If you're looking for a short walk that's "off the beaten track", and you don't have a dog to walk, you could explore the Saltwater Creek reserve track at Ventnor. This reserve was created as part of the negotiated outcome for the adjacent rural farmland that a developer wanted to turn into a canal residential development back in 1987. A huge campaign, spearheaded by PICS members in the Saltwater Creek Action Group of the Ventnor Progress Association, led to the council caving in and rejecting the application. It was the second major campaign fought by PICS to save the island's precious and scarce freshwater areas. The creek had no reserve and the banks were severely degraded at the time. PICS has been the main revegetating body, although a few other groups have also helped. Here are some photos from this week of some features along the track: grasslands and plantings from the 1990s now maturing well; saltmarsh alongside the creek; lichen on a sheoak; swans on the creek; a male sheoak starting to flower. Photos: John Eddy.
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It’s a treasure! Thank goodness for PICS! šš
There are lots of ways we can try to get important messages through to the 'powers that be'. PICS member Ron Day has been monitoring wildlife road kills for three years, firstly on a hot spot stretch of the Cowes - Rhyll road, and more recently on a stretch of Pyramid Rock Rd. It's a horrible volunteer role, the road kills are horrific, animals are left injured or with live pouch young, and so many species are being knocked - not just wallabies, possums and Cape Barren Geese as people think is the case.
Ron writes: "I was recently involved in a three-year Victoria University research study, recording and documenting wildlife roadkill on the Cowes/Rhyll Rd for Bass Coast Shire Council, in which 1200 kills were recorded comprising 22 species including kookaburras, longneck turtles, falcons, echidnas, rakali.
In that time, I was also aware of several vehicle crashes resulting from drivers avoiding wildlife."
Speed and uneducated drivers appear to be the main reasons for the high stats and resulting wildlife suffering. If this major issue concerns you, Ron is asking us to go on to the RACV survey and nominate and identify, āCountry-road, Safety Issuesā of concern to you. RACV indicate they will forward results of the survey to the relevant State Government departments, road authorities, and councils.
Here is the link to the RACV survey: www.racvhaveyoursay.com.au/my-country-road-2024\
Click on the + at top right of map to zoom in on Phillip Island so you can mark in your hotspot. You can fill in a number of fields of information there to give lots of detail. Thank you for taking 5-10 minutes out of your day to contribute to raising awareness of this huge problem. Signs on Phillip Island hand-painted and official to try to alert drivers.
Thank you for looking after our beautiful wildlife!
"Turn off to Take off" tonight through til Thursday - lights out on the Phillip Island bridge for the first batch of short-tailed shearwaters heading off on their annual migration to waters off Alaska.
They don't all take off at once, so expect another round of 'lights out' next week. Here's hoping the weather is kind to them as they head off, with a fine breeze but no big gales. Photo from Phillip Island Nature Parks FB page.
I could hear them last night, for first time this year
Lauren Johnson
The wind is here and the shearwater chicks are ready to go! Time to turn off our lights to help them safely on their migration. Info on the three things we can do to support these amazing birds during their migration here: www.penguins.org.au/about/our-community/community-news/the-short-tailed-shearwater-great-migration
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.Today April 22 is Earth Day. The theme for this year is "Planet Vs Plastics". The aim is to reduce plastic manufacture by 60% by 2040. If we can all work to achieve this in our own lives starting right now, the world will be a safer place, especially for marine creatures. Even shearwater chicks now have plastic in their tummies, and a term for plastic that's causing fibrosis tissue inside seabirds, especially in their digestive tracts, is now called: 'Plasticosis. If plastic was just in big bits we could easily see and remove from the environment, it would not be so bad. But tiny microplastics and nanoplastics cannot be seen, but easily lodge inside living things where the body does not recognise them, so parks them and coats over them. The irritation however does not go away, resulting in build up of fibrosis tissue and scarring. There's much to know about this important topic.
Photos taken on Phillip Island Millowl, a wonderful part of Planet Earth, show Lapwing eggs, echidna, Sun Orchid flower (photos John Eddy) and Peregrine Falcon (Lisa Schonberg).
Thank you all for honoring our Earth this Earth Day and every day.
Eastern Curlews are incredible migratory waders, and they deserve a celebratory day to themselves!
Love the curlews! š„°
A perfect morning for a nature walk through Scenic Estate Conservation Reserve by a group of naturalists guided by FOSER member John Eddy with support from FOSER committee member Carmen Bush. This weekend Phillip Island Millowl is hosting about 100 members of the South East Australian Field Naturalists Association. Their members are visiting lots of different locations here, following their individual interests such as geology - the Nobbies, Kitty Miller Bay, Pyramid Rock, the Colonades; birds - Oswin Roberts Reserve, Swan Lake, Rhyll Walking trail; heritage land use - Churchill Island; microscopy - pretty much anywhere! And many other interests. SECR is rich in native vegetation, but there was also geology, management issues, climate change and even some insects to investigate. One knowledgeable Field Naturalist found a Common Brown Butterfly, and told the group that at this time of the year they are all female, the males having died. The females have been dormant for a while awaiting rain, and now emerging to lay their eggs in the green grass. With permission, a small sample of fine buckshot gravel was taken from the beach for sampling, and proved to be highly magnetic. A leaf was taken from a mangrove to investigate whether the white spots on upper and lower sides of the leaf are actually from salt glands - which are natural - or some sort of exudate from a scale insect. Pictured are some photos by Carmen of the group, and a Common Brown Butterfly photographed at SECR last week by local Phillip Island Camera Club member Ken Anderson.
Great walk. John’s knowledge and understanding is amazing. š
Anyone know where I can find the kingfishers?
If you would like to contribute to PICS āhands onā projects at Red Rocks ā Saltwater Creek Coast Care area in Ventnor, or at Scenic Estate Conservation Reserve down the other end of the island opposite Forrest Caves, Surf Beach, with Friends of Scenic Estate Reserve (FOSER), then the working bee dates for the year are now set. Lots of different jobs for volunteers, good supervision, tools supplied, wonderful environments in which to volunteer and a yummy morning tea and good yack to follow all of our hard work. If you wish to attend, please contact the PICS volunteer coordinator Meg Anderson Ph: 0401 370 406 Email: meganderson213@gmail.com
Here's the dates for your calendars.
Following.
Yes, coming up to that time of the year! Watch out for similar signs to these on the sides of the roads.
Thanks to PICS working bee coordinator Meg Anderson; Friends of Scenic Estate Reserve Coordinator Jan Fleming; PICS life member and former FOSER coordinator John Eddy; and PICS / Barb Martin Bush Bank volunteer Karen Eddy, who all gave up time last weekend to tackle the urgent stinkwort and thistle weed situation at Scenic Estate Reserve. These weeds were in flower, so had to be removed by hand and bagged before they set seed. However, the stinkwort is much sparser now. About 7 years ago one part of the reserve was so badly infested the FOSER volunteers christened it āStinkwort Flatsā! And in case you're wondering - yes stinkwort DOES STINK!
Hereās some photos of the vols on the weekend: Meg holding a thistle; John, Jan and Karen with bags of pulled stinkwort.
