In the nearly 7 years that we have lived at Mount Dandenong we have made a concerted effort to attract more native bird species to our garden through the extensive planting of indigenous trees and the removal of introduced weed species. There are times however, when the value of the “weeds” outweighs any gains to be had from their removal. The classic case in our garden has been this well established Evergreen Dogwood Cornus capitata.

Though it is quite rightly regarded as a weed species in the Dandenong Ranges due to its ability to produce hundreds of seeds each season, the specimen that is growing above the wildlife pond in our garden fills an important role of mid-storey tree that ordinarily would be taken up by Acacia species such as blackwoods and black wattles.

This tier of foliage provides an important source of food for birds and animals, as well as functioning as a superhighway between the trunks of the larger Eucalyptus trees. Since moving to Mt Dandenong, I have planted a number of blackwoods around the vicinity of the dogwood, with the intention that as they became established the dogwood can eventually be removed, however there are still a number of years to go before that scenario will ever come to pass.

In the meantime, every autumn we see the fruits of the dogwood being eagerly devoured by native birds. Usually its the Crimson Rosellas that feast for weeks, however in the last couple of days, a family group of Gang Gang Cockatoos has moved in. They’re actually quite happy to munch away all day while dogs and people run around on the paths below them. As such, I was able to get some really nice shots of a couple of them.