VORG Victorian Ornithological Research Group Inc.

People passionate about birds who promote and encourage the study of all aspects of bird life.

Hard at work in the forest at Barooga on the Flame Robin Survey

2002 - 30th Year of Study

Who and What is VORG?

The Victorian Ornithological Research Group (VORG) has approximately 60 members with a wide range of backgrounds including professional ornithologists, students, computer programmers, botanists, statisticians, and other people who are just interested in birds.

The objectives of the group are:

· To promote and encourage the study of all aspects of bird life by any means, including

· field studies

· participation in the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme

· co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or its equivalent for the time being

· To encourage and assist in the publication of the results of such work

· To provide a meeting place for discussion groups, the reading of papers and social activities

· To make provision for the retention of field records, diaries and other relevant documents

· To co-operate with persons or organisations having interests similar to those of VORG.

· To co-ordinate the activities of groups engaged in work consistent with the above objects

Catching, banding and weighing Flame Robins at Barooga.	Catching, banding and weighing Short-tailed Shearwaters at Phillip Island

VORG Contacts

PRESIDENT Barb Sharp m. 0418 539 657

SECRETARY Spencer Unthank 140 Graydens Road Tuerong, Victoria 3915 m. 0408 788 372 e. spencerunthank@bigpond.com

EDITOR Brian Goyen 6 Myrtle Court, Doncaster East, Vic 3109 m. 0488 035 004 e. vorg.editor@gmail.com

VORG Publications

VORG has produced a number of publications and copies are available from either the Secretary or the Editor.  

These include:

VORG Notes Index,  Vol.1 (1963) – Vol.56 (2024) VORG 2025 VORG NOTES is the bi-annual publication of the Victorian Ornithological Research Group.  Members provided contributions to this publication on items of ornithological interest including survey results, interesting observations, and bird related anecdotes. Copies of VORG NOTES are held by the State Library of Victoria and the RAOU Library (Head Office), and are also available from the VORG editor.	The Albert Park Bird List 1979 - 2019 Talmage M.E. 2022. VORG This Bird List is the culmination of 40 years of bird observation, survey work by Mary Ellen Talmage at Albert Park.  172 Bird Species have been observed during 4138 separate visits between January 1979 and December 2019.  67,629 individual bird observations have been recorded.
Raving About Ravens Telmage M.E. 2011 VORG Establish a special relationship with ravens, undertake hours of observations, add a dash of science and put pen to paper culminating in a book. The title says it all!	Birds of Box Hill. Kloot, T. 2000. VORG. Based on a survey conducted by VORG over 3 consecutive years.  The survey was conducted almost one hundred years after the Australian naturalist Robert Hall published his observations on the bird life of Box Hill.
The Gang Gang Cockatoo in Field and in Aviary. Chambers, L.E. 1995.  VORG. A literature review, also containing some previously unpublished information, of the Gang-gang Cockatoo..	A Bird Atlas of the Melbourne Region Aston H.I. and Balmford R.A.  1976.  VORG To record the presence and breeding of bird species in the Melbourne Area during the period from 1 December 1975 to 31 December 1976.
Victorian Ornithological Research Group Westernport Report No.1. Davis W.A. and Reid A.J.   1974 The birds of Somers, Sandy Point, Hastings Districts, Westernport Bay, Victoria, Australia. Published in four parts in "The Victorian Naturalist. Vol.91 p.211 Vol.91 p.264 Vol.92 p.70 Vol.92 p.121	A Handlist of The Birds of Victoria Wheeler, W Roy.  1967.  VORG This handlist places on record all species of birds known to have occurred in Victoria.  Brief notes are given of the status of the bird, its habitat and distribution within the state.