Missives from Margs – The Great Cocky Count!

We love our black cockatoos here in WA. The South West region has the only White Tailed Black Cockatoos in Australia, and unfortunatey both of them are classified as threatened. Baudin and Carnaby Black Cockatoos are magnificent birds, and we see them frequently when walking the trails and cruising around the region. They also occasionally fly over our house during the day and we see them in the nearby trees in the evening. Big, bold and raucous, they wing across the landscape, calling to each other as they look for Marri trees and their delicious “honkey nuts” to feast on. They are often joined by another endemic, threatened Black Cockatoo, the Forest Red Tail, a beautiful bird seen high in the trees with their brilliant scarlet tail feathers. They are the jokers and will spend hours in the trees joyfully tearing apart seeds and nuts. All these birds are facing significant reductions in habitat due to clearing for agriculture, mining and also reduced rainfall. They need old marri trees, jarrah, banksia and hakea to nest and provide feed. Because all these beautiful birds are classed as “Threatened” there is a program to monitor and research them to ensure they are never lost to this beautiful landscape.

Forest Red  Tail (photo courtesy Museum WA)

A Carnaby enjoying some Banksia (photo courtesy Museum WA)

A Baudin, showing its longer beak (photo courtesy Museum WA)

The Great Cocky Count is part of this program. It is co-ordinated by BirdLife Australia and the data is analysed by scientists from the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The count is part of a long-term, very successful citizen science survey and the biggest single survey for black-cockatoos in Western Australia. On one night in autumn, volunteers across the south west set up at known roost sites and count black cockatoos as they come in to their evening roost sites. The data obtained provides a snapshot of black-cockatoo populations, and how and where numbers are changing.  It is important research and helps the scientists to better understand how to preserve these beautiful birds.

In Margaret River, the count is coordinated by local conservation group, Nature Conservation Margaret River. Keen to get involved we registered for the count this year and were duly allocated a local roost site quite close to town and not far from one of our house sits last year. A quick visit to the site with a co-ordinator ensued and we were shown where the Baudin’s usually roosted and where they flew in from. Apparantly they fly to a watering point close to the roost to drink before bed time. They then move closer towards the roost, but stop short and wait until the sun has actually set before flying in to the roost trees. We even decided to complete a practise count a week before, just to make sure we were in the right position to see the cocky’s arrive!

The Roost Site

We were joined on the Great Cocky Count night by John and Christine, also new counters. John has just assumed a board position on the local Nature Conservation Margaret River group and was keen to help out. In true Margaret River fashion, John bought a bottle of local chardonnay for us to sip while we watched the sun set and waited for the cockies. They started arrived just before sunset and confused us by circling around the roost site and settling in different trees around the area. Then, just as the sun went down they started to fly in groups to the roost. Counting silhouettes, checking they were cockies and not ravens, magpies or galahs kept us all busy for the next 15 minutes. Our final count was 21, 3 less than our practise run, but many more than had been recorded over the last two years. After the count we went back to John’s place and enjoyed a meal, a few wines and shared travelling stories.

It will be some months before all the data is collected, reviewed and analysed, but hopefully it will provide the experts with more valuable information to help us preserve these glorious Black Cockatoos.

Counting Cockies at Dusk

 

Missives from Margs – Passata Making

One of the things I like most about settling down again is being able to indulge in my passion for cooking and creating food. There is a limit to how creative you can be in a caravan with limited cooking tools and space, and although I was able get a bit more creative during our house sits, it’s not the same as being in your own kitchen with your own cooking equipment. I have always wanted to go to an Italian Passata making day.  Ever since I worked in North Queensland with Sicilian cane farmers, I loved the way they talked about their big family “tomato days”, where the family all got together and made their annual supply of tomato sauce. Tomato days were immortalised in the Aussie movie “Looking for Alibrandi”, the story of a young Italian/Aussie girl who had to endure what she called  “national wog day” as she was growing up.

One Table Farm is a local farm cooking school near Cowaramup. Tim and Cree built the farm from scratch in 2014 using permaculture principals and now offer cooking classes and instruction in higher welfare, locally produced food. Check out the link to their farm: One Table Farm. Cree is a vet who has specialised in animal ethics and welfare and has also studied French Cookery at the prestigious Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Paris. She runs a half day course during tomato season for aspiring cooks like me who want to learn the secrets of Tomato Day! I had to make the most of this opportunity!

The class was held in a lovely rustic building, with views across the pretty farm. There was a full kitchen, work tables, communal eating area and lounge. My class had five other students including two local mother/daughter pairs and another local budding chef. Cree took us through the process of selecting, washing and preparing the tomatoes, before we were let loose on two big boxes of locally produced tomatoes. After preparing them, we were shown how to use the various types of mouli or vegetable mills Tim had set up for us. We all enjoyed using the electric powered one, but the small hand mouli felt the most authentic to me! After milling all our tomatoes, we filled the passata into clean jars, ready to take home and sterilise.

Ready for blanching

Blanched and prepped for the mill

The “Clik Clak” mill

Everone’s favourite, the electric mill

Filled jars

While all this activity was going on, Cree also showed us her special recipe for pasta sauce and we watched as this bubbled away on the stove top, getting redder and redder as it reduced down, filling the room with delightful tomato and garlic aromas. She also made up a batch of delicious fresh pasta and the two young girls had a ball rolling it out into fettucine. The morning ended with a communal lunch of fresh pasta, tomato sauce and Tim’s extra special sourdough foccacia with cherry tomatoes. And to finish off, Cree served a beautiful lemon cake for desert.

Lunch

I had a great day. I find it very rewarding turning beautiful, fresh local produce into a delicious ingredient. Not only did I learn the art of making passata, but I also met and networked with some lovely locals. And when Tim next runs a sourdough making course, I’m  going to have to get along and learn how to make his magnificant foccacia.

My finished passata

Missives From Margs – Vintage!

It’s Autumn and that means it’s vintage time in Margaret River! It’s is probably the most exciting time of the year. Vintage starts mid February and extends until late April. Not only is it the time when this seasons crop of wine grapes are harvested and crushed, it is also peak tourist time. While summer holidays are always busy with family holidays, specially in a location with such fabulous beaches, autumn is the pick of the seasons weatherwise. So this region gets realy busy in autumn.

Naturally, winemakers and grape growers are nervously watching the weather, praying for sun and no rain. They are busy testing grapes so they can get them covered in nets before the Silvereyes (tiny little birds that peck holes in grapes) descend and wreck the crop. Contractors come to town to service the winemaking equipment, operate the grape harvesting machines and tractors. There is a sense of expectation in the air!

Vines covered in nets to prevent the tiny Silvereyes from ruining the grapes

The town is also full of backpackers. They come here primarily for the grape harvest, where they can work the hours required in specified jobs to gain their 2nd year tourist visa as well as some much needed cash to continue their travels. And of course, they are also here to enjoy the great weather and great surf. Head on down to Surfers Point any afternoon, after grape picking has finished for the day, and you will find the car parks full of campervans and old station wagons, packed high with camping gear. Out on the viewing terraces you can listen to just about every language on earth, as backpackers from around the world discuss their attempts at riding the famous Margaret River waves. Cafes and cellar doors are full of foreign accents as backpackers look for any opportunity to get a bit more income to fund their further travels around Australia. The hospitality industry here relies heavily on backpackers in peak season. Once vintage is over and the weather turns cold, they’ll be found heading north chasing the sun.

Backpackers cars of all shapes and sizes 

This season is also Grey Nomad season. As soon as summer holidays are over, the WA nomads pack up their vans and head south. Autumn is perfect time to experience the South West and Great Southern regions; sunny, not too hot and no school holiday crowds. They are closely followed by the East Coast nomads, also taking advantage of the prime weather before turning north to experience the fabulous northern regions like the Murchison, the Pilbara and the Kimberley. They are like an alien invasion, caravans rolling into town, swarming around the shops, visiting wineries, cafes and local attractions and, in turn, providing work for all the backpackers in the hospitality business.

And in amongst all this activity, tourists from Perth and overseas make their regular long weeeknd visits to the region, filling up the hotels, motels, Air BnB’s, B&B’s and camping areas. This is also the season for concerts and most weekends there is a well known performer at wineries and venues across the region. It’s wedding season too, so that just adds another level of excitment to the region. Most Saturdays you can find well dressed people walking to venues around town or at the wineries and restaurants.

Wineries offer great places to enjoy a relaxing glass

Victorian Austin Heally 3000 club visiting

There is a buzz around town at this time of year. Everything is busy, specially on weekends. Luckily the region is large and the attractions and venues spread out so we never really feel overwhelmed. We do however avoid town itself on weekends because it gets pretty busy.  Otherwise, there is a great atmosphere across the entire region. It’s a bit like footy grand finals weekend, everyone is happy and excited. There is so much to see and do hewre, that all travellers can find something to keep them smiling. Whether it’s relaxing in a cafe, enjoying wine, surfing, bushwalking or eating out, Margaret River is a happy place in Autumn.

Bushwalking in beautiful fresh surroundings

The famous Margaret River surf