No. 37
Highlights for 2024, Alfred Cove Osprey family, Birdwatching Walk, MBS Information Shelter; Containers for Change; Grill'd Fundraiser; Question/Answer, Seasons Greetings
Hello everyone,
We’re glad this year is ending on a positive note for the Melville Bird Sanctuary, having now established support and lines of communication with both the City of Melville and DBCA; as well as enlisting a small group of effective volunteers!
We’re keen for new volunteers to join us in 2025 so if you (or someone you know) is interested, do complete a How to Join form at this link How to Join — Melville Bird Sanctuary. We’ll take it from there and make contact.
We’re pleased to list our Highlights for 2024:
Our FoMBS website. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do so at Melville Bird Sanctuary. Our gratitude to Maddi our excellent website designer who worked collaboratively and tirelessly with us. The Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary website was launched at an event on 11 May 2024. We’re now adding new material to the website to keep abreast of developments.
Interim Signage declaring the Melville Bird Sanctuary has now been put up in the MBS East Region (Alfred Cove) by the City of Melville and DBCA. (See photo below)
We participated in/organised seven events during the year. Special mention is made of our 'Birds and Wellbeing' sold-out event. It was very well received by our audience, with guest speaker Dr Rochelle Steven from Murdoch University making a lasting, positive impression with her message. Hopefully we can do another one of these in 2025.
We organized 5 birdwatching walks/talks this year. Particularly memorable was the Walk/talk we did with 27 'Year 4' Melville Primary School students at Alfred Cove along with their teachers and a few parents, to learn about migratory birds. Our thanks to their inspirational teacher Brad Raymond for seeking to increase students' knowledge and understanding of our amazing migratory birds at a young age!
It was equally a privilege to speak with the Eco Sisters of Santa Maria College about migratory birds. This impressive group of students aim to care for the planet and make a positive impact. We were invited by their teacher Joanne Priest, whose dedication to environmental education inspires students to be involved as well become advocates for change.
Alfred Cove’s Osprey Family
A recent sad event was the death of ‘Samphire chick’ (named by us because, it spent its short life as a fledgling in the samphire beneath the nest, unable to fly). It’s valiant attempts to survive were unsuccessful despite being rescued and taken into care at WA Wildlife. Sometimes, things are just not meant to be. Looking on the bright side, the surviving Osprey fledgling is doing well and being taken care of by its parents. (See photo below by Sue Harper.)
Birdlife WA’s Birdwatching Walk at Alfred Cove
Birdlife WA’s Pete White will lead this Walk on Saturday 21 December, 7.30am from Troy Park car park. Please bring your own binoculars, a chair and some morning tea to have while doing a combined bird list at the end of the Walk.
(Our thanks to Birdlife WA for its great support to us during this year and previous years.)
MBS Information Shelter near entrance to Troy Park
Please be sure to check out our new bird education/awareness material at our Information Sign Shelter along the Burke Drive pathway just to the left of the entrance to Troy Park. It’s current focus is on migratory birds and bird disturbances. Special thanks to our volunteer Sue Stanley for preparing and organising the displays.
Containers for Change
Please note that our barcode has been updated for correct identification. We’d appreciate if you would make a note of this and please donate via the new barcode to Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary. Thanks to our volunteer Pete Wilshaw for organising this.
Donations may also be made to our Westpac Bank Account. Details found at the end of each newsletter.
Grill’d Fundraiser in November
While we didn’t win the big prize of $300 in the Grill’d Ardross’ Local Matters’ November fundraiser, we did get the runner-up prize of $100 which will be paid into our FoMBS Westpac account in due course. A big thank-you to all who supported us and to our volunteers Marina Hansen and Pete Wilshaw for organising it.
Answering your questions – one at a time.
We started this section of our newsletter last month. It’s an opportunity for supporters to ask questions about birdlife as well as MBS related topics. We choose one question to respond to in each newsletter.
Question: What is the Noongar story for Pt Walter?
Answer: City of Melville’s Jem Stirling has provided the following link (It’s a link to an audio trail as detailed by Aunty Marie Taylor and Uncle Noel Morich): https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/point-walter-and-bl...
Finally, we wish you and your families a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. We will continue our mission to raise awareness about birdlife in 2025, through educational events, Birdwatching Walks, our Sign Shelters, our website and Facebook page as well as advocating and lobbying for safe habitat at all times for our birds.
We look forward to your continuing support for the Melville Bird Sanctuary in 2025.
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
Contact Melville City Rangers
Business hours: 08 9364 0666 or 1300 635 845
After hours: 0418 943 219
Contact Wildcare Helpline (Parks & Wildlife - DBCA)
08 9474 9055