Gianni D’Ortenzio at the gate of his property at Everton Upper in north-east Victoria where he is undertaking a Bush for Birds project to create and improve habitat for the regent honeyeater and swift parrot.
Sixteen north-east Victorian landholders have received grants to create and improve habitat for the critically endangered regent honeyeater and swift parrot.
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Among the round three Bush and Birds grant recipients is Gianni D’Ortenzio from Everton Upper.
Mr D’Ortenzio has a strong interest in the environment and landscaping and has previously worked to create some award-winning cottage-style gardens.
He is now turning his botanical interests towards what he can do for the environment and threatened woodland bird species.
His Bush for Birds grant focuses on thinning dense thickets of eucalypt, using a machine mulcher, to provide room for large hollow bearing trees to form, and revegetating a grassy paddock with some native nectar producing shrubs to encourage the regent honeyeater, swift parrot and other woodland birds to visit his property.
Dense thickets of eucalypt on Gianni D’Ortenzio’s property have been thinned with a machine mulcher to provide for improved growth of remaining trees which have greater access to space and water.
Mr D’Ortenzio and his wife moved from south-west Victoria in January 2021 after buying the Everton Upper property, returning to north-east Victoria where they had lived previously.
Their property borders flora reserves at Everton and previously had been part of the Brown Bros Everton Hills Estate.
“We wanted to have a bit of space. It has been a steep learning curve since attending a Trust for Nature field day where I first saw the machine mulcher,” Mr D’Ortenzio said.
“It took a while to get my head around cutting down trees but the whole notion is that trees need water and space to grow and you need big trees for nesting sites.
“The whole area where we have undertaken this ecological thinning looks so much better and I have been very pleased with the results.”
Mr D’Ortenzio said the machine mulching had recently been undertaken over one hectare utilising the Bush for Birds grant.
Twenty-five of 80 Blakely’s red gums have also been planted in an open area and weed control to tackle lavender and blackberries will be completed as part of the program.
Mr D’Ortenzio said the expertise and enthusiasm offered by environmental consultant Ian Davidson, Landcare facilitator Alandi Durling, winemaker John Brown and others had given him the confidence and support to tackle the project.
The property is also home to some interesting reptile species, including a friendly resident lace monitor and even a beautifully striped but endangered bandy bandy snake.
The Bush for Birds Project is supported by the North East Catchment Management Authority in partnership with Trust for Nature through funding from the Federal Government.
The regent honeyeater and swift parrot depend on woodland habitat which has been lost due to historic land clearing and ongoing land degradation issues, including invasive plants and animals.
Bush for Birds has already funded 52 sites in previous rounds, covering an area of 1832ha under land management agreements. These agreements comprise 262ha of revegetation, 1268ha of weed control, 76ha of ecological thinning, and the establishment of 234ha of conservation covenants.
After thorough site assessments by project officers and evaluations by an expert panel, the third and final round of Bush for Birds grants will support 16 project sites and help landholders manage another 341ha of land, totalling 2173ha under land management agreements as part of the project.
Grant recipients will kick-start their projects this year.
On-ground actions for the round three grants will add another 20ha of revegetation, 225ha of weed control, 61ha of ecological thinning and the establishment of 17ha of conservation covenants.
A machine mulcher has been used to thin dense thickets of eucalypt on Gianni D’Ortenzio’s property, making way for improved growth of the remaining trees that will provide nesting sites for endangered birds.
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