FROM THE EDITORS
Welcome to 2023, late summer! And a cold summer it has been after all the wintry rain. Native plants are feeling the subsequent dryness though, with some small correas and bushes dying – if they haven’t already died from too much rain. A different experience We have had a magnificent season for spiders, including Golden Orb Weavers – it’s difficult walking through our bushland, even on paths! Red-necked Wallabies, Stumpy Tails, the odd big fat snake, a “plague” of mosquito-eating Dragonflies, and a wonderful array of birds, including the Buff-banded Rail, Sacred Kingfishers (no Bitterns yet), Sitellas, Rainbow bee-eaters …. and a pair of Collared Sparrowhawks raising their 2 noisy young near the house, among the others.
Our only activity for March is Clean-up Day, which is a lot of fun even if it is doing something really helpful. We’d love to see you there. Happy nature-spotting – and if you observe interesting snippets, please send them in and they can be in the next newsletter.
Recent changes in the Park staff
With the resignation of Rhonda to attend to family matters, Hannah and Tammy taking some leave, and the new Area Chief Ranger only just appointed (Charlie Richardson), there has been little communication from the park desk over the last few months, so our newsletter is a bit later than normal. Hopefully our timing will be rectified in the next issue.
EXTRA ACTIVITIES IN SPRING
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria were successful in securing a grant through a Nature Fund Bid “Raising Rarity: Preventing the extinction of Victoria’s threatened flora” which focuses on integrated conservation of 24 endangered plants across Victoria. Several of these species are endemic to the Grampians and FOGGs wrote a letter supporting the application. Later this year there will be some monitoring and searches done on some of these species. Interested FOGGs members and the wider Grampians community will be encouraged to participate. These activities will be in addition to our FOGGs Calendar events and led by RBGV staff, more details will be in the next Newsletter. Species likely to be included are Thelymitra mackibbinii, Sphaerolobium acanthos, Grevillea microstegia, Pimelea pagophila and Spyridium furculentum (Little Desert) Note: unless credited otherwise, photos are by Leigh and ben.
OUR EVENTS
Christmas Breakup 10th December 2022 What a memorable day for those who went…and that was before it started. Due to Road Closed signs at numerous tracks in and around the Victoria Valley, finding our way
to the Red Rock Picnic ground was complicated to say the least. But arrive we did by our various means (up to an hour late) only to find the track to the picnic ground itself was also closed. [Numerous roads have been closed throughout the Park due to severe rain-wash damage]. With only a short walk separating us from the waterhole we were soon ensconced in our conversation-filled lunches, with the promise of Alison’s notorious “spiders” to follow. The waterhole was in its full glory, though apart from us the only others enjoying the water were a female and two male musk ducks, and a number of blue damselflies. Other faunas were mainly far-off Kookaburras, Gang Gangs, Babblers, and a variety of Honeyeater too hard to nail down.
New Year get-together 11h February 2023
As some missed out on the end of year break -up, we decided to have a New Year get together at Zumsteins as our first event this year. As a prelude over lunch we discussed the year’s calendar and activities. The proposed
calendar (below) is still to be confirmed so keep an eye on Alison’s future emails. After lunch we did the 2km walk up to Fish Falls; a gentle track-walk (with some steep sections that proved a bit much for some who then returned for an early cuppa). On the way we passed Friends of Zumsteins seat that Foggs installed in 2020, and Alison had her chance to finally view and sit on the impressive structure. She did note, and others agreed, that the ground was a bit too far down , and it would be good to install a foot stop for better comfort—something to think about. Behind the chair (apart from litter) was a group of large flowering ptilotis; however, these turned out to not be the rarer Ptilotus erubescens that for many years FOGG used to count at the Scout camp with Stan Parfett.
The fauna count on the way was a bit low, but did include a totally unconcerned large red deer by the side of the track, a plethora of little red bugs, a friendly skink, and a good number of active tourists splashing in the pools at the falls. On the rocks at the base of the falls there is a nice example of sheered embedded nodules within the sandstone that look like engraved circles.
Southern Water Skink ( Eulamprus tympanum)