30th November 2013
* Loddon River @ Newstead – Sacred Kingfisher (nesting), Laughing Kookaburra (nesting), Crimson Rosella, White-browed Scrub-wren, Whistling Kite, Collared Sparrowhawk.
* Newstead Cemetery – Rainbow Bee-eater, Mistletoebird, Rufous Songlark, Brown Falcon, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Yellow-rumped Thornbill.
7th November 2013
* Loddon River @ Newstead (The Island) – Powerful Owl, Sacred Kingfisher (pair).
5th November 2013
* Loddon River (north of the highway) – Sacred Kingfisher (pair), White-backed Swallow, Little Black Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Rainbow Bee-eaters (4), Pacific Black Duck.
31st October 2013
* Muckleford Gorge – White-winged Triller, Mistletoebird, Hooded Robin (pair), White-bellied Sea-eagle (adult + immature) cruised high overhead from east to west towards Cairn Curran, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Jacky Winter (pair constructing nest), Horsfield’s and Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Fuscous Honeyeater, Sacred Kingfisher, Brown Treecreeper.
27th October 2013
* Newstead Cemetery – Rainbow Bee-eaters, Rufous Songlark, Brown Falcon, Australian Hobby, Superb Fairy-wren, Striated Pardalote, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike.
26th October 2013
* Moolort Plains – Swamp Harrier, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Songlark.
* Picnic Point – Black Kite, Whistling Kite, White-breasted Woodswallow (2), Great Egret, Little Black Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Rufous Songlark.
* Rise and Shine (south) – Black-chinned Honeyeater, Rufous Songlark, Olive -backed Oriole, Eastern Yellow Robin, Brown Treecreeper, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Brown Goshawk, White-winged Chough, Fuscous Honeyeater, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Crested Shrike-tit, Dusky Woodswallow, Eastern Rosella, Crimson Rosella, Little Raven, Painted Button-quail, Australian Hobby (near Ramsey’s Lane).
9th October 2013
* Newstead Racecourse – White-browed Woodswallows arrived today. Unable to see if any Masked were in the smallish flock seen briefly overhead this evening. Note that today was about 28C with a moderate northerly.
8th October 2013
* Rainbow Bee-eaters – heard calling near Newstead Cemetery (first record for season). Rufous Songlarks also heard.
30th September 2013
* Loddon River @ Newstead – Powerful Owl.
* South German/Spring Hill Track area – Peaceful Dove, Diamond Firetail, Brown Treecreeper, Crested Bellbird, Black-chinned Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater.
29th September 2013
* Sullivan’s Track – Painted Honeyeater (two heard calling south of the track).
21st September 2013
* Spring Hill Track area – Pallid Cuckoo, Shining and Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo, Eastern Yellow Robin, Brown Thornbill, Weebill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Brown Goshawk, Little Eagle, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-winged Chough.
20th September 2013
* Loddon River Reserve – Painted Honeyeater (calling), Fan-tailed and Pallid Cuckoos, Little Eagle, Brown Falcon.
13th September 2013
* Sullivans’s Track – Painted Honeyeater (2 heard calling late this afternoon)
* Loddon isthmus – White-bellied Sea-eagle (sitting)
11th September 2013
* Small flock of Whiskered Terns feeding opposite Picnic Point.
Natural Newstead 
I think it’s a cicada year here in Melbourne….do you know when the last cicada year was down here?
HI Elizabeth – sorry for the slow reply. I’m not suer I can answer your question. Where I live, at Newstead in central Victoria, we see a variety of species every year, but numbers fluctuate. Most species live underground as nymphs for as long as 6 -7 years, unlike the periodical cicadas of north America which emerge at 13 or 17 year intervals, using prime number s to confuse their predators! I’ve just been watching a Kookaburra bring Black Robber cicadas to a nest this morning.
Cheers, geoff