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 Activities Coordinator, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , AH 0425 759 010.

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 (Melways 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 and free & public transport is available.

Speakers

12 August 2010 Speaker: Ian Temby, DSE 'Gallinules to iguanas - Galapagos to Iguazu, via Peru and the Pantanal'

9 September 2010 Speaker: Laurie Levy, Coalition Against Duck Shooting 'Duck Shooting in Victoria'

14 October 2010 Speaker: Mike Weston, Deakin University (Burwood) School of Life and Environmental Sciences 'The Research Paparazzi: Determining Success and Fate of Shorebird Nests'

11 November 2010 Speakers: Richard Loyn, Ed McNabb & Danny Rogers, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (Terrestrial Ecology) 'Birds and fire: effects of recent fires and changing fire regimes on birds in Victorian forests'

Ongoing Activities

BA-Vic Rushworth Banding Project:  This long-term banding project has resumed with Naoko Takeuchi taking the reins. Meet at the site on early Saturday morning for setting nets, and camping at the site overnight, finishing on Sunday. Bring your own food, camping & sleeping gear, warm/waterproof clothes, etc. Contact Naoko to participate This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Beach-nesting Birds project: For more information on the project, visit www.birdsaustralia.com.au/beach, call Meghan Cullen on 03 9347 0757 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Devilbend Reservoir: Surveys on the second Tuesday of each month. Meet at Graydens Road Picnic Ground (Mel Ref 152 J3) at 9am. Contact Roger Richards 03 9836 2670, 0419 384 636 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Fire Recovery Surveys: If you would like to participate in these surveys contact Stuart Dashper; AH 03 9387 8734 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Dean Ingwersen & Chris Tzaros on 03 9347 0757, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Friends of Royal Park bimonthly survey: 9-11am. Meet at the Trin Warren Tam-boore car park, Manningham Street, Parkville (Melways 29 C12). Contact Nicole Spillane 03 9381 4179, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . View the Friends of Royal Park website for new year updates.

Important Bird Areas: For questions regarding the IBA monitoring & conservation project contact Cheryl Gole, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

NRM Bird Atlassing Project: Volunteers required to survey revegetated landscapes at Glenelg-Hopkins wetlands, the Mallee and North East Victoria around Chiltern. Check the project website for atlassing details. Contact Andrew Silcocks on 03 9347 0757, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Regent Honeyeater Project: Help the crew in this winter’s threatened species planting season in the Lurg region. Contact Ray Thomas (Project Coordinator) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 03 5761 1515. For details see regenthoneyeater.org.au.

Woodland Birds for Biodiversity Project: For details on activities related to this project please contact Dean Ingwersen, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Chris Tzaros, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it on 03 9347 0757. For Regent Honeyeater sightings freecall 1800 621 056 and for Swift Parrot sightings 1800 665 766.

TBN Activities

Australasian Bittern & Australian Little Bittern: Sightings, behaviour and habitat information appreciated. Contact Andrew Silcocks on 03 9347 0757, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Australian Painted Snipe: For information on when National surveys will take place contact Janelle Thomas, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Helmeted Honeyeater: Ongoing bird monitoring and database maintenance - contact Bruce Quinn 03 5954 4010, 0412 576 646, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Plant nursery work at Yellingbo every Tuesday and Thursday and the first Saturday of each month from April-December – contact Michelle Faram of Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater (FoHH), 03 5964 8341. Revegetation at Yellingbo on second Sunday of each month – contact Richard Case (FoHH) 03 9720 4062.

Malleefowl: For further information contact the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Shorebirds 2020: Data entry for shorebird surveys at BA National Office. Contact Rob Clemens, 03 9347 0757 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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

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Regent Honeyeater Project

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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 (Melways Ref 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 spambots. 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

Victorian Wader Studies Group

For Victorian Wader Studies Group (VWSG) activities make contact several days before the fieldwork date. Clive Minton 9589 4901 or Roz Jessop 03 5952 1857. For further details of field work dates see www.vicnet.net.au/~vwsg

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Portland Pelagics

Rohan Clarke and Chris Lester organise pelagic trips from Portland for the BA Victoria regional group. We use two boats: The first, Southern Pride is similar to the one we used in Port Fairy and takes 12 people. It will cost around $150pp if the boat is full. This boat is only available from March to October because it is used for cray-fishing in the season. The second boat used in summer, Game On Charters is a small catamaran that takes 8 people. It is fast and comfortable but quite expensive. Trips on this boat will cost at least $200pp depending on whether the boat is full.

Both boats provide lunch, morning and afternoon teas and cold & hot drinks. On-board toilet facilities are also available.

I am now taking bookings for 2011 as well continuing to take bookings for the rest of 2010.  (Please note that the 2010 trips are booked out but that I have very short waiting lists, so there will still be reasonable chances of getting out if you wish to become an emergency.) The bookings for the trips are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Normally, boat trips are organised for the first Sunday of each month (with some exceptions). Because of the fickle nature of the weather in the Southern Ocean resulting in conditions that are too rough or dangerous, many trips are postponed to the second Sunday of the month (again with some exceptions). If that second trip does not go, the trip for that month is then cancelled.

If you want to be part of our 2011 year in Portland, send me an email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and nominate when you might want to go. I will advise of the possibility of you getting on a trip soon after by email. Also, advise if you wish to be an emergency at short notice, please include a contact telephone number.

Trip Dates for 2011
(If the trip is postponed because of bad weather, then the second attempt will occur on the reserve date in brackets)

Game On Charters boat
09 January 2011 (Reserve day - 16)
06 February (Reserve day - 13)

Southern Pride boat
06 March 2011 (Reserve day - 20)
03 April (Reserve day - 17)
01 May (Reserve day - 15)
05 June (Reserve day - 19)
03 July (Reserve day - 10)
07 August (Reserve day - 14)
04 September (Reserve day - 11)
02 October (Reserve day - 09)

Trip Dates for 2010
(If the trip is postponed because of bad weather, then the second attempt will occur on the reserve date in brackets)

Southern Pride boat
05 September (Reserve day - 12)
03 October (Reserve day - 10)

Game On Charters boat
07 November (Reserve day - 14)
12 December (Reserve day - 19)

Melbourne people usually travel down to Portland 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. These is plenty of accommodation in Portland but we do not have the same permanent booking there as we had at Port Fairy, so you will need to arrange your own accommodation. I will continue to organise a Saturday evening meal at a local eatery for those that want to join us.

For the boat trip, we leave early (between 6 - 7.30am, depending on the season) and return in the afternoon (at about 4 or 5pm). As well as the obvious binoculars and cameras, you need to take warm clothes, protection from wet weather, food and 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 will we see? That depends on many factors, including the season, the weather just before the trip and on the day, el Nino/la Nina, whether the birds are hungry or not, and luck. But, Portland is also an excellent place for albatrosses, storm-petrels, giant-petrels, several shearwaters and some terns and skuas. And, over the years, a good number of rarities. You can check out what has been seen previously by looking at our trip reports under "Port Fairy" on the Birding-Aus archive.

If you have any other queries, please contact me, Chris Lester, after hours 03 9370 7418 or e-mail, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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