Around your reserves in 90 days

No ordinary falcon

	Photo: David Simpson.

Sightings by bird-lovers of the elusive grey falcon are always cause for celebration. Imagine how ornithologist Andrew Black felt when he spotted a young female while caretaking recently with wife Margie at Bon Bon Reserve. 'This is Australia's rarest falcon and second rarest raptor – it's the bird that every birdwatcher wants to see,' said Andrew. 'I was following a spotted harrier and then noticed the falcon trailing behind, waiting for it to flush something out.' Andrew was just as excited after spotting two adult chestnut-breasted whiteface feeding two young. 'The fact that it was an autumn breeding is particularly important.'

Happy 20th birthday Bush Heritage!

From Boolcoomatta to Bon Bon, Nardoo Hills to Cravens  Peak, the month of April put reserve managers in a  celebratory mood as they marked the beginning of our 20th  anniversary celebrations.

At Boolcoomatta, neighbours and  locals gave the tick of approval to the newly beautified  singleman's quarters and got first-hand experience of Emma  and Peter's frontline combat with the feral rabbit population  at a barbeque.

At Monjebup, guests lingered til the sun went  down after mixing slow cooking with conversation about  revegetation. And at Scottsdale, locals cooked snags while  bird-lovers from Birds Australia got out their swags and  camped under the stars in recognition of how far we've  come together in 20 years. As a Bush Heritage supporter,  you can also celebrate the tremendous role you've played in Bush Heritage's 20 years of protecting our land and wildlife.

Camel-free zone

When Bush Heritage and our wonderful supporters took over management of Ethabuka in 2004, we also inherited the historically and ecologically significant Ethabuka Spring. 'Feral camels were drinking there and trashing it,' says Reserve Manager Mark Lithgow. 'So we built an 800 m fence from steel posts and cabling to keep them out, but still let wildlife in.' The before and after shots speak for themselves.

Before: Ehabuka Springs in 2005.	After: And in 2010. What a difference!

AOK at K2C!

There's nothing quite like positive feedback to spur you on. And that's what landholders involved in conservation work in the Kosciuszko to Coast (K2C) project area received following the third Canberra Ornithological Group's K2C bird survey in April.

The survey aims to monitor birds in woodlands and grasslands where conservation work is happening. Across 25 properties, 89 species were recorded including 46 woodland-dependent species, eight waterbird species, and seven threatened species. Nine of the species have not been recorded previously in the K2C surveys.

Says Peter Saunders, Regional Reserves Manager for Bush Heritage, 'Landholders involved in this community partnership should be very proud of their efforts, and so too should all our supporters.'

War on weeds (continued...)

	A volunteer 'stabs' a wheel cactus at Nardoo Hills with herbicide. Photo: David Baker-Gabb.

Thanks to your marvellous generosity, our autumn 'War on Weeds' campaign exceeded its target, raising a total of $200,455, meaning we've been able to continue our vital work at Nardoo Hills and our other reserves.

Our Regional Reserve Manager, Peter Saunders, reports that weed control is now full steam ahead. 'At Nardoo Hills we got stuck into the horehound and wheel cactus,' says Peter. 'At Brogo, we've been hitting moth vine, tree of heaven and blackberry, which thrived after the recent rains.

At Scottsdale, with the help of Bush Heritage volunteers and Conservation Volunteers Australia, we've been managing sweet briar and African lovegrass.'

Transparency Awards

Top Ten finalist Bush Heritage is pleased to announce we have been awarded a Top Ten placing in the $5m to $20m category, in the PwC Transparency Awards, introduced to Australia in 2007 to recognise the quality and transparency of reporting in the not-for-profit sector.

This endorsement gives you the confidence to know you’re supporting a professional organisation who receives your donations with a grave sense of responsibility.