Wildlife and Nest Boxes
Melbourne has an incredible variety of native plants and animals living within our suburbs and Bay. The EcoCentre is passionate about sharing the wonders of this urban wildlife with everyone through:
- School and ELC incursions and excursions
- Community Walks
- Community festivals and events
- Presentations and workshops
- Keynote speaking
- Corporate Volunteering
The Wildlife
Wildlife within metropolitan Melbourne, especially arboreal (tree-dependant) and nocturnal (active during the night) species, face numerous pressures from urbanisation.
The EcoCentre has a long-running urban habitat and nest box program that provides much-needed homes (habitat) for the following species:
– Eastern Rosella
– Red-rumped Parrot
– Microbats (especially Gould’s Wattled Bat)
– Wood Duck
These particular species are facing localised extinction in many Melbourne suburbs, including St Kilda, Elwood and Elsternwick.
Our nest box information brings together the great work of various Australian nest box programs, with specialised designs and research by Gio Fitzpatrick.
Interactive Step by Step Guide: Bat Box Project
Ready to make your own microbat nest tube using items that are normally thrown away? Our Step-by-Step Bat Box Project Guide uses videos and text to show you how to make your own microbat nest tube.
Navigate your way through the guide by clicking on the bat wings on the bottom left and right of the screen. Each instructional video can also be viewed on our EcoCentreTV YouTube Channel.
The Bat Box Project EPublisher project was completed by Deakin University Collaboration in Design program students Justine Millsom, Jamie Choi and Chanaka Suriya.
Additional Resources
- Bat Nest Tube Fact Sheet
- Gio’s Nest Box Forum booklet (prices out of date)
