Secretary’s Notes

There has been an increase in family membership fees. Fees as of 1^st
April 2025 for Family membership will be $30.00. Personal membership will stay the same at $20.00.

We have been having some great days at the Maldon Market. Some very generous people donating $20, $10 and $5 notes into the donation tin and merchandise sales have been up around $100. We have one more stall in April and will then have a break over the colder months.

If you would like to make any suggestions on how we spend our money, and you couldn’t make the April General Meeting, please feel free to contact the Secretary by email ( secretary@wrin.asn.au )or by telephone. We have quite a few suggestions to get through.

Suggestions to discuss:

• Fund a darter in Bendigo
• Nest boxes & seat with plaque in honor of Ray Wallace’s bequeath at Lake Tom Thumb
• Virtual Fencing trial
• Campaign for carers with land to soft release kangaroos
• Recruiting & Training
• Laptop & software
• Donation to McIntyre Wildlife Shelter
• Vet & vet nurse bat education

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You still have time to support WRIN by buying a yummy burger at Grill’d, Bendigo. When you place an order they will give you a token of which you can place in the WRIN jar. If we get the most tokens for the month of March WRIN will win $300. Fingers crossed.

Please note the Committee Meeting is now held on Saturdays at 11.30pm before the General Meeting.

February General Meeting

• Renewal and 4 donations; $40 Liliana Michell, $50 David Peters, $100 Angela Pollock & $2,500 Rotary Xmas Raffle.
• An email received from Angela Pollock on her reason for donating. Very grateful for the help she received for a kangaroo.
• Insurance payments made for Public & Products, Associations and Personal Accident.
• Brenda reported that the ACNC report had been submitted.
• Julie Sloan suggested we encourage more vets and nurses to become bat vaccinated and knowledgeable. Maybe WRIN could put some funding towards this. Suggestion to be added to the bequeath list.
• Julie Carlton, who has been a volunteer phone operator since April 2022, has finished up. Thank you to Julie for her time and she will be missed.
• Sam Brand will be doing a presentation at the June meeting.
• The Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference will be held this year starting on 5^thAugust.
• Presentation held was focused on the ‘Wildlife Road Toll’ and ‘Virtual Fencing’. Speakers were:
  David Evert – Wildlife Safety Solutions
  Mark Hall – Council Biodiversity
  Graham Coulson – University of Melbourne
  Katherine & Leila – DEECA were in attendance for discussions

Virtual Fencing Presentation

At WRIN’s previous meeting held in February a number of speakers were invited to discuss the pros and cons of virtual fencing.  The main speakers were David Everett from Safety Solutions the company which supplies and installs the virtual fencing, Mark Hall Senior Biodiversity Officer from COGB and Graeme Coulson from University of Melbourne.

There was some conflicting evidence from the 3 speakers regarding the effectiveness of virtual fencing in decreasing roadkill of native wildlife in particular kangaroos.

Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue set up a virtual fencing trial in Anglesea which they reported as being very effective in dramatically decreasing roadkill in that area. The results from that study were disputed by Graeme Coulson who has done some modelling which indicates virtual fencing may in fact have minimal if any impact in reduction.

The general feeling from the speakers was that further, properly conducted, gold star trials are needed to test the usefulness of the fencing in keeping wildlife safe.

If the results of further trials were successful it is hoped that local governments would adopt and install the fencing in hotspots notorious for wildlife road accidents. 

WRIN needs to decide if donating money to either fully or partially conduct such a trial would be a worthwhile use of our bequeathed money.  As an organisation we are keen to spend the money in a way to ensure greatest benefit to our local wildlife. Certainly road deaths, injuries and orphans resulting from these collisions have been identified as a major area of concern in the Bendigo region. It is likely more discussion may be required at the next meeting before making a final decision.

Central Victorian Bat Alliance

CVBA has had a great start to 2025 with a very successful launch held on the 24th of January. The launch was very well attended and included talks given by president Sam Brand, Lui-Wei, Biodiversity Engagement officer with CoGB, Councillor Thomas Prince and included presentation of copies of the book ‘Life Upside Down’ to library manager Robin. It was wonderful to have so many people gathered together with a love and passion for these wonderful native creatures.

CVBA’s monthly community radio show ‘Bats and Banter’ with Phoenix FM 106.7 commenced Monday 10 Feb hosted by Michelle and Kelsey. ‘Bats and Banter’ runs between 12.30pm-1.00pm the 2nd Monday of each month. Our initial program provided an opportunity to introduce CVBA, discuss why the group was formed and why we feel it is important to provide a positive voice for our local Flying-fox population and bats in general.

Our 2nd program on Monday 11 March is themed “Bats and Banter-Myth Busters” hosted by Michelle and Julie who will look at some common myths associated with bats.

CVBA’s February meeting was to plan and discuss events to be held across the coming months and attended by CVBA supporters and guest Lu-Wei, biodiversity Engagement Officer, CoGB. We also conducted a bat-talk for St Joseph’s ecology group where topics included what do bats eat, how do bats navigate, echolocation, do bats actually fly, can bats swim, do bats try to get into our hair and what to do if a bat needs help. Group members enjoyed the talk, discussing the vital role bats play in forest pollination and seed dispersal and are committed to better ecological outcomes for bats.

There are a number of upcoming events which we are looking forward to including Bendigo Sustainability Festival Sunday 30th of March; ‘Nature in the Mall’ event Wednesday 9th of April,11am to 2pm; Bats and Banter Monday 14^th April, 12.30pm; and celebrating International Bat Appreciation Day Thursday 17^th April with Rosalind Park activities in partnership with City of Greater Bendigo.

CVBA welcomes new supporters so if you would like to be involved please contact us at secretary.cvballiance@gmail.com.  We meet monthly on the 3rd Friday at Kangaroo Flat Library with our next meeting being Friday 18th April from 12.30pm.

Also tune into Phoenix FM 106.7 on 2nd Monday each month, 12.30pm, to listen to our radio show ‘Bats and Banter.’

Wildlife – Frogs

Most frogs live in aquatic habitats for all or part of their life. Some are burrowers and live underground, under rocks, logs or I damp leaf litter. Others are tree climbers living under ark, and in cracks and hollows. Most local species spawn in slow moving or still water but some spawn in areas such as ditches that will become flooded. Egg laying is stimulated by the male climbing onto the back of the female and holding her with his front legs, a behaviour called amplexus.

As the female expels the eggs from her cloaca the male releases sperm and the eggs are fertilized. The egg cell divides many times and gradually forms a tadpole which hatches and lives in the water. Tadpoles start by feeding on microscopic organisms but as they grow they eat larger organisms, which may include plant material, insect larva, fish and even their litter mates.

Adult frogs have lungs but they also rely on their moist glandular skin for oxygen exchange. To protect this very important breathing organ form drying out and invasion by micro-organisms, causing infection, their skin secretes mucus. Many frogs also have glands that secrete distasteful and poisonous chemicals that protect them from predators. These toxins may also prove very irritable to humans especially if they come into contact with the eyes and mouth. Some frogs have very strong toxins. Care should be taken when handling all frogs.

Pupils of frogs in the region are either horizontal or vertical and one species has a cross-shaped pupil – the Peron’s Tree Frog.

Frogs can stay underwater for varying durations, from a few minutes to several months, depending on the species, activity level, and environmental conditions, with some species even hibernating underwater for extended periods. 

Frog tongues are super soft but made of powerful muscles.  Frogs can snap up their prey five times faster than you can blink.  Their softness means they can wrap tightly around their prey. As the frog targets a prey animal, they open their jaw and the extender muscle propels the tongue outwards at a rate of 4 metres per second! The retractor muscle, meanwhile, works like a bungee, bringing the tongue back into the frog’s mouth with its tasty food. To swallow, frogs suck in their eyes. This helps push food down their throats! The real secret is in their super-sticky spit.  Frog saliva is a special kind of substance known as a non-Newtonian fluid. This means it can behave both as a liquid and a solid. As the frog pulls their prey in with their tongue, the saliva hardens, ensuring their prey can’t escape.

Frogs in our region consist of the Southern Brown Tree Frog, Peron’s Tree Frog, Growling Grass Frog, Eastern Banjo Frog or Pobblebonk, Spotted Marsh Frog, Common Spadefoot Toad, Plains Froglet, Common Froglet and Bibron’s Toadlet.

Peron’s Tree Frog

The calls of frogs are a familiar noise from backyards to the bush, from love songs to battle cries, frogs use vocal communication to find mates, fight over territory and cry for help. Each frog species has a unique call and is the most reliable method of identification.