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Newsletter Report

28/5/2018

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.

Kathy Costello

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New date for May's Euroa activity - Thursday May 31st 9.30 am

20/5/2018

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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

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Seeking an alternative date for our cancelled trip to Euroa..

15/5/2018

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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.

Kathy

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April - A visit to Helen's property in Baddaginnie

1/5/2018

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First of all, my apologies for bringing the date forward one week for our April outing to Baddaginnie, particularly as changes to the newsletter meant that it was distributed after our outing.

Our group of 14 visited Helen’s property to look for the many bush birds that visit her garden. In addition to six bird baths, Helen also has also filled two old bath tubs, which she has stocked with local native water plants, and they provide an attractive place for birds to drink and bathe. Red-browed Finches and Superb Fairy-wrens were easy to find, but some of the shyer birds could be heard calling but did not show themselves with so many people in the garden. Some of the group walked to a nearby wetland, which had dried out over summer, although we did see a Brown Thornbill there, and a group of White-winged Choughs in a nearby revegetation area on the farm. A shady pergola provided a perfect place for a late morning tea.

Many thanks Helen for hosting our visit. We saw or heard about 20 bird species, among them several Rainbow Bee-eaters, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Welcome Swallows, a Kookaburra and a group of 4 Brown-headed Honeyeaters which visited the old bath near the pergola.

A list of the species recorded can be viewed on eBird at: https://ebird.org/australia/view/checklist/S44984511

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

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Birdwatching

If you would like to know more about birds in the Benalla district and would appreciate help in identifying birds, this group could be for you. The program involves mainly morning walks in local habitats rich in a range of bird life such as Reef Hills, Winton Wetland and Benalla Lake. There may also be an all day outing to a more distant location. Bring along a pair of binoculars to gain more value and enjoyment from this activity.

Convenor and contact details

Kathy Costello 5762 5755 Mobile 0447625755
coskoy@bigpond.com

Photographs - Andi Stevenson

Meeting Times

Six meetings:
Semester 1 - March, April and May.
Semester 2 - September, October, November.

2nd Thursday 9.30am to 12 noon

Meet at the car park behind the Benalla Senior Citizens Community Centre. Check newsletter for times and details.

Please note that outing arrangements may be altered if pandemic regulations change and are automatically cancelled on days of total fire ban.

New members

If you are new to the birdwatching group, check out Birdwatching - Notes for Participants - you will also find a video link in the notes which may assist you to adjust your binoculars

Newsletter Report

New date for May's Euroa activity - Thursday May 31st 9.30 am

Seeking an alternative date for our cancelled trip to Euroa..

April - A visit to Helen's property in Baddaginnie

Birdwatching

Convenor and contact details

Meeting Times

New members

Outings etc....

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