​Report of visit by Goulburn Valley U3A Bird-watching group to Reef Hills State Park on Wednesday 21 August 2019.

Six members of our Benalla Bird-watching group joined the visitors from the GV U3A, on a visit to Reef Hills. We spent a mild, sunny morning in the south west corner of the park. There was a lot of bird activity here, as a number of White Box trees were flowering, attracting a number of honeyeaters and lorikeets. As we walked along the track we came across a number of smaller bush birds, such as wrens, thornbills, treecreepers and sittellas. Most people headed off about lunch time, but some of us also visited a drier part of the park in Wattle Road, finding a few more birds in that area. It was good to have a chance to chat with another group like ours. Perhaps we can arrange another joint activity sometime in the future.

Here is the link to the bird list for the day, compiled by GV group leader Don Roberts. 31 bird species were recorded.       https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S59168734
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Kathy Costello

​On Thursday 12 September 2019, we will visit Killawarra Forest, a box ironbark forest in the northern section of the Warby-Ovens National Park.

Please meet at 9.30am in the car park behind the Seniors building. Killawarra is a great place to visit in springtime, with lots of bird activity and a lovely display of wattles and other native shrubs. For this reason, we will stay and have lunch in the forest, so bring your lunch and a folding chair if you have one.

​Kathy Costello

Goulburn Valley U3A Birdwatching Group, based in Shepparton, will visit Benalla on Wednesday 21 August 2019. They will spend most of the day at Reef Hills State Park on the southern edge of Benalla. Our Benalla U3A Bird-watching group has been invited to join them for the morning, and to stay on for lunch and beyond if interested. I will accompany the group for their visit, and bring my own lunch and a chair. If you would like to join our GV visitors, please meet at the Rose Gardens near Weary Dunlop at 10am.

Our own bird-watching program resumes on Thursday 12 September, with two more outings in October and November. Details will be provided in the September newsletter.
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Kathy Costello

Our trip in 9th May to Reef Hills on the southern outskirts of Benalla was the final outing for our group this semester. Eight of us, rugged up on a cold, cloudy day, headed to the south west area of the park around Baines and Centre Roads. Red Wattlebirds were present in large numbers, feeding in a few flowering eucalypts and keeping smaller honeyeaters at bay. We had good views of two groups of White-browed Babblers as they crossed the road in front of us. It was much easier than craning our necks looking for small birds in the tree tops in poor light. We finally left the Wattlebirds behind, locating several Yellow-tufted and White-naped Honeyeaters in the canopy, as well as two beautiful male Golden Whistlers. Thanks to those who brought some home-made slices for an enjoyable morning tea to finish the outing.

Details of the 13 bird species recorded at Reef Hills can be viewed on the eBird web site at https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S56645504

10 of our group made the trip to Euroa on a mild autumn morning. As we looked into the Euroa Water Treatment ponds, we saw good numbers of ducks, including Australasian Shoveler, a threatened species in Victoria, and Pink-eared Duck which has a lovely striped body. Also seen were several Hoary-headed Grebe, a pair of Chestnut Teal, and a few Black Duck and Grey Teal. An adjacent pond had 17 Black-fronted Plover on the mudflats. Details of birds recorded at the plant can be viewed on the eBird web site at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55195784

We then headed to the Euroa Arboretum just across the road, where the very dry conditions meant few birds were seen. A White-faced Heron was seen well beside the dam, and a few Red Wattlebirds, Eastern and Crimson Rosellas flew past us. A Grey Fantail was also seen well. Some of us then bought a few plants from the Arboretum nursery. The Arboretum bird list can be viewed on eBird at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55195449

Fourteen participants attended our outing on 14 March, enjoying a leisurely walk around the southern half of Lake Benalla. The lake has been a drought refuge for birds over our very hot and dry summer, and we were pleased to record 32 different species for the morning.  There were a lot of small bush birds around the bridge on to Jaycee Island, including Spotted and Striated Pardalotes, Red-browed Finches, White-browed Scrubwren, White-browed Treecreeper and a good number of Superb Fairy-wrens. And there was the beautiful Azure Kingfisher which flashed past under the bridge and quickly disappeared downstream. 

​Thanks Margaret Walshe for the photos. For a complete list of the birds recorded, please see our eBird list at https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S54160519

Next outing Thursday 11 April 2019 to Euroa. 

Please note we will not be able to do the planned walk along Holland’s Creek via Willis Little Drive. Instead we make a morning visit Euroa, looking over the fence for water birds at the water treatment plant, then going to the nearby Euroa arboretum.

We will meet as usual in the car park behind the Seniors Building in Benalla at 9.30am on Thursday 11 April. Please wear comfortable footwear and bring binoculars and any food and drink you require. The arboretum will be open for native plant sales when we visit.

​Kathy Costello

Our first activity for 2019 will be on Thursday 14 March. I only recently found out I had written the wrong date on the hand out on U3A enrolment day, so 7 March is wrong. Apologies for the confusion. Our walks will be on the second Thursday in March, April and May.
 
Please meet in the car park behind the Seniors Building at 9.30am, for a morning walk around the southern section of Lake Benalla, which includes Jaycee Island. The lake track provides an excellent introduction to the birds of our region, because it supports a good variety of water birds and bush birds. Please bring a water bottle and any food you require. You will enjoy the walk more if you have binoculars and comfortable shoes.
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Please note that the walk will be automatically cancelled if it is a day of Total Fire Ban.
 
Kathy Costello
Mobile 0447 625755

​Visit to Glenrowan West Thursday 8 November 2018
 
Our final activity for the year was a visit to Pauline and Brent’s property at Glenrowan West, on a cool but sunny morning. Pauline led us to the bushland area of the property on a steep hillside, then to a dam with mature eucalypts and wattles providing shelter for birds coming in to drink and bathe, before we returned to the house to admire the views and enjoy a shared outdoor lunch.
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Honeyeaters were a feature of the visit, with 8 species recorded. The best of them was a male Black Honeyeater feeding near the dam. This tiny bird is a rare visitor from inland Australia, perhaps driven south by drought conditions there. Others included Fuscous, Yellow-tufted, Yellow-faced, Brown-headed and White-plumed Honeyeaters. Of interest also were White-winged Trillers and White-browed and Masked Woodswallows feeding on the ground in a paddock and perched along a fence. We had good views of a pair of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes and an Echidna. Smaller bush birds such as Weebills, Buff-rumped Thornbills and White-throated Gerygones were more difficult to observe. There were also plenty of birds around the house with bottlebrushes and grevilleas in flower.

Thanks to our hosts for a most enjoyable morning.  An impressive 39 bird species were recorded. Thanks to Andrea Stevenson for providing the photos!

Kathy Costello

​A small but enthusiastic group headed to Reef Hills State Park for some springtime birding on 11 October. Despite the dry conditions, there were plenty of birds to be seen. A group of White-winged Choughs was drinking at a roadside puddle, and further down the road we had good views of three Dusky Woodswallows. A pair of White-browed Woodswallows and a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike were difficult to see as they flew ahead of us, but a Wedge-tailed Eagle and a Little Eagle were spotted soaring overhead. We found an area in the south west of the park which had lots of bird song and good numbers of small bush birds, including Red-capped Robin, Western Gerygone, Varied Sittellas, Fuscous Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, White-throated Treecreeper, a few thornbills and best of all a Turquoise Parrot.

Although we didn’t walk very far, from a birding point of view it was a very successful morning as we recorded 32 species. For details, please see eBird checklist:
https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S49409368

​Our final outing for 2018 will be held on Thursday 8 November, when we will visit Pauline’s property at Glenrowan West. Please meet at the Seniors building car park at 9.30 am. Following our bird walk around the property, we are invited to stay on for a picnic lunch while enjoying the superb views from the property, so please bring a plate to share. As usual, also come with a hat, water and binoculars, and wear sturdy shoes. It promises to be a most enjoyable way to finish the year.
 
Kathy Costello

Our group was fortunate to visit private property in the Upotipotpon district on Thursday 13 September. We had a warm sunny spring morning to enjoy a guided walk around the bushland, looking for birds as well as identifying a few waxlip and leopard orchids among the shrub cover.

Highlight was a pair of resident Tawny Frogmouths roosting close to the house. We also found a pair of Eastern Yellow Robins, and had close views of a party of White-browed Babblers feeding on the ground. A Collared Sparrowhawk landed high in a tree. There were lots of fresh scratchings of Painted Button-quail, but these shy birds remained elusive. Owner Mike said one bird walked across the driveway as soon as we left the property. We saw a number of Brown Treecreepers, White-plumed Honeyeaters and Superb Fairy-wrens. The locally rare Gilbert’s Whistler was heard calling from over the road, but did not show itself.

Thanks to owners Ann and Mike. It was a pleasure look for birds on a bush block that retains much of the original native vegetation of the area.

22 bird species recorded. eBird list https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S48712603

"U3A Birdwatching resumes next month on Thursday 13 September, when we will visit private property in the Upotipotpon district, about 35 minutes west of Benalla. The property has a mix of eucalypt woodland and open grassland.

We will meet in the car park behind the Seniors building, ready to leave by 9.30am. Please bring anything you want to eat or drink for the morning, a sun hat and binoculars if you have them, and wear sturdy footwear. We plan to head back to Benalla about midday.
 
For your diary, our following outing is on Thursday 11 October when we will visit private property in the Lurg district. The last outing for the year is on Thursday 8 November, destination to be advised.
 
Look forward to seeing you in some Spring sunshine!"
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Kathy Costello

​U3A Bird watching group finally made it to Euroa on Thursday 31 May, after our planned outing earlier in May was cancelled due to bad weather.

The Euroa Arboretum is located south of the town, between the freeway and the old Hume Highway. Although we had fine weather, there was a cold southerly wind, so our group of seven headed for the Arboretum nursery to check out the plants for sale. They have an impressive range of local native plants propagated mainly from seed collected in the area. After we loaded our purchases into our vehicles, we then went looking for birds. Good numbers of Superb Fairy-wrens live in the grounds and were easy to see. Not so the other little birds. We had a fleeting glimpse of 2 Weebills, Australia’s smallest bird, and heard a Grey Shrike-thrush. Several Red Wattlebirds and White-plumed Honeyeaters were also seen, but it was a good day for bush birds to shelter from the wind.

Our next stop was at the Seven Creeks walking track. We started our walk near the Euroa caravan park, and headed south towards the freeway, enjoying the sunny, sheltered conditions. Best birds here were a male Golden Whistler, a Crimson Rosella and good views of a flock of Striated Thornbills feeding at eye level beside the track. They are usually in the tree tops. In the bird field guide, we compared Weebills and Striated Thornbills, and came away with a better knowledge of two of our smallest bush birds.

We then headed to Seven Creeks Hotel for a welcome hot meal in front of a warm fire, and so ended U3A Bird watching activities for Semester 1.

U3A Bird watching resumes on Thursday 13 September 2018.
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Kathy Costello

The Birdwatching group's planned trip to Euroa on 10 May was cancelled because of a forecast for wet and windy conditions.
 
Several people expressed an interest in an alternative date later this month and after receiving feedback, Thursday 31st May was decided upon.

The group will meet at the Seniors’ Centre car park a 9.30am, drive to Euroa to visit the Euroa Arboretum, then walk along part of the Seven Creeks track in town, followed by a 12.15pm lunch at Seven Creeks Hotel in Euroa.  Here’s hoping for a fine and sunny day

There will be a report of the Euroa trip in the next newsletter.
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Kathy Costello

Thanks for the feedback re the better date for our late May trip to Euroa. It will be held on Thursday 31 May. The other option was for Thursday 24 May, but it impacts a few in our group who attend U3A Garden Appreciation on that day.

We will meet at the Seniors Centre car park at 9.30am, then drive to Euroa, to visit the Euroa Arboretum, then walk along part of the Seven Creeks track in town, followed by a 12.15pm lunch at Seven Creeks Hotel in Euroa. 

Here’s hoping for a fine and sunny day.

​Kathy

Our planned trip to Euroa on 10 May was cancelled because of a forecast for wet and windy conditions. That morning in Benalla was actually cold but fine, so maybe Euroa would have been OK too.

Several people have expressed an interest in an alternative date later this month. Could you please advise me if you would like to attend a birding outing to Euroa on either Thursday 24 May or Thursday 31 May. We would meet at the Seniors Centre car park at 9.30am as usual, then drive to Euroa, to visit the Euroa Arboretum, then walk along part of the Seven Creeks track in town, followed by a 12.15pm lunch at Seven Creeks Hotel in Euroa.

I already have preferences from a few people, evenly split between the 2 dates, so please ignore this message if we’ve already discussed it.

Please let me know Yes/No, and what date/s suit by this Friday 18 May. It would help to know also if you’d like to attend lunch at the hotel. I’ll then let everyone know what’s been decided.
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Kathy 

Coming up on Thursday 10 May - Bird Watching at Euroa 

Please meet at the car park behind the Seniors Building at 9.30am, where we car pool for a trip to Euroa. We will go birding in the morning, followed by lunch at 12.15pm at Seven Creeks Hotel in Euroa. We will do a short walk along Seven Creeks in the town, then visit the Euroa Arboretum on the old Hume Highway south of the town centre. If time permits, we will look through the fence at the adjacent water treatment plant to look for waterbirds on the ponds. As usual, please wear sturdy shoes and bring a water bottle and binoculars if you have them.

If you are interested in coming to lunch in Euroa, please ring or email me by Tuesday 8 May, so I can confirm numbers with the hotel. Ph 5762 5755 or coskoy@bigpond.com

Please note that our birding program will be in recess over winter. Our first outing for semester 2 will be on Thursday 13 September 2018.

​Kathy Costello

Our group of 14 birdwatchers walked around the southern part of Lake Benalla on Thursday 8 March. It was a pleasant morning that became hot by lunchtime.

The water level in the lake was very low, as water authorities work to kill off the last of the aquatic weed Cabomba. Despite this, we had a very successful session of bird watching. Yellow Spoonbills were still nesting, and a total of 8 birds seen. We were close enough to admire the beautiful plumage of male and female Wood Ducks as they walked past our group. We also had close views of Australasian Swamphen and several Darters. It was interesting to watch a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding a noisy begging youngster in a nearby tree. Robyn did well to find the White-throated Gerygone calling nearby, and most people had a good view of this beautiful but tiny songster with its bright yellow breast. Another yellow breasted bird we were lucky to find is the Crested Shrike-tit, although it did not show well in the foliage. Other birds seen included Superb Fairy-wren, Grey Fantail, Striated Thornbill, White-throated Treecreeper, Sacred Kingfisher and Kookaburra.

​A total of 42 species was recorded. The eBird list can be viewed at

https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S43609753
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Kathy Costello

Lake Benalla Thursday 8 March 2018

Our first activity for 2018 will be a gentle stroll around part of the lake, looking for water birds and bush birds. Please meet at 9.30am in the car park behind the Seniors building. We plan to finish around 12 o’clock.

Even if the water level in the lake remains very low, we will still see plenty of waterbirds and bush birds.  Binoculars make bird watching much more enjoyable, so if you have a pair please bring them. Feel free to ask me if you would like help on how to adjust the focus for your eyes, so you get a clear picture. Also, you can pick my brains as we walk, and I'll do my best to find and identify as many birds as I can.

You may want to carry a water bottle, a snack and a sun hat. Comfortable walking shoes are advisable.
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Kathy Costello
Mobile 0447 625755

​Ten people attended our last activity for 2017 on Thursday 9 November, and what a lovely day it was. We set off along the walking track from the football oval heading east the old Hume Hwy where we crossed the creek for the return walk. We found several nesting birds. One was a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike on a very flimsy nest high in a red gum. Further on a Noisy Friarbird sat in a much more substantial hanging nest near the road bridge on High Street. Also heard near this bridge was the Scarlet Honeyeater, and after a few minutes the bird was spotted in a red gum tree across the road. We had better views of an Olive-backed Oriole, several Eastern Rosellas, Sacred Kingfisher and a tiny, but beautifully marked Spotted Pardalote. It was surprising to see a flock of White-winged Choughs near the creek and not far from houses. We recorded 32 birds during the walk. The bird list can be viewed HERE

We then drove to a private property near Violet Town to eat our lunch in a lovely shady garden. We watched Red-browed Finches and Superb Fairy-wrens hopping around our feet, and listened to a Rufous Whistler calling nearby. Other birds seen here included several Diamond Firetails, Peaceful Doves and Crimson Rosellas. Property owner Roberta showed us the old saucepan in a shed where the Grey Shrike-thrush makes its nest each year and a nest box for Striated Pardalotes. A pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles soared high overhead, and above them was a lone dark morph Little Eagle. We then enjoyed a walk around the large garden, with many plants in flower. Just before we left a male Scarlet Honeyeater showed itself briefly on a yellow flowering sage bush. Roberta was very pleased to finally see one in her garden.

Scarlet Honeyeaters in Benalla

Hello everyone

​Just a reminder about our final activity for the year which is on the Thursday after cup day. We are going to Violet Town for a walk along the Honey Suckle Creek walking track. Then we will drive to a farm close to town, to enjoy lunch in a lovely ‘birdy’ garden. You may wish to walk further around the property after lunch.

Please meet at the seniors building car park at 9.30am, so we can car pool to VT. Bring your own morning tea, and food for your lunch. Roberta, our host, will provide tea and coffee for lunch, and should have enough chairs for us.

If you need to contact me, mobile cover willing, my mobile number is 0447 625755.

Kathy

After discussion with members of the group, we have a new date for our final activity for the year. We will meet in the car park of the Seniors building at 9.30am on Thursday 9 November, for a birding walk along the Honeysuckle Creek track in Violet Town. We will then drive to a nearby property to eat our picnic lunch while enjoying the birds in a lovely garden setting. Please bring your lunch and a thermos or drink, a folding chair and binoculars.

​Kathy Costello

We enjoyed a mild, sunny morning for our visit to Reef Hills on the southern outskirts of Benalla. There was a lot of bird activity near the entrance and we spent some time walking near the dam on Centre Road. The Grey Fantails were easy to see as they flew around us. We later saw 2 of them building a nest beside the road. The Rufous Whistler and White-throated Treecreeper also showed well. Then we had close views of a young Red-capped Robin as it flew to the ground catching insects, and two nearby Buff-rumped Thornbills. Other birds were harder to see, although we could hear many different calls. One was the Painted Honeyeater, an uncommon spring migrant to Reef Hills, but only a couple of people managed to spot it. Nineteen species were seen or heard.

We then drove down Reef Hills Road to the rotunda for morning tea and a chat, and enjoyed views of a male Scarlet Robin and 2 White-throated Treecreepers in the car park. Four other species were recorded. Vaughan then took us on a short walk to enjoy some of the many wildflowers on display in the park.

On Tuesday 3 October, U3A Bird watching group will visit Reef Hills State Park for a morning bird walk. Please meet in the car park at the entrance to Reef Hills at 10am, bringing anything you want to eat or drink during the walk, a chair if you have one and of course binoculars.

Directions

Reef Hills is 5 km south of Benalla, and the entrance to the park is off the Midland Highway about 300 metres past the freeway overpass, on your right.

We are hoping for some warm sunny weather, as our September outing to Chiltern to look for Regent Honeyeaters was cancelled due to cold, wet weather.

There will be no outing in November because of the Melbourne Cup day holiday. I am happy instead to run an activity on Tuesday 5 December if members are interested.
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Kathy Costello

"Hello everyone

In view of the cold, wet weather forecast for tomorrow (Tues 5 Sept), I have decided to cancel our trip to Chiltern.

I will provide details of our next activity on Tues 3 October in due course. I hope we have better luck with the weather then.

​Kathy"

​U3A Bird watching resumes on Tuesday 5th September after a winter break. We will visit Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park hoping to see a special bird, the endangered Regent Honeyeater. A large number of captive-bred birds were released at Chiltern in autumn, and we hope some will still be feeding in the park. Some of us attended a recent talk in the library by Andy from the Regent Honeyeater revegetation project.

Please meet at 9.30am in the car park behind the new U3A room in the Seniors building off Fawkner Drive. The drive to Chiltern is nearly an hour up the Hume Freeway, so you should bring lunch, a thermos and a folding chair if you have one. Chiltern forest is well known for its birdlife and wildflowers, so it promises to be a lovely early Spring outing.
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Kathy Costello