Ocean Grove Nature Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Ocean Grove Nature Reserve is a rectangular, 1.43 km2 nature reserve
next to the town of Ocean Grove
and 25 km south-east of the city of Geelong
, on the Bellarine Peninsula
, Victoria, Australia. It contains the only significant remnant of native woodland
on the Bellarine Peninsula as it was prior to European settlement and the extensive land clearing
that ensued. It is surrounded by agricultural
land and a housing estate and is managed by Parks Victoria
. Records of its birdlife illustrate the changes occurring in an isolated woodland remnant.
and its President, Jack Wheeler. The aim was to launch an appeal for funds to acquire an uncleared block of privately owned bushland
to protect it from development, with the funds raised enabling the purchase of an initial 81 ha. The reserve was opened to the public in 1971. In 1973 an adjacent 62 ha of partly cleared land, now the eastern section of the reserve, was purchased.
Since the reserve was established, management actions have included the construction of a central wetland
and walking tracks, as well as bird hide
s, an information centre, carpark and picnic ground. The woodland has become denser. There has been damage both from deliberately-lit fires
and from the construction of breaks
for fire control. A period of drought
in 2000-2003 killed many eucalypts, following which flowering has been less prolific and large concentrations of honeyeater
s have decreased.
woodland with Austral Grasstree
s, Coastal Manna Gums, Drooping Sheoak
s, and the endangered Bellarine form of Yellow Gum
. Black Sheoak
s, Black Wattles, Golden Wattles, Prickly Hedge Wattle
s, Coast Tea-tree
s and Silver Banksia
s are scattered through the reserve. In a plant list of 178 species, some 22 kinds of orchid have been recorded.
, Swamp Wallabies
and Short-beaked Echidna
s. Common Ringtail
and Brushtail Possums
s, as well as a variety of bats
, are active at night. Koala
s are sometimes seen. Reptiles present are Lowland Copperhead
s and several lizards, including Blue-tongued Skinks and Jacky Dragon
s. A notable invertebrate formerly present was the endangered lycaenid butterfly, the Small Ant-blue
; it is believed to be extinct in the reserve as a result of habitat disturbance.
since its inception. An article in the Geelong Bird Report for 2004 analysed records of birds in the reserve for the period 1970-2005. It contains an annotated list of 167 species, with 57 of them confirmed as having bred there. Birds that used to occur in the reserve but have become extinct, not only there but throughout the Bellarine Peninsula, are the Bush Stone-curlew
and Grey-crowned Babbler
. Other birds that have declined or disappeared over the 35-year period studied include White-throated Treecreeper
s, Buff-rumped Thornbill
s, Scarlet Robin
s, Varied Sittella
s and Restless Flycatcher
s, all species of woodland habitats. Birds that have become established in and around the reserve, or increased in numbers over the period, include Collared Sparrowhawk
s, Little Corella
s, Red-rumped Parrot
s, Noisy Miner
s, the introduced
Spotted Dove
s, European Greenfinch
es and Common Myna
s, as well as, with the construction of the reserve’s wetland and other nearby waterpoints, various waterbirds. The authors of the report comment:
However, the reserve is still important as a stopover in the local and migratory movements of some birds, including the subspecies
of Striated Pardalote
, Grey Fantail
and Silvereye
that breed in Tasmania
. Other birds that pass through the reserve, or visit it seasonally, are Rufous Fantail
s, Flame Robin
s, Yellow-faced
and White-naped Honeyeater
s, and Mistletoebird
s.
The authors of the report conclude:
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
next to the town of Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove, Victoria
Ocean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2006 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 11,274.-History:...
and 25 km south-east of the city of Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
, on the Bellarine Peninsula
Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula separates Port Phillip from Bass Strait...
, Victoria, Australia. It contains the only significant remnant of native woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
on the Bellarine Peninsula as it was prior to European settlement and the extensive land clearing
Land clearing in Australia
Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation and in Australia. Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of...
that ensued. It is surrounded by agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
land and a housing estate and is managed by Parks Victoria
Parks Victoria
-Department:Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 1998 makes Parks Victoria responsible for managing national parks, reserves and other land under the control of the state,...
. Records of its birdlife illustrate the changes occurring in an isolated woodland remnant.
History
The origins of the reserve go back to the formation of a committee in 1962, at the instigation of the Geelong Field Naturalists ClubGeelong Field Naturalists Club
The Geelong Field Naturalists Club is an Australian regional amateur scientific natural history and conservation society which was founded in 1961 by Trevor Pescott...
and its President, Jack Wheeler. The aim was to launch an appeal for funds to acquire an uncleared block of privately owned bushland
Bushland
Bushland is any area in Australia that is predominantly indigenous flora and fauna.Bushland is the term commonly used by conservation protection groups and other environmental groups as a blanket term for natural vegetation, which may cover any kind of habitat from open shrubby country with few...
to protect it from development, with the funds raised enabling the purchase of an initial 81 ha. The reserve was opened to the public in 1971. In 1973 an adjacent 62 ha of partly cleared land, now the eastern section of the reserve, was purchased.
Since the reserve was established, management actions have included the construction of a central wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
and walking tracks, as well as bird hide
Bird hide
A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...
s, an information centre, carpark and picnic ground. The woodland has become denser. There has been damage both from deliberately-lit fires
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
and from the construction of breaks
Firebreak
A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon...
for fire control. A period of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
in 2000-2003 killed many eucalypts, following which flowering has been less prolific and large concentrations of honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
s have decreased.
Flora and fauna
Flora
Vegetation communities present include areas of eucalyptEucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
woodland with Austral Grasstree
Xanthorrhoea australis
Xanthorrhoea australis, the Grass-tree or Black Boy is a unique Australian plant. It is the most commonly seen species of the genus Xanthorrhoea . Its fire-blackened trunk can grow up to several metres tall and is often branched...
s, Coastal Manna Gums, Drooping Sheoak
Allocasuarina verticillata
Allocasuarina verticillata or drooping sheoak is a nitrogen fixing native tree of southeastern Australia. Originally collected in Tasmania and described as Casuarina verticillata by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1786, it was moved to its current genus in 1982 by Australian botanist...
s, and the endangered Bellarine form of Yellow Gum
Eucalyptus leucoxylon
Eucalyptus leucoxylon, commonly known as the Yellow Gum, Blue Gum or White Ironbark, is a small to medium-sized tree with rough bark on the lower 1-2 metres of the trunk, above this, the bark becomes smooth with a white, yellow or bluish-grey surface...
. Black Sheoak
Allocasuarina littoralis
Allocasuarina littoralis or Black Sheoak is an endemic medium-sized Australian tree . A...
s, Black Wattles, Golden Wattles, Prickly Hedge Wattle
Acacia paradoxa
Acacia paradoxa is a plant in the Fabaceae family. Its common names include kangaroo thorn, prickly wattle, hedge wattle and paradox acacia. This is a large shrub up to 3 metres tall and wide. It is dense with foliage; the leaves are actually enlarged petioles known as phyllodes. They are crinkly...
s, Coast Tea-tree
Leptospermum laevigatum
Leptospermum laevigatum, commonly known as the Coastal Tea Tree is a woody shrub or small tree of the myrtaceae family native to eastern Australia. Salt-resistant and very hardy, it is commonly used in amenities plantings and coastal plantings. it has also been used in Western Australia where it...
s and Silver Banksia
Banksia marginata
Banksia marginata, commonly known as the Silver Banksia, is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant genus Banksia found throughout much of southeastern Australia. It ranges from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, to north of Armidale, New South Wales, and across Tasmania and the islands...
s are scattered through the reserve. In a plant list of 178 species, some 22 kinds of orchid have been recorded.
Fauna
Mammals recorded from the reserve include Red-necked WallabiesRed-necked Wallaby
The Red-necked Wallaby is a medium-sized marsupial macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.- Description :...
, Swamp Wallabies
Swamp Wallaby
The Swamp Wallaby is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the Black Wallaby, with other names including Black-tailed Wallaby, Fern Wallaby, Black Pademelon, Stinker , and Black Stinker...
and Short-beaked Echidna
Short-beaked Echidna
The short-beaked echidna , also known as the spiny anteater because of its diet of ants and termites, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus Tachyglossus...
s. Common Ringtail
Common Ringtail Possum
The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers and fruits. These dietary factors have, over time, aided burgeoning introduced populations in New Zealand...
and Brushtail Possums
Common Brushtail Possum
The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
s, as well as a variety of bats
Microbat
The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera . They are most often referred to by their scientific name...
, are active at night. Koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s are sometimes seen. Reptiles present are Lowland Copperhead
Lowland Copperhead
The lowland copperhead or lowlands copperhead is a venomous snake species in the family Elapidae. It is commonly referred to as the copperhead, but is not closely related to the American copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix...
s and several lizards, including Blue-tongued Skinks and Jacky Dragon
Amphibolurus muricatus
The Jacky Dragon, Amphibolurus muricatus, is a type of lizard native to Southeastern Australia. It was one of the first Australian reptiles to be named, originally described by English zoologist George Shaw in Surgeon-General White’s Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, which was published in...
s. A notable invertebrate formerly present was the endangered lycaenid butterfly, the Small Ant-blue
Acrodipsas myrmecophila
The Small Ant-blue is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in the south-east of Australia.The wingspan is about 25 mm. The larvae feed on the larvae of the ant species Papyrius nitidus. The butterfly features on the logo of the Geelong Field Naturalists Club.-External links:*...
; it is believed to be extinct in the reserve as a result of habitat disturbance.
Birds
The reserve has been popular with birdwatchersBirdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
since its inception. An article in the Geelong Bird Report for 2004 analysed records of birds in the reserve for the period 1970-2005. It contains an annotated list of 167 species, with 57 of them confirmed as having bred there. Birds that used to occur in the reserve but have become extinct, not only there but throughout the Bellarine Peninsula, are the Bush Stone-curlew
Bush Stone-curlew
The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...
and Grey-crowned Babbler
Grey-crowned Babbler
The Grey-crowned Babbler is a species of bird in the Pomatostomidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
. Other birds that have declined or disappeared over the 35-year period studied include White-throated Treecreeper
White-throated Treecreeper
The White-throated Treecreeper is an Australian treecreeper found in the forests of eastern Australia. It is unrelated to the northern hemisphere treecreepers. It is a small passerine bird with predominantly brown and white plumage and measuring some 15 cm long on average. It is...
s, Buff-rumped Thornbill
Buff-rumped Thornbill
The Buff-rumped Thornbill is a species of thornbill found in open forest land in east Australia, specifically around Sydney, south of Chinchilla and east of Cobar in an area of 1,000,000–10,000,000 km²...
s, Scarlet Robin
Scarlet Robin
The Scarlet Robin is a common red-breasted Australasian robin in the passerine bird genus Petroica. The species is found on continental Australia and its offshore islands, including Tasmania...
s, Varied Sittella
Varied Sittella
The Varied Sittella, Daphoenositta chrysoptera is a small, around 10–11 cm long, songbird native to Australia and New Guinea. It is also known as the Australian Nuthatch, Orange-winged Sittella and the Barkpecker. Its crown and head can be white, grey or black, and its body is either whitish...
s and Restless Flycatcher
Restless Flycatcher
The Restless Flycatcher, Myiagra inquieta, is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae.Also known colloquially as Scissors Grinder or Dishwasher on account of its unusual call, the Restless Flycatcher was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1802. Its specific epithet is derived from...
s, all species of woodland habitats. Birds that have become established in and around the reserve, or increased in numbers over the period, include Collared Sparrowhawk
Collared Sparrowhawk
The Collared Sparrowhawk is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, and New Guinea and nearby smaller islands.- Description :...
s, Little Corella
Little Corella
The Little Corella, Cacatua sanguinea, also known as the Bare-eyed Cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea....
s, Red-rumped Parrot
Red-rumped Parrot
The Red-rumped Parrot , also known as the Red-backed Parrot or Grass Parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.-Description:...
s, Noisy Miner
Noisy Miner
The Noisy Miner is a bird common to the eastern and southern states of Australia. It ranges from northern Queensland along the eastern coast to South Australia and Tasmania. Its typical diet consists of nectar, fruit and insects, and occasionally it feeds on small reptiles or amphibians...
s, the introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
Spotted Dove
Spotted Dove
The Spotted Dove , also known as the Spotted Turtle Dove, is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the Indian Subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka east to southern Tibet and Southeast Asia...
s, European Greenfinch
European Greenfinch
The European Greenfinch, or just Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. The genus Carduelis might be split up and in this case, the greenfinches would be separated in their old genus Chloris again.This bird is widespread throughout Europe, north...
es and Common Myna
Common Myna
The Common Myna or Indian Myna also sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of family Sturnidae native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments...
s, as well as, with the construction of the reserve’s wetland and other nearby waterpoints, various waterbirds. The authors of the report comment:
"The woodland in the reserve has been isolated for many decades, and yet some bird declines and extinctions have occurred only in the last ten or fifteen years. Bird numbers can clearly fall insidiously, reaching a crisis point many years after the most obvious alterations in the landscape from clearing and settlement. The final crashes may seem abrupt, but their foundations could have been laid long ago. Birds may survive and breed in sub-optimal habitats in the short term, but some populations may eventually become unsustainable, perhaps because of low numbers overall, restrictions on natural movements, or a decrease in breeding success. Birds in woodlands isolated by clearing are particularly susceptible to prolonged dry periods. In very isolated woodland remnants, populations lost to extinction are unlikely to be replenished from outside."
However, the reserve is still important as a stopover in the local and migratory movements of some birds, including the subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Striated Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
The Striated Pardalote is the least colourful and most common of the four pardalote species. Other common names include Pickwick, Wittachew and Chip-Chip...
, Grey Fantail
Grey Fantail
The Grey Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in Australia , New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia...
and Silvereye
Silvereye
The Silvereye or Wax-eye is a very small passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji...
that breed in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Other birds that pass through the reserve, or visit it seasonally, are Rufous Fantail
Rufous Fantail
The Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons inhabits the east coast of Australia. The base of its tail is bright orange-red in colour and their wings are greyish brown. They have a black and white breast that grades into a white colour on the chin and throat....
s, Flame Robin
Flame Robin
The Flame Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. It is a moderately common resident of the coolest parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Like the other two red-breasted Petroica robins—the Scarlet Robin and the Red-capped Robin—it is often simply but...
s, Yellow-faced
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
The Yellow-faced Honeyeater is a medium-small bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It takes both its common name and scientific name from the distinctive yellow stripes on the sides of its head. It has a loud clear call, and is one the first birds heard in the morning...
and White-naped Honeyeater
White-naped Honeyeater
The White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus is a passerine bird of the Honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to eastern Australia. Birds from southwestern Australia have been shown to be a distinct species, the Western White-naped Honeyeater, and the eastern birds more closely related to the...
s, and Mistletoebird
Mistletoebird
The Mistletoebird is a species of flowerpecker native to most of Australia , and also to the eastern Maluku Islands of Indonesia in the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea. They also must live where there are trees and shrubs, so that they can build their nests...
s.
The authors of the report conclude:
"…as an ‘island’ of original Bellarine Peninsula woodland, the reserve still has great value, not just for birds, but as a living example of a threatened natural community, also encompassing plants, mammals and invertebrates. Since its proclamation, it has always played a valuable role in fostering community awareness and education about the natural environment. It remains a monument to the efforts of its founders and of those volunteers who have continued their work."