Category: Euroa - U3A Benalla

March: Seven Creeks at Euroa

27/3/2025

Seventeen people, including a number of new members, attended the first birdwatching outing for the year to Seven Creeks at Euroa. With a very hot day forecast, we made good use of the shade along the creek. A large number of very noisy Little Corellas were seen well in the Red Gums. We also had good views of Pied Currawongs, Little Ravens, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas and several Noisy Friarbirds. Small birds were hard to find, but we did see a pair of Grey Fantails in some understorey shrubs. A White-faced Heron was observed several times feeding in the creek.

We hadn’t reached the half way mark of the walk before deciding to retrace our steps, as the morning heat was becoming oppressive. Most of us then headed into Euroa to enjoy some refreshments and a chat.

We recorded 18 bird species. Here is the link to the bird list https://ebird.org/checklist/S219356190

Kathy Costello

March - Seven Creeks Walk at Euroa

25/2/2025

Our first meeting for 2025 will be held on Thursday 13th March. I like to start a bit earlier in the warmer months so we will meet at 9am, in the car park behind the Benalla Seniors and Community Centre, and car pool for the drive to Euroa.

We will walk the southern section of the track along Seven Creeks, where there is shade along much of the walk. We should see a good range of birdlife, as the water is a great attraction in this hot dry summer. If we complete the circuit, we will have walked just under 4km. Please wear comfortable walking shoes, a hat and bring a water bottle. If you have binoculars, bring them along for a much better view of the birds around the track.

Note that outings are automatically cancelled on days of Total Fire Ban.

Kathy Costello
Mob 0447 625755

August - Euroa Arboretum, Swift Parrots and Diamond Firetails!

24/8/2024

We had planned to walk the Seven Creeks track at Euroa for our outing on 8th August, but at the last minute we ended up at the Euroa Arboretum instead. And what a great decision that turned out to be. Although it was cold and cloudy, the birds and plants made the visit a pleasure.

There were two bird highlights: Swift Parrots and Diamond Firetails.

We had a small flock of Swift Parrots in trees along the track to the nursery. These fast-flying endangered birds breed in Tasmania over summer, and fly to the mainland for the winter, following flowering eucalypts as far as SE Queensland if necessary in their search for food. The Diamond Firetails have been breeding at the Arboretum for several years. They like to feed on the seeds of native grasses and can find suitable nesting sites in spiky native shrubs. Andie did well to get photos of both species.

We also had great views of Spotted Pardalotes and Yellow Thornbills beside the large dam near the entrance. A flock of 25 Straw-necked Ibis circled overhead, while Red Wattlebirds and White-plumed Honeyeaters were common. All up, 22 species were recorded.

We then headed into Euroa and enjoyed a light lunch and hot drink at a café in the main street.

Here is the link to the eBird list for the birds we recorded at the Euroa Arboretum
https://ebird.org/checklist/S191861480

Kathy Costello

Photographs and narration - Andi Stevenson

Our Winter Break ends - Seven Creeks, Euroa Walk - August 8th!

25/7/2024

The Birdwatching group will resume from a winter break with a trip to Euroa on Thursday 8th August. We will walk the southern section of the track beside Seven Creeks, starting from the carpark in Foy Street around the corner from the Seven Creeks Hotel. The walk is about 3.5 kilometres, and provides suitable habitat for a good range of bird species. If the weather co-operates, we can look forward to a pleasant morning walk on a well-maintained track. There is one steep section to an elevated bridge at the southern end.

Please meet at the car park behind the Benalla Seniors and Community Centre at 9.30am. Bring any food and drink you need for the walk, and bring binoculars if you have them.

Kathy Costello
0447 625755

Our visit to Euroa on Thurday 14 April

18/4/2022

Eight people attended this outing to the Seven Creeks walking track in Euroa. This is an attractive area to look for birds with its mix of huge red gums, silver wattles, reed beds and managed parkland.

We walked the southern section of the track. Because it was the day before Easter the Euroa caravan park was already very busy, so at first we saw larger birds that are used to people - magpies, magpie-larks, cockatoos and wood ducks. We had excellent views of Blue-faced Honeyeaters and Crimson Rosellas in several places.

As we continued to a quieter part of the track, we started to see and hear some of the smaller birds. We found good numbers of Red-browed Finches and Superb Fairy-wrens in the long grass near the creek. The two highlights were Golden Whistler and Crested Shrike-tit. Thanks Andi Stevenson for the photos:

Photographs: Andi Stevenson

Our list of 27 species can be seen on eBird. Here is the link
https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S107972259

Next outing is to the Moorngag area, on Thursday 12 May

Good quality roadside vegetation can support a variety of bird species, so we will visit the Moorngag area for some quiet roadside birding. With a bit of luck we may see some Scarlet and Flame Robins which head to lower altitudes for the cooler months.

Please meet in the carpark behind the Seniors Building at 9.30am, bringing any food and drink you need for the morning and binoculars if you have them.

Kathy Costello

Coming up on 14th April - Seven Creeks Track, Euroa

26/3/2022

Our April outing will take place on Thursday 14th when we will visit Euroa for a morning walk along the Seven Creeks track. We will leave from the car park behind the Seniors Building at 9.30am. Please bring the usual – sturdy footwear, water and any food you need for the morning, and binoculars if you have them. The walk is about 3.5 km.

If you would prefer to meet the group at Euroa, we will be parking in Foy St, which is the last street on the left before the bridge. There is a good parking area there, just opposite the Seven Creeks Hotel.

Kathy Costello

April - Our Outing to Euroa

13/4/2019

Photograph: Andi Stevenson (Pink-eared Ducks (the stripy ones) with several Pacific Black Duck & Grey Teal).

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

Photographs: Margaret Walshe

Our next outing will be to Reef Hills State Park on the outskirts of Benalla, on Thursday 9th May 2019. We will meet at the Seniors Building car park at 9.30am for a morning walk. We will visit an area of the park that is closed to vehicle access from June to November.

Please wear sturdy shoes and bring your binoculars and any food or drink you require for the morning. A folding chair would also be useful as we plan to spend time watching birds visit one of the dams in the park.

Kathy Costello

Euroa Arboretum, Seven Creeks walking track followed by a welcome hot meal by the fire at the Seven Creeks Hotel

25/6/2018

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.

Kathy Costello

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay our respects to their elders - past, present and emerging.

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