Hi Landcarers

It is difficult to talk about upcoming events and ignore the elephant in the room….the rain and flooding, which for some people will just be an inconvenience because they can’t take a direct route somewhere, but please remember that once the water subsides and that roadway is opened , there are a raft of other issues that have to be dealt with that indirectly impact our communities.

After the success of last year’s bird identification workshops, leading up to the Aussie Backyard Bird Count (ABBC), Central West Lachlan Landcare, in conjunction with Council and the National Parks Association are planning to run a children’s workshop and an open workshop.

The intention of these workshops is to increase the knowledge of participants and particularly with children, give them a better appreciation of what bird life is in their backyard and what birds we are likely to see in our local area, so that when they see Magpie Geese on the Forbes Golf Course or a Sacred Ibis at Bushman’s Dam, they can have a better appreciation of whether it has flown in for a stop-over during a bigger trip or if they are permanent residents.

We are in the process of working out the finer details for the workshops, but please contact me if you or your children would be interested in being involved. You can use the Aussie Bird Count app or submit the information over the web.

Last year, over Australia, we counted over a million birds, with 563 species sited, with the five most listed birds in Australia being the Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner, Australian Magpie, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and the House Sparrow.

As mentioned, our workshops lead into the Aussie Backyard Bird Count which is being run during the week of 17 – 23 October. The link to their website is on our site. All you need is 20 minutes a day. If you had been looking for an excuse to get the kids or just yourself outside, this might be it.

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Tieing in with the lead up to the ABBC, during Landcare Week (5 – 11 September) on Wednesday we recognised Threatened Species Day, bringing into focus the damage that our introduced species do to our environment, the impact that they have on some farming systems and also the impact on our urban spaces.

The Invasive Species CRC report that at least 81 species of introduced vertebrate pests have established populations in Australia, these include the obvious offenders, European Rabbits, Feral Pigs, Feral Cats, Wild Dogs, Foxes and European Carp.

Have a look on the Pestsmart website which is run by Invasive Animals CRC for heaps of useful information on feral animals, their control and impact. Any keen fisherperson would be keen to read about the Carp Herpesvirus that has been proposed as a biological control.

The next National Parks Association (NPA) walk will be held on Sunday, 18 September at the Wombin State Forest. Walkers are to meet at the gate at 9am. This is an easy 6 kilometre walk. If you are intending to walk, please contact Martin Bell on 0429 346 586.

Walkers are reminded to bring along enough food and water for the entire day as well as suitable clothing, footwear, hat and sunscreen. A pair of good binoculars and a fold up chair is recommended. A $2.00 donation for each walker is appreciated.

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As usual, links to items in this article are available on facebook or on our website at centralwestlachlanlandcare.org and I can be contacted at our office on 02 6862 4914 or email me at cwllpo@hotmail.com

Until next week, happy Landcaring!