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This is to announce the launch of our updated site. Hope you all enjoy

Our detailed submission to the EPBC Act review on behalf of the St Arnaud Field Nats The document can be read by clicking on the graphic below

åIt’s on again- the season turns Out on Border Track today 13th July 2023 to check on orchid cages and re-emergence of plants, I found a very early Long-leaf Early Nancy (Wurmbea latifolia). This is an ordinary Early Nancy- female plant- note the purple band. Below is the very early Early Nancy- Wurmbea latifolia (today) with female flowers- no purple band. Also flowering was Clematis microphylla. Like Wurmbea, this species has separate male and female plants so the 3 that I know of out here in the National Park are either too far apart to pollinate or are all of the same sex . I have never found either seed or new plants- a case for a bit of a replant to boost the chances. Near the last of the orchid cages was a small colony of Pterostylis robusta, protected from the busy mouths of the wallabies by fallen branches. Large Striped Greenhood, On 7th July my Golden Wattle was flowering-this is about the earliest I have recorded. That’s all from Carapooee West and the Kara Kara National Park north end Anne.

Wednesday 20th Feb 2019 saw several members from St Arnaud Field Nats and Avon Plains Banyena Landcare Group leave the boat ramp for a round-the-Lake bird survey. Beautiful clear, sunny and cool weather kept any pesky insects at bay and we spent 2 1/2 hrs watching birds and listing them for Birdlife Australia's online Bird Atlas. Walker's Lake, north-west of St Arnaud, one of the waterbodies in the highly significant Avon Plains Lakes system. 30 species were seen, mostly waterbirds or landbirds that are associated with wetter environments such as Magpie-larks. For first part of our walk, through Black Box Woodland to the western end of the lunette, we were accompanied by a small family of Black-fronted Dotterels, moving like little clockwork toys along the insect-laden edges of the water. Moving with the BF Dots, but staying in front of the pack was a pair of Red-kneed Dotterels. You can see the red knees in this on-the- move long telephoto shot by Prue McAllister (APBLG). Up onto the lunette( a huge sandbank, formed over thousands of years from pelleted clay blown from the lake bed during dry,cold spells) and the bird assembly changed- Welcome Swallows and White-plumed Honeyeaters foraged busily above or in the massive Redgums, Galahs and Long-billed Corellas defended their nesting areas; the Redgums are full of hollows, indicating their great age (150 year of growth before hollows begin to form). From our vantage point we spied a raft of Australasian Darters, diving and fishing in the shallow waters, almost like a choreographed water ballet- all up, then one after the other, down again! It was hard to count how many there were. Male Darter in breeding array Photo A Hughes StAFNC Several smallish rafts of ducks were seen a good distance away- photos later revealed Pacific Black Ducks, Grey Teal, one lonely Hardhead, the pretty little Pink-eared Ducks and wonder of wonders, a group of 4 Australasian Shovelers, a protected species during the duck shooting season, and not unlike the Pinkies in profile( strange bills) but larger and with more distinguishing marks- white patch and dark rump. This group included 3 males and one female and the very long shot was taken again, by Prue McAllister. Coming around to the inlet area, we were escorted along the shoreline by a Sacred Kingfisher, nervous of our presence but reluctant to leave us to our own devices for some reason. Photo by Anne Hughes StAFNC Moving along the southern shore, through the Redgums and Black Box, we spotted 4 White-breasted Woodswallows using the fenceposts as perches. They were not interested in posing for the cameras but the photos were good enough for identification purposes. White-breasted Woodswallows are seen at the Lake mostly during Summer. This pair behaved like juveniles, waiting for parents to return with a meal. Food was certainly on our minds as we completed the 3km walk and headed for our morning tea- the usual relaxed and enjoyable end to our outings at the lake.

My two bee hotels have been full of activity this summer season with 2 hatchings of Hylaeine bees already. This short video shows a female Hylaeus(Euprosopis) honestus bee finishing off the protective cover to a bamboo tube full of eggs. She seems to be licking the whole edge of the membrane to make sure it is sealed and tight- much as we used to put brown paper covered with vinegar over jam jars to seal them, before the advent of cellophane circles. Further up the hotel, we can see an emerging new Hylaeus bee. So successful have these bees been this year that I have had to install a third hotel for them. Hylaeus honestus looks more like a wasp with its shiny body and an absence of pollen-carrying hairs. The pollen it collects is carried internally! These little hotels do not seem to attract any other bee species at the moment but then, there have been very few other native bee species around this summer. In fact, all insect activity is well down since mid-2018, few native bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, stick insects, ant lions, and cicadas have been recorded in my usual haunts. What are all the insectivorous birds eating then?

Small Milkwort (Comesperma polygaloides) is listed as threat- ened under Victoria's Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act(1988) and described as "an uncommon component of the grassy woodlands of the Wimmera, extending east to the Bendigo area" Once widespread it is now confined to a few scattered patches across the inland slopes of Victoria with only a few plants known from our region. See full report, click here

Next time you are out in the garden check out your flowering plants, clumps of dried grasses and old holey timber - any insects about may be native bees. Many are very small- the Reed bees and Homalictus bees may be only 3-5mm long. Blue bandeds are thumpers- nearly the size of a Honeybee but much faster. Homalictus urbanus on dandelion flower- these bees carry the pollen internally as do many other Aussie bees Hylaiene bee -Hylaeus honestus preparing a nest while 2 young emerge from old nests in my bee hotel Nomia bees- Lipotriches genus roosting in a mallee gum in the front garden Megachilid Bee- Megachile ferox on garlic chives Orange-browed Resin Bee- Megachile aurifrons, checking out a nest site The best buzz-pollinator in the business- Blue banded Bee-Amegilla sp. on borage Having a spell from all that pollinating- Blue-banded Bee resting on dry grass- it hangs on with its jaws as you can see in this picture!

January and February can be pretty dull in the bush; nothing much is flowering and the heat and dust make the trees and shrubs look grey and desperate. Coming round a corner and seeing Lightwood Wattle in its full glory,beautifully perfumed, ignoring the temperature and the lack of rain is a blessed relief. Lightwood (Acacia implexa) is a now uncommon species found on creeklines and roadsides especially on the Dalyenong/Stuart Mill Rd and around Mt Moliagul. It provides nectar and pollen for many insects and small mammals when there is little else about. A ready germinator and unfussy grower, it should be included in large gardens and revegetation plantings. Two other wattles join Lightwood in a Summer flowering- Spreading Wattle (A genistifolia) and Deane’s Wattle (A. deanei ssp paucijuga). The former is widespread but Deane’s Wattle occurs only on granitic sands- Kooyoora area and Emu.

Proud to launch this program that sees the Wax Garden nearly doubling in size and upgraded to protect endangered plants from excessive browsing from rabbits and wallabies . Please click on the photo to get the full report from Anne.

Interim Report for Permit No: 10006285 Small Mammal Surveys Using Motion-sensing Infra-red Cameras Carried out by members of St Arnaud Field Naturalists Club Inc. Location: Stuart Mill Nature Conservation Reserve, centred on Rostron Rd. Period: 30th April 2012- 30th November 2012 Records from 1970s indicated that the threatened Squirrel Glider(Petaurus norfolcensis) was still to be found in this area. Subsequent searches by researchers, Dept of Sustainability and Environment, and Parks Victoria staff using spotlighting and hair tubes failed to locate this target species.