Sanctuary worth saving
JERRINGOT wildlife reserve on the Belmont Common is one of the small, priceless sanctuaries for birds and other wildlife in the city.
It was initially considered simply a wasteland, and when in 1972 the Common was being carved up for sports grounds, it seemed doomed to be filled in.
Birdwatchers in the Geelong Field Naturalists Club already knew of its value to birdlife, and the club leased the area for a $1 a year.
It was William Buckley who first recorded Jerringot as the Wathaurong name for the area, and this was later used by archaeologist Lois Lane.
The entire area came under threat in the 1990s when it was proposed that the Common could be developed as a watersports complex.
Its value to birds, and in particular to Latham’s snipe, was an important issue in the debate.
It has survived the many threats any urban wetland faces on a day-to-day basis, its value increasing as the years pass.
All of these things came to mind, its long history of survival against all odds, as I watched ibis, ducks, swamphens and others active on the wetland. Perhaps the most conspicuous were the swamphens, their brilliant royal blue, scarlet and black plumage a striking contrast to the lush green vegetation.
They are robust birds, the largest of the “waterhen” tribe, and the most aggressive.
They are not universally loved by birdwatchers, for they will occasionally kill newlyhatched ducklings.
But their main food is swamp vegetation, the succu- lent stems pulled up and nipped into small pieces.
They are unusual in building “false nests”, platforms where they rest between feeding times. The real nests are better concealed among tall sedges and other vegetation in the wetland.
The newly hatched young are like fluffy balls of black fur as they follow their parents. Wildlife information and questions can be sent to ppescott@gmail.com