Author: Paul Hampton

Landcare Open Day

Sunday, September 2.

Join Muckleford Landcare in helping to celebrate Landcare Week and help contribute to another successful and important project.

When: 10:30am – 12:00pm

Where: Corner Creasys Road and Turners Lane.

We will be removing and collecting the reusable tree guards along Turners Lane. This is an opportunity to get up close and personal with a model corridor planting approaching its third year, grab some morning tea and meet other group members. You will also be able to pick up some of new brochures. New acquaintances are particularly welcome.
Please bring gloves, secateurs and a smile.

We will supply a smile and collection bags.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Creasys+Road,+Muckleford,+Victoria&hl=en&ll=-37.021469,144.180193&spn=0.035155,0.077162&sll=-32.010396,135.119128&sspn=72.957193,158.027344&oq=creasys+road&hnear=Creasys+Rd,+Muckleford+Victoria+3451&t=m&z=14

Further details:

Paul Hampton 54742189

mucklefordlandcare@gmail.com

Out walking today with my dog on our bush block near Chinaman Creek, North Muckleford when he suddenly dashed  into the bush a few metres. Almost before I had registered what was happening  I saw a koala bound up the nearest tree and narrowly escape his frantic attention.

I put the dog on the lead, returned to the house to get my camera and managed to get a couple of photographs.They are not very revealing because it had climbed to the very top of the tree, but they are some proof if needed. One is posted below.

I have come across  koalas in this part of the property several times in the last few years and the sitings are usually singular. There has on each occasion been a lone animal and in the days and weeks following I don’t see them again, although I concede that they are hard to spot in the trees at any time.

Is it possible that the property is part of a regular migration route? If that is the case, where are they likely to coming from and going to? Could it be a seasonal phenomenon? Have other people in the area spotted koalas from time to time and at any particular time of the year? Some advice on these issues would be appreciated.

Connecting Country has been busy distributing nest boxes designed for Brush-tailed Phascogales throughout the Shire. We have half a dozen on our property at Woodbrook. During monitoring, Bryan McMullan from Connecting Country discovered Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) in several of the boxes and took the following photographs.

Sugar Gliders are assessed as ‘widespread but scattered’ in the region and ‘moderately common at some sites’ (Chris Tzaros). They are most common at sites with mature trees ‘with a well-developed understory of Black Wattle, Silver Wattle and Golden Wattle’. There are not many mature trees at our place because of rapacious timber-felling in the past, but there is an extensive cover of coppiced re-growth. It seems that the newly arrived man-made habitat is serving a valuable purpose.

The photograph below shows a female brood nest ready for the breeding season. No further monitoring will take place until the breeding season has concluded.

There is also clear evidence of prior occupation by bees. The colder weather seems to driven them away.

And for further reference and contrast, below is a typically inelegant Phascogale nest from another site. It seems our resident Phascogales are comfortable enough at the moment in the ceiling of our home – and who can blame them –  what with the pre-insulated  cavity and reliable slow combustion heating from below?

Thanks to Bryan McMullin for the photos.