Roger Thomas, Field Naturalist and Bird Observer, is well-known for his weekly feature, Nature Notes, which is published every Friday in the Ballarat Courier. His birdwatching tours on the first day of Daylight Saving in the spring are most informative for anyone with an interest in our local birdlife and especially so for novices. They begin at the cannons at Lake Lodge opposite the main entrance to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and proceed along the foreshore of Lake Wendouree between Fairyland and the Olympic Rings.

Flora and Fauna
Roger has provided the Friends with checklists which are suitable for adults and younger students. They can be printed to venture up to the lake and gardens to do your own environmental science field studies. Learn to recognise ten species of trees and shrubs growing in the vicinity as well as ten aquatic plants, nine of which are native to the area. Descriptions of small aquatic creatures are also provided.

Plant checklist (pdf 168k) of 25 species, mainly plants.

Bird Observers Checklist (pdf 148k) of 14 water birds and 15 other birds. Detailed descriptions are given of birds likely to be seen at Lake Wendouree as an aid to identification.

Junior Observers Checklist (pdf 108k) of 15 items to aid local bird watching.

Roger Thomas with a tour group near the Cannons

Bird walk at Lake Wendouree 28 October 2007