BirdLife Melbourne

Bird Observation & Conservation Australia and Birds Australia merged to form a new organisation called BirdLife Australia, as from 1 January 2012. MELBOCA and the Melbourne Members of BA Vic Group will come together to form BirdLife Melbourne, the Melbourne Branch of BirdLife Australia in early 2012. This website will be revised in accordance with the merger program.

The BirdLife Melbourne Logo is:

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MELBOCA is the Melbourne branch of
Bird Observation & Conservation Australia

All BOCA members with a postal address that has a postcode within 50 km of Melbourne GPO (excluding the Bellarine Peninsula) are considered to be MELBOCA members

Join MELBOCA by joining BOCA. Click here to find out more about how to join BOCA.  There is no additional membership fee for BOCA members to join MELBOCA

Note: All bird photographs on this website are of species that have been seen within 150 km of Melbourne

Taxonomy

English names for species and taxonomic order used on this website are now in accordance with Christidis & Boles 2008. If you spot any errors in names or order, please let us know.

A Note for Birders Visiting the WTP

• Late last year, BOCA received a disturbing email from Melbourne Water that has been forwarded to MELBOCA. Melbourne Water manages water levels at the Western Treatment Plant to provide the right habitat conditions for birds at the WTP. This includes drawing down water levels to provide shorebird habitat for a brief period over spring and to allow plant growth to promote 'duck food' when the ponds are flooded in late summer, the time of expected peak duck numbers. Unfortunately some person or persons have interferred with this water level management by removing boards holding back water levels and opening valves to let water back into ponds being drained. Melbourne Water suspects that this unauthorised activity is by birders visiting the WTP. It should be obvious to birders that there should be no tampering with Melbourne Water's water level management. THIS MEANS, LEAVE THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE.

It is a privilege for birders to visit the WTP. Noncompliance with Melbourne Water's requests could lead to end the opportunity for birders to visit this fantastic birding site.

What's New?

• MELBOCA & The Merger: For the latest information go to the MELBOCA News Page. MELBOCA & BA Vic Group plan to have their representatives on the BirdLife Melbourne Committee decided for the first meeting to take place on 10 April 2012
  
  
• Eastern Treatment Plant Survey: Following the merger, MELBOCA/BirdLife Melbourne is now participating in the Eastern Treatment Plant Surveys that have been carried out by Mike Carter since 1975. For more details go to the Eastern Treatment Plant Survey Page
  
  
• Save the Murray: MELBOCA has received an email from Environment Victoria expresing concern about the revised Draft Plan for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Readers of The Bird Observer may recall that in the February 2011 edition, page 14, BOCA outlined the main points of the joint submission made by BOCA/BA on the Guide to the Proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan released in early 2011.
  For more information on Environment Victoria's views and suggested actions, check out their website http://www.environmentvictoria.org.au/save-the-murray   
  
  
• Tawny Frogmouths: Many MELBOCA Members will remember that Marian Weaving, PhD Candidate from Deakin University has been monitoring breeding Tawny Frogmouths in the Melbourne area. Currently she is monitoring 54 breeding pairs. The project is continuing and has been extended to include roosting birds. Marian is seeking locations of additional breeding pairs and roosting birds. If you know of any, please contact Marian at mweaving@deakin.edu.au or 0438 315 333.
  
  
• Australian Raven: How close to Melbourne are they?
  For more information go to the MELBOCA News Page.
  
  
• New photos for species seen on MELBOCA Outings: The photos linked to species seen on MELBOCA Outings have been added to and upgraded. They can be checked out by viewing the numerous sites visited on MELBOCA Outings on the Recent Outings Page. Of the 260 species seen on outings to date, there are now links to photographs of 243 of these species.
  

• A new page, MELBOCA Photography Group has been created. Sonja Ross is managing this page. Check out this page and its links for some great photos and more information about the MELBOCA Photography Group and its activities.
  
  
• Have you kept records of birds seen in your garden or a local park? If so, and you are prepared to share this information, go to the Backyard Birds section on the MELBOCA News Page.
  
  

Members' photographs on this website

All photos displayed on this website have been taken by MELBOCA Members.  We are gradually building up a library of photos to supplement the information on the website and assist with bird identification.  However, we ask all photographers who have good quality digital photos of any of bird species listed below, to please make them available for display on the MELBOCA Website.  Please contact Damian Kelly or Bill Ramsay, info@melboca.org.au if you would like to assist. If you have better photos of any of the existing photos linked to species we would also be grateful to receive them.

Photos are required for the following species, all of which have been seen on Recent MELBOCA Outings: Fork-tailed Swift, Short-tailed Shearwater, Intermediate Egret, Little Eagle, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet, Variegated Fairy-wren, Large-billed Scrubwren, White-throated Gerygone, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Fuscous Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Forest Raven, Leaden Flycatcher, Satin Flycatcher & Black-faced Monarch.

Thanks to John Barkla and others who have recently provided photos for species seen on MELBOCA Outings. We only need another 18 species to have all 263 species seen on outings to date covered.

The MELBOCA Committee thanks the following photographers who have generously made photos available:

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