a resource for schools - city of ballarat · look at the leaves of the baby trees (juvenile trees)....

threatened species of Central Victoria

a resource for schools

hi! i’m ted Koala. Join me on a walk through the various habitats of Central Victoria and meet some of my lesser known friends.

Contents of this booKlet:

1) About me, Ted

2) Conservation status

3) Bioregions of Central Victoria

4) Central Victorian Uplands

10) Box-Iron bark Forests - the Goldfields

14) Victorian Volcanic Plain

18) Wetlands and lakes of the Victorian Volcanic Plain

20) How you can help and activities

That’s me!Look at my gorgeous round tum! I need a stomach that size to digest the gum leaves I eat. I don’t just sit around sleeping all day.

Here’s a pic of me calling for a mate There’s a nice lady koala a fair way down the road so I have to call pretty loud.

A bit about me first!

✔ LIKES dISLIKES WHy I Am doIng IT TougH

conSErvATIon STATuS: not listed

Large old gum trees

Wattles and other shrubby trees to shelter in

The City of Ballarat for protecting me in their Planning Scheme

Responsible dog owners who protect me from dog attack

Dogs owners who let their dogs wander off leash

Cars and fast drivers

Drought and bushfires

Less gum trees means I need to come down to the ground more and travel further to find food and mates – putting me in danger from my biggest killers – dogs and cars. People in Ballarat just aren’t seeing as many of me as they used to twenty years ago.

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conservation statusThis book describes me and my mates – what they like, what they don’t like – and why they are doing it tough. doing it tough means that there is less of that kind of animal around than there were years ago – the animals’ population is getting smaller and smaller. When this happens, the species is described as endangered – which means “in danger of going extinct!”

When an animal or plant is endangered, they are protected under either State or Federal Law. In victoria, the law that protects endangered plants and animals is called the Flora and Fauna guarantee Act (FFg Act). Australia-wide, this law is called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity conservation Act (EPBc Act).

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LEAST THrEATEnEd

moST THrEATEnEd

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nEAr THrEATEnEd

BroWn TrEE-

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vuLnErABLE PoWErFuL

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EndAngErEd SWIFT

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crITIcALLy EndAngErEd corAngAmITE WATEr SKInK

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Bioregions:

Here is a map of some of Central Victoria. Each colour means that there are different habitats in that area. For example, it is coloured purple around Daylesford and Beaufort – this is the Central Victorian Uplands. The purple areas have lots of forests. Up around Lexton and Hepburn Springs, the map is coloured gold – this is the Goldfields. These areas also have forests but they are drier and more open. Around Skipton and Clunes, the land is coloured grey – this is the Victorian Volcanic Plain. The Plains have lots of lakes, wetlands and some grasslands.

central victorian uplandsThis is the part of central victoria where I am most likely to be found – the forested hilly areas of the Wombat State Forest, and the Pyrenees ranges. These forests have higher elevation and higher rainfall; they are part of the big mountain range that runs down the eastern side of Australia – the great dividing range.

The most common tree of these parts is the messmate

This gum has tough long stringy bark.

You can identify a Messmate by the shape of the leaf where it joins the stem, and by its wineglass shaped gum nuts. A Messmate can be a huge and towering tree, but they are not quite as tasty as my favourite...

manna gumManna Gums like creeklines and moist, fertile areas – which is partly why their leaves taste so good! The Manna Gum has a lot of hanging strips of bark, which are great habitat for insects. It is really hard to tell a manna gum and a candlebark apart – you have to look at the leaves of the baby trees (juvenile trees).

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Broad-leaved PeppermintMany of the forests of the uplands are known as “messmate – peppermint” forests. There are two types of peppermint; this one with broad leaves, and the Narrow-leafed Peppermint – with narrow leaves!

conSErvATIon STATuS: not listed

✔ LIKES dISLIKES WHy THEy’rE doIng IT TougH

Gum leaves (just like me – the glider’s only food is eucalyptus leaves)

Big old hollows to breed in

Fire and prescribed burning that destroys hollows

Drought

Gold mining and logging removed most of the trees with hollows a long time ago – which means there are very few suitable homes for Greater Gilders.

The tallest and wettest forests have the

greater gliderThis fluffy guy is not as famous as me – but he should be. This marsupial can glide for over 100m, and he uses his massively long tail as a rudder so he can change direction mid-glide!

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The Uplands have some beautiful little birds – this one’s my favourite;

rufous Fantail This perky little guy flies all the way down from Qld and NSW to breed here in these forests, with other summer migrants such as the Satin Flycatcher and Sacred Kingfisher.


Damp forest gullies

Lots of tiny insects to eat

Frequent prescribed burning

Wildfire

Logging

The migratory journey they take every year is very tough, so these little birds are really badly affected by habitat loss or if a drought means there aren’t enough insects to eat.

conSErvATIon STATuS: Listed as a migratory species under the EPBc Act

Blackwood This towering tree is actually a type of wattle. Like the manna gum, it likes creeklines and gullies. It has pale yellow flowers and is a nice bushy tree for shade – I like resting in them on a hot day.

cherry Ballart

It is a parasite – not a pine tree! Its roots feed off gum tree roots. The Cherry Ballart has red berries that birds love.

Another great spot on a hot day – and there is another animal that likes to shelter in Blackwood and Cherry Ballart...

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✔ LIKES

Plenty of fat possums to eat – if these are not available they will eat rosellas and other parrots

Large old trees with big hollows to nest in

grey goshawkThis amazing bird is a type of falcon, and it comes in two forms – a grey colour, or pure snowy white. Around these parts, and in Tassie, we get the white form. The white form Grey Goshawk is the only pure white bird of prey in the world! Goshawks mainly eat rabbits and possums.


Its favourite habitat is tall wet forests such as the Otways, however we are lucky to have a few calling the Creswick State Forest home!

Any commotion near a Goshawk’s nest – such as road building, logging or hunting – will cause the parents to abandon their young

Habitat destruction is the main reason. However, this naturally rare and shy bird is very badly affected by human disturbance. Some Goshawks are shot as they are seen as pests. Sometimes Goshawks kill and eat chickens or even pet canaries left in a cage in the garden!

conSErvATIon STATuS: vulnerable under the FFg act

conSErvATIon STATuS: vulnerable under the FFg Act

Powerful owlAt 60cm high, this is a truly impressive owl. Can’t say I am too fond of them though – they eat possums and gliders, but will also take young koalas off their mother’s back in the dead of night!

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WHy THEy’rE doIng IT TougH

Loss of tree hollows is very important as these owls need big hollows to raise their young

dISLIKES


Wildfire

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Tall SundewSundews are carnivorous plants, which use a sticky glue to capture small insects. What a way to go! There are several species of sundews, this one is the Tall Sundew which can be seen in great numbers in the forest in springtime.

common dunnartThis little marsupial is a mouse sized insect predator, like a tiny Tassie Devil. Despite its name, this species is no longer common. During the day, Dunnarts rest in cup-shaped nests made from dry grasses hidden on the forest floor.

✔ LIKES

Grass trees, logs and rock crevices

Plenty of beetles, cockroaches and moths to eat


Dunnarts like the forest to be just right – just the right amount of insects and hiding places for these little marsupials to flourish. The Dunnarts don’t cope well with changes in habitat from logging or burning.

dISLIKES

Red Foxes and Feral cats which hunt Dunnarts


The red Ironbark As the name implies this tree’s wood is incredibly tough, and a great building material. The flowers are beautiful gum flowers with plenty of nectar in the winter months. The flowers are a favourite source of food for rare animals such as the Regent Honeyeater.

Box-Ironbark forests – the goldfieldsLet’s take a break from the cool forests, and head to the southerly slopes of the dividing range to the gold country. This rocky, hilly country was the gold mining area of victoria – every scrap of soil and rock was turned over, and nearly all the trees chopped down for mining tunnels, baker’s ovens and railways. Animals like wombats, possums and Powerful owls used to be much more common in the goldfields.

Sugar gliderThe Sugar Glider is a smaller relative of the Greater Glider. He is also often a meal for powerful owls. If you find a grey and black fluffy tail on the ground and no other signs of feeding, a Powerful Owl has been eating Sugar Gliders on your bush block!

✔ LIKES

Wattles for their sap and all the insects that live in them

Tree hollows to nest in with the rest of the colony

conSErvATIon STATuS: considered to be doing oK in the wetter forests, but in the drier forests, the Box-Ironbark which we will be visiting next, there are a lot less Sugar gliders than there used to be.

dISLIKES

Cats who roam at night

Removal of wattles on bush blocks

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✔ LIKES

Leaf litter

Fallen logs and branches

dISLIKES

Cats


Cars


Like the Regent Honeyeater, habitat loss has hit this guy hard. Tuans live in groups, and their home range stretches over a lot of bush, they need big patches of forest to survive.


These fluffy tailed marsupials are like a tiny quoll or Tassie Devil – they are carnivorous marsupials. Another name for a Brush-tailed Phascogale is Tuan. Don’t ever call him a rat – he gets really upset! Tuans live and breed in groups, and each group needs an area of 40 hectares to find all the insects and hollows they need.

Brush-tailed Phascogale

✔ LIKES

Nectar from large old trees

Insects

dISLIKES

Removal of large old trees

Drought

Loss of habitat


Over 85% of the Box-Ironbark habitat has been cleared, and what’s left is of pretty poor quality – not leaving much nectar and insects for the Regent Honeyeater and friends

conSErvATIon STATuS: Endangered under the EPBc Act and the FFg Act

regent Honeyeater There are many small nectar feeding birds, all known as honeyeaters, which fly about from patch of bush to patch of bush as the trees come into flower. Some of these honeyeaters are not doing so well – like this magnificent bird. The Regent Honeyeater’s other name is not so royal: the Warty-faced Honeyeater!

red-anthered Wallaby grassThis lovely tussocky grass grows in the kind of bush that the Tuan likes, and is a great source of insects.

✔ LIKES

Ironbark, grey box nectar, wattle seeds to eat

Feeding quietly in the trees with other parrots


Logging in Tassie has meant the destruction of a lot of the Swiftie’s breeding habitat, especially precious nesting trees. The loss of so much Box-Ironbark habitat means that there is much less nectar available over here in Victoria and NSW than there used to be.

conSErvATIon STATuS: Endangered under the FFg Act

dISLIKES

Logging

Swift Parrot The Swiftie as he is affectionately called, is a migratory bird. He breeds in the woodlands of Tasmania, then flies across the Bass Strait to take advantage of the winter nectar bounty. Swifties can fly super fast, with their crimson tails like a red rocket stream!

Spotted Sun-orchidThe rainforests of the world have brightly coloured orchids that are attached to the branches of trees. In these parts, our orchids are much smaller and grow from the ground. Orchids are only visible at certain times of year, usually in Spring. This is a common species, but as we have so many rare orchids, ALL orchids in victoria are protected under the FFg Act.

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✔ LIKES

Fallen timber

Ants – in some areas over 80% of their diet is ants

dISLIKES

Humans who remove all the fallen timber when they collect firewood – leave some for habitat!


These birds like big trees; lots of bark means lots of insects. Most of the big trees have been cut down in the Box-Ironbark and other woodlands.

conSErvATIon STATuS: near Threatened under the FFg Act

Black WattleWattles are like the glue that holds the bush together; these great plants form the all important middle layer that allows movement of possums and gliders between the gum trees. They provide shelter and food in the form of insects for birds, possums and bats. Wattles fix nitrogen in the soil as well, making the soil healthy!

Sweet BursariaThis prickly shrub is habitat for one of the rarest insects in Victoria – the Eltham Copper Butterfly. Honeyeaters like to nest in it too.

Brown TreecreeperThis bird lives up to its name very well, hopping up and down tree trunks and along fallen logs, using its very large and strongly clawed feet. They’re a bit like my claws – used like a mountain climber’s pick to hang onto the bark! Treecreepers feed on insects and spiders that they find in the bark.

Kangaroo grassLike many native grasses, Kangaroo Grass forms a clump or tussock. This grass goes a rich orange red colour at the end of summer.

Spear grass

Like Kangaroo Grass, Spear Grass forms a tussock, but the flower is really different – the seed head is large with super long grass seeds. Spear grasses can be over a metre high in good seasons!

Wallaby grassWallaby Grasses are usually much smaller tussocks than the other two. All these native grasses are excellent habitat for lizards, small mammals and insects, such as…

victorian volcanic PlainAnd down we go, out of the hills, on to the flat lands. This is fertile farming country, dotted with paddock trees in the floodplains and big old trees lining the roadsides. This area used to be a vast expanse of a native plant community called a grassland – with flowers, lilies and herbs, and grassy woodlands – which are basically grasslands with widely spaced trees. now only some of the big old trees remain, and the grasslands have been replaced by European pasture species.

Pretty much any animal that lives in the grasslands and woodlands is doing it tough, due to the loss or destruction of their habitat – scientists reckon there is only .5% left of this habitat – that is, 99.5% of grasslands have been destroyed! This means every little patch is extra precious.

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golden Sun mothSure, you have heard of endangered species such as the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, or the Bilby – but did you know insects can get into trouble too? The Golden Sun Moth is regarded as Critically Endangered, which is the last category before Extinct. Like many animals in the grasslands, the moth is rare because of habitat loss. The Golden Sun Moth is a flying adult for just a few days of its life, in summer. The rest of the time they are in caterpillar form.

Striped Legless LizardThis name is to emphasise that this little guy is not a snake, despite having no legs. Striped Legless Lizards live in cracks in the soil, and in rocky areas. They make a squeaking sound when they are frightened.

✔ LIKES

Grass tussocks, rocks and even spider burrows to hibernate in over the cold winter months

dISLIKES

Machinery, too much cattle grazing in one spot

Removal of rocks and other shelters


These little animals are pretty secretive, and often their habitat patch is destroyed and people did not even realise they were there!

✔ LIKES

The caterpillar’s main food is a type of Wallaby Grass, called Small Wallaby Grass

dISLIKES

Heavy rain on the two days of its life when the adult male is flying around looking for the female, ready to mate!


Like many animals in the grasslands, the Golden Sun Moth is rare because of habitat loss

conSErvATIon STATuS: Endangered under the FFg Act, critically Endangered under the EPBc Act

conSErvATIon STATuS: Endangered under the FFg Act, vulnerable under the EPBc Act

river red gum Known for its incredible red wood, the form and colour of the bark of the River Red Gum is also pretty distinctive, especially when they reach a large size. River Red Gums grow along creeks and rivers, and across the floodplains.

Swamp gum This gum is the only gum in the area with wavy margins in the leaves. Little bats really like roosting in the bark of Swamp Gums.

rainbow Bee-eater This gorgeous bird is one of our summer visitors; some of them fly across the Strait from Indonesia to the Australian mainland. The Rainbow Bee-eater breeds here and nests in burrows dug into sand banks.

✔ LIKES

As well as eating bees and wasps, they like all flying insects, such as dragonflies, beetles, butterflies and moths

dISLIKES

Pesticides that kill their insect food

Drought


Foxes and wild dogs can dig into their nests and eat eggs and young

Mining activity in quarries may destroy their nests. Drought can reduce their insect food supplies.

conSErvATIon STATuS: Listed under the EPBc Act as a migratory species

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White-throated needletailA type of Swift, the Needletail flies here from Siberia and Eastern Europe in summer, and spends literally months at a time on the wing, sleeping, eating and even mating in flight. This is an unusual photo as it shows the bird perched!

Wedge-tailed Eagle This awesome bird of prey is the only eagle worldwide that remains fairly common in populated areas. Eagles mainly eat rabbits. They also like to eat carrion – dead kangaroos and wombats. It is important to pull dead animals off the road, so that eagles do not get run over by cars when they are feeding on road kill.

✔ LIKES

Stormy humid weather with lots of flying insects in the air

The smoky plumes around bushfires as well!

dISLIKES

Being hunted as a food source in Siberia and Eastern Europe which is where the Needletails breed – although this is said to have stopped in recent years


Actually – scientists reckon these guys are doing fine, so that is good news. That said, it is really really hard to count the birds as they fly so far and fast and range all over Eastern Australia – so no-one knows how many visit us each year.

conSErvATIon STATuS: Listed under the EPBc Act as a migratory species

✔ LIKES

Plenty of fresh fat rabbits!

dISLIKES

Rabbit poison

Powerlines

conSErvATIon STATuS: not listed in victoria. In Tasmania, the Wedgie is endangered, and many young birds are getting killed by wind farm turbines.

BrolgaBrolgas feed, rest and breed on shallow lakes and flooded paddocks. Brolgas are well known for their mating dances – one bird picks up a stick or a bit of vegetation and throws it in the air, and then leaps in the air with wings outstretched, catches it in his or her bill, and leaps around bowing, bobbing and calling!

Australian Painted SnipeAustralian Painted Snipes hide in the reeds during the day, and then come out at dusk and at night to feed. If there is any danger, the Snipe goes completely still and is nearly invisible. These pretty waterbirds are very unusual in that the female is larger and more brightly coloured than the male, and she is the one who has several mates. The male then goes and builds the nest and raises the chicks!

Wetlands and lakes of the victorian volcanic Plain

✔ LIKES

Permanent open shallow water with plenty of frogs, little fish and other tasty wetland creatures

dISLIKES

Red foxes which eat the eggs and chicks of Brolgas


✔ LIKES

Shallow wetlands

Soft mud to probe for insects

dISLIKES

Draining and filling in of wetlands

Drought


The Australian Painted Snipe has always been rare – and loss of wetlands and drought have hit these small numbers very hard.

When Victoria was covered in vast wetlands and lakes there were lots and lots of brolgas. Most of these areas have been drained for farming.

conSErvATIon STATuS: critically Endangered under the FFg Act, listed as a migratory species, and vulnerable under the EPBc Act


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growling grass Frog These large frogs need deep water with plenty of native vegetation to breed and prosper. They can travel over 2km in search of suitable habitat. Also known as growlers, these large frogs like to bask in the sunshine by floating out in the deep water.

Water ribbons Water ribbons grow in lake areas and creeks and provide food for ducks and swans, and shelter for frogs.

corangamite Water Skink A Skink is a type of lizard with smooth scales and teeny little feet. You may have seen the little brown ones in your garden – Garden Skinks. Well, this little guy is extremely rare – Corangamite Skinks are only found around the Bolac, Coragamite and Colac Lakes, and that is over the whole world!!!


Removal of water vegetation has a really bad effect on these large frogs – they can’t hide from their predators!

conSErvATIon STATuS: Endangered under the FFg Act, and vulnerable under the EPBc Act

✔ LIKES

Other frogs to eat!

dISLIKES

Pesticides, herbicides and other farming chemicals that affect the water’s purity

Large wetland birds such as herons and bitterns, many of whom are also doing it tough, eat Growling Grass Frogs by the bucketload!

✔ LIKES

Basalt rocky areas near wetlands

Rock removal Drought Heavy grazing

dISLIKES


These skinks are real stay at home types – their home ranges may be less than ten metres square! If this little area is trampled by sheep, or ploughed, the skinks become locally extinct.

conSErvATIon STATuS: critically Endangered under the FFg Act, Endangered under the EPBc Act

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you can help me and my mates!

Learn about koalas and

how you can help us and our habitat.

✔ TALK, rEAd And WrITE ABouT my LESSEr KnoWn mATESdo your class projects on grey goshawks and Brush-tailed Phascogales instead of Tigers or Pandas!

✔ THE AuSTrALIAn KoALA FoundATIon has been helping me and other koalas for years now – and they are doing their best to look after wild koalas and their habitat. Their website at www.savethekoala.com has a great section just for kids.

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✔ get inVolVed on-line - beCome A bush deteCtiVe or A Citizen sCientistthe net is an awesome resource; here is a list to get you and your teacher started:

the biodiversity snapshots project www.biodiversitysnapshots.net.au

The Biodiversity Snapshots project has been developed by Museum Victoria, under funding from the Department of Education in Victoria. This project aims to get schools involved in biodiversity research, by providing not only access to suitable software in the form of the Community Science Portal, but also a wide range of educational material for teachers. The Biodiversity Snapshots web site enables teachers to manage the data from their activities, and to take their students to the field to collect data using mobile devices.

ClimateWatch www.climatewatch.org.au

Climate Watch gives every Australian the opportunity to make a difference and help shape Australia’s response to climate change. By observing and recording information about what’s happening in your backyard, suburban street, local parks and bushland online, you will be helping scientists better understand and monitor our natural environment.

Watch your favourite wildlife or plants and record changes online! Create your own field guide for the area, or set up a Climatewatch trail. Great for teachers – with Australian Curriculum links and lesson plans.

the gould league www.gould.edu.au

The Gould League is an independent non-profit charity dedicated to environmental education and training in sustainability for schools and the community.

backyard buddies www.backyardbuddies.net.au

Backyard Buddies are the native animals that share our built-up areas, waterways, backyards and parks. Backyard buddies are also the people who value native animals and plants and want to protect them. This website is for everyone who enjoys their backyard animals, wants to learn more about them, find out how to attract them and how to live with little troublemakers. The Backyard Buddies Facebook page is for all to share their stories and ideas, tips and tricks and most of all the joy of having native plants and animals at our doorsteps.

frogs of Australia www.frogs.org.au/frogs

This is the definitive guide to the frogs of Australia, providing descriptions, distributions, images, breeding calls, and more for every frog in Australia.

birds in backyards www.birdsinbackyards.net

Birds in Backyards is a research, education and conservation program focusing on the birds that live where people live. Get involved by becoming a member and taking part in our online surveys. Learn about how you can create bird-friendly spaces in your garden and local community. Find out more about Australian birds and their habitats.

About this brochureAs more Victorians take the tree change and live outside our metropolitan areas, there is a pressing need to care for our native wildlife such as koalas, and their habitat. One of the best ways we can do this is to improve our planning processes around native vegetation.

The Koala Connect project is funded by Victorian Sustainability Accord and is a partnership between the City of Ballarat, Moorabool, Hepburn and Pyrenees Shires, and the Australian Koala Foundation.

The Project uses the koala as an iconic species to engage with the community around planning, biodiversity and native vegetation.

Koala ConservationThe Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is the principal non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation

and effective management of the wild koala and its habitat. The long-term survival of the koala depends on the retention and effective management of suitable habitat to support koalas in the wild. The future of this species will not be sustainable in captivity.

The AKF has several ongoing projects dedicated to saving the wild koala through conserving its habitat and raising funds to enable the AKF to continue running despite its not-for-profit policy. For more information on koalas and their conservation go to www.savethekoala.com

Victorian LocalSustainability Accord

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PhotogrAPhy Credits Brown treecreeper, Rufous fantail, Rainbow bee-eater: ©Len Robertson/Viridans Images. Powerful owl, Regent honeyeater, Brolga: ©Wendy Opie/Viridans Images. Corangamite water skink, Striped legless lizard: ©Peter Roberston/Viridans Images. Common Dunnart: ©Andrew Bennett/Viridans Images. Growling grass frog: ©Nick Clemann/Viridans Images. Greater glider, Brush-tailed phascogale: ©Tony Robertson/Viridans Images. White-throated needletail: ©Marc Gottsch/Viridans Images. Australian painted snipe: ©Mike Carter/Viridans Images. Swift parrot, Messmate, Manna gum, Broad-leaved peppermint, Blackwood, Cherry Ballart, Tall sundew, Sugar glider, Red ironbark, Spotted sun-orchid, Red-anthered wallaby grass, Black wattle, Sweet bursaria, Kangaroo grass, Spear grass, Wallaby grass, Swamp gum, River red gum, Wedge- tailed eagle, Water ribbons: ©Paul Gullan/Viridans Images. Grey Goshawk: ©Geoff Walker www.bushpea.com Golden sun moth: ©Nathan Wong. The Viridans website www.viridans.com.au provides a wealth of free flora and fauna information for the community. Their ABC of Australian Wildlife, Flora and Insects includes pictures and stories of lesser known Aussies such as Greenhood Orchids and Apostlebirds.

a resource for schools - city of ballarat · look at the leaves of the baby trees (juvenile trees)....

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