs like these so THANK YOU for supporting the wildlife.

14.01.2022 This is Emu Bottom, in Sunbury. One of the last remaining areas left for our wildlife in this town. Sadly this beautiful valley is due to become yet another housing development. Not far from here in another area of Sunbury (Canterbury Hills), local rescuers are helpless to the cull currently taking place there. ... The kangaroos escaping from the gunfire make there way to where this footage is filmed and you can see which ones have come from Canterbury Hills by their behaviour. They are traumatised. They call it progress........ we call it destruction of what little habitat is left.

13.01.2022 With weather warming up, our reptilian friends are on the move. Numerous snake calls have already come in so we thought we would introduce you guys to these 2 lovely snake catchers, Manfred (Five Freedoms Animal Rescue 0438 681 501) & Ben (Ben’s Snake Removal & Awareness 0427 769 791). Please feel free to store their numbers in your phones incase you need them. ... Manfred covers Macedon Ranges Shire while Ben covers Sunbury and surrounds. If either or both are busy with other jobs they will provide you with other reputable snake removalists. *** Please note, these are not free services but 2 business we proudly recommend.

13.01.2022 This gorgeous echidna was found by Melanie in Cherokee yesterday with a fence staple through his beak! She thankfully contacted Wildlife Vic who contacted local rescuers. Robert headed out and collected him & ‘Noah&Lil Helping Aussie Wildlife’ were able to have the staple removed. He will spend some time in care with a local shelter & then back home for this sweet guy. Well done to all! Great Networking

10.01.2022 If you know something, say something. Wildlife Cruelty sadly does occur throughout our beautiful Shire. This is the 2nd Wedge Tail Eagle to be shot this year that we are aware of. Please if you know something, report it to the authorities. ... Thank you.

08.01.2022 Some fantastic advice from Ben!

07.01.2022 Not long until December and we are on the lookout for a cover photo that will see us through til the new year! If you have a high quality image featuring wildlife and would like it to be used on our page please post it in the comments below How cute is ‘Mousey’ the ringtail possum! She was successfully raised by a foster carer and now released with her 2 friends Sonic & Tails. They have come back to sleep in this makeshift drey each night but are loving to explore their... new home. Cant wait to see what our next cover photo will be!!!

06.01.2022 Watch Out! Spring is swooping season! Currently birds are nesting and defending their chicks and one that can be of the most concern to some people is the beautiful iconic magpie. Male Magpies swoop people because they are protecting their chicks, but also because the person walking or riding by reminds the bird of someone who disturbed them in the past. Magpies have very long memories and do remember faces!... Most Magpies don't swoop people. Females don't swoop at all because they are busy sitting on the eggs, and only 12% of male Magpies are aggressive. These few males only swoop for six weeks while their chicks are in the nest. Understandably, these dads are just being protective of their babies. If you have a swooping magpie nearby try to avoid the area, the best way to protect yourself from a swooping bird is to avoid venturing into their territory. If you must pass through the area: Move quickly but do not run. Wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses outdoors to protect your face and eyes Cyclists should wear a helmet, dismount and walk through the area. Don’t interfere with or throw stones at birds. This gives them added reason to see humans as a threat and may increase swooping behaviourand they will remember you! If you find any wildlife you feel needs assistance, you can call Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300. Why not save this number into your phone now just in case you need it? You can now also report a wildlife emergency using the Snap Send Solve app for iOS or Android. For more information or to download the app please visit www.snapsendsolve.com

06.01.2022 Do you have a problem with rats and mice? We tend to notice them more as cooler weather forces them to search for food closer to our homes, such as sheds and garages. Butplease think twice before using rat poisons (rodenticides) to control rodents. Why you might wonder? The answer is because rat poisons don’t just kill rodents. They also kill the animals that eat rats and mice, like Southern Boobok Owls, Powerful Owls, Tawny Frogmouths, etc.and can also lead to the d...eaths of pet dogs and cats. Second Generation rodent poisons (which include Ratsak Fast Action, Talon, Mortein and The Big Cheese Fast Action brand rat and mice bait) have been banned from general public sale in the US, Canada and EU, but are available from supermarkets throughout Australia. These rat poisons build up to extremely toxic levels in the bodies of the rodents that consume them. As the rodent dies (which takes days), the rodent becomes lethargic and it becomes an easy and tempting meal to a hungry predator, or playful pet. Once eaten, that toxic load of poison transfers, and the anticoagulant effect of the rodenticide causes internal bleeding and often death in the body of the predator. Even if the dose of poison isn’t enough to kill the predator bird or animal, it’s still a highly toxic substance that can cause major health issues and may make them more susceptible to injury and illness. So, what to do? The best method of rodent control is prevention. One of the most effective ways of getting rid of unwanted rodents around your house is simply cleaning up a bit. Removing rubbish from your yard, keeping pet food indoors, clean up spilled bird feed from feeders and using chicken feeders which prevent spillage removes potential rodent food from the environment around your house. There is also a few of these on the market https://www.pestrol.com.au//pestrol-impact-ultrasonic-rod/ https://www.pestrol.com.au//ultrasonic-pest-repeller-batt/ If you suspect wildlife has been poisoned, you can call Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300. Why not save this number into your phone now just in case you need it? You can now also report a wildlife emergency using the Snap Send Solve app for iOS or Android. For more information or to download the app please visit www.snapsendsolve.com

06.01.2022 Spring in Victoria can mean gusty, rainy weather and can bring down trees and nests and separate young and vulnerable chicks and joeys from their parents. Here are some tips on how you can help wildlife after a windy storm: After the storm has passed and it is safe to do so please check under trees for fallen chicks, nests or injured birds. ... Small possums and gliders could also be found under trees after a severe storm. Often young birds will be found on the ground after falling from nests. It is normal for fledgling birds to fall out of the nest and spend a couple of days on the ground, with parents feeding them whilst they master the tricky art of flying. However, the wind may have brought some to the ground far too early, and they may need another couple of weeks to develop to full fledgling stage before they have any chance of flying. If the nest is too high up to get the chick back in it, you can very easily make and put up a makeshift nest; (check out this link on how to build one!) https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au//6%20-%20Makeshift%20N or watch this 1-minute video for tips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emup7b8glK4 If you then move well away from the nest the parents will, in most cases, come back and start to feed their chick. This is always the best option as it gives the babies the best start to be a wild bird by being raised by its parents. It may take some time for the parents to return but if the chick is very young or appears injured or there is no sign of the parents please call Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300. Why not save this number into your phone now just in case you need it? You can also report a wildlife emergency using the Snap Send Solve app for iOS or Android. For more information or to download the app please visit www.snapsendsolve.com Photo by Perry Cho

05.01.2022 A situation I think most of our team can relate too! Thanks Ben for a great post. Don’t forget to save his number in your phone incase you get any unwanted guests this summer. Not all snakes need to be caught and removalists such as Ben & Manfred will offer the best professional advice for each situation. ... Ben - 0427 769 791 Sunbury & Surrounds Manfred - 0438 681 501 Macedon Ranges Shire & Surrounds. Sadly lots of reptiles are getting hit on our roads so please drive with caution in mind. Thanks everyone.

04.01.2022 A big THANK YOU to our long time supporter Shirley. These items have just been delivered by a rescuer to be distributed between 2 wonderful shelters.

04.01.2022 Wherever you live you too can help wildlife, so why not add a routine to your normal gardening chores and put out some water for wildlife? Here are a few easy hints to get you started: Keep your birdbath clean, safe from predators (including pets), and refilled Put out other water dishes. If you can't reach the water fountain, you can't get a drink. Same is true for wildlife. While many people have pedestal bird baths, please keep some wa...ter sources on the ground (one shallow and one a little deeper); just make sure there is a rock or stick in the container to climb on should a little critter fall in and needs to climb out. For more information on water for wildlife please follow this link to our website: https://www.mrwn.org.au/how-you-can-help/hot-weather-alert If you suspect wildlife is heat stressed, please call Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300. Why not save this number into your phone now just in case you need it? You can now also report a wildlife emergency using the Snap Send Solve app for iOS or Android. For more information or to download the app please visit www.snapsendsolve.com Sharon B Photo- Melanie Thomas

02.01.2022 Manfred doing yet another mineshaft rescue!!! ‘Brad Pitt’ the kangaroo is back at the shelter recovering from his ordeal and Manfred, well he deserves a drink for that effort! Great job to all involved.

02.01.2022 How cute are these guys currently in care with local foster carers! Can you guess what they are? Photo by ‘Noah&Lil Helping Aussie Wildlife’... The answer is Brushtail Phascogales These little cuties are carnivorous marsupials and will grow up to 30cms in length (from the tip of their nose to tip of their tail). They are short lived with the males (much like antechinus) dying after a frenzied mating season leaving a male to have roughly a year of life while the females get 2 years. We send these two cuties our very best and look forward to their return to the wild. #phascogales #wildlife

01.01.2022 A huge thanks to Shirley! Due to your generosity we have been able to purchase some feed for the wildlife in care at a Woodend Wildlife Shelter. How cute are they?!

01.01.2022 2021 & we are still fighting this battle. It’s ludicrous really, but we will continue to rally against the cruelty of duck shooting and I for one look forward to the day we can share that it’s finally banned! Thank you to each and everyone of you who also stand up for our native water birds.

01.01.2022 It’s heating up and we need YOU!!! Anyone can help wildlife beat the heat by providing them with H20 Please top up those bird baths & place shallow dishes around your garden. (Pop in a stick so little creatures that might fall in don’t drown). ... Please be on the look out for heat stressed wildlife & have Wildlife Victorias number on hand to call. 84007300. Ringtail possums, birds, koalas & bats are all very susceptible to the heat, if you see them in distress please don’t assume they will be ok, instead seek advice ASAP! Keep hydrated & stay safe.