NEXT OUTING FEBRUARY 8TH – WATERHOUSE CONSERVATION AREA – LEADERS JAY AND ROSS 

On Saturday 8 February we will visit the Waterhouse Conservation Area (WCA), including Little Waterhouse Lake, an internationally significant wetland listed under the Ramsar Convention. Just 12 months ago, in February 2024, a large area in the WCA was burnt by bushfire and associated back burning to control the blaze. We will observe the impacts of the fire and the recovery at several locations along Homestead Road. We will also visit Little Waterhouse Lake, most likely having lunch beside the lake.

Logistics: Rendezvous at 10 a.m. on Homestead Road just off Waterhouse Road (27 km from the Bridport Hotel, 23 km from the Old Port Road/Waterhouse Road intersection). A good landmark is the Telstra Waterhouse Exchange building on the corner. As we will be stopping on the side of the road at several locations, carpooling is recommended to minimise the size of the convoy. Please try to coordinate this amongst yourselves in advance of arriving at the rendezvous point.

Clothing: Boots and gaiters are recommended as snakes may be active. Sun protection advised e.g. sunscreen, hat and long sleeves. Gum boots or similar may be useful when exploring the edges of the lake.

Food and drink: Bring your own snacks, lunch and water.

Jay has provided a link to a survey which, although conducted 30 years ago, provides a introduction to the Waterhouse Conservation Area.

https://nre.tas.gov.au/Documents/Biological-Survey-of-Waterhouse-Area.pdf

Grade: Short/Easy

** Some members will be camping so please join us if you like.

 

MARCH 8th OUTING : TAMAR ISLAND WETLAND WALK.

This unique wetland ecosystem, located on the outskirts of Launceston is a haven for birds with up to 60 species having been identified there. They can be observed from a boardwalk which stretches out into the marshes of the Tamar River.

Geoff Shannon whom we met on our Cape Portland outing has agreed to be our leader.

Details later, but this forward notice is so we can arrange car pooling.

 

NORTH EAST BIOREGIONAL NETWORK NEWS.

From time to time our club has contact with Todd Dudley, the President of the above network and, as you know, we make a contribution to the work of the group. The news that Todd includes in his newsy emails might be of interest to some club members. If you would like to receive the NEBN updates and keep up to speed on the happenings of the group, let me know and I will forward your e-address to Todd.

Here are the agenda items for their February meeting, just to give you an idea of the scope of their work.

NEXT MEETING

The next NEBN meeting will be Tuesday 25th February at 4pm in Room 4 St Helens Neighbourhood House

Agenda items include :

Illegal land clearing Beaumaris, Regional Land Use Strategies, Beaumaris/Scamander Structure Plan, Weed management, Binalong Bay Foreshore, Shorebird project update, Skyline Tier update, Future Potential Production Forest update, North Pacific Sea Star infestation Dianas Basin.

BOOK SUGGESTION.

I know there are a number of keen bird observers in the club, so I pricked up my ears when Mike Douglas told me he was enjoying a book called “Enchantment by Birds – a history of birdwatching in 22 species”. It’s by Russell MacGegor, an Australian author and was published last year.

Here’s what the library says about it…….A fresh appreciation of the magic of birds and how watching them fulfils a human need to connect with nature. Enchantment by birds is commonplace. Birdwatchers merely go a step further than others and actively seek to be enchanted. This book tells why they take that extra step. It takes the reader on a series of excursions into birdwatching’s past, venturing forward to the present. With an intriguing cast of characters, avian as well as human, its lively narratives explore the emotional and aesthetic impulses behind the pastime as well as its scientific and conservationist components. Its stories of 22 Australian birds range widely- from wordy squabbles over bird names to the artistic finessing of field guides; from the Paradise Parrot’s tragic fall into extinction to the everyday enjoyment of a Magpie’s carol; from the evolution of citizen science to the boom in birding tourism. Interlacing them all is the insight that birdwatching is a means by which modern, urban people reach out to touch the wild. A primal desire to connect with nature lies at the heart of the pastime. Enchantment by Birds not only offers a compelling exposition of what makes birders tick; it also tells us, imaginatively and informatively, why birds have a special place in our hearts.

It can be borrowed from the library. 

Hope we see you Saturday,

Lou Brooker.