Upwey South Primary School Environmental Essay Prizewinners

On Thursday 22 December 2011 President Andrew Fullager presented awards to the winning entrants in the annual Upwey South Primary School Environmental Essay run in conjunction with the Glenfern Valley Bushlands Group. First prize was awarded to Morgan Haynes, whose essay can be read here. Second prize went to Carl Dingfelder (essay here) and third went to Jai Rawlings (essay here).

Andrew commended all participants on the high quality of work produced and expressed the hope that students would, one day soon, become part of the team supporting Glenfern Valley Bushlands. Click on the photo to see an enlarged view.

February Working Bee

An excellent turnout for our first working bee for the year on 19 February. We were delighted to be joined by Tina from Mont Albert (fifth from the right). Click on the photo to see an enlarged view.

Goshawks in Glenfern Valley Bushlands

Brown Goshawks are alive and well in Glenfern Valley Bushlands. The Goshawks have been using the same nest along Ferny Creek for a number of years. This year we finally got to photograph one of the young Goshawks. Several years ago we first noticed that Goshawks had taken over a crow’s nest high up in a very large Manna Gum. Each year the Goshawks have returned to occupy the same nest but they are wary and shy, making it difficult to catch them on camera.

This year the juveniles were quite bold and could be seen flying through backyards along Ferny Creek. The newly fledged Goshawks are only dependent on the parents for about three weeks before dispersing - sometimes by hundreds of kilometres. The trick is to photograph them before they become too wary and camera shy.

In this case the young Goshawk was particularly interested in chickens still penned-up prior to being let out for their afternoon forage. The photo was taken in January.  

The Brown Goshawk is a predator of birds, reptiles, and small mammals. In some areas rabbits are a particularly important prey. Goshawks hunt by stealth. Using a concealed perch they rely on surprise and speed to catch their prey. The secretive Goshawks are found across Australia and have a secure conservations status.

Click on the photo of the Juvenile Brown Goshawk to see an enlarged view.