Category Archives: Merri Creek

Urban areas like Fawkner support endangered species

Posted on February 24, 2016 by | 3 comments

20160223-Lentini-study-endangered-species-MelbourneYes, we have endangered native species living among us in Fawkner. If you go for a walk along Merri Creek at Fawkner you might see the Matted-Flax Lilly (Dianella Amoena) which is an endangered species but reasonably common around the rocky escarpments along the Merri Creek.

New scientific research shows that 30 per cent of Australian endangered species are found within our capital city urban areas. Where we have settled and built our cities and houses has also been biodiversity hot spots. So many endangered species are still living in parkland and urban conservation areas in urban areas.
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Bird survey at Fawkner Sunday 15 Feb 2015

Posted on February 4, 2015 by | 1 comment

Red-browed Finch

Red-browed Finch


Come along to the Friends of Merri Creek first bird survey for 2015 on Sunday 15 February, from 8:45 to 10:30am. The quarterly bird survey runs at different locations up and down Merri Creek, as well as at Bababi Djinanang (Jukes Road grasslands), in Fawkner.

How about visiting a part of the Merri that you haven’t seen? – choose a site from the list below. If this date doesn’t suit, then come along to Bababi Marning (Cooper Street Grasslands Reserve) a week later, on 22 February.

What to Bring
Bring binoculars if you have them, and drinking water, closed-in footwear and a sunhat. Preferably wear sombre colours.
Beginner-birders are welcome to our surveys, as well as experienced birders.
No dogs, please.

If you would enjoy a stroll through native grasslands by Merri Creek, spotting the birds as you go, then come along to Bababi Marning (Cooper Street Grasslands Reserve) next Sunday, 22 February. You can even have a bit of a sleep-in, as the starting time will be 10:30am next Sunday. The survey will finish around 12 noon.

Please call or text the survey leader, Stuart Dashper on 0404 012 385, to let him know that you will be coming.

Other dates for surveys in 2015:

  • 17 May
  • 6 September
  • 8 November

Surveys at Bababi Marning (Cooper Street Grasslands Reserve) will be held 24 May, 13 September and 15 November.

Survey meeting points:

  • Bababi Djinanang (Jukes Road grasslands), Fawkner: Meet on Merri Path at end of Jukes Road, Fawkner (Melway 18 A2).
  • Egan Reserve-Harding St-Strettle Reserve: Meet at the steps at end of The Grove, East Coburg (Melway 30 A3).
  • Coburg Lake Reserve: Meet near the car park, Lake Grove Coburg (Melway 17 H10).
  • Edwardes Lake: Meet at the playground adjacent to Griffiths St, Reservoir (Melway 18 E5).
  • CERES to Moreland Road: Meet at the seats on the Merri Path at rear of CERES near Blyth Street, East Brunswick (Melway 30 B7).
  • Phillips Reserve, Merri Park: Meet at the end of Victoria St, East Brunswick, at barbecue shelter (Melway 30 B8).
  • Hall Reserve- Yarra Bend Park: Meet at the Rotunda, Hall Reserve, Clifton Hill (Melway 2D D1).
  • Galada Tamboore: Meet at the end of Hatty Court, Campbellfield (Melway 7 K6).
  • Galgi Ngaark (Craigieburn Grasslands): Meet at the O’Herns Road gate off Hume Highway (Melway 180 E6).
  • Bababi Marning (Cooper St Grasslands): Meet outside the Istrian Social Club, Cooper St Epping (Melway 387K10).

Come along and learn to identify the birds that frequent the Merri Creek ecosystems and contribute to data collection on changes in numbers and species of birds over time. This data is important to collate to understand bird numbers and movements due to changes in the environment and climate.

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Habitat Heroes

Posted on August 14, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Scarlet Robin, blue sky, Mt Wombat small, EuroaMerri Creek Management Committee and Friends of Merri Creek invite you to help out at this event:
Habitat Heroes
Launch & free BBQ including Vegetarian and Halal food

Sunday 24th August, 10am-12.30pm
Eastern end of Jukes Rd Fawkner, (Melway 18 A2)

Featuring: Wurundjeri Elder Welcome to Country, planting, reptile display (including snakes), self-guided walks to learn about the 10 top plants for providing habitat, followed by a BBQ.

Merri Creek Bird Survey 31st August

Later in the month Friends of Merri Creek have their quarterly bird survey on Sunday 31st August
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Threat to Merri Creek Path with Sale of Lakeside Secondary College site

Posted on July 28, 2014 by | Leave a comment

20140726-Merri-creek-path-sale-lakeside-sc
Merri Creek forms an important parkland for the north-south length of Fawkner and Reservoir. It is also an important corridor for wildlife and for users of the Merri Creek Shared bike path which winds its way along the creek sometimes on the east and sometimes the west bank.

The path uses the east bank of the creek behind the Department of Education site in Reservoir, where Lakeside Secondary College once stood. The title to the this site at 31 Radford St, Reservoir extends down to the creek verge. The Educational Department wants to sell the property and has requested the site to be rezoned for Industrial use.

Several hectares of the site lie outside the school fence on a bend of the Creek and have been planted and managed for about 30 years by Darebin Council, as part of the Merri Creek open space corridor.

If the creek frontage is sold without transfer of title to the Crown or Darebin Council, access to and use of the Merri Creek Shared pathway could be threatened.
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Autumn bird survey along Merri Creek

Posted on April 29, 2014 by | Leave a comment

1. Friends of Merri Creek have an informative session on the birds of the Merri and northern Melbourne, on Tuesday 29 April. Please register (see details in flyer below).

20140429-bird-survey

2. Friends of Merri Creek quarterly bird survey – 18 May 2014

IMG_1085_black_faced_cuckoo_shrikeA couple of Autumn events to do with local birdlife. Come along to observe and count cool weather avian visitors at the next Friends of Merri Creek bird surveys on Sunday 18 May, 8.45-10.30am.

The survey at Bababi Marning will be a week later, on 25 May, 8.45-10.30am. No need to register beforehand.

Beginner-birders are welcome to the surveys, as well as experienced birders. Bring binoculars if you have them, and drinking water, closed-in footwear and a sunhat. Preferably wear sombre colours. No dogs, please.

How about visiting a part of the Merri that you haven’t seen? – choose a site from the list below.

Survey meeting points:
Bababi Djinanang (Jukes Road grasslands), Fawkner: Meet on Merri Path at end of Jukes Road, Fawkner (Melway 18 A2).
Egan Reserve-Harding St-Strettle Reserve: Meet at the steps at end of The Grove, East Coburg (Melway 30 A3).
Coburg Lake Reserve: Meet near the car park, Lake Grove Coburg (Melway 17 H10).
Edwardes Lake: Meet at the playground adjacent to Griffiths St, Reservoir (Melway 18 E5).
CERES to Moreland Road: Meet at the seats on the Merri Path at rear of CERES near Blyth Street, East Brunswick (Melway 30 B7).
Phillips Reserve, Merri Park: Meet at the end of Victoria St, East Brunswick, at barbecue shelter (Melway 30 B8).
Hall Reserve- Yarra Bend Park: Meet at the Rotunda, Hall Reserve, Clifton Hill (Melway 2D D1).
Galada Tamboore: Meet at the end of Hatty Court, Campbellfield (Melway 7 K6).
Galgi Ngaark (Craigieburn Grasslands): Meet at the O’Herns Road gate off Hume Highway (Melway 180 E6).

The survey at Bababi Marning will be a week later, on 25 May, 8.45-10.30am. No need to register beforehand.
Bababi Marning (Cooper St Grasslands): Meet outside the Istrian Social Club, Cooper St Epping (Melway 387K10).

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Next Merri Creek Bird survey 16 February 2014

Posted on February 7, 2014 by | Leave a comment

IMG_1101_New_Holland_HoneyeaterInterested in seeing the Bababi Djinanang grasslands in Fawkner and the native fauna and flora of the area? Come along to the next bird survey on Sunday 16 February, 8.45-10.30am.

Bird surveys gather data which provides useful information for tracking bird species numbers and movements over several seasons.

Beginners welcome. Bring drinking water, and binoculars if you have them. Closed-in footwear and a sunhat would also be useful. No dogs, please. Be aware that snakes could be around.

In Fawkner: Bababi Djinanang (Jukes Road grasslands), Fawkner: Meet on Merri Path at end of Jukes Road, Fawkner (Melway 18 A2) at 8.45am. The bird suvey provides an opportunity to explore the fenced off area of Bababi Djinanang grasslands area, an opportunity to see some of the rarer grassland plant species and the birds that make this part of Merri Creek their home. In recent months there has been a small mob of kangaroos in the grasslands.

Friends of Merri Creek run the bird survey on a quarterly basis up and down Merri Creek.

How about visiting a part of the Merri that you haven’t seen? – choose a site from the list below.

Survey meeting points for Sunday 16 February 2014 at 8.45-10.30am:

Bababi Djinanang (Jukes Road grasslands), Fawkner: Meet on Merri Path at end of Jukes Road, Fawkner (Melway 18 A2).
Egan Reserve-Harding St-Strettle Reserve: Meet at the steps at end of The Grove, East Coburg (Melway 30 A3).
Coburg Lake Reserve: Meet near the car park, Lake Grove Coburg (Melway 17 H10).
Edwardes Lake: Meet at the playground adjacent to Griffiths St, Reservoir (Melway 18 E5).
CERES to Moreland Road: Meet at the seats on the Merri Path at rear of CERES near Blyth Street, East Brunswick (Melway 30 B7).
Phillips Reserve, Merri Park: Meet at the end of Victoria St, East Brunswick, at barbecue shelter (Melway 30 B8).
Hall Reserve- Yarra Bend Park: Meet at the Rotunda, Hall Reserve, Clifton Hill (Melway 2D D1).
Galada Tamboore: Meet at the end of Hatty Court, Campbellfield (Melway 7 K6).
Galgi Ngaark (Craigieburn Grasslands): Meet at the O’Herns Road gate off Hume Highway (Melway 180 E6).

Bababi Marning (Cooper St Grasslands): Meet outside the Istrian Social Club, Cooper St Epping (Melway 387K10). The survey at Bababi Marning will be a week later, on 23 February, 8.45-10.30am.

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Merri Creek Bird Survey at Bababi Djinanang November 2013

Posted on November 9, 2013 by | Leave a comment
Red-browed Finch

Red-browed Finch

The quarterly bird survey along Merri Creek is on Sunday 10 November. In Fawkner the survey is at Bababi Djinanang. Meet on Merri Path at end of Jukes Road, Fawkner (Melway 18 A2) just before 8.45am.

Beginner-birders are always welcome to participate in surveys. Bring binoculars if you have them, and preferably wear sombre colours. Closed-in footwear and a sunhat would also be useful. No dogs, please.

Also on 10 November following the surveys, you are invited to a workshop on tackling Common (Indian) Mynas, an invasive pest bird.
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Election 2013 called on Threatened Species Day – September 7

Posted on August 7, 2013 by | 1 comment

The election has been called by Kevin Rudd at last for September 7th, one week before Julia Gillard’s announced date. The campaign is on. September 7 also happens to be Threatened Species Day. It is perhaps significant as action on climate change, the future of clean energy programs and investment, and conservation and biodiversity programs are at risk.

Matted Flax lilly

Matted Flax lilly

One tends to think in the city that biodiversity is not a great concern, but here in Fawkner we have the Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena) at Bababi Djinanang native grassland. The species is nationally endangered although only listed as vulnerable in Victoria. We sometimes have platypus in Merri Creek and kangaroos that follow the creek down into the Fawkner grasslands.

These are wondrous sights to see in our urban environment along our creek nature reserves. Once degraded and used as little more than drains, many people have put incredible effort into re-vegetation and restoration of our creek environments, including Friends of Merri Creek and Merri Creek Management Committee.
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Moreland Council confirms new name for grasslands at Jukes Rd as Bababi Djinanang

Posted on May 31, 2013 by | 1 comment

Kangaroo Grass

Kangaroo Grass

Moreland City Council has confirmed that the name for the reserve at Jukes Road, Fawkner has now been approved as “Bababi Djinanang” and will be gazetted in the Victoria Government Gazette on Thursday 30 May 2013. Following the gazette notice, both Vicnames and Vicmap will be updated.

Bababi Djinanang means “mother’s foot” in the Wurundjeri language and it forms part of an innovative system of Wurundjeri names for native grasslands along Merri Creek as making up parts of the mother’s body.

Five names were provided by the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council in 2006, after a request by Friends of Merri Creek to provide appropriate names for sites of cultural and ecological significance.

The names were bestowed by Wurundjeri Elder, Doreen Wandin-Garvey, on 14 August 2006, according to Council meeting minutes: “The remnant grasslands along the Merri Creek reveal glimpses of the land as the Wurundjeri would have known it, making it appropriate that they have Wurundjeri names.” say the minutes (PDF) of the Council meeting 10 October 2012.
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Bird survey: Red-capped Robin visits Bababi Djinanang grasslands

Posted on May 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Red-capped Robin at Bababi Djinanang

Red-capped Robin at Bababi Djinanang

The Merri Creek bird survey at Bababi Djinanang in Fawkner recorded 36 different bird species in the May survey. Last year the survey at the same time of year recorded a similar number: 37 species. Relatively still conditions, but overcast made for good birdwatching. For several birds we heard their song well before seeing them.

Some of the highlights of the survey include seeing a purple swamphen in the reeds where Central Creek meets Merri Creek. Though common elsewhere along Merri Creek and Edgars Creek it is not often seen in Fawkner.

Up in the open grasslands we flushed into flight some Brown Quail, saw Spotted Pardalotes in a mixed species feeding group, and even caught a sight of a Golden-headed Cisticola.

Right at the end in some re-vegetated woodland at the edge of the grasslands we came across a Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) mingling with a small flock of female Flame Robins. An exciting find, not having been seen before at this location. Red-capped robins favour perching on rocks and low branches and are subject to predation by domesticated and feral cats, and nests sometimes raided by larger bird species. Welcome to Fawkner, little Red-capped Robin!
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