Large schools of Blue Blubber Jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus have been sighted all through the waters from Fairhaven to Point Roadknight.
They are the most commonly encountered jellyfish along the east coast of Australia, and are often found in swarms, swimming just below the surface of the water as they move with the tide and onshore winds, and are sometimes washed up onto the beaches. The Blue Blubber has a dome-shaped bell that can grow to 35 cm across. The stinging cells in the tentacles capture tiny crustaceans and other plankton. Although they don’t pose a serious threat to humans, a sting from one of these jellyfish can cause mild skin irritation and a rash. In the event of a sting from a BlueBlubber, cold packs or wrapped iced should be applied to the affected area.
There has been a probable sighting of an Orange-bellied Parrot at the Western Treatment Plant. The observer, who is very familiar with OBP’s, strongly considered that an OBP was flying with a large flock of Blue-winged Parrots.
White-throated Needletails were active during the few days of humid weather earlier in March. They should be preparing to depart for the northern hemisphere in the very near future, around about mid-April.
The Kangaroo Action Group met last month. Extensive research has been carried out on the Anglesea Golf Club kangaroo population, and a Management Plan will be finalised this year. An instruction sheet for dealing with injured kangaroos or wallabies will also be available. Emergency kits for assisting injured kangaroos will be centrally located at the Shell Service Station in Anglesea, the Golf Club, with the local Police and at the Aireys Inlet Hotel.
During a spate of road accidents in September–October 2012, several tagged kangaroos had to be put down.
The latest summer population survey (February 2013) puts the population on the golf course at around 257 kangaroos, and about 50%of these are marked with collars and tags. One tagged individual, named Boo, was located at the intersection of Cecil Track and Tanners Road in the Anglesea Heath (9 kilometres from Anglesea) on 19 October 2011. She was photographed by a mammal survey camera placed there by Melbourne University researchers. She was last seen on the golf course in October, 2008.
The program will continue during 2013, concentrating on monitoring the animals.
- Summer and Winter Census – morning and afternoon head counts.
- Autumn and Winter – Capture and replace lost or warn collars on adults, and fit GPS collars on 2 males and 2 females; fit new collars to young adults; measure, tag and take genetic samples of pouched young.