We are seeking a special volunteer!  

We need a Quartermaster/Equipment Supervisor.

The person we’re looking for will have some mechanical skills and knowledge of light machinery such as ride-on mower, brushcutters, posthole diggers/augers, petrol water pumps, trailers etc.

We’re also hoping our Quartermaster will provide much needed advice and assist us with ongoing mechanical maintenance and repairs.

COULD THIS BE YOU?  …. OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW?

If so, please contact our Chairman, Jim Pope by phoning 3374 4181, or you can email Jim at: [email protected]

Hours are negotiable.

The recent rains have created an unusual situation around the catchment which may be escaping our attention.

It seems many of our local natives have “sprung” into growth, typical of Spring, with new red growth on Eucalypts. Quite a few are flowering, bringing in bees and bee-eaters.

The most unusual flowering is occurring with mangoes, which are currently in heavy flower 5 months earlier than usual!  Mangoes normally flower in August so it is unlikely the fruit will develop as winter approaches.

When winter arrives and if it is a cold one, all of this early new growth may be damaged by the cooler temperatures.

Mangoes in flower in April – ©  Ed Frazer 

These seasonal abnormalities are not isolated to flora. There have been a few birds showing early nesting behaviour as well, although it seems unlikely they will carry it through before the onset of winter.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted that warmer than average days and nights are likely for May to July nationally. It predicts that the chances of being warmer than median are very high (greater than 80%) for large parts of northern and eastern Australia for both days and nights. 

There are reports of environmental changes occurring earlier than usual elsewhere in the world due to changing climate patterns. Here are some other recent examples:

• Early 2019 whale migration on the Australian eastern seaboard
• Early arrival of the 2019 Japanese cherry season
• Early arrival of Spring 2019 in the UK

Keep an eye out for abnormalities around you. It may well be that our catchment is not immune to similar changes. 

Image sourced from the BOM website

Members, keep Sunday the 26th of May free! It’s the date of Habitat Brisbane’s Orientation Day. This year it is being held at the Brighton Wetlands Bushcare site. 

Registrations open at 8am and the event will run until 2.30pm.  There will be tea and coffee on arrival and morning tea and lunch are also provided.

This event is for new and existing volunteers.  A formal invitation will be sent out in the coming weeks with more details about the day and the RSVP details.  You must RSVP if you wish to come along as this event is catered.
There are some new presenters coming along this year including:

• Tali and Jono from Bush Tekniq who will be doing a workshop on chemical free bushcare.
• Spencer Shaw presenting on holistic weed management of bushcare sites.
• Stacey and Alan from Hollow Log Homes who will run a workshop on nest boxes for wildlife.

There will also be lots of other interesting presentations that will get you up date with all that is happening in Habitat Brisbane so please put this date in your calendar and come along!

The Easter Bilby campaign was created in 1991 to draw the nation’s attention to conservation efforts to save the Greater Bilby.

You may wish also to help this endangered little marsupial by fostering a Greater Bilby or simply by purchasing selected Easter chocolate bilbies which contribute towards their conservation.

Head to the Currumbin Santuary website to read the story.

On a slightly less celebratory note, now is a good time to identify Easter cassia (senna pendula var glabrata). This widespread invasive shrub has bright yellow flowers with five large petals which bloom prolifically around Easter. The cooler weather may provide an ideal time to poison them or pull younger plants out all together.  Check our online Weed List or the BCC Weed Identification website for more info.

 ©  Bryan Hacker

We wish you all a safe and happy Easter break!!!

Please note that the following working bees planned for Easter Sunday 21 April have been postponed to Sunday 28 April:

• Section 2 – Lower Moggill.  For more info, contact Judy Petroeschevsky on 3378 3348 
  
• Section 9 – Upper Gold Creek. For more info, contact Gordon Grigg on 3374 1737
• Section 11 – McKay Brook. For more info, contact Bryan Hacker on 3374 1468

Please contact John Crowley on 3374 0723 for info regarding Section 8 – Wonga Creek.

WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE EASTER !

For most of us the Purple Swamphen is a familiar sight. They are abundant in parklands and by our waterways, foraging in reeds for soft shoots, frogs and snails. Not all that remarkable.

WRONG!!!

Did you know the Purple Swamphen has been around since the 3rd Century? In fact, Aristotle included it in a survey of animals back in 350 B.C.E!

To learn more, head to Jim Butler’s Feather Fascination April 2019.

Footnote: Perhaps the longevity of the Purple Swamphen is due in part to its initiative!

We came across an Australian Geographic article which describes the bird’s ingenious and deliberate way of dissecting cane toads to avoid the toxin when enjoying a cane toad meal.

Click here to read more: Don’t under estimate a Swamphen

Photo © Ed Frazer 
  

Brisbane City Council is offering free training to catchment group members. Its focus is social media and marketing in the digital space.

The session will cover aspects of social media content development and administration activities which are suitable for catchment and land management groups. It will run for over 3 hours and participants will receive a social media workbook upon completion.

When:                  1pm-4pm, Friday 24 May 2019

Where:                 Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre, 149 Acacia Road, Karawatha.

If you’re interested, please contact Andrew Wills ASAP.  Places are limited. Whilst this invitation has been sent to Catchment Group members initially, Environment Centres are keen to have their volunteers attend, too.

Andrew can be reached by phone on 3407 0215 or 0408 713 450, or you can email him on: [email protected].au

The Fraser Island Defenders Organisation and Cooloola Coastcare is running a 3-day BioBlitz from 3.30 Friday 17 May through to 3.30 Sunday.

The BioBlitz is 48 hours of biological surveying in an attempt to expand the records of all the plant and animal species within the Cooloola Coast.

Scientists, naturalists and volunteers like YOU conduct the survey in small groups!

The BioBlitz will have experienced leaders, interesting presentations by scientists and social occasions and dinners. You can join them for 1 day or 3 and no special experience required to participate. Age group from teens to retirees.

Contact Lindy Orwin on 0478 039 322 or email [email protected].

For more info, check out the flyer:  Flyer Cooloola BioBlitz 2019

Note:

BioBlitz...an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area.

What do you think?

If you’ve ever reflected on the natural cheekiness of a rainbow lorikeet or the inquisitive nature of a noisy minor, the dignity of a magpie or the solemn gaze of a tawny, then we guarantee you will be captivated by our latest Bush Bites article.

In it, Ed Frazer shares his interactions and observations of some wonderfully diverse birdlife on his property. Read about “Kook” and “Puddleduck” and the willie wagtails, mapgies, and ducks that have become part of Ed’s life (just as he has become part of theirs). 

There’s an especially enchanting story about Major Mitchells, all accompanied by Ed’s jaw-dropping photos.

Head to Ed’s Bush Bites article and then decide for yourself: Do birds have personalities?