Prom Coast Ecolink
17 July 2024
A summary of the events & guest speaker highlights from our Weekend of Wonder held in Fish Creek 12-14th July
Our Weekend of Wonder was a great success, thank you to all who participated!
Research Fellow at LaTrobe Univerity Dr. Alex Maisey opened the weekend on Friday evening with a thought provoking and insightful presentation on the topic: Restoration, Revegetation, and Remnants: rebuilding birdlife for functional landscapes.
For those who were unable to make it or could not listen in full, we will share a link to the recording soon.
In summary, Alex emphasised the need to preserve remnant habitat wherever possible, as opposed to relying on revegetation plantings for future-proofing habitat . While both landscapes are capable of generating great biodiversity, they each support different species. Old growth offers advanced habitat that cannot be recreated quickly, such as tree hollows. Alex urged us, however, to maintain a nature-positive mindset, valuing all patches of vegetation - large or small (like our backyards), new or old. Coordinated efforts, even on a micro scale, will accumulate over time - so let’s not stop the repair work!
At daybreak on Saturday and Sunday, groups of lyrebird listeners met at Cape Liptrap Coastal Park. This popular citizen science event, now in its eleventh year, had its largest turnout yet. Despite the cold and damp weather, most listening posts were sheltered (though one was overrun by vocal frogs!). The data collected at each listening post is collated and cross-checked to arrive at a population estimate. We certainly heard plenty of lyrebirds, but won't know whether there has been a significant population change until the data has been analysed. We look forward to hearing how the population is faring. Stay tuned!
Ericka Tudhope of Microbats of Melbourne presented to an engaged audience on Saturday morning. She highlighted that microbats hunt by echo-location, eat mosquitoes and bugs, and are harmless to humans. In fact, you are lucky if they have a roost in or near your house as they will control flying bugs. Flying foxes, with their large eyes, find food by sight and smell, preferring gum blossoms and forest fruits. They eat other fruit as well, but only if none of their preferred native species are available. The biggest threat to bats is habitat destruction, so preserving old trees is crucial. n South Gippsland, our closest bat specialists are ‘Fly By Night Bat Clinic’ in Phillip Island and Microbats of Melbourne in Templestowe. They can either come out or advise other wildlife carers by phone.
We also held our first AGM on Saturday which ran smoothly and resulted in the elected committee: President - Anda Banikos, Vice President - Jen Layton, Secretary - Karin Ruff, Treasurer - Karen Wheeler, and general committee members - Shelley Banders, Annie Terrell, Ed Barwald, Cheryl Drayton.
A very big thanks to our guest experts, volunteers and our broader community !