VCE Environmental Science

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The Helmeted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops subspecies cassidix) is Victoria’s bird emblem and a critically endangered species. At it’s worst, the population dipped to fewer than 60, and yesterday 13 captive-bred fledgling birds were released into the Bunyip State Park. The birds were reared through a breeding program at Healesville Sanctuary and Sydney’s Taronga Conservation Society, Australia to prevent extinction.

Dozens of the young honeyeaters were rushed to Melbourne Zoo during February, when Healesville was under threat from the Victorian bushfires. The Black Saturday blaze in the Bunyip State Park also burned within about 200 metres of the local honeyeater colony at their most vulnerable time, during the breeding season.

More information about the conservation program from Melbourne Zoo; Australian Government National Recovery Program; species profile and threats and general information about the biology, habitat and behaviour.

Image from Google Earth – copied and resized in Irfanview

This is an aerial view of the Western District Lakes, between Camperdown and Winchelsea in the western district of Victoria. These saline lakes are one of Australia’s 65 important RAMSAR wetlands sites - areas designated as wetlands of international importance due to their ecological, botanical, zoological, limnological or hydrological importance.

The Western District Lakes are important geomorphic features of a basaltic landscape. Water regimes vary both seasonally and annually so at any time the various lakes range from fresh to hypersaline. They support large numbers of mainly non-breeding waterbirds and are particularly important during periods of widespread drought and as moulting sites for some species.

Work in a group to create a table showing each of the lakes and the conservation categories of  bird and other notable flora and fauna species at each site. Go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcdxvn6b_7f4bq6phd and add your data to the spread sheet.

At Hawkesdale P12 College we have been extremely lucky to have Tracey Gray, a student teacher, working with us for five weeks over the semester. She has had many previous roles in conservation and land management, including working with the Orange Bellied Parrot Recovery Program, in south-west Victoria. She presented a slideshow to students for their Unit 3 studies. This critically endangered bird (there are only about 200 breeding adults left in the wild) start to migrate to Victoria from Tasmania in May each year.