Mid Macquarie Landcare

12/06/2026

On a chilly and wet winter day 25 local ladies gathered on a hillside to Talk Dirty to each other 😜

This new Landcare initiative brings farming women together to learn how to assess soil health in the paddock and help them understand the flow on impacts to farm production and family health.

Dr Aurelie Quade from Soil Resilience in Mudgee led the workshop and emphasised the importance of soil health as it underpins everything for agricultural businesses.
‘Don’t worry at night if it’s going to rain’ she explained to the group ‘be sleepless over the state of your aggregates! Because your aggregate health will determine how well you can utilise the rain when it falls’.

We look forward to working more with this group of committed ladies! Thanks for braving the chill and spending the day with us!

Shoutout to Gabby from Rural Adversity Mental Health Program - RAMHP for coming along to suport the day and taking some cracking pics and to JessieC for hosting us all at your lovely home.

Central West Region Landcare
Little River Landcare Group
Landcare NSW

11/06/2026

What a great opportunity! Working on country with people that care for country. Come work with us!

Central West Region Landcare - Central West NSW (hybrid)

11/06/2026

Raptor Report:
Our Birds of Prey citizen science project on iNaturalist is gaining momentum!

So far, our dedicated contributors have documented 9 Wedge-tailed Eagles, 5 Nankeen Kestrels, 4 Brown Falcons, 4 Black-shouldered Kites, 3 Black Kites, 3 Australian Boobooks, 2 Little Eagles, 2 Spotted Harrier, 2 Whistling Kites, 2 Eastern Barn Owls and 1 Peregrine Falcon. Our most active raptor recorder so far is contributing 22 observations to the project. Thanks Matt!!

Join our project, Birds of Prey- Mid Macquarie Landcare, and your raptor observations will be automatically added. Help us to learn more about the presence, abundance and movements of the native raptors of the Central West region. For more information visit our project on INaturalist via the link below.

For any questions regarding the project group or observations email [email protected] or call 0457 115 525.

As part of Mid Macquarie Landcares current BBBB (Bats, Birds, Bills and Bears) project we would like to get a snap-shot of local birds of prey across Dubbo, Wellington and Narromine. Project BBBB is proudly funded by EnergyCo’s Community and Employment Benefit Program. The data attained through ap...

09/06/2026

BIRD OF THE MONTH: White Winged Fairywren (Malurus leucopterus)
🦚 These dapper gentlemen are covered almost entirely with bright cobalt blue feathers with white lining along their wings. Ladies are less showy with discreet but elegant tawny brown feathers along their back, wings and head, white tummy with a pale blue tail.
🌿 They like to live in shrubland in dry or partially dry areas, living in short bushes…. saltbush is their favorite!
🍽️ Insects are what fairywrens like to eat. They are partial to beetles and spiders but are also happy to nosh on seeds.
‼️ They like to live in groups and, after females incubate their eggs, all the able members of the group feed the chicks until they are big enough to find food on their own.

💚 Adding native shrubs to your garden to provide homes and other plants to attract insects to provide food
💚 Provide a space in your garden where there is water present (pond, dam, birdbath).

For more information visit
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/12093-Malurus-leucopterus
https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Malurus-leucopterus
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/5610f949-7a69-4a0c-bf6b-b05d2c0d894e

The white-winged fairywren (Malurus leucopterus) is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It lives in the drier parts of Central Australia; from central Queensland and South Australia across to Western Australia. Like other fairywrens, this species displays marked s...

02/06/2026

Mid Macquarie Landcare was met with great enthusiasm from students and staff alike at our recent tree planting day with Wellington High School! All hands were on deck to create a bird-friendly space with native trees and shrubs cultivated by the Burrendong Botanic Gardens and Arboretum. Local traditional food, medicine and weaving plants took pride of place in beds around the school’s newly established yarning circle; Miya-Ngiyanhi Yalbilinya- Bu Buwanha (Together We Learn and Grow).

It was Mid Macquarie Landcare’s pleasure to be welcomed to contribute to Wellington High School’s planting day alongside Taronga Western Plains Zoo and their Youth at the Zoo (YATZ) program. We hope this recent rain has got the plantings off to a flying start! Project BBBB is proudly funded by EnergyCo’s Community and Employment Benefit Program.

31/05/2026

Mid Macquarie and Little River Landcare are conducting salinity and eDNA testing in our local waterways. These tests will help us determine the health of our waterways and the management actions required to protect them. Environmental DNA or eDNA uses the DNA fragments collected in samples left behind by wildlife to determine the species present at a specific location. We are hoping to find traces of platypus, rikali and other key vertebrate species. So far, we have collected samples from Little River at Obley, Buckinbah Creek and Little River at Rangoon returning salinity readings of EC1.5, 1.6 and 3.73 dS/m respectively. The greater diversity of species and the lower the salinity, the healthier the waterway.

28/05/2026

Soil provides ecosystem services, enables plant growth, resists erosion, stores water, retains nutrients, and is a natural environmental buffer in the landscape. Healthy soil is the foundation of productive, sustainable agriculture. Managing for soil health allows producers to work with the land against impacts such as erosion, reduced water infiltration and/ or nutrient cycling.

Mid Macquarie is offering subsidised soil testing for local landholders. This project will be run based on the successful project conducted by Little River Landcare.

We will, collect soil samples from 1 good and 1 problem area of your property. Carry out comprehensive soil tests at 5cm increments to identify any production issues lurking below the surface (50% Subsidised. Total cost to you of $250). Provide expert support to interpret the results, to help you understand and how to address any issues.

Expressions of interest are open now, register by completing the EOI and email to [email protected] to secure your place today! You must be a member of Mid Macquarie or Little River Landcare to participate, and we will be prioritising soil testing for pasture management.

26/05/2026

One week to go until we get our talking dirty, learning how to understand and build beautiful soil with Dr Aurelie Quade from Soil Resilience. We still have places available, so register today!

Dr Aurelie Quade is a research scientist, field practitioner and educator whose work sits at the intersection of soil science, farm systems and applied ecology. She will be breaking her wealth of knowledge down into practical, repeatable tools and participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to improve their soil health.

Register your interest to attend this unique opportunity to [email protected] or call 0457 115 525. Directions to the workshop location provided upon registration.