Ringwood Field Naturalists Club Inc.

THE RINGWOOD FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB Inc. NEWSLETTER

Issue No.22 - April, 2006

EDITORIAL: The appearance of this issue of the Newsletter coincides with a significant change in the Club's history, with the relocation of general meetings to Federation Estate, at least for the foreseeable future. As with any change, there is some uncertainty involved, but if we look upon it as an opportunity for positive outcomes we may find ways of raising our profile within Ringwood and increasing our exposure to the wider community. This may attract new members and enhance our image as one of the integral organisations in the life of our local area.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Excursion to The 100 Acres and Tindals Wildflower Reserve - 24 September, 2005 Leaders - Alan and Hazel Veevers
A mild overcast morning with only a hint of a breeze welcomed 18 members to what was to prove a very interesting day visiting two of Manningham's Reserves, the first in Park Orchards and the second in Warrandyte.
The 100 Acres was set aside as a reserve to represent the typical vegetation of a large part of the land to the east of Melbourne. A delightful sight confronted us as we walked through the west side of the reserve. The lower storey was full of the colours of Spring-flowering plants, such as Snake or Thin-leaf Wattle (A. aculeatissima), Common Beard Heath (Leucopogon virgatus), and Purple Coral Pea (Hardenbergia violacea). Just coming into bloom were Bulbine Lily (Bulbine bulbosa) and the Small Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea minor). Orchid species seen were Tall Greenhood (Pterostylis melagramma), Nodding Greenhood (P. nutans), Maroonhood (P. pedunculata), Pink Fingers (Caladenia carnea), Wax Lip Orchid (Glossodia major) and some Sun Orchids (Thelymitra spp.) that had yet to open their flowers. Various Eucalypts and Wattles formed the canopy. We walked down to the Austin Dam to hear a chorus of frogs, dominated by the Common Froglet (Crinia signifera). We had a good view of a Horsefield's Bronze Cuckoo, and also saw a trio of Rufous Whistlers chasing each other, oblivious of our presence. Nearby we found a small isolated patch of the Screw Fern (Lindsaea linearis).
After a picnic lunch in Domeney Reserve we drove the few kilometres to Tindals Wildflower Reserve. Upon entering, we were impressed by the diversity of native flora. Orchids were visible almost everywhere on the track, including Tall Greenhood (Pterostylis melagramma), Nodding Greenhood (P. nutans), Blunt Greenhood (P. curta), Maroonhood (P. pedunculata), Leopard Orchid (Diuris pardina), Wallflower or Donkey Orchid (D. corymbosa), Small Spider Orchid (Arachnorchis parva) and many buds of Sun Orchids (Thelymitra spp.). The most impressive sight was the abundant full-flowering Love Creeper trailing through the vegetation, waiting for the all-too-few bursts of sunlight that showed it at its best.

Castlemaine Weekend - 14-16 October, 2005 Leader - Ern Perkins
The Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club needed very little persuasion to join us for our weekend campout in and around Castlemaine. Ern Perkins set up an extensive itinerary and he and his wife Lesley acted as leaders for the weekend, for which we were extremely grateful.
Most Ringwood Field Naturalists Club members arrived early on Friday evening to attend the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club's monthly general meeting. Ern Perkins was the speaker for the night and, in a prelude to the weekend, he spoke about the flora of the Castlemaine district.
The program for Saturday was designed as a joint excursion attended by members from both Ringwood and Castlemaine Clubs. In the morning we enjoyed a leisurely ramble in the Muckleford Forest looking at all aspects of nature from birds, plants, orchids to geology. Because of our interest and desire to look at everything we took a little longer than expected, but this was of little concern.
After a quick lunch in the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens we met for the afternoon sessions. Our first stop was Monk Track where we walked to the top of The Monk rewarded by a view of the surrounding area. We travelled in convoy along bush tracks, stopping occasionally to see bushland with comparisons between burnt and unburnt sectors, ecological thinning sites, mining areas. We had afternoon tea at Vaughan Springs then viewed the rock formation overlooking the Loddon River.
At Guildford we admired The Big Tree (a huge and very old River Red Gum) which was duly photographed with members clustered underneath the boughs. We then returned to Castlemaine and gathered at the caravan park for a BBQ and to discuss the day's events.
Sunday morning started with a visit to Chinaman's Point where revegetation has been occurring. This was very interesting and an excellent bird spot. We then drove to Expedition Pass Reservoir for morning tea and an interesting walk across the dam wall to check out the bushland. A highlight was the sighting of several specimens of the Crimson Spider Orchid (aff. Caladenia concolor). After an interesting drive down the Calder Highway (to observe the granite landscape) and along various tracks (looking at vegetation) we arrived at the Taradale Picnic Area for lunch.
The afternoon session was a walk through a flora reserve in the Humboldt South area. Again we took our time, often stopping to look at all nature of things. One plant of interest was a pretty but not obvious prostrate grevillea endemic to the Elphinstone area - Grevillea obtectra. Back at the cars we had a last cuppa, thanked the Perkins for their hard work in making the weekend so successful, and headed back to Melbourne.
For the record, the weather was beautiful, 17 members attended the Saturday proceedings and another two members joined us on Sunday.

Crib Point Excursion - 12 November, 2005 Leader - Judy Smart
On this occasion we joined with members of the Peninsula FNC who were pleased to introduce us to some of their favourite wildflower haunts in the area. We rambled across two open fields with a spectacular diversity of native flowering plants before moving to Woolleys Beach for lunch. Pebbles on the beach provided clues to the local geology and the path along the foreshore revealed different plants and bird habitat. We drove to Stony Point and explored the reserve beside the railway line with more exciting discoveries. A most enjoyable and productive day.

Mt Piper Education Reserve Excursion - 15 January, 2006 Leader - David Farrar
Following his talk to the Club about Kinglake National Park, Ranger David Farrar led us on an expedition to Mt Piper. This was a new venue for many of us and there was much to enjoy during the day. The morning walk traversed the lower slopes with a group of about 12 hardy souls pressing on to the summit. After lunch we walked around a contour at base level where David showed us how they are trying to increase the habitat of the Golden Sun Moth (Synemon Plana) which breeds on native grasses. Speckled Warbler and Leaden Flycatcher were "birds of the day" for those fortunate to see them.

Currawong Bush Park Excursion - 11 February, 2006 Leader - Peter Rogers
Members gathered for lunch in the picnic area before setting of to explore the park. We made our way downhill to the Pond where we saw some flies swarming and several chrysalis of the Imperial Blue butterfly, as well as several birds, including a Rail. We then continued our walk towards the Mullum Mullum Creek and followed its course as far as the wetlands, before retracing our steps to the carpark and a very welcome afternoon tea.

Nature Walk in Pound Bend - 26 February, 2006 Leaders - Alan and Hazel Veevers
After thunderstorms the previous day, members and visitors enjoyed a rewarding morning at Pound Bend. The highlight was watching a platypus floating and diving in the Yarra River, just upstream from the car park. All nine indigenous Eucalypts of the Warrandyte area are found on Pound Bend and seven of them were readily identified on our route. A trio of Tawny Frogmouths, six Koalas, and the sight and sound of the river gushing through the tunnel all contributed to a memorable walk. This walk was advertised locally as a promotional event to attract new members and two visitors joined us on the day. A bird list of 32 species was produced.

NATURE NOTES

Orchid List - November 2005 - Crib Point
Caladenia dilatata group, Calochilus robertsonii, Cryptostylis subulata, Microtis atrata, Orthocerus strictum, Thelymitra sp.

Bird List - September 2005 - The 100 Acres and Tindals Reserve
Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Australian White Ibis, Masked Lapwing, Common Bronzewing, Rainbow Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Fantail Cuckoo, Horsefield's Bronze Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Treecreeper, Spotted Pardalote, White-browed Scrubwren, Striated Thornbill, Brown Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, Noisy Miner, White-naped Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Grey Fantail,Olive-backed Oriole, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Grey Currawong, Little Raven, White-winged Chough, Welcome Swallow. 31 species

Bird List - 15-16 October 2005 - Castlemaine
Records were taken at Muckleford Forest, Botanic Gardens, the Monk, Vaughan Springs, Guildford, Chinaman's Point, Expedition Pass, Minto, and Taradale
Little corella, Spotted pardalote, Crimson rosella, Kookaburra, Welcome swallow, Grey fantail, Red wattlebird, Straw necked ibis, Willie wagtail, Little pied cormorant, Chestnut teal, Hardhead, Eurasian coot, Australian raven, Galah, Blue wren, Fuscous honeyeater, Yellow rumped thornbill, Olive backed oriole, Rufous whistler, Black faced cuckoo-shrike, Grey thrush, Striated pardalote, White faced heron, Weebill, Scarlet robin, White throated treecreeper, Dusky woodswallow, Wood duck, Black duck, Dusky moorhen, Sulphur crested cockatoo, Magpie, Grey currawong, Fantail cuckoo, Masked lapwing, Yellow faced honeyeater, Yellow robin, White naped honeyeater, Brown goshawk, Red browed finch, New Holland honeyeater, Mistletoe bird, Musk lorikeet, White browed scrubwren, Brown falcon, Red rumped parrot, Eastern rosella, King parrot, Long billed corella, Little eagle, Crested bellbird, Common bronzewing, Pallid cuckoo, Striated thornbill, Horsfields bronze cuckoo, Little thornbill, Silvereye, Yellow tufted honeyeater, Shining bronze cuckoo, Little black cormorant, Australian reed warbler, Black falcon, Wedge tailed eagle, White ibis, Black swan & cygnets, White eared honeyeater, Buff rumped thornbill., 65 species

Bird List - Nature Walk to Pound Bend
Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Dusky Moorhen, Common Bronzewing, Spotted Turtle-Dove, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Galah, Rainbow Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Tawny Frogmouth, Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Treecreeper, Superb Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, Bell Miner, Noisy Miner, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, White-eared Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin, Grey Shrike-thrush, Grey Fantail, Magpie-lark, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Little Raven, Red-browed Finch, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye. 32 species

Bird List - 12 November 2005 - Crib Point
Magpie, Red wattlebird, Straw necked ibis, Noisy miner, Grey butcherbird, Yellow tailed black cockatoo, Grey thrush, Eastern rosella, Brown thornbill, Black swan, White ibis, Common bronzewing, Silver gull, Welcome swallow, Pied oystercatcher, Pacific gull, Masked lapwing, Sulphur crested cockatoo, Spotted pardalote, Forest raven, Yellow faced honeyeater, Magpie-lark, Striated pardalote, White eared honeyeater, White faced heron. 25 species

Bird List - 15 January 2006 - Mt Piper Education Reserve
Magpie, Wood Duck, Black Cormorant, Willie Wagtail, Mudlark, Crimson Rosella, Striated Pardalote, Grey Fantail, Varied Sitella, Striated Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, White-throated Treecreeper, Golden Whistler, Scarlet Robin, Leaden Flycatcher, Speckled Warbler, Grey Thrush, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Rufous Whistler, Pink Robin, White-winged Chough, Weebill, Little Thornbill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Eastern Spinebill, Superb Fairy-wren. 26 species

Partial Plant List - 15 January 2006 - Mt Piper Education Reserve
Acacia mearnsii, Acacia dealbata, Acacia deani var paucijuga, Acacia genistifolia, Acacia pycnantha, Acrotriche serrulata, Amyema sp, Asplenium flabellifolium, Brunonia australis, Burchardia umbellata, Bursaria spinosa ?, Cassinia aculeata, Cassinia arcuata, Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia, Convolvulus erubescens, Correa reflexa, Danthonia/Austrodanthonia sp, Dianella revoluta, Dipodium roseum, Drosera peltata sp, Epacris impressa, Eucalyptus macrorhyncha, Eucalyptus polyanthemos, Eucalyptus sideroxylon, Exocarpus cupressiformis, Grevillea alpina, Hardenbergia violacea, Hibbertia obtusifolia, Lomandra sp, Leucopogon virgatus ?, Monotoca scoparia, Ozothamnus sp, Pelargonium rodneyanum, Pimelea humilis, Plantago varia ?, Poa sp., Pteridium esculentum, Senecio sp 1, Senecio sp 2, Stipa sp., Thelymitra sp (seed head only), Themeda australis, Wahlenbergia sp., Xanthorrhoea sp.

CHARLES COMPTON 7.11.2005 aged 65 years
Charles emigrated from England at the age of sixteen under the Big Brother scheme and developed a love of the bush while working in the country. A return visit to his homeland years later convinced him that his heart and future now lay in Australia. He joined the Club during its early years and endeared himself to fellow members by his enthusiasm and generosity with which he shared his love and knowledge of the natural world. His prompt action in taking charge of an injured Tawny Frogmouth by placing it headfirst into his gumboot has passed into the annals of the Club's history. Charles served for several years as a member of the Committee and also helped out regularly with the Junior Club. He had a gift for relating well with children that he used to good effect throughout his life. Even during his final illness, he remained optimistic and cheerful to the end. Charles was someone who touched the lives of all who knew him. Our thoughts are with his partner and special friend, Maureen, and other family members.

PROFESSOR NEIL ARCHBOLD 28.11.2005 aged 55 years
Neil was Professor of Geology at Deakin University, Past President of the Royal Society of Victoria and one of the world's leading authorities on fossil brachiopods and Permian stratigraphy. He had published over 100 scientific works in prestigious national and international journals, including Nature.
He contributed to the Club programme as Guest Speaker on several occasions and ran a memorable excursion to Lilydale. His relaxed, friendly teaching style, combined with his enthusiasm for his subject made the learning experience enjoyable and productive. Whether he was pulling the skull of an Allosaurus out of a cardboard box, or reclining on an exposed roadside outcrop watching us digging for fossils, he always got us in.
The Club was indeed privileged to have Neil speak to us in October when he informed us of the results of his recent research prior to travelling to Argentina to deliver a paper on the topic at a conference there. He did not return. He will be sadly missed by members of this Club, his many friends, colleagues and family.

ELLEN McCULLOCH OAM 23.4.1930 - 13.11.2005
"Gone Birding".
Ellen was a Life Member of the Bird Observers Club of Australia. She contributed to a number of learned publications on the subject of birds and was instrumental in initiating important projects such as Land for Wildlife. She was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion in 1990 and received the Order of Australia Medal in 1991 for her services to ornithology. She took part in the Club programme as a Guest Speaker on several occasions. We express our deep sympathy to all her friends and family.

MEMBERS' CONTRIBUTIONS
The Weather Makers, the history and future impact of climate change. by Tim Flannery.*
Reviewed by Joan Broadberry
This recently released title is the book I have been waiting for. The issue of climate change is just too complex and controversial for many of us to deal with alone. Dr Flannery has taken it upon himself, on our behalf, to do the mammoth job of understanding and collating the research. The result is a thoroughly readable book, setting out clearly the issue of increasing levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, causing our planet to become warmer.
The Weather Makers, has an amazing sweep. Discussion of such topics as the earth's atmosphere, history of the earth's climate, causes of the ice ages, CFC's and ozone hole, the nature of and history of fossil fuels, are fascinating and give necessary background. At the book's heart, Tim introduces study after study, example after example giving irrefutable evidence of a rapidly warming globe and the massive disruption this is causing to the natural world. "It appears that at least one out of every five living things on this planet is committed to extinction by the existing levels of greenhouse gasses". Indeed his thesis is that global warming threatens the future of civilisation itself.
However, paradoxically, The Weather Makers is not ultimately pessimistic. The final section is given over to a discussion of possible solutions. What is being done and can be done to turn global warming around. A surprise is the real difference each one of us could make. But the problem is urgent, we had better act quickly. "If we carry on with business as usual, in all likelihood three out of every four species will not be with us at the dawning of the next century."
"It would be hard to imagine a better or more important book." Bill Bryson

*Dr Tim Flannery scientist, writer and explorer, is director of the South Australian Museum and chairman of both the State Science Council and Sustainability Roundtable. Some other of his well known titles are The Eternal Frontier, The Future Eaters and Throwim Way Leg.

Dates for your Diary
Ringwood FNC Field Care Days :
Sunday, 23rd July, 2006 Jumping Creek, Warrandyte SP.
Friday, 18 August, 2006 Hochkins Ridge Reserve.
Ringwood FNC Annual Camp-out:
Friday-Sunday, 27th, 28th and 29th October, 2006 - Phillip Island .