Category Archives: Nature Observations

What’s all that intensely green stuff?

Posted on 19 August, 2018 by fobif

We haven’t had a huge season for rain. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, ‘Statewide rainfall was 33% below the long-term July mean of 70 mm, the driest July since 2002, and large areas in the north and east of Victoria, … Continue reading →

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For the birds

Posted on 16 July, 2018 by fobif

A large group rocked up to FOBIF’s July walk on Sunday, led by Damian Kelly, author of the recently published Castlemaine Bird Walks. The walk covered a section of the north eastern corner of the Maldon Historic area. The weather … Continue reading →

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Something obvious

Posted on 16 July, 2018 by fobif

On the subject of old trees, and the lack of them, it’s worth drawing attention to a recent article in the Conversation website on their value: ‘In urban landscapes, many consider large and old eucalypts a dangerous nuisance that drop … Continue reading →

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‘Creatures’ collection growing

Posted on 1 July, 2018 by fobif

There have been some interesting contributions to our Creatures photo collection over the past couple of weeks. Vivienne Hamilton sent us a terrific photo of this Red Wattlebird shaking itself off.  You can see more of Vivienne Hamilton’s photos in … Continue reading →

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Yellow Gums stand out

Posted on 10 June, 2018 by fobif

Yellow Gums Eucalyptus leucoxylon change more from season to season and are more colourful than all other local eucalypts. Their copious shedding of bark in summer is commonly accompanied by a dramatic colouring of trunks for months. After the rain is … Continue reading →

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Curtain raiser

Posted on 9 June, 2018 by fobif

The always reliable Spreading Wattle has been flowering for months now, but the real wattle season is yet to come. A sign that it’s on the way: Woolly Wattle (Acacia lanigera) is well and truly in flower in the south end … Continue reading →

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Call for photos!

Posted on 14 May, 2018 by fobif

The theme of the next FOBIF photo exhibition is Creatures. TOGS Cafe in Castlemaine will host the exhibition in November 2018. So if you have a favourite photo/s of wildlife in our region send them along to FOBIF (info@fobif.org.au). There is also plenty … Continue reading →

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Launched!

Posted on 30 April, 2018 by fobif

Close to 100 people turned up on Saturday morning to see Castlemaine Field Naturalists’ president George Broadway launch FOBIF’s Wattles of the Mount Alexander Region. The guide was produced as a tribute to Ern Perkins, for many decades the leading … Continue reading →

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Red Gums: good news vs bad news

Posted on 13 November, 2017 by fobif

So, what’s going on with our River Red Gums? We noted last year how lots of them were looking pretty dire, and this year is, if anything, worse: whole roadsides and paddocks in this region and beyond are looking pretty … Continue reading →

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Gold kicks off

Posted on 12 August, 2017 by fobif

It’s not just on the stock markets that gold is doing well. The wattle season is now well and truly on. Although we have interesting variations around the shire, patches of wattles in bloom are pretty well everywhere. As usual, … Continue reading →

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