Twelve COG members gladly accepted the invitation to camp in the lush meadow at Possums’ Retreat, on the edge of the Chiltern Box Ironbark National Park, in Victoria. Former members, Peter and June Gotham, gave us a hearty welcome and on the first night we had a joint dinner with some of the Friends of the Chiltern Forest and other SGAP (Society for Growing Australian Plants) type people. We also had a fascinating talk and computer presentation from Natasha Shedvin, who is researching the private life of Barking Owls in the nearby forest. Only a dedicated PhD student would roam around in the deep of night following the beepings of the transmitters, harnessed on the Owls’ backs. This was high tech stuff, the like of which we only see on the box.
Picture us then, 4WDs lined up, military fashion, ankle deep in grass. After a rich morning chorus audited from warm sleeping bags, we are now comfortably seated with our backs to the morning sun, crunching on muesli and facing a line of trees with enough bare branches for perches. A veritable panoply of avian species present themselves. Not just one bird, but blended families with all the rellies came through. Bee-eaters, Little Corellas, Mistletoe bird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Scarlet Robin, Orioles, Friarbirds, Red-rumped Parrots, Rufous Songlark etc. etc. Some campers even complained about the Willy Wagtail celebrating Spring throughout the night! Much pleasure was taken with intimate views of Spotted Pardalotes, a species which is incredibly hard to see with its furtive fleeting forays in the foliage. Enough F’s… How about a Painted Honeyeater, spotted only a field away from camp by one of our early morning twitchers?
Much reconnoitering and pre-planning had been done by the Gothams. We were led most expertly around the secret tracks and delights of Chiltern. We seemed to have the forest to ourselves as the group totted up 114 species of birds. We began to get blasé about four species of Woodswallows, Turquoise Parrots, Square-tailed Kite, Speckled Warbler and a White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike. Lunchtime at the Honeyeater picnic spot was rife with Brown Treecreepers – I was nearly distracted from my sandwiches, with them begging for crumbs!
The Painted Honeyeater presented itself again, late one afternoon allowing all of us to have lengthy views, encircling the tree to get the best light to see the yellow wingbar and red beak. A first ever sighting for quite a few of us.
Now you would expect that COG would concentrate on birds? How about seeing seven Koalas in the wild? They were everywhere, with their rufous bums precariously split over ridiculous twigs. Or frantically running between two trees as our convoy screeched to a halt. It was open season for Koalas and they got little privacy as twentyfour pairs of binoculars were trained on them.
This is a fascinating area and a weekend does not scratch the surface. We had titillating glimpses of gold mining history, old mining towns and villages and everywhere in the forest is evidence of the disruptive search for gold. Fortunately, nature is covering up much of the mess.
Peter and June have planted hundreds of trees and shrubs on their property. With sufficient rain, we can expect that the tally of great birds will explode in the future. What a pleasure it was to have the use their property. We were warmly welcomed and will long remember this terrific weekend.
Shirley Kral