Happy New Year 2025

[sunkacola]

Wollemi is an Aboriginal word meaning 'look around you, keep your eyes open and watch out'.

A very good policy to have no matter who or where you are, and one I practice always.

Hoping for the best for you folks, and that the fire season will not be a bad one this year! I just really hate to think of fire ravaging huge areas, and taking people's homes, the way they have so often in recent years in so many places. Take care.

 

[Harpy]

Sorry @BlueBells , I haven’t been too good. I wish everyone a safe happy and a little less pain this year.
Oh the fires, what a horrifying experience. We had our worse fits in November 2018. With out the fire bombing plane and helicopters we would have lost our farm. They stopped the flames 200 metres from our house.
Then only a couple years later we lost so much in the floods.
I personally think that throughout this past winter our council areas had so much opportunity to back burn and nothing was done.
We are fire ready ( well as ready as we could be) as we have done what ever we could do to reduce our chances with fire. But when you have neighbours like mine on both sides who don’t care and have so much to burn on their properties.

 

[BlueBells]

Hi @Harpy

I understand what you mean, about taking care. Many people just don't get the fact that one should be vigilant in fire protection, because when it comes, it generally gives no warnings.

With the shires/councils, they just may be controlled like here, where city people have banned fire access tracks and fire prevention burn offs. Burns happen, yes, but not as much as should be, simply because there are no access tracks.

Widespread rain in the Grampians should help a lot, not much but widespread.

Hugs

 

[Harpy]

That’s right bluebells. They just don’t care. They are the ones that complain when uncontrollable fire comes.
That’s another reason I don’t mind kids on bikes ect they keep the tracks cleared. But there’s always those that don’t care and ruin it so they fence of the trails. Then they over grown and there’s no fire breaks that help the firies access the fires. Well that’s my personal view .
Take care

 

[BlueBells]

Hi @Harpy !!!!

Wow, the happenings here since that last post !!!

The Little Desert park got lightning strikes on Monday the 28th, and basically the whole park was gone by nightfall. At times fire was about 40km per hour, and one town evacuated, but stayed safe. Now its up and off south of the Grampians, lightning from dry storms is so unpredictable.

We aren't just losing scrub and forests, way too fast for pretty much any animal or bird to escape, that is so very sad, heartbreaking.

 

[johnsalmon]

pretty much any animal or bird to escape,

most of the small animals and koalas go deep into the wombat holes and generally are safe there snakes etc usually go into rabbit warrens they are not as deep as the wombat holes that diverge into a many tunnel system deep in the ground.

 

[BlueBells]

@johnsalmon

I sure hope they got the chance. So quick. A firie was working when it started, he was told go here, then it was, no, this spot, then , still on the way, changed yet again, and i think he said fourth spot, by the time he got there it had already gone. None of them have seen a fire fly so quickly.

 

[SBee]

@johnsalmon and @BlueBells Thanks for the reassurance that some wildlife can take refuge in deserted animal holes and dens. I find it heart breaking that many cannot run out of danger.
I have so much respect and gratitude for all those who work hard to save humans and all forms of wildlife from these devastating fires.
I hope all in such areas remain safe.

 

[johnsalmon]

an take refuge in deserted animal holes and dens.

there not always deserted the wombat will tolerate victors during fires and if it gets crowded he simply digs a side tunnel - the wombat can did faster then man can with a shovel and some times with a front end loader - he has to be the most useless animal ever placed on earth - except in a fire.
fires down here generally pass very fast over the ground a lot are fires the tree tops (crown fire) that generate great heat and drop embers to the forest floor that burns slower

 

[SBee]

I am going to take the 'hippy' kind of approach @johnsalmon and see the wombat as I do every creature, looks sweet and fluffy and I appreciate its willingness to share its well dug burrow in emergencies. Needles to say its a skewed idea,as I am know a lot of creatures can be damaging.
In the UK most fires ( on a far smaller scale) are generally on heathlands. Mammals can mostly run but the snakes,etc and ground nesting bjrds suffer greatly
The sole creature I cannot see any merit in is the mozzy. When we lived in the Scottish High we could be in a crowd of people who remained untouched by them. Me? Bitten to shreds and ending in welts all over my skin. Insects love me. Husband puts it down to them loving my
rhesus negative blood group.

 

[johnsalmon]

is the mozzy

we have a mozzy down here in the coastal regions of the Hunter - it is believe but not validated that they are big enough to carry babies away as young one we where told if we did not behave the Stockland Mozzie would get us.