There are about 60 species of eucalypt in the Mid-Western Regional Council area. How many can you identify?

Eucalypts have a reputation for being difficult to identify. A ubiquitous feature in the higher rainfall regions of the country, the dominance of eucalypts lends a ‘sameness’ to our landscape. But once you look past the sameness, and start to notice the subtle differences in the eucalypt plant, you are well on the way to recognising some of the botanical characteristics vital in attempting the identification process.

The appearance of eucalyptus bark varies with the age of the plant. The bark can be smooth, rough, long and stringy or fibrous, it can completely cover the trunk and limbs or only the lower parts of the tree. The way the bark sheds can also provide clues; does it come off in large slabs, ribbons or small flakes?

Eucalypt leaves also change over a tree’s lifetime. The contrast between juvenile and adult leaf phases is a valuable feature in identification.

The reproductive parts of eucalypts provide distinctive features that aid in identification. The flowers, woody fruits or capsules, and the seeds themselves, vary in colour, size and shape and can be useful to distinguish between species.

Want to learn more about some of our local eucalypts and their defining features?

Watershed Landcare will be hosting a workshop on Eucalypt Identification on Friday, 27 September at the Cooyal Pub.

Join local ecologist, David Allworth, for a hands-on workshop to increase your eucalypt identification skills. David will take participants through the botanical characteristics to look for to allow successful identification, focusing on fruits, buds, leaf characteristics, including juvenile and mature leaves, and bark.

Using these key characteristics people will be introduced to a simple computer program that helps identify eucalypts of the Mudgee district. A nationwide identification computer program will also be available for people to try.

The Eucalypt ID workshop will be held at 6:30pm on Friday, 27 September at the Cooyal Pub. Admission is free, with dinner provided. All welcome but please register for catering purposes by Monday, 23 September to Agness Knapik, Watershed Landcare Coordinator, on 0435 055 493 or by email:info@watershedlandcare.com.au.

This event is supported by Wateshed Landcare through funding from Landcare Australia and Michael King.

September is Biodiversity month, so what better time to celebrate Australia’s incredible biological diversity? A couple of events held in Mudgee this week did just that.

On Wednesday evening Watershed Landcare hosted ‘Birds in the Bar’ with Sean Dooley at Roth’s Wine Bar. Sean Dooley is an author and comedian who has had a life long love affair with birds. He is the author of The Big Twitch, current editor of Australian Birdlife magazine, and former holder of the Australian Big Year twitching record.

A self proclaimed ‘bird nerd’, Sean entertained the audience with tales of childhood birdwatching adventures, his twitching ‘Big Year’ championship where he travelled the length and breadth of Australia to count the most bird species in one year, and threw some bird facts in as well.

Sean’s passionate, often very funny, sometimes sobering, personal account also highlighted the plight of our feathered friends and the importance of safeguarding their habitat, food sources and breeding grounds.

Sean Dooley was also the keynote speaker at Green Day, held at Mudgee Showground on Thursday 5 September. Over 700 students and teachers from primary schools across our region attended the day of environmental education to learn about this year’s theme of ‘Birds, Bats and Biodiversity’.

The students gained an appreciation of the importance of protecting, conserving and improving biodiversity, both local and global, through fun, hands-on activities from 21 volunteer presenters and our keynote speaker, Sean Dooley. Presenters included Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Botanical Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Mid Western Regional Council, Birds in Backyards, National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Central West Councils Environment and Waterways Alliance, Red Hill Environmental Education Centre and many others.

Now in it’s 11^th year, Green Day features activities and workshops to encourage our future farmers and managers of our environment to think about issues associated with soil, water, biodiversity, sustainability and climate, and how they can make changes to the way they live. Green Day is also an opportunity for students to learn about various organisations and businesses and their roles in environmental management.

Watershed Landcare would like to extend a huge thank you to all our presenters and volunteers for their assistance in making this such a successful event and to our sponsors, Yancoal (Moolarben), Peabody Energy (Wilpinjong), Midwestern Regional Council and Central Tablelands Local Land Services, without whose generous support this event would not be possible.

Have you ever wondered how to break the Australian birdwatching record? Did you even know we had a national twitching ‘Big Year’ championship for counting the most Australian bird species in one year? Watershed Landcare would like to invite you to join us for an evening of fun at Roth’s Wine Bar with Australia’s biggest bird nerd, Sean Dooley, to find out how he blew his inheritance on seeing more than 700 bird species in one year.

Sean is a writer, conservationist and birdwatcher. He is the editor of Birdlife Australia, the author of “The Big Twitch”, and former holder of the Australian Big Year twitching record. Sean is a sought after and entertaining public speaker, with experience presenting across a broad range of age and interest groups.

Birds in the Bar will be held on Wednesday, 4 September 2019 at 6:30pm at Roth’s Wine Bar, 30 Market St, Mudgee. All welcome.

Tickets are $30 plus booking fee and include an evening with Sean Dooley, a grazing table on arrival and Roth’s wood fired pizzas later in the evening. Drinks will be available for purchase from the bar. To book visit our website: watershedlandcare.com.au/wslc-events/birds-in-the-bar-with-sean-dooley/

Sean Dooley will also be the keynote speaker at this year’s Green Day. Now in it’s 11^th year, this annual event is a fixture on the calendars of regional schools. This year, over 700 students will attend for a day of environmental education at Mudgee Showground on Thursday 5 September.

The theme for 2019 is ‘Birds, Bats and Biodiversity’. As well as attending a presentation from our keynote speaker, Sean Dooley, students and teachers will hear from some of the 21 volunteer presenters, covering a range of topics. Presenters include Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Botanical Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Mid Western Regional Council, Birds in Backyards, National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Central West Councils Environment and Waterways Alliance, Red Hill Environmental Education Centre and many others.

A feature again this year will be a workshop run by Kay Norton-Knight, where students will create large sculptures related to biodiversity for inclusion in the annual Rosby Sculptures in the Gardens children’s section, SIG for Kids. They will be on display at Rosby on 12 and 13 October 2019.

This day could not run without the generous support of our sponsors, so a big thanks goes to Yancoal (Moolarben), Peabody Energy (Wilpinjong), Midwestern Regional Council and Central Tablelands Local Land Services. Watershed Landcare would also like to thank thank Barbara Duff (Chabara Cottage) for accommodating Sean Dooley, and of course all our presenters and volunteers.

Last weekend 1000 volunteers ventured out across NSW and Victoria in search of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. The survey, coordinated by BirdLife Australia’s Woodland Birds for Biodiversity team, is one of two annual targeted survey periods which rely on volunteer efforts to monitor priority locations.

With an estimated wild population of only 350 mature individuals, survey results provide valuable information for the recovery and conservation efforts for the species.

While these scheduled surveys provide a snapshot of populations in May and August, data from other times of the year is also valuable and BirdLife Australia encourages people to look for these critically endangered birds at any time and particularily as the weather warms up in spring and we move into Regent Honeyeater breeding and nesting time.

If you are lucky enough to see one please record the date, a precise location, the number of birds and any colour leg band details. Other information such as what type of tree they were in and details of any other birds species that were around is also useful. A photo for confirmation is also helpful where possible. Sightings can be reported to BirdLife Australia using Freecall number 1800 621 056 or by email woodlandbirds@birdlife.org.au.

Did you know that we have a Regent Honeyeater hotspot right in our region? The Capertee Valley is one of the most important breeding locations in the country and vital for the survival of the species.

As part of the national recovery plan for this species, a release of captive-bred Regent Honeyeaters will take place in the Capertee Valley in August. Post release surveys of the release site and surrounding areas will be essential to monitor and evaluate the success of this project.

Pending favourable conditions, 40 Regent Honeyeaters will be released into the Capertee Valley National Park and volunteers will be crucial in measuring short-term survival and breeding success. BirdLife Australia will be releasing a mobile phone-based app to facilitate reporting of Regent Honeyeater sightings during the project and will be seeking volunteers to assist with monitoring.

If you would like to find out more about the project and how you can get involved, BirdLife Australia will be holding an information session on the Proposed Release of Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeaters and BBQ on Sunday 25 August at Glen Alice Hall from 1pm to 3pm.

Volunteers are also required to assist with tree planting in the Capertee Valley from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 August. The planting is part of on-going efforts to enhance and restore habitat for the Regent Honeyeater and other woodland birds.

For more details, or if you are able to assist, please contact Wendy Fox on 9647 1033 or by email: southernnsw@birdlife.org.au.

The koala is one of our most iconic native animals. They are known to be quite fussy eaters, but did you know that the two or three primary species they prefer for food vary across their range?

Koalas feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, consuming about half a kilogram per day. A recent review has found that the preferred species vary depending on where the koalas live, with 137 species identified in NSW. The patterns of koala tree use varied at regional levels and displayed a complex relationship between the food, shelter and social requirements of individuals and the quality and diversity of existing vegetation.

Red gums and mahoganies were the preferred food source around Sydney; tallowwood and forest red gum in northern NSW; manna gum in the south; and river red gum and ribbon gum in the west. Paperbark, she-oak, brush box and acacia are also important species, providing shelter for these sedentary marsupials.

Eucalypt leaves are not the easiest things to digest and contain little energy, koalas conserve energy by sleeping for most of the day and looking for food in the evening. They can be hard to spot in the wild, but current estimates put the wild population of koalas in NSW at around 30,000 to 40,000.

Koala populations are under pressure from urban expansion, bush fires, car strikes, dog attacks and disease. In 1992, the New South Wales Government listed the koala as a threatened species and in the same year koala populations in Queensland, NSW and ACT were listed as vulnerable to extinction under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Koalas in New South Wales are some of the most genetically diverse in the country. This genetic diversity may be critical to future conservation efforts and survival of the species.

A new website, developed in partnership with the community, has been launched to build a virtual community of koala conservationists, provide information about koalas and highlight the people working to save them in NSW.

You can find out about opportunities to get involved in koala conservation initiatives by visiting koala.nsw.gov.au.

The Office of Environment and Heritage is also developing a koala sightings and survey app. This tool will allow members of the public to record details of koala sightings in the wild, to help improve the information available about where koalas are, nearby risks and how to conserve them.