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Backyard Wildlife

November 22, 2006, 4:55 pm betterhomesgardens

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Create a fauna haven in your backyard. Here are essential wildlife contacts for Australia.

Flora for fauna

Check out the new flora for fauna website - a national initiative of Australia's Nursery and Garden Industry supported by the Federal Government's Natural Heritage Trust. Developed in partnership with the Gould League.

Download resource material and understand more about the interaction between animals and plants. You can bring your world alive - on a balcony, up and down your neighbourhood street or in the backyard!

General information

Book: The Nestbox Book by Jim Grant shows how to create nesting boxes for birds, bats, possums and gliders. (Gould League of Victoria) $10.95 plus p&h, (03) 9532 0909.

Clubs:
Gould League encourages the care of wildlife. Join for $11/year, (03) 9532 0909

www.gould.edu.au

Australian Conservation Foundation Join for $49/year, 1800 332 510
www.acfonline.org.au

Website: Australian Museum www.austmus.gov.au

Birds

Books:
Simpson & Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (Penguin) $35.

Attracting Birds to your Garden by John Dengate (New Holland) $32.95.

Club:
Birds Australia, $62/year, 1300 730 075

www.birdsaustralia.com.au

Website:

http://155.187.10.12/anbg/birds.html allows you to hear the calls of many of the birds shown in this booklet.

Lizards

Book:

Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia by Harold Cogger (New Holland) $104.

Websites: www.parklane.com.au/austext/ schools/webreptiles.htm www.parklane.com.au

Frogs

Books:
A Field Guide to Australian Frogs helps you identify native frogs. By John Barker, Gordon Grigg and Michael Tyler (Surrey Beatty & Sons) $39.80.

Green guide: Frogs of Australia by Gerry Swan (New Holland) $16.95.

Clubs:

Frog and Tadpole Study Group,call 0419 249 728.

Website:

www.asxfrogfocus.com includes a step by-step guide on how to build your own frog pond. Enter the word 'pond' in the blank search section.

Marsupials and other mammals

Common visitors to home gardens include the bandicoot, antechinus, echidna, wombat, native bush rat, swamp rat, feathertail glider, pygmy possum, micro bats and flying foxes.

Books:
The Mammals of Australia edited by Ronald Strahan (Australian Museum and New Holland) $104.

Australian Bats, an excellent guide by Sue Churchill (New Holland) $32.95.

Club:
Australian Koala Foundation. Join for $30/year, $15 for children, (07) 3229 7233

www.savethekoala.com

Get Involved:

The Australian Koala Foundation runs a program which allows you to foster a koala from $15 per month. Phone (07) 3229 7233.

Butterflies

Books:
Butterflies of Australia by Michael F Braby (CSIRO) $195. Members of the Butterfly & Other Invertebrates Club Inc can purchase this book for $156 plus p&h from Earthling Enterprises (07) 3844 6677.
Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden by Densey Clyne (New Holland) $23.95.

Butterfly Magic: Bring back the Birdwing and other butterflies to our backyards by Helen Schwencke and Frank Jordan. A guide for gardeners from north-east NSW to south-east Qld. Mail order from Earthling Enterprises, $10 inc p&h, (07) 3844 6677.

Poster:

A poster featuring 10 swallowtail butterflies, their caterpillars and host plants. Available from the Butterfly & Other Invertebrates Club Inc, $12 plus $5 p&h, (07) 3206 6229.

Clubs:

Butterfly & Other Invertebrates Club Inc is based in north-east NSW and south-east Old but welcomes members from around the country. Members receive book discounts. Join for $12/year, (07) 3206 6229.

Butterfly Conservation South Australia offers a $10/year membership, (08) 8389 2352,

www.birdsaustralia.com.au

Keep an eye out for the new `Flora for Fauna' logo (not shown) due out November 2001. This initiative will help you identify plants which attract wildlife. It'll make your next visit to the local garden centre or nursery that much easier.

Other useful contacts

Australian Plants Society NSW (02) 9621 3437
www.ozemail.com.au/-sgap/ www.ozemail.com.au Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) 1800 641 188

www.wires.au.com

State government wildlife agencies:
NSW

National Parks and Wildlife Service (02) 9585 6444
www.npws.nsw.gov.au

VIC
Department of Natural Resources and Environment 13 61 86

www.nre.vic.gov.au

QLD
Environmental Protection Agency (07) 3227 7111

www.env.qld.gov.au

NT
Parks and Wildlife Commission of NT (08) 8999 4555

www.nt.gov.au/paw/

WA
Department of Conservation and Land Management (08) 9334 0333

www.naturebase.net

ACT
Environment ACT (02) 6207 9777