The Wild Connection 112
January 2025
Secretary’s Notes
Once again we had a great turnout for our Christmas lunch at the One Tree Hill Hotel. A mix of carers, rescuers, phone operators and members attending and enjoying the social event
Please note that February’s General Meeting will start at 12pm due to presentations on informing us about virtual fencing and reducing the wildlife road toll. Due to this informative meeting, voting on what to spend the bequeath money on has been postponed to a later meeting so we are more informed on voting for a virtual fencing trial. The new voting date will be noted in the next newsletter.
General meeting – 12.00 – 1.30 Saturday 1st February:
Special WRIN meeting – Wildlife Road Toll and Virtual Fencing 1.30pm – 3.00pm.
Several experts will be speaking about ways to reduce the wildlife road toll including looking at the feasibility of running a Virtual Fencing Trial to ascertain the effectiveness of this technology in reducing the wildlife road toll.
Speakers include:
David Everett – Wildlife Safety Solutions will explain what Virtual Fencing is and give some anecdotal evidence from trials carried out in Victoria and NSW via ZOOM. Mark Hall – The Senior Biodiversity Officer from the City of Greater Bendigo will be speaking about COGB’s views and actions related to the wildlife road toll and a possible virtual fencing trial. Katherine Whittaker and Leila Brooke- Senior Wildlife Projects Officers (Loddon Mallee), Statewide Wildlife Advisory Services, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) will be speaking about ways of reducing the wildlife road toll including virtual fencing. Graeme Coulson – Associate Professor and Honorary Principal Fellow | B A (Hons), Dip Ed, M Env St, Ph D School of BioSciences | Science Faculty, The University of Melbourne will be speaking about setting up a Virtual Fencing Trial.
LINKS TO PRE- READING MATERIAL ARE BELOW. IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED IF PARTICIPANTS CAN VIEW THIS PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
- https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/advocacy/wildlife-road-toll-reduction-project
- https://issuu.com/macedon_ranges_shire_council/docs/wildlife-road-toll-reduction-toolkit
- https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/inquiry-into-wildlife-roadstrike-in-victoria
- https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/4ae71d/contentassets/bb816f73b31e4d03979b2baf129eaddc/terms-of-reference-attachments/terms-of-reference—wildlife-roadstrike-in-victoria.pdf
- https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/eic-lc
- https://www.facebook.com/CityofGreaterBendigo/posts/each-year-in-australia-its-estimated-over-10-million-native-animals-lose-their-l/875636561264736
- https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-07/City-Greater-Bendigo-Road-Safety-Action-Plan-2023-2027.pdf
- https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-January-29-2024.pdf (Petition and Response to Petition calling for installation of virtual fencing on roads)
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-03/virtual-fences-trial-anglesea-great-ocean-road-kill-kangaroos/104532456
- https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/surfcoasttimes/news/virtual-fencing-success-saves-wildlife-and-reduces-roadkill/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SysVsjNHEi4 (Dr Kylie Soanes DVD concerning virtual fencing)
General Meeting
No General Meeting held due to Christmas lunch. Here’s some news from the December Committee Meeting:
- Received 7 membership renewals, 4 new memberships and 5 donations.
- Received 2 donations to WRIN notification emails and thanking our rescuers for their assistance.
- Received a thank you email from Denise Bridges for the milk powder donation.
- Reports given on the stalls held at the Mandurang Valley Festival, $35 in merchandise sold and an awesome donation of $50 given by one gentleman. November Maldon Market raising $85 in merchandise and donations.
- Michelle gave an update on the progress of obtaining information on virtual fencing. She has spoken to Surf Coast Wildlife who has completed a trial and gentleman is happy to come to Bendigo to help us out and have a talk. He is also happy for us to go down and get shown how it works. Spoken to DEECA, who said they have someone who can do the roadkill stats for us. Michelle would like at least 5km of road trialled. She would also like to look into things called ‘road badges’ that can be put in cars to detect wildlife.
- Changes need to be made on the nest boxes that were made by the Marong Men’s Shed. They are black and would get too hot so will have to be painted. The sugar glider boxes are too deep and all have no steps to help enter and exit holes, these will have to be added. Nothing on boxes to hang them with, this will need to be added. Not enough brushtail boxes made so some holes will need to be enlarged. Need to find someone to do alterations.
- CVBA are applying for a $2,000 grant to get them up and running. WRIN to auspice this money.
- February meeting speakers to be Mark Hall, Council Biodiversity and Katherine Whittaker, DEECA Senior Wildlife Projects Officer. Suggested Linda from Macedon Ranges Wildlife Rescue does a talk at the April meeting.
- Brenda requested the Association fees be deleted as it’s never been used and to increase family fees to $30 for the next financial year. All agreed.
- Linda from Macedon Ranges Wildlife Rescue rang Brenda with a suggestion to form a Central Victoria Alliance group with them and Ballarat. Linda said they are happy to handle the admin and have we would have 1 representative per group for meetings. This would provide them/us with access to bigger grants and would form a greater power when working with councils and governments. All agreed to proceed.
- Lynne requested a COA be given to her knitter Margaret Jenkinson. Margaret supplies Lynne with knitted blankets for her ducklings and other baby birds. All agreed.
Central Victorian Bat Alliance (CVBA)
The CVBA finished off a successful 1st year with a productive December meeting. This meeting provided the opportunity to discuss and plan the upcoming year and CVBA’s community involvement to continue supporting and positively promoting the importance of bats in our region.
2025 will be an exciting year for CVBA. We currently have a bat cabinet display set up at the Bendigo Library which will run throughout January and we will once again be involved with The Bendigo Sustainability Festival on 30 March. Our highlight for the year will be our official launch on Friday 24 January at 3.30pm at Bendigo Library. The launch will include a key speaker to discuss environmental importance of bats (TBA) and attendance by Cr Thomas Prince who will officiate and declare the official launch of CVBA. If you wish to attend the launch please contact CVBA at
secretary.cvballiance@gmail.com
Throughout 2025 we will also present a monthly 30 minute program on Phoenix Radio which will air Monday afternoons to commence on the 10th of February. This will provide an opportunity not only to discuss bats but all wildlife in the region, both their significance as well as the challenges they face.
With more warm weather expected across the coming months, the biggest challenge facing bat colonies in the area, including our wonderful local population in Rosalind Park, is coping with extreme heat. Flying Foxes can become dehydrated during extreme heat episodes, suffer from heat stroke and fall from trees. Many can die if not monitored and assisted via sprinklers or spraying. Most impacted are pregnant or lactating females and juveniles. It is important that mega bat populations are monitored and supported throughout extreme heat occurrences. Hopefully our local populations remain safe and well throughout the remainder of Summer. In 2024 CVBA worked collaboratively with City of Greater Bendigo and was invited to a formal planning workshop to discuss and present recommendations to inform the new Rosalind Park Management Plan including the Grey-headed Flying-fox camp.
CVBA will comment on the draft plan before it goes to Council for endorsement mid-2025.For details please go to
https://letstalkgreaterbendigo.com.au/rosalind-park-management-plan CVBA are pleased to have had a successful 2024 and look to continuing our work promoting bats in the region and would love to expand our supporters network. New ideas, comments and suggestions are very welcome. We meet monthly at the Kangaroo Flat Library on the 3rd Friday of each month. If you are interested in being involved please don’t hesitate to visit
www.batsvictoria.com and contact us at secretary.cvballiance@gmail.com
Wildlife
Magpies
This is the time of the year when you might see what appears to be horrible bullying and intimidation by adult Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) of the children they were just a few weeks ago lovingly feeding. They are not trying to injure the children; they are just letting them know it’s time to move out. What happens to the children?
Normally before 2 years of age and for many much much younger, magpies are forced by their parents to leave the territory. They join a group until they can gain a place in a territory as an adult breeding bird.
Life is hard for Australian Magpies. Like us, they need to meet basic needs for food, water and shelter. The main quest in their lives is to achieve home ownership – their own territory. Magpies are sexually mature after their first moult (age 1 year) but they cannot get straight into breeding then. On moving out of (or being ejected from) their natal home they join flocks of juveniles and bachelors. These flocks feed together on country not held by established groups. For many, this is where they will remain for life.
There are other categories of marginal and mobile bands of magpies without established territories but flocking magpies tend to be the largest groups. These flocks generally comprise up to around 30 birds. Flock sizes vary with the seasons and conditions. Professor Gisela Kaplan, Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of New England and expert in Australian Magpies indicates unattached juveniles cannot land in occupied territories. They tend to congregate in pastures and may have to keep moving if they want to find food. Some will find territories and pair up like their parents did others stay single and continue to remain in these flocks.
As you can see, life for Australian magpies is complicated and every single individual will lead a different life according to their individual nature, circumstance and location.Did you know magpies have 2 voice boxes called syrinx? This is why they can make 2 different notes simultaneously. That’s why the Australian Magpie is one of the most accomplished Songbirds in the world.
Did you know even adult magpies play? Because Magpies are intelligent and social birds, play is important for fun, relaxation, skill-building and socialisation (just as it is for humans). Play fights are not only fun, they serve as strength-building exercise, self-defence and territory defence training too! Lying down on their stomach, wingspread and breathing heavily. Do you think they need to be rescued?
They DON’T, they are just sunbathing.

Did you know magpies have different alert calls (or words) according to the subject? They can even “point” at the subject to show others. Magpies are definitely the biggest “dobbers” in the bush and our suburbs. If you become aware of their calls, they could alert you of a snake in your yard.
Coming Up
- Saturday 1st February 2025 – 12.00pm General Meeting. At 1.30pm, Virtual Fencing & Reducing the Wildlife Road Toll Presentation.
- Golden Square Community Hall, 9 Old High Street, Golden Square
- Tea & coffee supplied. Please bring a plate to share.
- Sunday 9th February 2025 – 9am Maldon Market Stall, Church Street, Maldon.
- Sunday 9th March 2025 – 9am Maldon Market Stall, Church Street, Maldon.
- Sunday 30th March 2025 – 10.00am Bendigo Sustainability Festival Stall, Garden for the Future, White Hills.
- Monday 31st March 2025 – 1.30pm Committee Meeting.