Glenfern Valley Bushlands

Exploring Victoria: Walking Sarahs Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Sarahs Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Kunzea Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Kunzea Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Glenfern Ridge Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Glenfern Ridge Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Buckleys farm track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Buckleys farm track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Echidna Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Echidna Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Wallaby Walk Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Wallaby Walk Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Ferny Creek Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Ferny Creek Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Hill Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Hill Track Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Creekside Walk Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Creekside Walk Glenfern Valley Bushlands Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Sergs Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Sergs Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Owl Loop Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Owl Loop Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Wildflower Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Exploring Victoria: Walking Wildflower Track Glenfern Valley Bushland Upwey

Belgrave Fire 15/02/09

Smoke from the Belgrave Fire filmed from our roof in Rowville

Olive-backed Oriole & Fan-tailed Cuckoo @ Glenfern Valley Bushlands

Local twitchers are very excited over recent sightings of two special visitors, the Fan-tailed Cuckoo and especially the Olive-backed Oriole. This species is not listed on our bird list, which means it hasn’t been sighted at Glenfern since records have been kept from 2001.

To the trained ear, its call gives it away … orri oriole. To the un-trained ear, you may think it is a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike.

The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a regular seasonal visitor and no doubt takes advantage of our local birds that build and raise their young in dome shaped nets, such as the White-browed Scrub Wren and Superb Wren. Cuckoos are renown for laying their eggs in other species nests and where the hosts do all the parenting.

These cuckoos were often seen in the area above Echidna Track, pouncing from over hanging branches onto caterpillars that were amongst the long native grass.

We are not 100% sure, but these caterpillars may be the larvae of the Common Brown Butterfly.

Turn up the volume, to enjoy the oriole.

Words & Video by Mike Sverns

Ferny Creek Billy Cart Races 2009

Ferny Creek Billy Cart Races 2009, Ewan Denman