Tag: Westgate Park

Following regular and substantial rain both major lakes are at high levels not seen for some time. This means several species of water birds have dispersed to some of the many other wetlands in the region.  Many passerine species are flourishing and breeding,...

Westgate Park is set to play a key part in an ambitious new project to boost indigenous insect life and pollination. Emma Cutting is a self-described “amateur plantswoman” who has recently launched an exciting community-led initiative to establish ...

Bili Nursery recently grew and supplied 8000 plants for the Port of Melbourne to fill in gaps in the Todd Rd linear landscape. Port of Melbourne has now planted, mulched and weeded, and the landscape is looking much better for the tlc. Here’s their tweet...

After many dry months and just 3 mm of rain in March, Westgate Park is severely stressed, with numerous dead shrubs and trees, especially narrow-leafed peppermints and banksias. Although some eucalypts, including the large Ironbark near the windmill, are flowe...

After a long run of extreme heat and almost no rain in January and February park vegetation is stressed, with some shrubs dying. Nevertheless, the survey produced exciting results and 53 species. A larger than usual range of land-based bird species observed in...

The first Black-winged Stilts have appeared after their winter absence on the edge of the drainage basin above the south-east corner of the Saltwater Lake. Lots of male superb Fairy-wrens are now in their breeding plumage. By Andrew McCutcheon & Rob You...

Hear Luis talking about pollinator insects in the City of Melbourne, the pollinator observatories at Westgate Park, the import role insects play in supporting healthy parklands and why understorey plants are necessary to foster this. ABC Radio National Bluepri...

Westgate Biodiversity: Bili Nursery & Landcare and 77 eager volunteers planted over 2000 indigenous plants at three events to celebrate National Tree Day: Friday.  City of Melbourne staff, their Citizen Foresters plus 14 volunteers put in more than 500 un...

The Wanderer – Danaus plexippus or Monarch, shown here on Pimelea sp. – Rice Flower, is an uncommon and somewhat puzzling visitor to Victoria. According to Museum Victoria’s Butterflies: Identification and Life History: Populations are tempo...

At our winter workshop participants learned to identify several insect pollinators, including native and non-native bees and butterflies. We then visited the pollinator observatories to make observations of plant-insect interactions. This was the fifth in this...