Larneuk – season of nesting birds. As I walked this morning a female wood duck was boasting on a low branch of a stringy bark, a couple of cockatoos were squabbling and the wattlebirds are getting edgy. The blue wrens are frantic and the pardelotes are inspecting the banks. Halls Gap has continually been damp, misty and cold. It is lovely to see how green it looks, and the gentleness of the rain and the many fogs mean the water is at last soaking in. But the totals are still not high. Mt William is good, 513mm from May 1 to Aug 24; Stawell is also above the average, but not hugely, receiving 201 mm over the same period; Horsham however is still below average. Lake Bellfield is still at only 16% compared to 22% this time last year and over the whole Grampians Wimmera Mallee system storages are at 5.7 % (9.4 % this time last year).
In this edition you’ll find quite a lot of thought and action has been going on about the place. There are reports on our recent excursions, the Brush Tail Rock Wallaby Team’s progress, research on the impact of the fire on small mammals, and an update on the Red Gum Walk restoration.