MELBOCA AGM 28 February 2012 & Election of Members for the BirdLife Melbourne Committee

The last MELBOCA Annual General Meeting will be held at the Evergreen Senior Citizens Centre, 45 Talbot Avenue, Balwyn, on Tuesday 28 February 2012, commencing at 8:00 pm, prior to the monthly MELBOCA Meeting.  This will be the last MELBOCA AGM, as MELBOCA will combine with the Melbourne Members of BA Victoria to form BirdLife Melbourne, the Melbourne Branch of BirdLife Australia.  The first meeting of the BirdLife Melbourne Committeeis is planned for 7:30pm Tuesday 10 April 2012 at Birdlife Australia's National Office in Carlton.  Until BirdLife Melbourne becomes operational, the current MELBOCA Committee will continue to manage MELBOCA’s business.

The BirdLife Melbourne Committee will consist of 5 to 7 Members elected by MELBOCA and 5 to 7 Members elected by the Melbourne Members of BA Victoria.  Current MELBOCA Committee Members, Andrew Fuhrmann, Bill Ramsay, Sonja Ross and John Young have nominated for election to the BirdLife Melbourne Committee. Alan Crawford has also nominated for election to the BirdLife Melbourne Committee.

Nominations are called for 5 to 7 members to serve on the BirdLife Melbourne Committee, half for a one year term and the other half for a two year term.  The term will commence when BirdLife Melbourne becomes operational. 

BirdLife Melbourne Committee Meetings will be held at BirdLife Australia’s National Office, 60 Leicester St, Carlton.  The provisional dates for BirdLife Melbourne Committee Meetings are the second Tuesday of February, April, June, August, September & December, commencing at 7:30 pm.

Publication dates of The Melbirdian have not permitted the Minutes of AGM for Year Ending 31 December 2010, President’s Report for Year Ending 31 December 2011 and Treasurer’s Report for Year Ending 31 December 2011 to be included.  Copies of these documents will be available at the AGM on 28 February 2012, or can be viewed on line.

For the Minutes of the AGM for Year Ending 31 December 2010 click here.

For the President's Report for Year Ending 31 December 2011 click here.

For the Treasurer's Report for Year Ending 31 December 2011 click here.

MELBOCA Members wishing to nominate should complete the form included in the Summer 2011 Edition of The Melbirdian and return it to Graeme Hosken, 4 Bennett Av, Mt Waverley, 3149 by 4.00 pm, 31 January 2012.  If the number of nominations exceeds the positions available, an election will be held at the AGM on 28 February 2012.  If an election is held, the election will be by a ‘show of hands’ of the members present at the AGM.  There will be no proxy votes.

MELBOCA and the Merger

MELBOCA and BA Vic Group are still meeting and working out details of how both a new Melbourne Branch of BirdLife Australia and a Victoria Region Council of BirdLife Australia will operate.  The start date for these has been deferred until early 2012 to coincide with the official launch of BirdLife Australia.

For reports of all meetings to date see below.

MELBOCA & BA Vic Group Meeting 23 January 2012

An eighth meeting was held on 23 January 2012 between MELBOCA and BA Vic Group to discuss how both groups would operate after the merger.

There will be a more discussion before the ideas becomes firm proposals, some of which may require input from BirdLife Australia's National Office and/or Board.  

The Proposal for the Formation of a BirdLife Melbourne Committee was adopted by the meeting. To view, click here

For a summary of the eighth meeting held 23/01/12 click here

F or a summary of the seventh meeting held 6/12/11 click here

For a summary of the sixth meeting held 8/11/11 click here

For a summary of the fifth meeting held 7/06/11 click here

For a summary of the fourth meeting held 15/03/11 click here

For a summary of the third meeting held 8/02/11 click here

For a summary of the second meeting held 13/12/10 click here.

For a summary of the first meeting held 16/11/10 click here.

If you wish to make some comment on or input to the above, please email MELBOCA at info@melboca.org.au

Consultation Survey Questionnaire

Members may recall the BirdLife Australia Consultation Survey Questionnaire that was completed by Branch, Region & Special Interest Group Committee Members in August 2011.

For a summary of the results of the questionnaire click here

For the report prepared by Graeme Hamilton on the decisions made by the BirdLife Australia Board in response to the survey replies, click here

Report of BirdLife Australia ‘Brand Roadshow’
4 November 2011

BirdLife Australia has conducted a series of ‘Brand Roadshows’ throughout Australia.  The sixth and final show was held at BirdLife Australia National Office on 4 November 2011.  The roadshows were for BA/BOCA Staff; BA/BOCA Region, Branch and SIG Committee Members; and BA/BOCA reserves/observatories & sanctuaries to introduce them to the BirdLife Australia Brand.

The meeting on 4 November was attended by representatives from several BOCA Victorian & Murray River Branches, BA Vic Group and SIGs as well as the BA South Australia Group and Gluepot Reserve.  MELBOCA’s representatives who attended the meeting were Janet Hand, Daphne Hards, Bill Ramsay & John Young.

Jess McVicar, Merger Manager, gave a presentation that revealed our new brand and included:

• The BirdLife Australia Logo
• How the logo would be modified for BirdLife Regions, Branches & SIGs
• The new BirdLife Australia stationery and how it is to be used by BirdLife Australia, Regions, Branches & SIGs
• A colour palette giving a range of colours for use with all BirdLife Australia, Region, Branch & SIG produced documents
• Sample brochures, newsletters etc incorporating the above.

BirdLife Australia Regions, Branches & SIGs will be provided with templates and a style guide for the production of their brochures, information sheets, newsletters etc.

BirdLife Australia Region, Branch & SIG Websites will be accessed from the BirdLife Australia Website.  There will be some uniformity in their presentation.  Over the coming months the MELBOCA Website will be modified accordingly to become the BirdLife Melbourne Website.

Unfortunately we can’t display the new logo at this stage but it will soon be on show as BirdLife Australia becomes operational on 1 January 2012 and works towards the official launch of BirdLife Australia around March 2012.

MELBOCA AGM 27 September 2011

The fifth MELBOCA AGM was held at the Evergreen Senior Citizens Centre, at 8:00 pm, on 27 September 2011, prior to the normal Monthly Meeting.

Graeme Hosken, MELBOCA President, chaired the meeting.

32 members were present and 10 apologies were received.

The President’s Report and Treasurer’s Report, both of which had been circulated to MELBOCA Members in the August 2011 edition of The Melbirdian, were confirmed by the meeting.

Sunny Fernie retired from the MELBOCA Committee. Daphne Hards was the only volunteer to join the MELBOCA Committee, and wasa duly appointed. The MELBOCA Committee will remain until early 2012 when a new Melbourne Branch Committee of BirdLife Australia will be elected. The Melbourne Branch of BirdLife Australia will probably be known as BirdLife Melbourne. 

The date of the next MELBOCA AGM, which will be the last, is undecided. When known the date will be shown on the MELBOCA Website and included in The Melbirdian.

Australian Ravens: How close to Melbourne are they found?

Ren Millsom, a member of Andrew Silcocks’ team, reviewing data posted to Birdata amongst other things, has sent the following note.

“We have recently had cause to review all Australian Raven records in the greater Melbourne area.  In starting this review, we asked very experienced observers resident in Melbourne for advice. None could recall ever hearing this raven in the Melbourne area (one had two personal records supported by documentation over 12 years ago) and also were doubtful about the presence of this raven on the grass plains west of Melbourne stretching to Geelong. A common theme is that the Australian Raven prefers large heavily timbered areas eg the Dandenongs, Brisbane Ranges and avoids urban areas.

All acknowledged that there is a fair degree of difficulty amongst observers in separating Australian and Little Ravens. People hear Little Ravens give their long-drawn-out note and assume they must be Australian Ravens (though the calls are quite different really). Some popular field guides do not even mention this drawn-out call of the Little Raven.  Both ravens have throat hackles and using this to separate them is considered not reliable.

But HANZAB vol 7, page 692 states - Australian Raven call "powerful, high-pitched and slow, usually ending with a drawn-out, far-carrying and strong wail". Little Raven (in part) "while call often ends with a drawn-out descending somewhat wailing note, it differs . . . by being much lower and shorter". We also refer you to the BOCA CD No 9 which gives both calls, including the shorter wail of the Little Raven."

So to all Melbourne Birders, especially MELBOCA Outings Leaders, please pay particular attention to sightings of ravens in the Melbourne and Outer Melbourne Area to make sure they are recorded correctly. 

If anybody does have a sighting of Australian Raven close to Melbourne, please contact Ren Millsom at Birds Australia, Tel: 9347 0757 or Email: r.millsom@birdsaustralia.com.au

Backyard Birds

Many MELBOCA Members have a backyard or a park nearby, and may have recorded bird species seen at such sites. Graeme Hosken has recorded birds seen in his garden for 46 years. Now is your opportunity to share this information.

This is not a competition, but an 'of interest' exercise. Nominating a 'highlight' will also be of interest - in Graeme's case a Crested Shrike-tit seen about 30 years ago.

Please download the proforma, enter your sightings, and email to Graeme at info@melboca.org.au The following information is requested: Site Name, From Date, Abundance, Status, Breeding & Habitat. If you don't have information on the latter four items, just insert a X beside each species seen. The information received will be summarised and included in The Melbirdian.

If you have any queries, please contact Graeme at Tel: 9802 5250 or info@melboca.org.au