All on a Sunday morning!  Can you help?

Our Chairman Jim Pope reports that his bushcare group (Huntington Section 3) will be planting 300 native tress and shrubs in Tuckett St park on Sunday 3 February.  

Note: this is the January working bee, which has been postponed. Here is Jim’s message:

Our first working bee of 2019 would normally be the last Sunday in January, but I have another commitment on that date and it also corresponds with the Australia Day long weekend, so many of you may be away. 

Consequently our first working bee of the year will be on Sunday 3rd February. Please make a note of this in your diaries!

Weather permitting we hope to do a big planting – in the area of Tuckett Park that was recently opened up by removal of a number of large Chinese Elms. 

We will need as many as possible to attend since we are hoping to plant over 300 native trees and shrubs on the day!

The working bee runs from 8.30am until 11am.

If you’d like to take part please contact Jim on 3374 4181.

When it eats insects, caterpillars and spiders as well!

Read Jim Butler’s January edition of Feather Fascination to learn just which Honeyeater we are talking about.

Jim may also help you find some enterprising New Year’s Resolutions!

Please click here to open the article: Feather Fascination January 2019

We’re all familiar with the concept of bird song …

But it appears that fish can be equally vocal, using a variety of sounds like grunting, squealing and gurgling to gain access to food and mates, and possibly for social interaction.

Dr Simon Linke, of the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, is using “fish song” in a research project which is adopting a novel approach to monitoring the waterway health.

Using underwater microphones, Dr Linke’s team has catalogued every biological sound in the Einasleigh River in Far North Queensland. The sounds are identified by computer, providing a snapshot of the activity of fish species within the waterway at any given time.

Dr Linke suggests that the use of eco-acoustics could potentially also be used to locate insects and invasive species such as Tilapia, which make noises when they spawn or defend their nests.

This innovative project was reported on ABC News recently. It will certainly be worth following its progress. To learn more, visit the ABC News Website. 

An online Griffith University article from March 2018 provides further information: Eavesdropping on fish to measure river health.

An un-related article by the Acoustical Society of America provides some insight into the reasons for fish sounds: How Important are fish Sounds for Feeding, Contests and Reproduction?

Tilapia in Moggill Creek – courtesy of Jim Pope
Perhaps we’ll soon have a new, non-invasive way to locate Tilapia in our catchment!

There is still time left to lodge feedback regarding the Brisbane City Council’s draft Mt Coot-tha Zipline Land Management Plan.

You will find information about the project on the Council website. 

For an alternative viewpoint, you may wish to visit the community-driven Mt Coot-tha Protection Alliance website which outlines several community concerns.

We strongly encourage you to voice your opinion before 31 DECEMBER. To open the survey, please click here.

We couldn’t let the New Year arrive without paying tribute to the winner of the Young Person’s category in our 2018 Photo Competition.

Alexander Davies is a prolific and talented young photographer. 

Unfortunately, when our Newsletter editor Cathi Lawrence put a call out for the stories behind the winning photos for our Summer Newsletter, Alexander’s story missed the deadline.

So we’ve decided to publish it on the website instead! Here is Alexander’s winning shot and the story behind it for your enjoyment!  Well done and thank you Alexander!

Out of all the images I entered into the competition, I enjoyed this one the most. 

The image depicts a Lively Rainbow Skink (Carlia vivax) peeping from behind a dead stump. 

The image showcases their inquisitive nature, instead of running away or scampering off like a lot of small skinks they will actively investigate you, especially when sitting still trying to photograph them. 

These skinks are absent in suburbia due to their love for tussock grasses and native ground covers, however they are very common along with several other Carlia sp. in these areas. 

They are actually not a very common skink in the Moggill Creek Catchment and are restricted to areas of virgin Open Eucalypt forest. They shun moist areas, though they may turn up in vine scrub, wallum country or the edges of swamps.

This photo was taken at Mt Crosby.

Let us entertain you over the Christmas break! Our Summer 2018 Newsletter is a treasure.

For starters, it features a wonderful collection of stories behind winning entries in our Photography Competition. This makes for very entertaining reading!

Learn what climate change has in store for birdlife, bid farewell to some of our longest standing volunteers and read the latest on the MCCG Canetoad Challenge.

We have a report from a thriving Bushcare group and a snapshot of the MCCG’s 2018 successes provided by our Chairman, Jim Pope.

There are plenty of other great articles on a number of topics – we guarantee to keep you captivated!

A heartfelt thank you to our Newsletter Editor Cathi Lawrence and to all those who took time to the submit the diverse range of content for this issue.

To start reading, please click the “Download our current newsletter” link on this page.

REMEMBER: we’re always on the lookout for new local stories! If you have one to share, please START WRITING!  You can send your story or request more info from our Newsletter Editor at [email protected] 

‘Morning Mist on Red Bottlebrush’, an entry by Ed Frazer in our 2018 Photo Competition.

Open your newsletter to see more winning entries and the stories behind them!