Dear birding-aus community I am hoping that anyone with reports of unusual sightings of birds likely to have fled the bushfire areas in the area of the “Eden Valley” or Rockleigh fires in South Aust would contact me. The Eden Valley fire covered an enormous area of unfragmented grazing properties which connect a suite of remnant grassy woodlands (including the best hollow rich, critically endangered Peppermint box overstory in the Eastern Hills) and natural temperate grassland habitats (including Class A & B patches of lomandra effusa nt grasslands) left in the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges. The fire burnt through areas such as the gorges of the Marne River and Saunders Creeks and the redgum lined main ephemeral creek systems which are lifelines through grazing lands and remnant ecotones between the dry Murray Plains including Sedan wetlands and the higher rainfall areas (including important reserves and reservoirs) in the MLR. The Marne River is a vital lifeline which traverses the area from these higher rainfall areas to the Murray River. Bird survey efforts in the Eden Valley Fire area on the Barossa side of the Range have been lacking but, as a property owner in the hard hit Jutland Valley for the past 20 years I have seen around half the threatened woodland birds of Adelaide and the MLR here and a crossover of wetland species. The width of Jutland Road, the very wide dirt road running through the middle of the “Eden Valley fire” between Keyneton and east of Eden Valley and Springton was no barrier to the fire. In my area friends and neighbours have lost their homes and my property too has been devastated. I would love to hear from Barbara & Peter Bransemer at Rockleigh whose post fire reports since the fires are most valuable to the research I am currently involved in. Many thanks, Alexandra Randell (Flinders University Biodiversity Conservation & Animal Behaviour student) 0458 741 358 _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org