On Sunday 7th April 2024 at 9.45am, eighteen FNCB members assembled at the carpark at the end of Ditchfield Lane, Brown Hill. Under leaden skies, Emily guided the group to the Yarrowee River Trail east of Ditchfield Lane.
This area is a popular birding area, and the group were soon rewarded. Sightings of Superb Fairywrens Malurus cyaneus in their “brown suits”, Grey Fantails Rhipidura albiscapa dancing around the branches and, for the more experienced eye, the White-naped Honeyeaters Melithreptus lunatus and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters Caligavis chrysops frequenting the upper branches. A Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax kept an “eagle eye” on proceedings.
The trail proved to be a popular Sunday morning exercise route for the locals, challenging us with the unfamiliar task of dodging runners, cyclists, dog walkers and a pram whilst our eyes were scanning the branches for additional sightings. Fortunately, the wide mown grassy verges provided safe refuge when our attention was diverted.
Emily pointed out a large Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon festooned with Drooping Mistletoe Amyema pendula. The seed pods from the wattle’s last flowering season were still present as well as the grey-blue buds for next season. It was explained that the tree gets a head start on producing the flowers before the weather gets too cold and the glaucous covering insulates the buds.
Members were fascinated with Emily’s explanation of the structure of the seed in the pods. Each seed had an “umbilical cord” or funicle wrapped around the seed which provided nutrients to the seed as it developed. When the seed is mature, the funicle dries leaving a starchy food source which is reportedly edible. It was surprising how long the funicle was when unravelled, reaching at least 3cm.
Although members preferred to wait for morning tea for their sustenance, the funicle is a food source for ants who will drag it back to their nest and in the process relocate the seed away from the parent tree. Emily introduced some of us to a new scrabble word, myrmecochory which means “dispersed by ants”.
Meanwhile, a small, white parasol fungi was found in the grass, obviously quickly out of the blocks after the rain less than a week ago. Les, as usual, was able to produce a name Pleated Inkcap Parasola plicatilis, aptly named as it resembled a pleated cocktail umbrella.
The Sweet Bursaria Bursaria spinosa was observed in seed. Emily explained the name Bursaria comes from the Latin ‘bursa’, for bag or purse, referring to the purse- or heart-shaped seed capsules. The mature seeds rattle in the purses like coins.
The trail led us to impressive stands of remnant Manna Gum Eucalyptus viminalis, Candlebark Eucalyptus rubida, and Brown Stringybark Eucalyptus baxteri, although the understorey was significantly degraded and smothered by blackberry. Emily pointed out the Cherry Ballart Exocarpos cupressiformis on the hillside noting it was hemiparasitic, as it will photosynthesise, but gains extra nutrients by attaching its roots to host plants. The host plants are thought to include multiple species including grasses.
There are very few confirmed reports of successful propagation of Cherry Ballart from seed. The smaller and less noticed creatures frequenting the lower leaves of the eucalypts did not escape Vireya’s keen eye. The Eucalyptus Weevil Gonipterus, Eucalyptus Stem Gall Wasp Leptocybe invasa and a cluster of caterpillars from the Subfamily Perginae were all observed among others (see the Club’s field trip project in iNaturalist for other records).
The group had only traversed a short distance but had been happily occupied for an hour when a desire for morning tea resulted in turning back for the carpark. A perennial shelf fungus, Southern Bracket Ganoderma australe, was spotted on several trees on the way back. Weeping Grass Microlaena stipoides and Common Tussock-grass Poa labillardierei were also observed. White-browed Scrubwrens Sericornis frontalis, White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea and the Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus were all added to the bird list.
Emily highlighted a key difference between the Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla with a brown back and the Striated Thornbill Acanthiza lineata with the olive-grey back. They were both sighted. Confusingly for the novice, they both sport a striated chest, yet again reminding us that the common name can sometimes be a misnomer.
By the time the group had returned to the carpark the clouds had cleared and the sun prevailed. After much-needed refreshment and the shedding of rain jackets, the group then headed off in a south-west direction for a walk through the Ditchfield Bushland Reserve following the Yarrowee River Trail. In this direction, the Yarrowee River was less infested with blackberry, with grassy areas among the Manna Gums Eucalyptus viminalis, Scent-bark Eucalyptus aromaphloia and occasional Narrow-leafed Peppermint Eucalyptus radiata.
The mid-storey plants included the Hemp Bush Gynatrix pulchella, with the stems yielding fine fibre that was used by indigenous people for string, bags and similar. Also recorded were Hop Goodenia Goodenia ovata, Prickly Tea-tree Leptospermum continentale, and Prickly Moses Acacia verticillata.
The Lilac Shelf Fungus Fomitopsis lilacinogilva, was observed growing on rotting eucalyptus wood with the lilac colour of the pore surface on the underside of the fruit body. A Rain Moth Abantiades atripalpis was spotted in the lower branches of a Eucalypt, inspired to emerge from its pupal tunnel after the recent heavy autumn rain. These large moths, with a wing-span of up to 16cm, have a very short life span of typically one day, dedicated to mating and laying eggs. This specimen was nearing the end of life but was regrettably being harassed by a European Wasp Vespula germanica, a poignant reminder that the circle of life in nature can be unpleasant at times.
We continued to where we had a view of the pedestrian access tunnel under the Western Freeway. We marvelled at the photographs Elva shared of the flood in October 2022 showing water flowing through the tunnel and reflected on the depth of water above the area where we were standing. On the way back to the cars, the Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis was heard in the distance and added to the sightings of the Spotted Pardalote Paradalotus punctatus, Pied Currawong Strepera graculina and the Woodswallows Artamus sp. that flew past well above the tree canopy.
The group returned to the carpark, extracted their cars from the tight parking area and headed to Gong Gong Reservoir Park. It was noted that we arrived at the lunch site ahead of time, a testament to Emily’s organisation of the walks and perhaps body clocks not being reset from daylight savings time.
While those with larger lunches were eating, a couple of intrepid souls inspected the mulch and happily found no asbestos. They were rewarded with Sulphur Tufts Hypholoma fasciculare, Red Edge Brittle Stem Psathyrella corrigis and Inkcaps Coprinellus sp. growing in the mulch.
Suitably refreshed, the group headed to the Nerrina Historic Area at the end of Lofven Street. This was the site of a putrescible tip, closed in 1995 and restored to a parkland classification. After negotiating the gate installed to prevent people from continuing to use the site as a tip, we walked along roadway flanked by blackberry and gorse and the detritus of tips, hoping without luck to spot a Square-tailed Kite known to frequent the area before we reached the bushland.
Emily spotted a low-growing Drooping Mistletoe on which she was able to demonstrate the difference to the Box Mistletoe Amyema miquelii. The key difference was with the group of three flowers, with the central flower in the Drooping Mistletoe stalkless whereas the Box Mistletoe central flower has a stalk. We were left wondering how this is applied to a mistletoe 20m up a tree.
We did get a good view of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters at the top of the poplar trees feeding on insects and a Spotted Pardalote was again observed flitting past. The track took us into Grassy Dry Forest where the Trailing Shaggy-pea Podolobium procumbens was of note. Emily’s research into the plant lists for the area only reported one orchid. Despite the group’s efforts, no orchids were found despite promising looking terrain.
After passing through a weedy broom forest, the understorey opened out into lower sparse vegetation with the Hop Wattle Acacia stricta and several plants of Silver Wattle Acacia dealbata. The dense foliage of the occasional Cherry Ballart stood out like sentinels, in the open forest. A closer examination revealed the tiny green flowers on short dense inflorescences. The Red-anthered Wallaby-grass Rytidosperma pallidum (previously Joycea pallida) was observed beside the track.
After an inspection of the dam which had significantly increased in level after the recent rains, we proceeded along a section of the Goldfields Track until reaching Pipeline Track. A scraggy nest spotted in the upper branches was thought to be that of the Pied Currawong Strepera graculina which were frequenting the area.
The group wended their way back to the cars and Emily was thanked for both her guidance and gems of wisdom on the day and her efforts scoping out the excursion. Written by Max Thompson
The Field Naturalist Ballarat 