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

Monthly Meetings

BA-Vic meetings are held at 8.00pm on the second Thursday of each month, except January. Each month there is a guest 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 the ground floor meeting rooms. Note* when travelling east to west 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 2012

February 9th  Nicole Kowalczyk, Earthcare & phd candidate, Monash University, recipient of Stuart Leslie Award, 'Foraging Ecology of Little Penguins.'

March 8th  Jim Radford, Science & Monitoring Manager, Bush Heritage Australia, Paul Sunnocks, Chief Investigator,  Birds in Fragmented Landscapes Project, School of Biological Sciences, and Australian Centre for Biodiversity Faculty of Science, Monash University, 'Insights from molecular analysis into the persistence of woodland birds in fragmented landscapes.'

April 12th  Annette Cook, Education Manager, BirdLife, 'Engaging the community in birds and conservation.'

May 10th  Steve Davidson, Guide - The Melbourne Birder, 'Birding around Greater Melbourne.'

June 14th  Golo Maurer, Shorebirds 2020 Project Manager, BirdLife, 'Threatened Little Wonders?'

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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , mobile 0431 121 089 to participate.

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 quarterly 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 and 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 the threatened species planting season in the Lurg region. 2010 Planting season at Lurg Hills near Benalla 18-19 September. 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 Golo Maurer, 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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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 I organise pelagic trips from Portland for BA-Vic.  We are now being joined by Paul Dodd, who is going to take an increasing role in organising trips as well.

We use two boats from Portland. The first, Southern Pride, takes 12 people.  It will cost around $160 if the boat is full. The second is the Bemo, a smaller boat that takes 8 people.  Trips on this boat will cost around $170 if the boat is full. We will use the most suitable boat, depending on the bookings we receive. Both boats provide lunch, morning and afternoon teas and cold and hot drinks.  Both have toilet facilities on-board.

So, if you want to be part of our 2012 year in Portland, send me an e-mail to my address below and nominate when you might want to go. Also, advise if you wish to be an emergency at short notice.  Please include a contact telephone number.  I will confirm your booking for 2012 as soon as possible by return email. Please note though that most of our 2012 trips are now close to fully booked.

Trip Dates for 2012

Southern Pride or Bemo
08 January 2012
05 February

Southern Pride
04 March 2012
01 April
06 May
03 June
01 July
05 August
02 September
07 October

Southern Pride or Bemo
11 November 2012
09 December
06 January 2013
03 February

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. I try to arrange accommodation the Friday night before if we are going. I also 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 and 7.30, depending on the season) and return in the afternoon (at about 5). As well as the obvious binoculars and cameras, you need to take warm clothes, protection from wet weather 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 an excellent place for albatrosses, various petrels / 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 old trip reports under "Port Fairy" and the more recent ones under "Portland" on the Birding-Aus archive.

If you have any other queries, please contact me. My contact number at home is 03 9370 7418 or you can e-mail on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Chris Lester

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