Hello everybody
I have been looking forward to becoming involved in this forum since the idea was put forward earlier in the year. Hope you are all having a good Christmas and seeing some interesting birds.
I moved to Gisborne 65 kms NW of Melbourne last January. I left a 1 acre mainly bush block (messmate strinybarks and peppermints) in Macedon which had burnt in the Ash Wednesday fires back in 1983. There I had a mostly native plant and bird community and records of about 65 species visiting over the last 25 years. I now live on the edge of Gisborne in a more open and residential area with a bird community dominated by Sparrows, starlings, Indian Mynahs, New Holland honeyeaters and crimson rosellas. I have stopped putting out seed because of the numbers of non-natives that it would attract and support. Sparrows, spotted turtledoves, Indiam Mynas etc alongside the rosellas.
We inherited an 11 year old garden rich in non-natives. Roses, silver birch, moptops etc. I have now planted 3 eucalypts, many correas and eromophilas, a number of grevilleas, callistimons and banksias to increase my native bird populations. I have recorded about 35 species in this first year but most of the natives have just been passing through. I have provided several water features and with the native plantings hope to have more native birds take up residence.A highlight for the year was the nesting of the whitebrowed scrubwren in our fernery.
Brian
Hi Brian.
I just love your neck of the woods and know it well. Yes, it is a very "english garden" area, no doubt, because of the climate. Very, very pretty. Anyone reading this who has not done Mt Macedon/Gisborne/Woodend in the Autumn, put it on your "must do" list for 2008. You will not be sorry. Make sure you climb Camel's Hump and Hanging Rock!
daintree
HI Daintree
PLeased to hear that you have visited our neck of the woods. Yes there are many beautiful gardens to visit at all times of the year. We have many large gardens in the area that are frequently open as part of the open garden scheme or for other varied causes. The range of plants does lead to a mix of birds. Within the area are a range of open forest types with a small snow gum population on the summit of Mt. Macedon.
When living at Macedon we had tawny frogmouths nest successfully on a number of occasions. This year eastern sivereyes and white browed scrubwrens have nested successfully along with a number of starlings, blackbirds and house sparrows. Hopefully this January will see the return of the spotted pardalotes I saw last summer soon after we put out our first water feature.
Brian