‘Vindicated’: Conservationists celebrate Spring Creek valley wildlife sightings

A RECENT Australian owlet-nightjar sighting in Spring Creek valley has conservationists celebrating the success of ongoing restoration works in the area, and the diversity of the species that now call it home.

Surf Coast Energy Group’s Graeme Stockton said sightings like this “vindicated” the community’s view of the importance of the ecology of Spring Creek Valley as a critical habitat for a whole range of species, including woodland hollow dependent species, like the owl-nightjar.

“The community, right from the get-go, has tried to tell the authorities, local government, state government, how significant the ecology was of Spring Creek and the stuff we’re finding out now has really vindicated all that work,” he said.

“The more we find out about Spring Creek, the more exciting it gets.”

The Geelong Field Naturalists have been assisting the Surf Coast Energy Group to track and record all the species living in the valley, as part of the community group’s 100-year plan to boost biodiversity and establish the habitat conditions necessary for different wildlife species to move into and expand their range across the coast.

A nocturnal species, the Australian owlet-nightjar typically roosts in hollow branches to evade potential predators, alternating between up to five different hollows across its territory.

“That’s just one bird at any one time. You can imagine, there are over 300 hollow dependent species across Australia, many of them in temperate woodlands like Spring Creek valley, so that just gives you an idea of how many hollows are required to provide a sustainable landscape for many of our woodland species,” Stockton said.

 

 

“Because Spring Creek valley supports a whole range of mature remnant Bellarine yellow gums, it’s now providing that essential habitat for a whole range of species, which we’re now documenting.”

The purpose of this documenting, he said, was to act as a communication piece with the broader community to show that the green break between Bellbrae and Jan Juc is more than a series of agricultural fields, it’s an “amazing ecosystem”.

“I hope that people can see Spring Creek valley in a whole different light and importantly, we’re wanting to work with the private landholders to build on what’s there and to expand it as part of this critical habitat which also links into the Otway Ranges,” Stockton said.

Among the other species spotted recently in Spring Creek valley is the highly secretive Lewin’s rail and several microbats, which were captured using audio equipment despite evading the harp nets that had been put in place for the study.

“Luckily we didn’t just rely on the harp nets as we caught nothing. However, the audio recorder picked up over 5,000 calls and we could see them flying up and back along the creek corridor,” Stockton said.

“It’s really, for me, quite amazing to see what we’ve got in our backyard.”