Melbourne Water has extended BOCA/BirdLife Australia's contract to survey ten sites for a further year, commencing January 2012. When access is available, Rigby's Wetlands, Scoresby, Melway Map 72, Grid D10 will become the eleventh site.

Melbourne Water’s objective was to instigate standardised monthly surveys of bird communities for ten constructed urban wetlands in the Dandenong Valley Catchment and to monitor bird behaviour at these sites through a collaborative scheme with a community bird watching organisation in order to:

• explore the usefulness of bird communities as indicators of environmental conditions at these wetlands,

• determine which birds are attracted to urban wetlands constructed to treat stormwater runoff, and

• develop and strengthen relations with bird watching organisations and increase their awareness of Melbourne Water’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and management activities.

BOCA was successful in winning the contract to carry out these surveys.  Members of MELBOCA and BAYBOCA are carrying out the field work. Initially PENBOC was surveying 2 sites, but these sites are now being surveyed by MELBOCA.

The surveys commenced in June 2007 and are conducted at monthly intervals.

The surveys will complement Melbourne Water’s existing bird survey programs at a number of natural wetlands in the Dandenong Valley Catchment, and provide Melbourne Water with valuable information on which birds are using the constructed and natural wetlands, and how they might use different wetlands for different purposes or periods.  

The ten sites being surveyed are:

• Frog Hollow Wetland, Eumemmerring Creek (Melway Map 91 Grid G9) – MELBOCA Site No 1 (Leader: Bill Ramsay.

• Kilberry Boulevard, Hampton Park East Drain (Melway Map 96 Grid H9) – MELBOCA Site No 2 (Leader: Graeme Hosken)

• River Gum Creek Reserve, Hampton Park East Drain (Melway Map 96 Grid H9) – MELBOCA Site No 3 (Leader: Graeme Hosken)

• South of Golf Links Road (Melway Map 110 Grid F11) – MELBOCA Site No 4 (Leader: Ruth Ackie)
  
  
• Hallam Valley Road, tributary to Eumemmmering Creek (Melway Map 95 Grid K3) - MELBOCA Site No 5 (Leader: Arthur Carew)
  
  
• Waterford Wetlands, tributary to Monbulk Creek (Melway Map 73 Grid C10) – MELBOCA Site No 6 (Leader: John Bosworth)

• Hallam Valley Floodplain Wetland, Troups Creek (Melway Map 96 Grid K5) – formerly a PENBOC Site, now MELBOCA Site No 7 (Leader: John Bosworth)
  
  
• Springvale Road Wetland, Mordialloc Creek (Melway Map 93 Grid G4) – formerly a PENBOC Site. now MELBOCA Site No 8 (Leader: Victor Poke)
  
  
• Rigby's Wetlands, Scoresby (Melway Map 72 Grid D10) - will become MELBOCA Site No 9 when access is made available by Melbourne Water.
  
  
• Heatherton Road North (Melway Map 90 Grid H2) – a BAYBOCA Site

• Heatherton Road South (Melway Map 90 Grid J4) – a BAYBOCA Site
  

For the latest MELBOCA Melbourne Water Survey Summary of Sightings please click here

The surveys are to be commenced by 9:00 am at monthly intervals and are to be carried out on the day by at least two people.  Ideally each site will have a team of about four people to ensure that there are always at least two people available to carry out the survey on a given day.  MELBOCA needs extra volunteers to build up team numbers for MELBOCA’s sites.  Persons who would like to participate in the surveys please contact Graeme Hosken, MELBOCA Melbourne Water Wetlands Bird Surveys Coordinator, (Tel: 9802 5250 or info@melboca.org.au).

Frog Hollow Wetland view
Photographs by Bill Ramsay