By Jed Lanyon
Local bird watchers now have access to a photo guide of birds from the Healesville and Chum Creek area thanks to Birdlife Yarra Valley and Chum Creek Landcare.
The guide documents over 80 native birds as the community groups hope it will open more people up to the hobby of birdwatching.
Chum Creek Landcare president Evelyn Feller said she hopes it can help develop an interest and an understanding.
“This is the first opportunity to launch our bird pamphlet which illustrates all of the birds of Chum Creek and Healesville… We’re hopeful for school kids, parents, people who like birds or anyone really to have it at their home.”
Birdlife Yarra Valley and Chum Creek Landcare members joined Healesville Primary School students at Queen’s Park for a birdwatching tutorial with the new photo guide.
“I’m hoping that it’ll be a reference guide that the school can use in some of their sustainability activities,” Ms Feller said.
“The students will know it’s there and they can use it on their Christmas vacation if they’re hiking around Lake Mountain or Maroondah Park and just learn a little bit.”
Ms Feller shared the birds sighted by the students.
“This morning there were eight galahs and probably about twice as many cockies. Of course we’ve got the ubiquitous ibis and I have actually seen gang-gangs and there’s always the magpies and I just saw a wattle bird go through the bush. I’m sure they’ve discovered some other things.
“It’s also a good chance to recognise the work the students have done in restring the habitat around the Grace Burn. It’s a good place for the platypus but for birds it’s equally important.
“Melbourne Water tries to develop indicators of whether our waterways are healthy and birds are one indicator. And interestingly enough we still don’t have a very good database about the birds that live in this particular area so we’re hoping that with the record from Birdlife Yarra Valley that we can encourage people to do more and we’ll be able to get some important information from monitoring birds.”
To get your copy of the pamphlet contact yarravalley@birdlife.org.au or chumcklandcare@gmail.com
