Volume 2 Number 4 December 2013 EDITORIAL We can see above how The Hoody has changed over the decades. It was begun to keep members informed and also keep a written record of the birds observed on our twice-monthly outings and annual camps. This is still the case today but with the advent of the internet it is also the place where ANYONE interested in birds of the Bellarine can get access to these reports on-line and see what truly marvellous avifauna we have in our area. Last week I gave a slideshow to Ocean Grove Probus and most members were flabbergasted that the birds I showed them were local. So, when you meet people who are newly interested in local birds please remember to refer them to this easily accessible source of information. Next year I will be having a break from birding and will concentrate on photography, fitness and fire fighting. I d like to thank everyone in the group who have taught me all I know about our local birds. This will be my final Hoody so I hope I hope I can finish with a bang by sharing images from our recent trip to Lord Howe Island (sample of Red-tailed Tropic Bird provided here). As a final duty I d like to thank Robin and Garry for hosting our Xmas break up and wish everyone the season s best and say Thank You! for all the terrific feedback you have given me for my Hoody bird images in recent years. Neil Hickman (Editor). Contents 1.Hospital Swamp. 2. Western Treatment Plant Werribee. 3. Briagalong Camp Day 1. 4. Briagalong Camp Day 2. 1. Hospital Swamp 5. Briagalong Camp Day 3. Reported 6. Minya by: Winery. Robin Spry 7. You Yangs & Western Paddock. 8. Lord Howe Island.
On a warm, windy morning the following members and visitors gathered at Hospital Swamp. Neil (leader), Miles, Robin, Magda, Penne & Joy (visitors), Gwen, Denise and Val We waded through a little water and trudged through lots of long grass along the levee bank and soon discovered a flock of about 20 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in the shallows to the south (Photo). Nearby and standing alone was a different wader but at the time of writing the most likely, but not convincing identification was a Pectoral Sandpiper. Our Editor may like to update this as he had a photo to peruse later. (Jury is still out but Pectoral still favoured - Ed). A single Whiskered Tern was hawking over the water and some of us enjoyed watching 3 hungry magpie-lark nestlings being fed by their parents. We also saw at least two Black Swan families. Back through the barbed wire fence we had a snack and did the bird list as some had to leave early. Heading north along the fence line there was quite some discussion about where the snakes may be sunning themselves but luckily we saw none. A Whistling Kite landed near a nest that seemed too small so may have been looking for an easy snack (Photo). Magda had excellent views of a very colourful Spotted Harrier flying low and quite close. The rest of us were out of earshot so missed it. We heard a cuckoo calling and also saw Stilts, Greenshanks, & Coots. Below is the bird list of 49 species. Bird List: Black Swan, Pacific Black Duck, Chestnut Teal, Hoary-headed Grebe, Little Black Cormorant, Australian Pelican, White-faced Heron, Eastern Great Egret, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Whistling Kite, Swamp Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Brown Goshawk, Nankeen Kestrel, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Common Greenshank, Pectoral Sandpiper?, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Banded Stilt, Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-kneed Dotterel, Masked Lapwing, Whiskered Tern, Rock Dove, Crested Pigeon, Galah, Rainbow Lorikeet, Eastern Rosella, Horsfield s Bronze-Cuckoo, Superb Fairywren, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, Singing Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, White-fronted Chat, Magpie-lark, Willie Wagtail, Australian Magpie, Little Raven, House Sparrow, European Goldfinch, Welcome Swallow, Australian Reed-warbler, Little Grassbird, Common Starling. 2. Western Treatment Plant Sun 20 th Oct. 2013 Reported by: Pamela Rae The weather was to be very warm, 30 degrees, with gusty winds. However, four club members headed off to Werribee with Rod, leader. Along Beach Road we searched the paddocks for Banded Lapwing but none were sighted. It didn t help that spring growth was so high that searching for birds at ground level was virtually impossible. Down at Kirk Point the tide was out so a lot of bird life was sitting on the rocks. Quite a few Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pied Oystercatchers (Photo), Little Black Cormorant, Crested and Whiskered Tern, Little Pied and Pied Cormorant to name a few birds seen. A strange call got Magda going, thinking it sounded like a Little Penguin. So off she went to see if it was a penguin but Magda didn t return with a wide grin. Driving into the point we saw and heard a Striated Fieldwren and Horsfield s Bronze-cuckoo. Both were very obliging. 2 The Hoody
On to the treatment plant itself and driving along the track close to the bay the ponds, usually active with crake or rail, was devoid of any bird life. At most stops a Little Grassbird was heard but not seen. At the bird hide Sharpies were in reasonable numbers. It was interesting to see so many Sharpies in various phases of breeding plumage that made you think you had something different. Not the case. Also Curlew Sandpipers were in reasonable numbers. The river was disappointing as driving across the ford you can normally be guaranteed to see a Dusky Moorhen. None were seen when crossing and returning. Musk Duck and Blue-billed Duck are usually visible on the river as too Common Greenshank. All were missing. Being low tide you would expect to see crakes or rails, again they were not sighted. Red-necked Avocet (Photo) and Black-winged Stilt shared a pond but no Banded Stilt were in amongst the flocks. On stopping at Lake Borrie we made comment on how few birds and species were on the lake. We did see Australasian Shoveler, Hardhead, Chestnut Teal and Australian Pelican. Black and Whistling Kite were seen overhead together with Black-shouldered Kite. Lunch was at the Borrow Pits and two concrete slabs had been laid and a bench seat was attached to each slab. What about a toilet block too? Red-kneed Dotterel (Photo) were in the shallows and one lone Australian Spotted Crake. The Conservation Ponds were too full of water for birds to feed so on we went to a number of ponds where we saw Australian Shelduck, Pink-eared Duck (only a few), Great Crested Grebe and two Musk Duck. The plant was very quiet bird wise as one would expect a lot of waders to be feeding up after their long journey from the northern hemisphere. Perhaps they are just late arriving. On the road back along Avalon Airport we sighted a Spotted Harrier flying low over the vegetation. A total of 70 species were seen for the day. Not a large number for Werribee but it was a good days birding. Birdlist: Musk Duck, Black Swan, Australian Shelduck, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Chestnut Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Hardhead, Hoaryheaded Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Australasian Gannet, Little Pied Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Australian Pelican, White-faced Heron, White-necked Heron, Eastern Great Egret, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Black-shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Whistling Kite, Swamp Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Brown Falcon, Australian Spotted Crake, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Red Knot, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Black-winged Stilt, Rednecked Avocet, Red-kneed Dotterel, Masked Lapwing, Pacific Gull, Silver Gull, Crested Tern, Whiskered Tern, Crested Pigeon, Galah, Horsfield s Bronze-cuckoo, Superb Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Striated Fieldwren, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, White-fronted Chat, Magpie-lark, Willie Wagtail, Australian Magpie, Little Raven, Australasian Pipit, European Goldfinch, Welcome Swallow, Fairy Martin, Australian Reed-warbler, Little Grassbird, Golden-headed Cisticola, Silvereye, Common Starling. 3. Briagalong Camp Day 1. 11 th Oct. 2013 Reported by: Val Willis Participants Peter (Leader), Pamela, Jan, Neil, Robin, Magda, Liz, Val and Graeme. After a long drive we arrived at the Wombat Valley Wild Country Cabins about 3 pm. Gas-lights and wood stoves were a new experience for some but the open wood fires were very welcome. After settling in, we went for a walk within the grounds and almost our first sighting was the December 2013 3
spectacular King Parrot. Heading down the valley towards Cabin 5, the highlights were Olive-backed (OR Red-arsed?) Oriole (This bird was SUPERBLY pointed out by Peter Photo. Only got the one frame! Amazing! Ed.). Other little birds that were prolific around our cabin were the Brown Thornbill, the Superb Fairy-wren and the Yellow-faced Honeyeater. That night we even saw a wombat. It was a beautiful and special spot. The plan for the day was to meet up with the Heyfield Birdwatchers, led by Peter Ware. We drove directly to the Heyfield Wetlands, a beautiful and popular spot which until five years ago had been a swamp, but which since then has been transformed into a beautifully designed wetlands by council, with the help of local volunteers, including the Heyfield birdwatchers. They were justly proud of their efforts. We were delighted to see a pair of Grey Teal with a family of little ducklings. We saw Buff-banded Rails, Rufous Whistlers and several water species. We had lunch at Lake Glenmaggie, which is actually a dam. There were very few birds to be seen from this lunch spot. Both Satin Bowerbird and Fan-tailed Cuckoo were heard. Magda and Robin had heard the Eastern Whipbird down by their cabin and subsequently saw it the following day. At various times we heard the elusive Superb Lyrebird and sighting it became a mission for some of us (mostly without success). Thirty species were either seen or heard in the couple of hours we were out. By contrast, after lunch we visited the property of John and Margaret Gwyther which is situated at the north end of Lake Glenmaggie, and here the picture was very different. We were delighted to see a pair of Channel-billed Cuckoo raiding the mulberry tree in their orchard. We were just in time to see them fly away. For many of us this was a new bird. We also saw a White-bellied Sea-eagle (Photo), and we glimpsed a couple of water dragons scuttling away through the partly submerged logs. Bird List Brown Goshawk, Gang-gang cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Sacred Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, Whitethroated Treecreeper, Superb Fairy-wren, Striated Pardalote, Red Wattlebird, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Jacky Winter, Eastern Yellow Robin, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Grey Fantail, Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike, Olive-backed Oriole, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, White-winged Chough, Satin Bowerbird, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye, Eastern Whipbird, Superb Lyrebird 4. Briagalong Camp Day 2. 12 th Oct. 2013 Reported by: Magda Dodd Cabin 5, where Robin and I were accommodated, was beautifully situated in a valley some distance away from the other cabins. What this cabin lost in the convenience of being close to the others, it gained in its setting where Lyrebirds, Eastern Whipbirds, Golden and Rufous Whistlers, Crimson Rosellas and other full-throated birds were abundant. Robin and I were able to fit in a spot of birding before we had to meet up with the others, and we spotted the Eastern Whipbirds. They are a shy bird. I had seen them before, but this time I saw them with the morning sun shining on them and noticed that they had a lot of green in their plumage, something I had not noticed before, given that they tend to move in the darker parts of the forest in the lower branches of trees. That glimpse of black and green was definitely a highlight for me. We also kept hearing the Lyrebirds, and temptingly close as they were, I never saw one. Fortunately many people in the group did. Our bird count went up dramatically at this beautiful place where we were so cordially received and shown around. We made a stop at the River Avon in Stratford on the way back to Wombat Valley where the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were abundant. As we arrived back on the private road to our cabins, Peter noticed a pair of Spotted Quail-Thrush on the road. They did not seem to be greatly disturbed by the cars and we were able to follow them some 200 m. up the road. As this was a new bird for many of us, we were all very keen to have good views. (Poor Photo but Ed was in the last car Excuses! Excuses!). 4 The Hoody
Our bird count for the day was 87 species. Australian Shelduck, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Hoary-headed Grebe, Australasian Darter, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Australian Pelican, White-faced Heron, Eastern Great Egret, Australian White Ibis, Strawnecked Ibis, Black-shouldered Kite, Whistling Kite, Whitebellied Sea Eagle, Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel, Buffbanded Rail, Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Masked Lapwing, Caspian Tern, Spotted Dove, Common Bronzewing, Crested Pigeon, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Galah, Rainbow Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Shining Bronze Cuckoo, Southern Boobook, Sacred Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, Whitethroated Treecreeper, Superb Fairy-wren, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Yellow Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, Noisy Miner, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Whiteplumed Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, Scarlet Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Magpie-lark, Grey Fantail, Willy Wagtail, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Olive-backed Oriole, Dusky Woodswallow, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Australian Raven, White-winged Chough, Satin Bowerbird, Australasian Pipit, House Sparrow, Red-browed Finch, Welcome Swallow, Australian Reed-warbler, Little Grassbird, Silvereye, Common Blackbird, Common Starling, Common Myna, Eastern Whipbird, Eastern Lyrebird, Wonga Pigeon, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Spotted Quail Thrush. 5. Briagalong Camp Day 3. 15 th Oct. 2013 Reported by: Liz Furguson Editors note: At most cabins we were visited by birds looking for food, most notably the two below. The day started fine, and I was quite intrigued about the day s destinations, as each day since arrival, to and from Wombat Gully, I had hoped we could stop at a wonderful stretch of water where the reflections were magical! Now today all was to be revealed. The large Signage told us this was PEACH FLAT, 130 ha of natural bushland, and this lovely stretch of water was in fact a 4 ha restoration of a river flat - The Peach Flat & Community Wetland Project. Impressive it was too! We had a welcoming group of locals interested in birds, flora and fauna join Michele and Rod, whose property it was, to guide us around the lake and its many features. We walked over hills and walked the plank over minor excess water - we all made it! Everyone was generous with their time to make it a memorable occasion. What a lot of hard work and effort has been put in to make the area what it is today. During the morning the weather gradually got colder, and looked threatening, but we all managed to have our morning tea, before we did the bird count, but the was more to follow! We headed for the Cemetery, where we were able to see fields of orchids, and the Red Gum Reserve, where with heavy rain we decided to head for the warmth of fires at Wombat Gully! A good day for birds, tho! and Orchids! (Photos. 1 st a Sun Orchid and 2 nd a very rare Gippsland variant). December 2013 5
Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Jacky Winter, Eastern Yellow Robin, Varied Sittella, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Olive-backed Oriole, Dusky Woodswallow, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Australian Raven, White-winged Chough, Satin Bowerbird, Red-Browed Finch, Welcome Swallow, Australian Reed-warbler, Silvereye, Common Starling, Lyrebird (heard). 6. Minya Winery. Wed 6 th Nov. 2013 Reported by: Val Willis Neil, Peter, Magda, Val, Liz, Gwen and Joy attended this outing with the weather becoming very warm by the end of the morning. Minya Winery always has a good number of birds and Wednesday was no exception. Before entering the property we took a look around the trees and beyond. Lots of Goldfinches were in the thistles and a Caspian Tern could be seen in the distance by some water. Yellow Thornbills were also in the trees. We walked down to the billabong at the end of the drive and immediately saw Little and Long-billed Corellas in a dead tree with Red-rumped parrots. An Australian Hobby seemed to be flying straight towards us so it was a great view for us as it passed. Amongst the species we saw on the rest of the property were Black-fronted Dotterel (Photo), Little Grassbird, Australian Reed-warbler, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck, Hoary-headed Grebes and Australasian Darter. Birds seen, or heard, identified, were: Australian Shelduck, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Hardhead, Australasian Grebe, Hoaryheaded Grebe, Great Cormorant, White-faced Heron, Whitebellied Sea-Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Latham's Snipe, Masked Lapwing, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Galah, Eastern Rosella, Fan-tailled Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Treecreeper, Superb Fairy-wren, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, Yellowfaced Honeyeater, White-eared Honeyeater, Yellow-tufted We then moved to Point Impossible and the main birds we saw were a few Red-necked Stints (Photo) and some Caspian Terns. At the Flora and Fauna Reserve we had goods views of Australian Pipits that were perched on dead branches and some of us were lucky enough to see a Striated Fieldwren before it flew off. A Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater and a Singing Honeyeater were also seen. 6 The Hoody
and Rufous Whistler were some of the highlights of the rest of the stops on the circuit. We then proceeded to the Western Paddock and after lunch did the walk to the dam and back. Some great views were had of Sacred Kingfisher (Photo), Crested Shrike-tit, Brown Treecreeper, Brown-headed Honeyeater and wonderful views of several Rainbow Bee-eaters (Photo). Sixty species was the count for the morning. Bird List: Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Hoary-headed Grebe, Australasian Gannet, Austalasian Darter, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Great Cormorant, White-faced Heron, Straw-necked Ibis, Whistling Kite, Brown Falcon, Australian Hobby, Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Red-necked Stint, Black-fronted Dotterel, Masked Lapwing, Silver Gull, Caspian Tern, Crested Tern, Whiskered Tern, Crested Pigeon, Galah, Long-billed Corella, Little Corella, Eastern Rosella, Red-rumped Parrot, Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Superb Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Striated Fieldwren, Brown Thornbill, Yellowrumped Thornbill, Yellow Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, Spinycheeked Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, White-fronted Chat, Grey Shrike-thrush, Magpie-lark, Willie Wagtail, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Australian Magpie, Little Raven, Australasian Pipit, Eurasian Skylark, House Sparrow, Red-browed Finch, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Welcome Swallow, Australian Reed-warbler, Little Grassbird, Common Blackbird, Common Starling, Common Myna. 7. You Yangs and Western Paddock. Sun Nov 6 th. 2013 Reported by: Val Willis Twenty-one birdwatchers gathered at the car park of the You Yangs 5 members from Bellarine, 16 from Mornington Peninsula and 2 visitors. Peter was our leader. We first did the walk surrounding the information centre and one of the first sightings was a Collared Sparrowhawk that flew out of a nearby tree. Common Bronzewings were common and everyone had very good views of a Horsfield s Bronze-cuckoo, Dusky Woodswallow and Eastern Yellow Robin. On return to the car park we were treated to the sight and sound of a Restless Flycatcher. An Olive-backed Oriole (minus red backside??- Ed) was on the other side of the car park. We then did a circuit of the You Yangs, ferrying everyone in six cars. At our first stop, some members saw a Scarlet Robin but the highlight was a wonderful view of a male Mistletoebird. Several members of the Mornington Peninsula group are fairly new birdwatchers and for some this was a first sighting. White-winged Choughs, Shining Bronze-cuckoo Some of our visiting group had 6 7 new birds for the day. We also saw 2 Swamp Harriers quite high in the sky. Our last sighting was a Jacky Winter that we had failed to see elsewhere so that was a fitting end to a good day. 60 species for the day. Birdlist: Australian Wood Duck, Whistling Kite, Swamp Harrier, Collared Sparrowhawk, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Falcon, Masked Lapwing, Common Bronzewing, Sulphurcrested Cockatoo, Galah, Musk Lorikeet, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Eastern Rosella, Red-rumped Parrot, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Horsfield s Bronze Cuckoo, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Sacred Kingfisher, Rainbow Bee-eater, Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Treecreeper, Brown Treecreeper, Superb Fairy-Wren, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Weebill, Brown Thornbill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Red Wattlebird, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Whiteplumed Honeyeater, Brown-headed Honeyeater, White-naped December 2013 7
Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, Jacky Winter, Scarlet Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin, Varied Sittella, Crested Shriketit, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Restless Flycatcher, Magpie-lark, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Black-faced Cuckooshrike, Olive-backed Oriole, Dusky Woodswallow, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Little Raven, White-winged Chough, Red-browed Finch, Mistletoebird, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye, Common Blackbird, Common Starling, Whitebrowed Woodswallow 8. Lord Howe Island Reported by: Neil Hickman This is one place that everyone should try to visit before falling off that twig (First Photo). Before you go, make sure to get to your local swimming pool and practice snorkelling with fins. This is most southerly coral in the world and is accessible off the beaches on both sides of the island. Simply NOT to be missed! The Lord Howe Woodhen (Photo) was the rarest bird in the world before they eliminated cats and conducted a breeding program. There are now over 200. Lord Howe is where Kentia Palms come from and with the Banyan Trees the rainforests are spectacular indeed (Photo). Seventh heaven for photographers! Signing off as Editor Neil. Information for Members. The bird in flight is the Sooty Tern (Photo). They were feeding chicks all over the beaches (Photo). GENERAL. All information on outings is available in the 2013 BirdLife Bellarine Peninsula calendar that has been sent to all current members and is on the website. Members will be notified by e-mail if there are any changes. Members who are not on e-mail will be 8 The Hoody
notified by phone. PLEASE CHECK E-MAIL PRIOR TO EACH OUTING. LEADING TRIPS. If for some reason you are unable to lead an outing for which you are nominated, you should: 1.Initially try to contact another member and swap the leadership for another outing; 2. Then ask another member to stand in for you; 3.Finally, inform one of the contact persons below of any changes you have made or if nobody is prepared to lead. BASIC OUTING CHECKLIST 1. Binoculars 2. Lunch 3. Water. 4. Suitable clothing, hat, footwear, wet weather gear when required and gloves in winter. 5. Chair. CHECKLIST FOR LEADERS Before Outing 1. Prepare background info. 2. Advise members if rendezvous points and meeting times differ from those shown on the annual calendar. 3. Collect BirdLife Bellarine outing kit (Bag and telexscope). 4. Charge walky-talky batteries Start of Outing 5. All to sign attendance book. 6. Delegate someone to write up outing. 7. Welcome visitors. 7. Record start time and weather conditions. 8. Appoint someone to keep a list of sightings. End of Outing 9. Record finish time. 10. Conduct bird count FOR DRIVERS To enhance safety we will not always drive in convoy. We will specify meeting times and places and have a radio and mobile phone in each vehicle. If travelling in convoy use radios or mobile phone to communicate between vehicles. All vehicles need to keep a safe distance apart. Common sense needs to prevail. As driver you are responsible to drive safely and to obey traffic laws. Drive carefully but if you lose the lead vehicles and cannot communicate, proceed to the next designated meeting point. TOTAL FIRE BAN DAYS If an outing falls on a day of total fire ban it will be cancelled until the following week. If in doubt check with the outing leader or the designated contact persons as given below. PETROL MONEY Passengers will be expected to contribute towards the cost of petrol. Cost is calculated on the basis of (total kms from Ocean Grove to Ocean Grove) x $0.15)/no. of passengers. WEEKEND CAMPS. Bookings for camps are essential. Those intending to take part are required to place a deposit with the treasurer as required. Members who decide to participate after bookings have been made will have to make their own accommodation booking (and possibly arrange their own transport). Deposits are only refundable if the accommodating organisation (park/motel etc) refund the deposit. Designated contact persons for BirdLife Bellarine Peninsula: Magda Dodd Convenor. Tel. 5259 1148. M. 0409 821 520 Val Willis Secretary. Tel. 5255 4946 M. 0438 110 198 Robin Spry Treasurer. Tel. 5258 1618 M. 0417 522 050 Neil Hickman Newsletter Ed. Tel 5255 2724 M 0457 434 106 Other committee members for 2013 are: Peter Bright, Rod Long, and Jennifer Carr. December 2013 9