with Marita McGuirk

Early on a cool morning in November, I was driving along King Street, Daylesford, when I saw what appeared to be a small bird, lying on the road. As I drove by a slight  movement from the bird caught my eye.

It could have been caused by wind, but I pulled  my car over to check, just in case it was still alive.

It was a New Holland honeyeater, and it was alive, but hurt in some way. I knew it needed expert care, so I took it to the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter.  

The bird was assessed and diagnosed as having a broken leg, as well as concussion and possible bruising to the lungs. It was placed in the incubator, where its environment could be regulated.

Luckily for this bird, Gayle and Jon have many years of experience caring for injured wildlife, with a speciality in injured birds.  

The little honeyeater stayed at the shelter for several months, so that the broken bone could repair. The bird then had to undergo rehabilitation and regain flight fitness.  

I received the call that the bird was ready to be released back into the wild.

Honeyeaters  are nectar feeders and they don’t have a specific home range but follow flowering events.

Jon suggested that I find a location close to where I had found the bird, where there were some plants flowering, so that there would be an available food source.  

So I went for a walk at Wombat Flat. Soon I came across a large banksia spinulosa in flower near Lake Daylesford. While I was looking at the flowering banksia a New Holland honeyeater flew into the large shrub. I thought this was a good sign.  

Back at the shelter, Jon placed the lucky little honeyeater into a transport cage, and I carried it to my car and drove to Wombat Flat.

Once I was back under the banksia, I opened the transport cage door and stepped back. The little bird flew straight up into the banksia. It was only in the  branches for half a minute when another New Holland honeyeater joined it.  

Then to my amazement this bird started hopping around the released bird, chirping and putting its beak onto the bird’s head. This went on for a short time and it looked like a happy  reunion. To my delight both birds flew off together.  

Marita McGuirk is a field ecologist and environmental scientist, and a volunteer at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter. Marita will write monthly columns about the shelter and the animals it cares  for. If you would like to donate or volunteer, or just to find out more information, head to  www.hepburnwildlifeshelter.org  

with Marita McGuirk

On a hot day in January, a bushwalker was enjoying a walk along one of the Hepburn Shire tracks when he saw a koala sitting at the base of a tree.

It was mid-afternoon, an unusual time to see a koala on the ground, as they are nocturnal and usually stay in their tree and sleep throughout the day.

So, he went over to see if the koala was hurt. It was a large animal, panting rapidly and clearly unwell. A healthy koala would quickly try to get away from an approaching human by climbing the nearest tree, but this koala remained sitting.

As the bushwalker was concerned for the koala’s safety he phoned the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter.

Trevor, a wildlife rescuer, was contacted to go and pick up the koala. This meant walking for an hour to the site where the koala was located, and then carefully picking up the koala and carrying it for an hour back along the track.

This was no small effort as it was a large male. Rescuing a koala is a specialised task as they have very strong sharp claws, and a frightened animal can bite.

Trevor is very experienced and was able to pick up the large koala and carry him for an hour back to his car and then on to the shelter.

At the shelter Jon Rowdon had to clear out an enclosure for the koala, meanwhile Gayle Chappell conducted a health assessment and concluded that the koala was very dehydrated and possibly blind in one eye.

Gayle put the koala into the ICU and gave him rehydration fluids.

The koala spent the night in the ICU, where his condition was closely monitored, and the following day he was moved to his enclosure to recuperate.

Gayle is hoping to get an animal eye specialist to come and assess the koala’s damaged eye and, in the meantime, he is in safe hands.

Marita McGuirk is a field ecologist and environmental scientist, and a volunteer at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter. Marita will write monthly columns about the shelter and the animals it cares for. If you would like to donate or volunteer, or just for more information, head to www.hepburnwildlifeshelter.org