Bio-calendar March

Late Summer

 (late January - late March)

March is the transition from late Summer to Autumn. A cooling trend in temperatures has begun as the sun moves towards the Autumn equinox in late March. Migratory birds begin to flock for their northward journeys. By the end of March reptiles are less active. The summer flowering eucalypts such as Messmate, Manna Gum, Red Stringybark and Brown Stringybark are nearing the end of their flowering whilst some of the winter flowering eucalypts such as Swamp Gum, Long-leaved Box and Grey Box are coming into flower.

The following list provides an insight to various life stages for some of the native plants and animals in Victoria during March, of course there will be some variation across different areas of the State.  Please contact SWIFFT so we can add to the list.

Threatened Fauna

• Brown Toadlet Pseudophryne bibronii; start of breeding season (March-May), males calling.
• Common Dunnart Sminthopsis murina; last month of breeding season which commenced in September.
• Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis; departure for northern hemisphere summer breeding areas.
• Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris; commencement of migration to northern hemisphere.
• Latham's Snipe Gallinago hardwickii - departs March, migrating to breeding areas in Japan and south-east Siberia.
• Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster, start of migration across Bass Strait from Tasmanian breeding areas to mainland Australia where they over-winter, feeding on coastal wetlands through to October.
• Southern Toadlet Pseudophryne semimarmorata ; start of breeding season, males calling.
• Swift Parrot Lathamus discolour; migration from Tasmanian breeding areas to Victorian feeding areas where they over-winter until September.

Threatened Flora

• Turnip Copperburr Sclerolaena napiformis; fruit formed and turning a copper colour.

Other native flora & fauna

Fauna

• Short-tailed Shearwater (Mutton Bird); start of migration to the Northern Hemisphere.
• Channel-billed Cuckoo and Eastern Koel (Common Koel) commence northward migration to northern Australia/New Guinea/Indonesia.
• Crested pigeon breeding time begins.
• Dusky Moorhen breeding time begins.

Flora

• Victorian Christmas Bush start fruiting.
• Yellow Gum and Red Gum shed their bark in long strips revealing their creamy "underbelly", in Central Victoria,

• Contribute to the bio-calendar, contact SWIFFT so we can add to the list.