On Thursday 16th November, a group from the Denmark Men’s Shed in Denmark did a tour of the Balijup Fauna Sanctuary with Green Skills.
The group helped check and assess progress of 15 small mammal nesting boxes installed 3 months ago on Jarrah trees within the 111 hectare fenced enclosure.
The Denmark Men’s Shed had constructed and painted the nesting boxes as part of their contribution to the Balijup eco-restoration project.
One finding from the nesting box monitoring is that 6 of the 15 boxes have been taken up by feral bee colonies. This indicates the problems facing native wildlife dependent on hollows due to competition.
Later on in the after noon the group visited the Martagallup Pony Club lake, where Green Skills has coordinated large scale foreshore re-vegetation works have taken place since 2013, as well as installation of bird habitat islands. Swans are now breeding on this lake for the first time in over 30 years.
Checking the Phascogale nesting boxes at Balijup. Denmark Men Shed group look on
Joe Porter, Wildlife Biologist, checking one of the Phascogale Nesting Boxes at Balijup
A feral European bee colony has occupied this nesting box.
Tour participants enjoying well deserved water melon after the box monitoring
Bird watching at Martgallup Pony Club lake where swans are now breeding again for the first time in more than 30 years.
