No. 32
Launch of Friends of MBS website; Birds and Wellbeing event;
Signage Shelter on Burke Drive, Attadale
Hello everyone,
We wouldn’t normally send out 2 newsletters in quick succession. But this one is specially to let you know that our Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary website is now available on www.melbirdsanc.com
Launch of Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary Website
Our website was launched 9am last Saturday 11 May, auspiciously on World Migratory Bird Day! Prior to the launch we had a Birdwatching Walk led by Dr Claire Greenwell who also gave a short talk on migratory birds.
Joining us for the launch were the Member for Tangney, Sam Lim and his wife, Member for Bicton (and Patron of Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary) Lisa O’Malley, Melville Mayor Katy Mair, CEO, City of Melville, Gail Bowman, Melville Councillors Jane Edinger and Karen Wheatland, City of Melville’s Manager, Natural Areas, Jeff Bird, DBCA’s A/g District Manager, Swan Coastal District, Mel Evans and our small band of excellent volunteers, numbering about 30 in total. Morning tea was delivered courtesy of the City of Melville to the outdoor grassed area near the bird viewing platform at the entrance to Troy Park. We had a happy time, the completion of the website being momentous in our eyes. Photos of the occasion are at the end of this newsletter.
The website has been beautifully designed by Madeleine McGowan with information provided by us and photos sent to us by a number of photographers. The feedback we’ve received so far is that the website is ‘amazing’, extremely user-friendly and contains fabulous information (we’re not making this up!!). The almost 500 photos are a particularly highlight, most captioned with the names of the photographers. Those that aren’t will be fixed in the near future. Some of website’s features include:
Description of Areas of the Melville Bird Sanctuary:
The East Region broadly includes Alfred Cove, the foreshore from Page Road Attadale to Ness Road Applecross as well as the mudflats and sandbars of the Swan Estuary Marine Park.
The West Region includes Pt Walter Spit, Blackwall Reach Reserve and Blackwall Reach Parade
Birds of the Melville Bird Sanctuary
This section contains photos and descriptions of about 60 birds out of 134 bird species in the East Region and 79 bird species in the West Region
Planning Your Visit
this contains suggestions for walks, facilities along the way, how to get there etc
Bird Disturbances and how to report these
How to Join us
Form may be filled on online
Birds and Wellbeing
This section contains public comment that seeing and hearing birds can improve people’s general wellbeing. Links to various articles in this vein are provided.
We hope you will enjoy going through our website.
Birds and Wellbeing event
This is our first event of this type being held for the community.
Date & Time: Sunday 9 June, 10am – 11.30am
Location: Binjar Room, Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre, 555 Leach Hway, Winthrop
Speaker: Dr Rochelle Stevens, Lecturer at Murdoch University and past Deputy Convenor Birdlife WA will give a 30 mins talk about spending time with birds in nature being beneficial for our health and wellbeing. This will be followed by questions/discussion. Morning tea is included.
To make a booking for this event (at a cost of $5 only) please click this link https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/birds-and-wellbeing-tickets-877198683877?aff=oddtdtcreator&lang=en-au&locale=en_AU&status=30&view=listing
We hope some of you will be able to attend this event which promises to be an interesting and beneficial one. The number of attendees is capped at 45 so please book as soon as possible.
New Signage Shelter for Friends of MBS has been installed on Burke Drive, close to entrance to Troy Park
Unfortunately, we discovered last weekend that it was impossible to properly pin/stick information displays in this Shelter without them falling off. City staff are now arranging for the sign shelter to be upgraded for easier posting of information. The location of the s/shelter is prominent and the local community will have access to informational displays about the Melville Bird Sanctuary once the upgrade has taken place.
All the best,
Jenny Christenson & Tom Lubin
Co-founders: Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary
Donations may be made to our Westpac Bank Account. Details as follows:
Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary
BSB: 036-084
A/c: 494777
Phone Contact Details for Melville City Rangers during business hours is: 08 9364 0666 or 1300 635 845 and the after hours number is: 0418 943 219
Phone Contact Details for the Wildcare Helpline (Parks & Wildlife - DBCA) is: 08 9474 9055