OUTING REPORT 07 March 2021: Grapetree Rd property & Perseverance Forest

 Just under 20 members made their way to Grapetree Road, past Hampton, to visit the property of Chris and Marlene Norris which was affected by the Pechey fires in November of 2019. Chris met the group at the entrance of his property and told us how the fire that started in the forest across the road from his property had swept towards them (it roared like hell would be an apt description of the wall of fire). Fortunately, their home, made from fire-resistant material, was saved but they lost a lot of vegetation and trees, especially at the entrance to the property.

Chris showing us burnt trees & the regrowth

Chris also gave a brief history of his property which he and Marlene had bought about seven years ago. It had been a flower farm at one stage and one of our members, Tricia Allen, remembered working on the farm. By the time they bought it, the property had a lot of lantana – they got rid of most of it but left a small remnant as a habitat for smaller birds. Their property is now Land for Wildlife. We went through the burnt patches, looking at the regrowth vegetation. The burnt dead trees were not chopped down because they provided perching places for birds, who through their droppings, seeded the ground below. Already the wallabies, bandicoots and small snakes were coming back onto the property.

 Chris said that they had taken advantage of what had happened and planted many She-oaks to encourage Glossy Black Cockatoos. They also planted a variety of other trees. They seemed to be thriving, as can be seen in the photo. They had used tube stocks from the Crows Nest Nursery. (This seemed to be a testament to what our Friday speaker, Tim Rival, had pointed out: plant from the tube stock and you are likely to be more successful than if you transfer, once than once, into bigger pots before transfer to the ground.)

Checking out the new plantings

After checking out the regrowth, natural as well as planted, the group had their morning tea, at which time, Marlene very kindly showed members their eco-friendly, sustainable house, with its design for free flow of air. It was during morning tea that we learnt that Chris was an artist also and we were able to see his paintings of Australian landscapes that were hanging in his shed/workshop.

We then drove down Deeth Road to one edge of Perseverance Forest, which was also affected by the November fires. Tricia Allen showed members where the hazard reduction burning had occurred some months prior to the fire: the native understory was developing well, but further inside the forest the heat had been so intense that many trees were reduced to simply a black hole in the ground. And here the growth in the understory was much slower. One of the unexpected highlights of this walk was encountering a Tawny Coster butterfly – the very butterfly that Rod Hobson had written about in the February edition of our Newsletter. More on this by Lesley Beaton on the blogg.

Having seen the different rejuvenations, members decided that lunch at Tricia Allen’s place was more inviting than sitting under the trees in the Perseverance Forest. And it did turn into a more leisurely and lengthy talk-filled lunch. Thanks to Tricia Allen for organising this very interesting day.

Bird list at the Norris Property: Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, King Parrot, Grey Butcherbird, Rufous Whistler, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater.

Bird list at Perseverance Forest: Pied Butcherbird, Pied Currawong, Rufus Fantail, White-browed Scrubwren, White-throated Tree Creeper, Magpie Lark, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Little Friarbird.

Butterflies: Tawny Coster, Orchard Swallowtail (both at Perseverance Forest)

(Report and photographs by Francis Mangubhai)