2 June bird survey

An issue of concern as reported by Ursula is that the number of surviving Black Swan cygnets is diminishing and now down to three from an original total of six (5 on 23/5 and 4 on 26/5). The cause of this decline is most likely Red Fox predation with further proof after Ursula located their den in the park. Parks Victoria (or should it be Melbourne CC?) have been informed and hopefully some action will be taken to eradicate these ferals from the park. This should be followed up by someone representing Westgate Biodiversity to ensure action has been taken, as the survival of many other birds could be at stake.

The most significant observations over the past month have been brief visits by two Powerful Owls, first a female on 19 May followed by a male that was recorded today. Also, Ursula managed to capture some rarely taken images of the Musk Duck with prey and coming up on land to rest – usually they remain on the water.

The occasional light rain over the last month has brought little relief and scattered trees continue to die across the park. However, the ford to the island in the freshwater lake is still under water. Nevertheless, as the above list shows, the biodiversity of the park continues to be pleasing. Moreover, the number of swallows suggests reasonable insect populations.