Wildlife Ahead #1 – We Visited Victoria’s Desert to Find Elusive Composting Birds

Like the brushturkey but much more elusive, the Malleefowl is a majestic bird on the decline.

James and Elysee track this bird down in the desert-like Mallee region of north-west Victoria, where they learn about its laborious lifestyle and compost-powered incubating mounds.

They meet a group of volunteers who head into the bush every breeding season to record important Malleefowl data to help aid its recovery, work that's otherwise too expensive for governments. 

Ecologist Mirinda Thorpe takes James and Elysee out to find Malleefowl mounds and tells them how volunteer data has been used in a pilot program to rescue Malleefowl eggs after a bushfire.

James and Elysee also chat to Mick Webster and Ross MacFarlane, long-time volunteers, and Ross shares how his family’s farming community spearheaded the volunteer initiative.

James and Elysee explain land clearing and fragmentation, some of the drivers behind the Mallefowl’s decline.

They revisit Mirinda and her partner and fellow ecologist, Iestyn Hosking, to discuss addressing illegal land-clearing, as well as revegetation as a solution. The couple show James and Elysee around their property, which they've transformed from a cleared farm to one full of native vegetation and life.

Thank you to: 

The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group 

• https://www.malleefowlvictoria.org.au/ 
• Registrations for 2025 volunteer training are now open till the 3rd of October!

Ross MacFarlane 

Mick Webster

Mirinda Thorpe 

Iestyn Hosking

Macy Fuller

Recorded, written, and edited by James Worsfold and Elysee Lee