Hello...from SE burbs of Melbourne

Hi Lisa 
Hope you stick around to tell us more about the birds you see. As you have found out there are a few feathers that can be ruffled, and they will carry on like a magpie, because you have wandered into their territory .
 I am new myself and most of the flock is gregarious   So enjoy!
One more thing ,I missed the pic's 

Lisa 
Pacman is your man  ( Peter ) for step by step on how to post photos as he has help me and others. Anyway  Nice photo of spotted Pardalote  or  you can post it on my post about flowerpecker     Pardalote  just so other Birdo can see different between two.

Hi Lisa, looking forward to some of your photos. Cranbourne gardens is a great place we go there quite a bit. We are actually neighbours so to speak. We are in the same suburb. Glad to hear your feeling better. I dont think i would be too happy about a heron in my backyard either as we have a pond as well lol.

Hi there SE Melburnian..

 I live on the Mornington Peninsula (way down..!) 

Was nice to read of you familys' experience & the awareness you are fostering with your children for native birdlife.

My father & uncle also fostered this interest in myself at a young age & I am amazed by what I see in both urban & park areas when I really "look!".

I originally come from central-western NSW a lovely place called COWRA (can look up there community on here..)-there i knew all the different species of birds, mainly due to my parents & family regularly going off the beaten track on bushwalks. Of course these occasions would be regularly interrupted by stops to observe different birds & identify plants native to the area.

 This area is a new challenge as there are a lot of bird species unfamiliar to myself!..

 I am currently trying to stop a large, vacant block behind my unit from being completely cleared to make way for 9 new units/dwellings'. Due to the incredible amount of plants & trees there attracting vast native bird varieties-along with all the usual offenders;sparrows, noisy minor' etc.

Currently i am trying to track down a local listing of the birds closer to my area (rosebud west) in an attempt to show the local council just what will be lost, sigh.....!!!  (putting up a few token trees after the project will hardly balance the situation out, in my humble opinion.) There is also rare local skink lizards which reside in there which will also be lost. The developers/constituents claim that an independent aborists' report consider all the trees old & in bad condition. I honestly, do not share that view-they look fine to me. The birds seem to think so, also.

Sorry to hear about your health problems. Take it easy & look after yourself! And keep enjoying those precious outings with your children/family.

Kylie.

Thank you for your suggestion, that thought has crossed my mind! I have 6 neighbouring properties joining my effort. we are in this for the long-haul. Won't be going to mediation with the developer as statistically that is usually settled in favour of the devloper. so, off to court it may be, & an independent arborists report(another one..) is something I am pushing the local council for. If need may be we will fund this amongst ourselves.

 I am not against development-but this is an overdevelopment of the site & a very large chunk or corridor of birdlife & wildlife that will disappear...

 The ridiculous thing is here on the Peninsula you cannot cut a "tea tree" down & they are everywhere...yet in this case there able to clear 34 trees??? Interesting, huh?!...

Soakes, we lived near a place like that in Cheltenham. Reckon the building hadn't been touched in several years and the framework was badly discoloured.  Such a shame, they should have left the vegetation there. It was near the trainline down the end of the street we lived in.

I have to agree Woko. I run the Secretariat for the Victorian Tree Industry Organisation. Just 2 weeks ago we ran a Tree Defect Workshop which was totally booked out and we have a further 40+ people on a waiting list to attend another. We also ran a Tree Habitat Workshop 2 months before that. Arborists (and especially those working in councils as well) are learning what can be recovered, repaired, and put to use as habitats for wildlife and birdlife. I am quite excited to see all that they do and are learning and have had one of their committee out here to our property to inspect trees.  From what I can see Arborists are more about the health and welfare of trees and not pulling them down willy nilly.

Got my first shots of a spotted pardalote last week Lisa - not as good as yours but I was still happy with them.

Good on you Kylie for sticking to your guns. Today I saw a large bird fly towards our bird bath so went to a window where I knew I'd get a good view and stood and watched the Currawong enjoy the water. I never got to watch the birds like this in our old place. Definitely feel blessed to be where we are now.

The arborist industry is nationwide and I think I saw recently that SA has renewed its enthusiasm locally for the industry. I know the Victorian group is very proactive. We have the Victorian Tree Climbing Championships coming up in November in Ballarat and I'm planning to go and watch and take photos of the event for the day.  The president is a woman and she apparently holds the world championship title and also the Asian-Pacific title for tree climbing. Amazing lady.  They're passionate about their industry and the need to be up close and personal with trees and they care about them a great deal. It's really refreshing to be working with a group like this.  Apparently they see all sorts of birdlife and animal life in the tree tops and take a lot of care when working on trees not to disturb, or to be able to suitably rehouse if a tree has to come down.