Planning for Wildlife at Brookfield                           

There are a number of native wildlife species that we can realistically hope to attract here. Wildlife have a number of requirements in order for them to survive. Habitat requirements vary between species but the basic requirements are common to all living creatures, including humans (ie food, water, shelter, place to raise young). We must address these to attract wildlife.

• Planting native wildflowers, shrubs and trees will provide the foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds, and insects that wildlife require to survive.
• Wildlife needs clean water for many purposes, including drinking, bathing and reproduction. The wetland provided by Arnolds Creek will provide this
• Wildlife needs shelter from people, predators and weather, such as native vegetation, tree hollows, shrubs, thickets or even dead trees.
• Wildlife needs a sheltered place to raise their offspring. Many places for cover can double as locations where wildlife can raise young, from wildflowers and bushes where many butterflies and moths lay their eggs, or tree hollows where bats, possums and birds can roost or nest.

Bushy undergrowth should encourage Blue Wrens, Red-browed Finches and Yellow-tailed Thornbills (common at lower Arnolds Creek). Wattles, peas and sennas (and their seeds) may even encourage Bronzewing Pigeons (a pair of these lived at Little Blind Creek in Kurunjang during the drought and one was seen at Brookfield early in 2009). Aquatic and emergent aquatics should provide cover for native fish, frogs and invertebrates, which may in turn attract herons, egrets and kingfishers (seen at lower Arnolds Creek and other local creeks in warmer months). Other birds found at lower Arnolds Creek (and other local creeks) such as Grey Fantails, Little Thornbills, Brown Goshawks, pardalotes, scrubwrens, and cuckoos etc, may return with the planting of more native vegetation, especially prickly understory plants.

Possums are absent from this site at present. Nest hollows for native wildlife will be enhanced by placement of appropriate nest boxes. There are many ancient gum trees here with natural hollows but the provision of nest boxes should improve nesting opportunities for birds such as ducks, owls, parrots, galahs, corellas and possums. Large boxes may even be suitable for cockatoos and kookaburras, as these require very large hollows.