Location

1. LOCATION

The ‘Merri River Wetland’ is located on the Western coastal fringe of Warrnambool.

The full parcel of land covered in this report comprises 77 acres between Swinton Street and the proposed O’Brien Street. Southern boundary is coastal sand dunes and the northern boundary is the Merri River

2. SUBDIVISION PLAN

Wetlands Report

CONTENTS

1. LOCATION

2. SUBDIVISION PLAN

3. INTRODUCTION

4. LIFE IN THE WETLANDS

5. POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF DEVELOPMENT

6. PROPOSAL FOR AN ALTERNATIVE USE OF THE LAND

7. REPORT FROM THE STANDARD NEWSPAPER

8. SUBMISSION TO THE WARRNAMBOOL CITY COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT RECREATIONAL PLAN.

9. WETLAND DEVELOPMENTS

10. REFERENCE

REFERENCE PHOTOS TAKEN IN THE AREA P.13 – P.19

Merri River Wetlands

My passion for this environment has led me to write a report in the hope of saving the world I have learned to love.
Over the next little while I would like to share this report with anyone out there who has found this blog and shares the passion.
I have headed this report 'Merri River Wetlands and the surrounding environment' and through the process I have been able to indulge another love - photography

Back on line

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

I lost my blog with change of computer and other things, now I am back.

I haven’t lost my love for My Wetland’s though and have been working hard to put forward suggestions for development of this land, into something special.

I have put a report with facts and photos together that I have sent out to people and groups that I feel would have and interest to support my thoughts. Now I wait to see the outcome and results.

I have found with blogging that I already have ideas, photos and material so I am going to put that on my blog as time permits

Rabbit Kill

Brown Goshawk

Last week Jade my Border Collie/rabbit hunter left a dead rabbit on the back lawn. There is a pair of Brown Goshawk’s living in the Tee Tree belt and I believe have a nest in one of the taller Tee Trees, I haven’t seen them in it, so maybe the one I am looking at is an old nest.

Both birds cruise around the paddocks and up and down the river causing all sorts of commotion with the water hens, ducks and plovers. You always know when they are on the prowl by the commotion.

This day the female came in to feed on the dead rabbit, it was a spectacular sight about 5 meters from my kitchen window. She fed on the rabbit for about 5 minutes, ripping at the flesh.

I watched this pair a few months ago, the female had a kill and the male was harassing her for the catch. Each time he came near she would put her wings out over her meal until he gave up and left her in peace.

A sad event

Spotted Turtle-Dove

We have two couples living here. The first pair arrived about two years ago and were joined not long after by another couple.

Early this year they were joined by a lone Crested Pigeon who no longer seems to be with them. Crested Pigeons are not expected to be seen in southern Victoria but cover a large portion of Australia, this would make you think that maybe he was an escapee from an aviary.

Two days ago there was an almighty crash at the window of the sunroom, I looked out onto the veranda and one of the Doves was on its back slowly moving its wings and then there was a trickle of blood appearing from his nostrils and beak. It was so sad. I took the body and lay it under the bird feeder thinking that I would give its partner the possibility to grieve. The partner moved around and finally stood by the still body for an hour or so. Yesterday I took the body away and there was a lot of coming and going by the three birds. This morning I put out some more feed and would you believe there were seven birds out there, I wonder where they have come from and what will happen next

Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo

I have been out of action for a few weeks with computer melt-down.

Over this time my interest has been with the movement of the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. They moved into this area around early October. Their main interest here is the pine cones on the pine trees at the golf course. They also spend some time in our trees along the river, they cruised west, up and down the tree belt along the coast towards the sand mine, then they would head off toward town then back here again. The first arrival had seven in the group then after a week the numbers doubled to fourteen. They would drink from the horse trough or move across to the river to drink from there. They would herald their arrival with their distinctive squawks, I love watching them play on the wing then cruise off with their slow, graceful wing movement. They have left my area now and I wondered where they went until I went to ‘exercises’ in the Botanic Gardens last week and there they were. I suppose now that they have finished the pine cones I will not see them here again until next year.