From: James.Bannan@f369.n633.z3.fidonet.org (James Bannan)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.science
Subject: Global Environmental Watch
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 92 14:03:46 PST
Organization: FidoNet node 3:633/369 - City Limits BBS, Boronia Vic

DATE:  10 October 1992
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GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT WATCH
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Global Environment Watch was conceived to link people around the world to share their experiences and observations of the environment immediately around them.
It doesn't require anyone to be an expert, just prepared to write what they see.
The more we share the more we come to know about the global village of planet earth.
You may find things very similar or very different, or you may just find out more about where you live.  Whatever it is, share it with the rest of us.
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LOCATION
Suburb of Ringwood; City of Melbourne; State of Victoria; Australia
Latitude: 37o 47 ' South.   Longitude 145o14' East
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STUDY AREA
My backyard and Ringwood Lake.
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THE WEATHER
We have been having a number of coldfronts coming through.  Spring here always tends to be wet and windy, but this year has been wetter than normal.  Even in outback central Australia where it has been reported they have in drought for 5 years has experienced rain.  They are having holiday trips into the outback to show the wonderful wildflower display that our deserts are turning on just at the moment.  The bits they have shown on TV have been magnificent.
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The weather at this time of the year normally follows of roughly weekly cycle of rain for a couple of days, improving to a nice fine sunny sunny day to deteriorating back to the rainy day.  At the moment though it is just wet, wet, wet.
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THE PLANTS
The daisies in the garden are all in bloom.  There are pinks, whites and yellows.  The make a lovely display.  The apple trees in the backyard are just starting to bloom.  The larger buds are starting first.  I've watched the apples bloom for years and I don't know if the flowers bloom before the leaves or the other way round.  We will have to have a closer look at that this year.
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The Black Wattles (maybe they are Silver Wattles - l'll have to check that as well) have just about finished their yellow blooms for this year.  The lake was full of dropped flowers.  The pollen from the flowers is really bad for some hayfever suffers here.  Some of the other natives are coming out into bloom now.  The Grevilleas, Callistemon and bottlebrushes are some of my favorite plants with their red hairy flowers brush through with yellow against the pale green of the leaves.
THE BIRDS
There  have been a few birds around the neighbour. Noisy miners and red wattle birds will have a feast on the native flowers that are coming into bloom. The Grevilleas are a favorite of the Red watties as the do acrobats to get into the flowers that just dribble with sweet nector.   There have been two pied cormorants and a Great black Cormorant at the lake.  Normally means that they have stocked the lake with fish again.  I didn't see them the next day, maybe the pickings were slender.  Ringwood Lake in n




ot much more than a reclaimed bog from years ago, still it is a nice place to go for a gentle walk.
The Welcome Swallows at the school oval will have to nest in a new location this year as the verandah they use to nest under has been walled in to for a new room on the sports building.  I haven't found their new spot yet but they still hang around the general same area as in previous years. I understand they tend to mate for life.
Looks like the plovers have nested on top of the gym, they are mad birds.  They either nest on a roof or an open field but I can't say that they actually build a nest. Trouble about a roof is that sometimes the chick walks off the edge.
The Black Swan at the lake is a little unfriendly at the moment.  He was brought to the lake with a female companion years ago, or so I'm told, except his mate didn't like the neighbour and duly flew home again.  Maybe she had another boyfriend.  Anyway, the male stayed but he his having a go at the dogs that are walked around the lake.  My Border Collie was barking at him.  I warned Patches, but did she listen, no ! She got nipped right on the snout.  Swans have a very long neck (about 40 cm) and this has




 distinct advance in a fight. The swan swam all around the lake after the dog, waddled out and then it was a stand off until powl! right on the nose.  Swans have three toed fully webbed feet which makes them very strong swimmers (or are they paddlers?).
The wood ducks are in greater numbers this year.  I think a number of the brood from last year are back at the lake.  The lake isnt very big but it has a lot of visitors for picnics.  Last year I saw a brood of 15 chicks and most of them survived.  This year I have seen one brood of four chicks. They would each fit inside a tennis ball at the moment and they have no wings to speak of.  I think they are about a week old.  Their parents are very protective and take them out into the middle of the lake when a




nyone or thing comes near.  The lake would hardly be 100 metres across at its widest point.  Most of it is much less.
THE ANIMALS
I saw the big old european carp again in the lake.  It must be also a legend in it s own lifetime.  We have a lot of social fishing in the lake, particularly families when they come on picnics, that is why the local council often put fish into the lake.  I have a few people who have tried to catch it and failed.  Carp are a problem in Australia because they breed quickly and stir the waterways into a muddy reflection of their former clear water selves.  They not as good to eat as some of the other varietie




s and it is an offence to throw carp back into the river.
THE MINI-BEASTS
Well, I know summer is coming.  I have maggots in my worm farm. Gross!  I haven't had any maggots all year till now.  I think I let them grow and then use them for fish bait when I go fishing with my uncle.  Everything is so damp that the minibeasts are thriving at the moment.  When the hot weather comes ad the undergrowth dries off a bit, the minibeasts will reduce in number. Just about under everything you lift up in the backyard has these little jumping bugs.  Normally they are about 2 -3 millimetres in




 size but things mus the good because they are somewhat larger.  They actually don't jump, they are called Springtails.  They curl their tails up and then quickly flick it out.  This propels them great distances (30 - 50 cm) and then they can escape by crawling under a rock. leaf litter or log.
Gotta tell you some news.  I found a bull ants nest near the High School (big deal you say).  You want to see the size of these ants. Its not how many ants to the centimetre but how many centimetres to the ant.  AND THEY'RE MEAN LOOKING !!!!!.  They are nearly 2 cm long and have fierce pinchers on their heads.  The nest has about half a dozen openings in a metre diameter.  I can't recall seeing bull ants in that area before.  I wonder if one catch a ride in someone's car, or has been blown here on the wind




s we've been having lately.
Some of the wattles are showing the signs of mite attack.  The leaves develop  a bubble or swelling on the leaves inside which the mite lives.  I don't know a lot about them.  I should check this out further sometime.
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Cheers for now  Jimbo Down Under.


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