General News
27 September, 2024
Barry's Corner
It's good news when the whistlers return and liven up the bushland with the loud melodic calls they make when feeding in the trees.
This whistler carries an impressive suite of feathers with a white feather under the beak to the top of its chest and a narrow band of black curved around the white patch to end along the beak. The underside can be an orange brown.
This is not a large bird for the amount of calling it can achieve - it is about 16cm long.
The rufous whistler can be found over much of Australia while other whistlers tend to be spotted in more regional districts.
Golden whistlers can be seen over the spring and summer in western Victoria. They have a whistle call related to the rufous, but there is a difference in the calls. It is a pleasant bird to have nearby.
It is time to take care on the roads with slow, stumpy lizards and young animals starting to practice their flying skills. These slow lizards are not hard-wired to run off and escape, so too often they just get run over by careless drivers.
Along with the young magpies learning to fly, there is carnage on the roads, and much of it could be avoided by taking the foot off the throttle just a bit.
One of the problems is that often people do not see the animals until it is too late, and damage to the car is common as a result.
There was an impressive display of native plants at the annual flower show at Pomonal last weekend. It was thought the serious bushfire had wiped out too many magnificent gardens and the show may not happen, but fortunately there were enough representive plants around the district to kick it into gear, and it was a display worth looking at.
The biodiversity seminar at Goroke also was well attended. It was the 27th gathering and appears to be continuing as strong as ever. Keep the first Thursday in September 2025 in your diary.