Activities are open to every member of Birds Australia. Some require camping, especially Rushworth and a few VWSG activities. Arrangements may change so please be sure to contact the organiser.

Should you have any ideas for an activity, especially leading one, please contact BA-Victoria’s Activity Coordinator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , AH 03 9822 6126.

Monthly Meetings

BA-Vic meetings are held at 8.00pm on the second Thursday of each month, except January at the BA National Office. Each month there is a speaker, and an update on bird sightings and activities around Victoria.  Please join us at the Green Building, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton (Melway ref 2B 11D) in Meeting Rooms 1 & 2. Note that, when travelling east to west that there is no right turn at the junction of Leicester and Victoria Streets. Enjoy refreshments and a chat afterwards.  Parking is easy, free and public transport is available.

Speakers

14 August 2008, Euan Moore, Birds Australia member, "Birding in Brazil"

11 September 2008, Paul Peake, "VEAC Investigations"

9 October 2008, Danny Rogers, "Here and there: Monitoring Korean shorebirds"   

13 November 2008,  Bronwyn Isaac, "Powerful Owls in Suburbia"  

11 December 2008,  Bird Trivia Quiz

Ongoing Activities

BA-Vic Rushworth Banding Project: contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9347 0757.
Crested Bellbird surveys: check online for dates or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0404 012 385.
Important Bird Areas:  if you know an area which might meet the IBA criteria and are willing to enter your knowledge onto a form, please check out the website or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9347 0757.
Nest Record Scheme: volunteers needed to submit nest records, assist with data entry and analyse nest records, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9347 0757.
NRM Bird atlassing project:  volunteers required to survey revegetated landscapes at Port Phillip, Westernport, around Bacchus Marsh, Glenelg Hopkins wetlands, the Mallee and North East Vic around Chiltern, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9347 0757.
You Yangs Boneseed Control: You Yangs outings are mostly birding, but include an hour or so of serious bone-seed pulling. Participants should bring a trowel, gardening gloves, clothes for all weather, food and water, binoculars of course and anything else they might need, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9889 4924.

TBN Activities

Australasian & Little Bittern: Records of sightings and sounds sought.  Behaviour and habitat information appreciated, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Grey-crowned Babbler: Survey 15 June 2008 in Murchison district and 29 June 2008 in Lurg.  Anytime assistance appreciated to remove guards, plant trees and survey.  Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 0408 512 441.
Helmeted Honeyeater: surveys at Bunyip State Forest Sunday 10 August 2008 contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 5964 8341, or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Ongoing nursery work at Yellingbo -- every Tuesday, Thursday and first Saturday of the month contact Michelle Faram 03 5964 8341;  Revegetation work at Yellingbo on the second Saturday of each month contact Richard Case 03 9720 4062; Ongoing monitoring and database maintenance contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 03 5954 4010 or  0412 576 646.
Hooded Plover: Monitoring of pairs and chicks along various parts of the coast, and volunteers with computer mapping skills needed at the BA National Office contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9347 0757.
Orange-bellied Parrot: Surveys 26-27 July and 13-14 September 2008, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9347 0757.
Regent Honeyeater: Surveys 2-3 August 2008, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 1800 621 056.
Regent Honeyeater Planting weekends: near Benalla throughout August and September. Birding, revegetation work, spotlighting, ecology walk and socialising.  Free accommodation at Benalla and BBQ lunch on Sunday. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 5761 1515.
Swift Parrot: Surveys 2-3 August 2008. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 1800 665 766.

For further information on Threatened Bird Network (TBN) activities contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , at the BA National Office 03 9347 0757.

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Shorebird Counts

We want to hear from anyone with an interest in shorebirds and shorebird conservation, or who would like to learn more about these amazing birds. In particular we are looking for volunteers to assist with biannual national population monitoring counts at sites throughout Australia, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , at the BA National Office 03 9347 0757.

For Victorian Wader Studies Group (VWSG) activities make contact several days before the fieldwork date, contact Clive Minton 03 9589 4901, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 5952 1857 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 03 9482 2112.

Surveys

BA-Victoria conduct a number of regular surveys.For Sites, Species Lists and Survey Details visit Birdline Victoria.

Devilbend

Roger Richards and a group of committed bird counters were given permission by Melbourne Water to enter the 1057ha reserve surrounding the decommissioned Devilbend and Bittern Reservoirs on the Mornington Peninsula to conduct monthly bird counts. The counts started in May 2004 and by February 2005 129 species had been recorded. Birds in the adjacent Woods Reserve are also recorded.

Waterbirds are counted using spotting scopes from set positions where the overall reservoir area can be observed. An estimate of total waterbird numbers is recorded. 45 waterbirds have been recorded including Blue-billed Duck and Great Crested Grebe. White-bellied Sea-Eagles have also been seen. Terrestrial birds are counted along a number of transects to obtain an abundance index. Incidental observations of flocks or individuals are added.

In January 2005, the Victorian Government announced that Devilbend Reserve would be transferred to Parks Victoria and  listed as a Conservation Park. The Melway Reference is Map 153 J3. Counts are held on the second Tuesday of each month Anyone wishing to participate is requested to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , by email.

Eastern Treatment Plant

The Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP) is usually surveyed on the fourth Sunday of the month. Surveyors drive around the entire plant in 4wds and attempt to count every bird detected. Being a working sewage plant with some designated conservation areas, but smaller than the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee, you can expect to encounter a wide range of birds, albeit in smaller numbers than at Werribee. For the beginner, this is an ideal place to start learning water birds, and how to count birds, since Mike and his associates will assist you in any way they can. Anyone can identify and count Black Swans can't they? The plant is not as actively managed for the birds as Werribee is, so from count to count we don't know what the next tank is likely to yield. Some surprising birds have turned up in the ponds: Painted Snipe, Yellow Wagtail, and all manner of waders.

Trust For Nature

Port Fairy Pelagics

The BA-Victoria Pelagics from Port Fairy are organised by Chris Lester. Mike Carter and Rohan Clarke are the usual bird leaders on the boat. A Port Fairy boat trip is organised the first Sunday of each month, with some exceptions. Often trips are postponed to the second Sunday of the month, due to the fickle nature of the weather in the Southern Ocean, resulting in conditions that will be too rough or dangerous. If the second trip does not go, the trip for that month is then cancelled.

Each trip can only accommodate 12 people. There is a waiting list established when a trip is fully booked. People often drop out, particularly if a trip has been postponed. The cost is $100-120, depending on the number of people on the boat. It is dearer if the boat isn't full, as the hire cost is divided between the sea-birders. Given the close association between these pelagics and Birds Australia, it helps if your are a BA member. We also reserve 2 of the 12 places on the boat for people who have never been out before. Therefore, please let me know if you are a BA member and/or someone who has not been out before.

From noon (AEST) Friday, 11 July 2008, I will take bookings for the 2009 trips. To make a booking, e-mails with an 11 July 2008 date after noon are necessary. Places have been at a premium for the last couple of years, so the demand for 2009 is expected to remain high. Last year, the boat filled up for all the 2008 trips on the initial booking day. Please do not expect to be able to get on specific trips with any degree of confidence. Some flexibility in sending your bookings would be much appreciated. Also indicate whether you would like to go on a waiting list if you can't get on the trip you want. The dates for trips in 2009 are below. If the trip is postponed, then the second attempt will occur on the date in brackets.

• 18 January (no postponement date)
• 1 February (08 February)
• 1 March (15 March)
• 5 April (19 April)
• 3 May (10 May)
• 14 June (21 June)
• 5 July (12 July)
• 2 August (09 August)
• 6 September (13 September)
• 4 October (18 October)
• 8 November (15 November)
• 13 December (20 December)

When you get a place on the boat, you have important responsibilities:

1. You must confirm with Chris Lester that you are still able to attend, no later than a week before the trip date. If you don't do this, you may lose your place.
2. Contact Chris Lester after 7:30pm the Friday evening before the trip to confirm that it is going ahead.
   

If you are on a waiting list, you will be contacted if a vacancy appears. However, you can contact Chris Lester at any time to check whether there are any potential vacancies. Melbourne people usually travel down to Port Fairy on the Saturday afternoon and return on Sunday evening after the boat trip. I try to arrange rides for those that need them (especially from Melbourne), although there are no guarantees. I can arrange comfortable and inexpensive accommodation in Port Fairy. A Saturday evening meal at a local pub is organised for those that want to join us.

The boat trip leaves between 6 - 7.30am, depending on the season, and returns around 4pm. As well as binoculars and cameras, you need to bring warm clothes, protection from wet weather, food & drink and some sort of seasickness prevention medication. Many people have decided not to bother with the latter and have found that it is a very long day if they are sick.

What we will see depends on many factors, including the season, the weather, if the birds are hungry or not .... and luck. Port Fairy is an excellent place for albatross, storm-petrels, giant-petrels, several shearwaters, some terns and skuas. Over the years, a good number of rarities have turned up. You can find out what has been seen previously by looking at our trip reports under Port Fairy on the Birding-Aus archive.

The remaining 2008 trips are booked out, but there are still waiting lists in case of cancellations. If you want to be on the 2008 waiting list contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The dates for 2008 trips are below:

• 6 July (13 July)
• 3 August (10 August)
• 7 September (14 September)
• 5 October (19 October)
• 9 November (16 November)
• 14 December (21 December)

For more details contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , AH 03 9370 7418. From noon (AEST) Friday, 11 July 2008 bookings for the 2009 trips will begin.

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