Melton Environment Group in Melton, Victoria | Community organisation

Melton Environment Group

Locality: Melton, Victoria

Phone: 9743 2495

Address: PO Box 481 3337 Melton, VIC, Australia

Website: meltonenvironmentgroup.org.au/index.php

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• Environmental conservation organisation

21.01.2022 ME Birdwalk in Long Forest Mallee On Saturday 21st November MEG celebrated the loosening of the covid plague restrictions by returning to Long Forest Mallee. Long Forest Mallee (LFM) is a unique Mallee remnant between Melton & Bacchus Marsh, dominated by Bull Mallee & Grey Box. It also contains bird species normally only found further north or in the more arid outback. Pam, Mike & Daryl walked from the picnic ground for a km or so. The weather was warm & humid & bird sig...htings were few but it was good to be out in the fresh air with company again. The bush was loud with the buzzing of cicadas. Perhaps 9.00 may possibly be a bit late for bird observing at this time of year. Grey Currawong Chough White-plumed Honeyeater Red Wattlebird Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Blue Wren Striated Pardalote Weebill Crimson Rosella At least four snake tracks were seen crossing the track where the soil was soft & dusty.

21.01.2022 Pink Stakes in Strathtulloh Woodland On Easter Saturday (3rd April) Doug, Mark & Daryl of MEG visited Strathtulloh Woodland to place coloured stakes beside Grey Box seedlings. Thanks to Mark we had about 50 stakes painted bright pink! They should stand out against the grey grasses. Thus protected from grass cutting operations they should grow into trees, following the example of those we have already protected in this way back in 2014. The 50 stakes were soon hammered into ...the ground. Despite recent rains the ground was harder than we expected. However we discovered that we could have easily placed at least another 50 stakes as we discovered more tree seedlings hidden in the grass. Another working morning will be planned to address this. MEG Bird Group has conducted yearly bird surveys in Strathtulloh. On these walks we have scattered seeds of indigenous understory plants, (Gold-dust Wattle, Turkey Bush, Melicytis, Stipa elegantissima etc) from adjacent woodlands, to encourage restoration of woodland understory & encourage wildlife (especially bird) diversity

18.01.2022 MEG February 2021 newsletter is available to download from the website. https://meltonenvironmentgroup.org.au/news/newsletters-2

17.01.2022 The Gnomes of Strathtulloh Woodland A number of brightly coloured gnomes have appeared around the bases of several trees. Strathtulloh is full of surprises!

16.01.2022 NESTBOX PROJECT 2020: part of the Arnolds Creek Biolink A partnership between Melton Environment Group, Melton Secondary College, Melton South Primary School, ...City of Melton and Western Land Services In 2011 eight nest boxes were built by Melton Mens Shed, painted by Coburns Primary School students and placed in trees by Western Land services; funded by a Melton City World Environment Day grant. Wood Ducks and a Brush-tailed Possum have been regular users of nestboxes here for several years. Current Nest Box Project In 2018 it was decided to add more nestboxes. Melton Secondary College Technology Teacher Tony Schaefer was asked if his woodworking students could build nest boxes for local wildlife. Students were provided with a list of wildlife likely to frequent Arnolds Creek and they picked one species each, then researched the appropriate box size. Having the students 'own' a species is excellent, as is having them research the requirement themselves. Knowing what wildlife they are creating nests for will hopefully make them more conscious of the diversity of bird species here in Melton Woodworking students at Melton Secondary College built about 30 nest boxes for Melton Environment Group. Many thanks to Technology Teacher Tony Schaefer and the woodwork students of Melton Secondary College! Eight nest boxes were handed to Art Teacher Kate Rosza at Melton South Primary School for the students to decorate, according to their own imaginations, in 2019. The students presented Melton Environment Group with eight beautifully decorated boxes! Melton Environment Group is grateful to Melton Shire for providing environmental grants to local community environmental volunteer groups. This project is an excellent example of a community environmental group working in partnership with other community groups, schools, local authorities and local business to improve the natural environment of our local waterways. The distinctively painted boxes will remain brilliantly coloured tributes to the students who painted them so imaginatively. They are not only homes for wildlife but works of art! These will not only be habitat for wildlife but examples of community art. Where else will you see wildlife nesting inside works of art?

16.01.2022 Bird walks will recommence in 2021! Covid-19 permitting of course ___________________________________________________________ Bird Walks in 2021 will be held on the 3rd Saturday of the month, to avoid conflicting with other local walks. ...Continue reading

15.01.2022 MEG August 2020 newsletter is available to download from the website. https://meltonenvironmentgroup.org.au/news/newsletters-2 For those who are members or would like to become a member, there is information about how to renew your membership given that we are not able to meet for activities.

14.01.2022 Back to Brookfield (at last!) After a long absence Doug, Mark & Daryl returned to Brookfield on Saturday 7th November to tackle the jungle of weeds that had grown during the covid-induced lockdown, when weeding was unfortunately not one of the permitted outdoor activities. Weeds were knee-high while some of the mallows were waist-high with three cm thick trunks! These were tackled with long-handed secateurs. Surviving plants were identified & marked with stakes so they would ...not be cut during subsequent weeding operations (when the whipper snippers have been serviced- after a three week wait). The Black Wattles were flowering prolifically while a large flock of White Cockatoos were feeding on the green seed pods. Large numbers of birds of various species were noisily flying about. As we worked we could hear the exotic call of a Peacock from somewhere in the neighbourhood

13.01.2022 New Holland Honeyeater nest in rose bush A pair of our new Holland Honeyeaters have built this nest at the bottom of a rose bush, about a foot from the ground. It took them a while to build as the nesting materials kept getting caught on the thorns. They built it several weeks ago and I have been avoiding the vicinity so not to disturb them. I thought it would be safe to check the nest this morning, assuming that any nestlings would have left the nest. I was surprised to see these, fairly recently hatched babies. The honeyaters are guarding the nest against other birds (Blackbirds, Red Wattlebirds, Starlings etc) Perhaps they, or another pair, have used the nest again. Or there may have been some delay in their laying eggs. A bit of a mystery.

12.01.2022 Toolern Creek Regional Park Dusky Woodswallows return to Melton A recent (unfortunately solo) walk in the northern sector of Toolern Creek Regional Park (well with the 5 km limit) near the new housing development & sports fields found a total of 27 bird species. A highlight was a pair of Dusky Woodswallows building a nest in the lower fork of a Sugar Gum... A flock of Fairy Martins were noisily feeding in the air as well as busily visiting a muddy puddle beside the track by the sports field. They appeared to be scooping up beakfulls of mud as evidenced by the tiny pockmarks in the muddy margin of the puddle. There are a few bridges in the vicinity, including the original bridge in Bridge Road built by Sir John Monash. Perhaps these could be checked in the future for bottle-shaped mud nests made by the martins (also known as Bottle Swallows). Within the Toolern Volcanic Gorge stands an ancient Pear Tree, weather-beaten & drought-worn. There appear to be plenty of tiny pear buds. The pears, from memory, were small & hard, but tasty. Within the Gorge the air is heavy with the perfume of wattles (Acacia provincialis). Beside them the Early Black Wattles (A. mearnsii) are about to flower. This may well be worth a MEG visit this summer if we are able to. Hope springs eternal! Birds seen were: Rainbow Lorikeet Eastern Rosella Galah Red-rumped Parrot Crested Pigeon Turtledove Wood Duck Chestnut Teal Brown Goshawk Magpie Little Raven Magpie-lark Dusky Woodswallow Fairy Martin Starling Mynah Willy Wagtail Reed Warbler White-plumed Honeyeater New Holland Honeyeater Red Wattlebird Blue Wren Goldfinch Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike White-faced Heron Yellow-rumped Thornbill House Sparrow

08.01.2022 more photos of Noisy Miner & Magpie sharing shower at rainwater outlet

06.01.2022 Bird walk along Little Blind Creek Saturday On Saturday 17th April MEG hosted a bird walk along Little Blind Creek. Little Blind Creek flows through Melton, meeting Toolern Creek at Hannah watts Park. It is home for large numbers of birds. The many old hollow trees provide nest sites for many hollow-nesting birds & possums. Seven people, Denise, Denice, Pam, Debra, Gill, Bill & Daryl began at the Guide Hall opposite the golf course along Little Blind Creek & back again. An ...aerial battle was taking place in the skies above the Guide Hall as we arrived. A pair of Collared Sparrowhawks was being noisily harassed by a horde of various Magpies, Ravens, Wattlebirds & other honeyeaters. As we set off the battle was still underway with none appearing willing to concede the territory. Most of the birdlife was concentrated around the Guide Hall! Birdlife was otherwise quite sparse along the creek. Parrots were conspicuously absent apart from the ubiquitous Rainbow Lorikeets. There were a few token Galahs, White Cockatoos & Red-rumped Parrots, & a couple of Eastern Rosellas heard but not seen. Also surprisingly absent were the Blue Wrens We were struck by the decorated fenceline beside the creek. The design of birds & trees appeared to have been done with a stencil as it was repeated for several hundred metres, enlivening an otherwise drab wooden fence. Perhaps this concept could be adopted elsewhere as there are a good many drab fences abutting our beautiful tree-lined creeks

06.01.2022 MEG bird walk in Long Forest Mallee

06.01.2022 Strathtulloh Forest- photos

03.01.2022 Currently all MEG activities are cancelled for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Along with all other organisations MEG suspended all organised activities such as working bees, bird walks & meetings. ___________________________________________________________ MEG Bird Walks in 2020 are held on the 3rd Saturday of the month, to avoid conflicting with other local walks. MEG walks (including bushland walks) are easy walking & child friendly, on defined paths, with...Continue reading

02.01.2022 Strathtulloh Woodland On Wednesday 3rd February Mark & Daryl of MEG visited Strathtulloh Woodland with Tony Herwerth of Melton Council where we assessed the Grey Box seedlings that MEG had protected with stakes several years ago. The tiny trees were being mown by grass cutting operations but are now over a metre tall. It is much easier to protect existing trees than to plant new ones (& water them)!...Continue reading

02.01.2022 Strathtulloh Woodland Strathtulloh Woodland is a small remnant Greybox Grassy Woodland locate at the southern end of Toolern Regional Park, overlooking Toolern Creek just before its confluence with the Werribee River. It is but a small remnant of the large Grey Box Woodland that once covered this area. It forms a vital link in the Toolern Creek Wildlife Corridor that enables migrating birds a corridor through which to move through the rapidly growing town of Melton.... After 150 or so years of intense grazing the woodland has been reduced to a number of ancient Grey Box trees with no understory or regenerating trees. Now that grazing no longer occurs here there are hundreds of tiny Grey Box seedling trying to regenerate among the grass. Unfortunately these are prevented from growing due to grass mowing operations . Some years ago MEG was given permission to protect these tiny trees by placing stakes, spray painted bright red, beside many of these to highlight their presence. Over several years these tiny trees have grown to a metre or more in height. As these grow to maturity over many years they will form a healthy Grassy Woodland, providing habitat to our declining local woodland bird species; as well as habitat for other native wildlife such as Koalas. It appears that these stakes may need to be replaced or repainted so that they remain visible