Author Archives: fobif

Another side of Kalimna

Posted on 25 April, 2013 by fobif

On a perfect Autumn day, geologist Julian Hollis recently led fourteen walkers on the second FOBIF walk of the year, through Kalimna Park. We were lucky to be accompanied by Julian, who is often seen walking in the area and … Continue reading →

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Burglars, super heroes and moss

Posted on 19 April, 2013 by fobif

 Castlemaine has had less than 40% of its long term average rainfall over the months since the start of October 2012. This is a source of concern for a number of reasons. One is that it has delayed the start … Continue reading →

Posted in Moss and Liverwort Field Guide group, News | 1 Comment

Poverty Gully reduction burn completed?

Posted on 19 April, 2013 by fobif

 DSE completed the second half of its Zone 2 reduction burn in Poverty Gully on Friday April 4. Our reports on the first half of this operation can be found here and here. We will be having a look at … Continue reading →

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Poor Coliban

Posted on 18 April, 2013 by fobif

Travellers across the Coliban River on the Taradale-Metcalfe road recently will have noticed that the river is looking terrible. Although there’s a very small flow,  the water is an unhealthy milky colour and there’s a peculiar scum on it. The … Continue reading →

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How to shoot birds

Posted on 17 April, 2013 by fobif

On Thursday 25th April Chris Tzaros will give a presentation on tips and techniques for photographing birds, at Newstead Community Centre at 7.30pm. “We are really looking forward to having Chris address our group again” said Frances Cincotta, President of … Continue reading →

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Sunday 14 April – Nature Search Day, Maldon Historic Reserve 9am – 4pm

Posted on 6 April, 2013 by fobif

How do management burns change our bushlands? This isn’t an easy question to answer, given the lack of information on ‘before and after’ monitoring. The informal Muckleford Forest Friends Group is confronting this problem by organising a day in an … Continue reading →

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Butterflies feeding on sap

Posted on 6 April, 2013 by fobif

Tony Morton has sent us these observations of butterflies in Kalimna Park. The photos were taken on the west side of Kalimna, in the Castlemaine Copper patch, just above the bench, in mid-April 2012. He plans to look to see if … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | 1 Comment

National Parks for sale?

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by fobif

The Victorian National Parks Association is campaigning against the State Government’s decision to open our parks to commercial development. The VNPA has issued the following statement: ‘On Easter Sunday (31 March 2013), the State Government released new guidelines for ‘tourism … Continue reading →

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Want to buy a premium penguin product?

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by fobif

The State Government’s decision to open National Parks to commercial development [see above] has its origins way back in the Kennett era, but surfaced more recently in a report published by the Labour Government in 2008. It’s called Victoria’s Nature … Continue reading →

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Moth empire to strike back?

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by fobif

As we reported in January, the cup moth devastation of our bushlands seems to be over. But the respite for the affected trees [which have only partly recovered] may be temporary. Tony Morton has sent us these observations from Glenluce: … Continue reading →

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