BIRDS of KILMORE, AUSTRALIA: Grey Shrike-thrush

30/04/2019

Grey Shrike-thrush

GREY SHRIKE-THRUSH

The shrike thrush is a very common bird around Kilmore. It has a beautiful voice with a huge range of songs. Gisella Kaplan, in her book 'Bird Minds' describes the "extraordinary purely tonal and varied song" of the bird.

Michael Morecombe in 'Field Guide To Australian Birds; is even more expansive. "..a rich and varied repertoire of calls and songs - high, clear and loudly ringing whistles, intermingled with mellow, musical notes and deep rich bubbly sounds."

This thrush is found over wide area, from town gardens, farmland where there are trees to forested hills.

The thrush is omnivorous in feeding habits. I see them often scratching amongst leaf litter and under logs, for the insects, small lizards and seeds. They are known to take young nestlings, frogs and mice.

This young bird was busy along a very dry creek at Willowmavin this morning. All creeks around Kiomore are dry at the moment.

It has a light band of colour along it's brow, an indication of a young bird. It was very sure of itself, continuing to feed, with just one eye on me.

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KILMORE

Kilmore is thought to be the oldest inland town in Victoria, established in 1837. The small settlement is thought to have been named Kilmore by William Rutledge, who probably desired to remember his family connections inn County Cavan Melbourne.

In 1841, William Rutledge obtained from the Government of NSW, 5120 acres of land in the now named area of Kilmore.

Kilmore is now predominately a commuter town of Melbourne. Indeed it is in danger of becoming an outlying suburb of Melbourne.

Kilmore does however retain its rural feel. It is still surrounded by farmland. There are still a number of larger family run farms as well as many smaller allotments being run as small or hobby farms.

On the eastern side of the Northern Highway, which runs through the centre of the town, is a large area of land, put aside by our early settlers for public use. This land now contains a golf course, a race track, showgrounds and a cricket ground. Adjacent to these facilities is a large area of native forest, running up to a hill, overlooking the town. Atop this hill is a blue-stone tower, built in 1924, of stones from the Kilmore Goal, to commemorate the 1924 journey of Hume and Hovell, as they mapped a route from Sydney to Port Phillip.

This is a beautiful area of eucalyptus and wattle trees, with an under-story of shrubs, grasses and in Spring, many flowers. Many native animals and birds live in the area giving the many walkers a glimpse of Kilmore as it used to be.

In the middle of the Kilmore Golf Course, is a large lake, the old Kilmore Hospital Reservoir. The lake and its surrounding trees and reeds, are always filled with large numbers of water loving birds.

Kilmore is very blessed to have been left this legacy of such beauty.

SOME VALUABLE REFERENCES

Dark Emu. Bruce Pascoe's book challenges our understandings of the aboriginal people of Australia. He tells the stories of these people as farmers and carers of the land, caring for, planting, harvesting and storing plants,managing fish stocks and building permanent stone shelters. A book to change many of your long held ideas.

A wonderful book, so full of information and such a pleasure to read.

Gould League Of Victoria

Seven book series
BIRDS OF SOUTH EASTERN AUSTRALIA
1. Urban Areas
2. Ranges
3. Oceans, Bays and Beaches
4. Inland Waters
5. The Dry Country
6. Rare Species
7. Farmlands