Contents
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Welcome
Welcome to the September 2006 edition of "The Eco", the newsletter
for Friends of the Port Phillip EcoCentre.
Our aim is to provide
an informative and entertaining snapshot of the activities, achievements
and interests of all the wonderful people who contribute towards
the goals of the EcoCentre, inspiring us to take
'local
action for a global future'.
Do you have some news for The Eco? Contributions are always welcome.
Email info@ecocentre.com
with your contribution and contact details.
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Cloches - Mini Greenhouses
Wendy Van Dort
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| Cloches are clear covers placed over plants, particularly in the early stages of growth during the colder winter months. Cloche, pronounced /klosh/ comes from the French word for bell because originally cloches were bell-shaped glass jars. Nowadays, cloches come in all forms and sizes and are more often made from plastic.
 Cloches at work
Pic by David Giles
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At the EcoCentre, we’ve recycled plastic bottles, by cutting the tops off and placing the bottle over the seedlings.
Captured heat from the sun provides a warm and moist environment, promoting plant growth. The plastic covering also protects plants from frost at night and from pests that like to feed on the new leaves.
We’ve noticed a big difference in the rate of growth between plants covered with cloches to those that weren’t proving that cloches are a big winner for winter crops.
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Garden Vibrations
Ariel Valent
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Please allow me to introduce myself as the musician in residence of St. Kilda Botanical Gardens. My name is Ariel Valent, a multi-instrumentalist and composer. I live around the corner from the Gardens.
Ariel in action |
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Thanks to the EcoCentre and a Cultural Development grant from the City of Port Phillip, I’ll be seeking to translate the historic, natural, social and cultural stories of the local vicinity into music, using the surrounds of the Botanical Gardens as inspiration.
Starting in October, I’ll spend most Friday mornings in the Gardens composing music and playing a variety of instruments, including vibraphone, piano accordion and a kora. If you are not sure what these instruments are, you will have to come and visit me. I’m particularly keen to hear locals’ stories of the area, and some of these will be worked into new musical compositions .
I hope to collaborate with local instrumentalists and look forward to new and exciting musical possibilities in different parts of the gardens. The results of the musical development will be presented in four concerts in St Kilda Botanical Gardens around February 2007. Watch this space and local papers for more information. If you’d like to know more, please visit me on a Friday morning (follow your ears) or e-mail me at ariel@inventionintime.com Newsletter Contents |
Frog Finders Wanted
By Julia Martin
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Frog census is run by Melbourne Water and the Amphibian Research Centre each Autumn and Spring. The aim is to record the calls of frogs where they are heard to determine what species in what quantities are where. You can view previous census results on http://frogs.org.au .
There has been little data collected within the City of Port Phillip to date, so this year we would like to identify where the frogs are and make recordings of them - you can help!
If you know of frogs anywhere in your local area, including your backyard, please let us know. Email us on projects@ecocentre.com or phone 9534 0670.
The frog data collected will enable strategies to improve local frog habitat. The EcoCentre’s IEP program is working with local schools to set up frog bogs in school grounds. These frog bogs will assist in extending frog friendly habitat corridors throughout the area.
The relative absence of frog-friendly habitat makes it difficult for frogs to move around and expand as a population. Give the frogs a chance! Why not learn how to create your own frog-friendly garden? You might even attract a Marbled Gecko or three!
The IEP program is proudly sponsored by Holden.
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 Marbled Gecko
Pic by Heather Walkerden
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Frog Calls |
...in Carlisle Street???
Frogs in the City of Port Phillip are generally in backyard ponds and frog bogs. Over the past 4 years Heather Walkerden (on a mission to re-frog St. Kilda) turned her garden into a frog play and breeding ground. With several water bodies of differing depths and slopes, plenty of aquatic vegetation and dry land habitat, she now has Southern Brown Tree Frog - Litoria ewingi , Eastern Common Froglet - Crinia signifera breeding regularly.
 Southern Brown Tree Frog
Pic Heather Walkerden
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Heather’s advice has encouraged others in her street to install ponds. On a warm spring evening the frogs can be heard calling as far away as the local shops!
One of the few ‘wild’ inner urban frog populations can be found at Alma Park Wetland. Alma Park wetland has a water supply independent of mains water. The wetland receives stormwater from the surrounding parkland and also receives overflow from the rainwater tanks in the Christian Brothers College school ground.
The new wetland system at Westgate Park is another nearby example of how habitat can be restored in urban areas. Rainwater is harvested from the neighbouring Herald Sun building roof to supply the main lake; over the past 4 years the Friends of Westgate Park, with substantial funding from Holden, have created four new wetlands which now support frog populations.
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Bayside Birds
By Michael Norris, Bayside Friends of Native Wildlife
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The ‘Australian’ of August 5th featured the "twitch" for the Grey-headed Lapwing at Burren Junction in New South Wales. It was the first ever seen in Australia and those going to see it included birding notables such as Mike Carter (the current record holder with 784 bird species seen in Oz and its territories) and a youngster who has seen 508. Sadly, climate damage, habitat degradation, land clearance, and hunting may mean that boy will never reach the 700 mark.
Grey Fantail
Pic Greg Sujecki
Too many bird species are vanishing due to "human lifestyle choice" . Similar changes are happening locally as shown by records for Albert Park in the August Eco newsletter. My fauna records for the City of Bayside over the last 13 years puts those results in a slightly wider context. Many of the species that have declined at Albert Park are also declining elsewhere in our region.
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In Bayside, the winter influx of White-plumed Honeyeaters and Cuckoo-shrikes is all but gone, Flame Robins and Richard's Pipits are now scarce, and breeding by Grey Fantails and Silvereyes is down. Yellow-rumped Thornbills were last definitely recorded in Bayside in 1994 and I have rarely seen them since at Braeside Park. Sacred Kingfishers have been scarce since 1999. Increasing urbanisation and changes further afield are to blame.
Meanwhile, Noisy Miners and Grey Butcherbirds have increased, the former - as Mary Ellen Talmage taught me - because of habitat simplication, and the latter possibly for the same reason - and too many people feeding them. One site where our Rosellas are now breeding is simply a result of our providing nest boxes.
Bayside's new wetlands - many to provide water for golf courses - have, as at Albert Park, attracted previously scarce waterbirds (and Rakali) although our crake sightings do not include the furtive Baillon's Crake seen at Albert Park. This shows what habitat provision can do to preserve biodiversity. A bit of scrub should see the return of common regional insectivores like Brown Thornbills, White-browed Scrubwrens and Golden Whistlers, also missing from Elsternwick Park. With plants such as Correa reflexa for small honeyeaters, Spinebills could come back too.
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Reptile Rambles
By Ian R Levy
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Lizards, snakes and freshwater turtles become inactive in Victoria during the cooler months from about May to September. This dormant period (hibernation) is characterised by a slowing of metabolism, complete inactivity and sheltering in a suitable site such as a crevice, hollow log or a hole in the ground. Freshwater turtles, remain underwater in a sheltered position between branches and snags etc. on the bottom of their pond, or in the bank of a river.
September is generally the period of awakening for reptiles in southern Victoria, although warm sunny days with temperatures above 18 degrees C. in August will bring odd lizards and snakes out to bask in the sun. Copperhead snakes are quite cold tolerant and may even emerge at lower temperatures. As September daily maximum temperatures increase, so does reptile activity. By the month’s end lizards and snakes are actively pursuing food on sunny days to replace condition lost during the 4-5 months of hibernation.
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Water temperatures above 15 degrees in ponds, billabongs and slow moving rivers activates Eastern Long-necked Turtles and Murray River Turtles. MRTs, also known as Short-necked Turtles, naturally occur in the Murray Darling Basin but have been introduced to ornamental lakes at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, and St Kilda Botanic Gardens.
Short-necked Turtle
Pic by Andrew McCuctcheon
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Art Exhibition |
A state-wide poster art competition for all primary and secondary schools.
Where: Gasworks Gallery, 21 Graham St, Albert Park (Mel 57d4)
When: September
5 - 24.
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Port Phillip EcoCentre Inc. Annual General Meeting |
Midday, Sunday 1st October 2006.
Guest speaker
The Hon. Deputy Premier
John Thwaites
Refreshments and finger food will be available.
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Port Phillip EcoCentre Membership.
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We are a not-for-profit umbrella organisation that supports groups, individuals, schools and businesses in the City of Port Phillip and the wider region to protect / enhance biodiversity and promote sustainability.
By becoming an Individual, Household or an Affiliated member allows us to grow the aims of all involved in sustainable living. Call in for a cuppa: 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, or phone 9534 0670 to learn more about the benefits membership can offer you.
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Proudly sponsored by
City of Port Phillip.
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Tell someone who’s interested!
Vicki Jaeger - News co-ordinator
The newsletter is distributed to EcoCentre members and is on the web. This makes it a great voice for your group.
To submit articles on issues and action, events or projects
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Send items to: info@ecocentre.com
Ph: (03) 9534 0670
Fax: (03) 9525 3312
www.ecocentre.com
Deadline for contributions is the 15th of each month
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