Rushworth Field and Game members have been busy during the past few months with various projects.
The group may be made up primarily of hunters, but many of them are avid conservationists, and the following is an update of activities during the past few months and through the winter.
Clean-up of rubbish early in January at Reedy Lake and Doctors Swamp was carried out with members from Shepparton, Rushworth and Seymour, and help from Greater Shepparton City Council with rubbish tip passes.
Unfortunately, someone had dumped rubbish at Doctors Swamp within 1km of the transfer station.
There were plant cuttings in the rubbish, which could shoot and spread undesirable weeds in the wetland.
The hen house and nesting box program has been successful, and we are looking forward to providing more nesting sites for various birds.
This year we had a successful hatching of two kookaburra chicks along with eastern rosellas and numerous ducks in wetlands, which are privately owned, and we would like to thank those owners for their co-operation and, in some cases, hay for nesting material.
As part of World Wetlands Day, we combined with members of Shepparton Field and Game to install 10 new nest boxes at Gaynor Swamp, which were made by Berry St school students with a grant from the Lighthouse Foundation and 10 hen houses made at the manufacturing area at Nagambie.
Hen houses and nesting boxes provide a safe nesting area for waterbirds, and while installing these in Gaynor Swamp we saw a fox in the water looking for eggs or young waterbirds for an easy feed.
There were old plastic nest boxes in the wetland, which were removed in an earlier project as they had started to break down and were not being utilised because of their condition.
While at Gaynor Swamp, with Parks’ blessing and thanks, we picked up building material rubbish that had been dumped some time ago.
There have been donations of labour and materials, and a tip pass from Campaspe Shire Council.
It is always hard to thank all those involved with these projects, so to anyone involved in any way, thanks for your support.