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My 121 Ha property, “The Granites” at Carapooee, consists of a granite outcrop with sloping granitic sand terraces at the foot. There is about 7 km of erosion gullies on the property, which represents a serious loss of habitat, resulting in a significant sediment load in the Carapooee Creek and ultimately the Avoca River. The sandy soil of the terraces has very little clay to bind it and so erodes readily. There is an underlying soft sandstone layer which is eroded slowly by the process of falling water. The photo below shows typical erosion. The Project The Kara Kara Conservation Management Network secured a grant for some erosion control work on this property. The grant paid for 60 tonnes of rock, gravel/sand mix, filter cloth and seeds for regeneration. Half of these materials have been used to control the erosion in a 400 m section of one gully, where about ten leaky weirs have been placed using the rocks across the eroding sections and a further five areas of undercut have been stabilised. The objective of the work is to • stop the spread of drops from propagating upstream • stop widening of the gully floor • stop further undercutting • Slow the water speed in the bottom of the gully The slope of the steep sections and drops were jack hammered until the slope was about one in five. Filter cloth was laid across the gully floor and covered with the sand/gravel mixture. Rocks were the placed over the filter cloth to form a water race and leaky weir to slow the water flow and collect sediment. This has effectively stopped all erosion in the bottom of the gully. Any further erosion of the sides of the gully results in reducing the slope of the wall. Eventually the walls will become revegetated. The sediment from this erosion is collected by the leaky weirs and does not leave the erosion area. Other leaky weirs were placed across the gully floor to slow down the water flow. A typical undercut is shown below. By placing a rock wall beside the undercut, eroding water flow is kept away from the undercut. The undercut will eventually collapse, but will not widen further. The work requires at least annual inspections and minor repairs. As the sediment builds up at each wall, additional rock will be added to raise the height. Natural Healing of some gullies Some of the gullies have self-healed just by removal of stock (in 1995) and reducing rabbit numbers. The slope of the sides of these gullies has become less steep and grasses (mainly weeds) and trees are regenerating there, thus stopping further erosion. The photo below illustrates this effect.

Open Letter to the Victorian Government has been sent as a video to express our views and concerns about this coming duck season. Have a look for your information

This morning 7.25am at the bird feeder (for the magpies and white-winged choughs- and the crested pigeons and the magpie-larks!), a sole Pied Butcherbird, denizen of the Mallee. I believe he or she has been around for a couple of days , observing. It's not only humans who observe other species and their behaviour. Having worked out the routine, the bird followed me to the next feeder, then the next but was a little overwhelmed by the numbers of other birds including belligerent and raucous cockies. After 3 days of gale-force southerly winds, this bird is unlikly to have hitched a ride that way. The last sighting of a Pied Butcherbird, 7 or 8 years ago, in the area was after several days of strong northerlies. Will this bird stay? Will it be joined by others fleeing the no-food situation further north? What will our resident Grey Butcherbirds think about this?

Some sightings here at Carapooee West over December 2023 and the start of the New Year   Old palm trees have their use- female Mistletoebird collecting the fluff from stem for her nest- several visits but I only managed one photo. The male was escorting her and dangling off the end of the fronds, scolding me for being too close. Clear winged fly of some sort on cactus flower Dec 2023- any entomologists about? And on our main dam- we have always had Australasian (Little) Grebes on the dams but the only place they seem to breed is up on the wetland. However, this year, because the dam has been full to overflowing for months- here we are, just the one baby though, making heavy weather of the wake from its parents.

We are reviewing the bird sitings around St Arnaud and will provide the outcome for you. Looking for food Please send in more pictures of Birds

A one-page community fact sheet highlighting the history, notable species, and conservation context of butterflies found in and around St Arnaud, Victoria. The region’s box–ironbark woodlands, gardens, and creeklines support both resident and migratory species. Representative Butterfly Species [Image: Caper White Butterfly – Belenois java]Caption: Migratory Caper White, periodically seen in large numbers across central Victoria.Credit : Australian Museum / ButterflyHouse (educational use). [Image: Monarch (Wanderer) Butterfly – Danaus plexippus]Caption: Monarch butterfly commonly observed in gardens where milkweed is present.Credit : Australian Museum (educational use). [Image: Eltham Copper Butterfly – Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida]Caption: Victorian endemic once thought extinct, now a flagship conservation species.Credit : Zoos Victoria (educational use). [Image: Box–Ironbark Woodland Habitat]Caption: Typical woodland habitat around St Arnaud supporting nectar and host plants.Credit : Parks Victoria (educational use). Historical Overview Prior to European settlement, butterfly diversity around St Arnaud closely reflected intact woodland and grassland ecosystems. Clearing for mining and agriculture fragmented these habitats, placing pressure on specialist species. Despite this, local observation and backyard breeding have played a role in maintaining awareness and appreciation of butterflies in the district. Key Species • Caper White (Belenois java): A highly visible migratory species.• Monarch / Wanderer (Danaus plexippus): Garden-associated and easily recognised.• Blues and Coppers: Small, often overlooked species sensitive to habitat loss. Extinct and Threatened (Regional Context) Victoria has recorded several regionally extinct butterflies, including the Western Bright-eyed Brown and Orange Ringlet. Others, such as the Eltham Copper Butterfly, demonstrate how remnant habitats can preserve species once thought lost. Why They Matter Butterflies are indicators of environmental health. Protecting native vegetation, host plants, and flowering corridors around St Arnaud helps conserve biodiversity and supports pollination. References Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (2009). Advisory List of Threatened Invertebrate Fauna in Victoria.Zoos Victoria – Butterfly species profiles.Australian Museum – Butterfly information pages.ABC News – St Arnaud community butterfly observations.

Hint: it is halfway around one of the tracks so you can rest up before continuing.  The seat was provided courtesy of Richard Bazeley and installed by Parks Victoria rangers from Inglewood and St Arnaud Field Naturalists members.

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?