2000 Annual Report

Year 2000 Annual Report

Flying Bat

From the Friends of
Bushy Park Wetlands

FRIENDS OF BUSHY PARK WETLANDS ANNUAL REPORT TO APRIL 2000

Apart from the meetings held every 2 months at a member's home, our group has taken part in the Outings and Projects listed below. We have also done some work on establishing a site and path to a future Bird Hide at the southern lake. During the year Paul Nicholls resigned as a member and we thank him for his contributions to our group over 2 years. However we are pleased to welcome 3 new members, Mimi Pohl, Bronwyn Grass and Heidi Venten; who join Peter Campbell, Margaret Junor and Trevor Hudson on the FBPW Committee.

Outings -

·Frog Watch: On Wednesday 22nd September last year we went on a Frog Watch lead by Craig Lupton. We visited various sites around Bushy Park Wetlands and identified 3 frogs from the male mating call. They were the Striped Marsh Frog, Southern Brown Tree Frog and the Common Eastern Froglet.

·Bat Catching and Identifying: On Friday evening 17th March this year we joined a group at Jells Park to learn about Bats from Lindy Lumsden. We then went to Shepherds Bush to listen to the bat "echolocation" sounds and to inspect the "harp traps" set up to catch Bats. The next morning we returned to Shepherds Bush to identify the caught Bats. It was a very interesting experience learning about these flying mammals. We caught 5 species out of the 7 recorded in the area.

Finished Projects -

·Sugar Glider Nesting Boxes: On Saturday 22nd May 1999 we installed 6 boxes in 2 groups of 3 in the tree belt near Dandenong Creek. There is an article about this project and Sugar Gliders on the Internet. Go to our home page and look in the "Gallery" for the article on Sugar Gliders.

·Kookaburra Nesting Box: Also on Saturday 22nd May 1999 we installed 1 nesting box for Kookaburras in the tree belt near Dandenong Creek.

Ongoing Projects -

·Web Site: The web pages have continued to grow and now include a "Gallery" where only the best "Feature Articles" are kept. The web site has also won some more Awards, which I am pleased to accept. You may select everything from our home page URL at -
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~fbpw/

·Bi-Monthly Article: Due to increasing family and work commitments, I am now only writing articles every 2 months; for the Friends of DVP Newsletter, the Information Shelter and the "Feature Article" on the Internet. Subjects covered in the last 12 months include; Ducks, Sugar Gliders, WattleBirds and Bats.

·Indigenous Garden: Peter Campbell has spent a lot of time spraying weeds, organizing more tree planting and the spreading of mulch at our Native Garden at the eastern end of Highbury Road. This was to spend the $565 received from a grant in 1999.

Community Grants -

·Land History: In 1999 we applied to Parks Victoria for a grant to research and print the History of Bushy Park and Bushy Park Wetlands. Unfortunately the application was unsuccessful. However Carol Buckingham and I managed to find Veronica Langberg - a Monash University history student, who is currently researching the Bushy Park Wetlands area for us, as part of her Masters degree. Next year we hope to get another history student to research Bushy Park on the eastern side of Dandenong Creek. When the research is completed, we intend to print a limited number of history books and place a condensed version on the Internet.