No. 21

Next Birdwatching Walk, Juvenile Osprey, Presenting Action Plan for MBS & MBS Boundaries to Council

Hello everyone,

Belated New Year greetings to you. We hope 2023 will be a successful year for you and for the Melville Bird Sanctuary.

Birdwatching Walk on Saturday 11 March – 7.30am to 9.15am

Our next Birdwatching Walk, led by Dr Claire Greenwell, is on this coming Saturday 11 March, starting at 7.30am from the Bird Viewing Platform at the entrance to Troy Park (opp 194 Burke Drive, Attadale). Claire is a conservation biologist and ornithologist with a PhD exploring the life history, behaviour and ecology of the Australian Fairy Tern. She’s also an outstanding Walk leader. If you’d like to attend, please bring along a pair of birdwatching binoculars, sunscreen and a bottle of water. We’ll have a few spare pairs of binoculars as well. Please be at the viewing platform around 7.15am to complete registration details. If you’re unwell, please take care of yourself and stay home.

News of our Juvenile Osprey

Our juvenile Osprey appears to be going strong and is a great delight to observe and to hear its insistent call. It is still in the Alfred Cove area with its parents and we’re very happy to have it around for as long as it stays. Photos at the end of this newsletter.

Action Plan for the Melville Bird Sanctuary (MBS)

In our last newsletter, we told you about an important facilitated half-day Workshop of key stakeholders of the MBS including ourselves, officers from City of Melville and DBCA, that took place on 25 November 2022. An Action Plan for the MBS has since been developed in consultation with key stakeholders.

General comments on the MBS proposal

Our Melville Bird Sanctuary (MBS) proposal has come a long way since we formed the Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary group in March 2020. Over the last 3 years we’ve progressed the proposal with support and assistance of key people including our Member for Bicton Lisa O’Malley, SERAG, BEAG, our Mayor, Deputy Mayor and a majority of our councillors, senior City of Melville personnel, senior DBCA officers, Birdlife WA and others. But we could not have done it without you, our MBS community. The advice, support and encouragement you have provided over the life of this project has kept us going and when the MBS becomes a reality, know that you have played a crucial role.

The MBS is a key environmental project that has a rightful place in the City of Melville’s Climate Action initiatives. Its main recommendations of repair, rehabilitation and revegetation of the foreshore areas (eg. Pt Waylen) and addressing foreshore erosion, also form a critical part of the City’s current Attadale Alfred Cove Foreshore Master Plan. Our vision is for the MBS to be a sanctuary for birdlife as well as for people, greatly benefitting both the physical and mental well-being of our local and wider communities with walking paths, viewing platforms and beautiful places of tranquillity. The potential for bird tourism down the track is significant and will also benefit local businesses. Ultimately, the MBS will ensure management and protection of our foreshore and its birdlife and be a legacy for current and future generations.

Finally

The proposed MBS boundaries and Action Plan will soon be presented to the Melville Council for endorsement. As soon as we have confirmation of an exact date of the relevant Council Meeting, we’ll let you know. You may wish to show your support for the MBS proposal by attending the Council Meeting either in person or by Zoom.

Best wishes,

Tom Lubin and Jenny Christenson
Friends of Melville Bird Sanctuary