The Cattle Egret’s story is so interesting!

We have all seen these white birds sitting atop of livestock. And yet, during their breeding season the Cattle Egret’s plumage changes so much (and so beautifully) that they look like an entirely different species!

This month Jim Butler brings us some wonderful facts about these “New Australians” – relatively recent arrivals to our shores.

You will learn about their global expansion and breeding and feeding habits, and the reasons behind their affiliation with livestock.

Please click here to open the November/December 2018 issue of Feather Fascination.    

Our 2018 AGM was held on Monday 26 November at the Brookfield Hall.

Our new committee was elected in and we were all captivated by Dr Ian Gynther’s discussion about a novel approach to conserving the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly.

We acknowledge with gratitude the tireless work of our outgoing committee members:
Joanna Yesburg (Treasurer for over 10 years), Sanja Oldfield (Secretary), Letitia Norton (Grants Officer) and Geoff Lawrence (Photo Competition Manager for over 10 years).

We are indebted to them for their generous contributions, expertise and support over the years and we wish them all well for future ventures.

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Please visit our Contact Us page for details of our incoming committee for 2019.

The Chairman’s report contains a summary of the group’s work throughout the 2017-2018 financial year. It’s recommended reading, highlighting the group’s diversity and featuring facts, figures, stats, highlights and photos from the year: {module_literature,i,195204}  

Brisbane City Council is inviting community feedback on two major planning components of the proposed Mt Coot-tha Zipline: 

1. the draft Mt Coot-tha Zipline Land Management Plan, and 
2. the Zipline Development Application (DA) .

Feedback regarding the Land Management Plan may be lodged until the end of December, but residents must submit feedback on the DA by 14 December.  

Members of the community certainly have mixed views regarding the Zipline development so you are encouraged to voice your opinion during this limited time window.

The draft Land Management Plan, together with maps and Council newsletters regarding the proposal are available on the BCC website.

Details regarding the submission of feedback can be viewed by clicking here.

To further acquaint yourself with the proposal, you may also wish to visit the Mt Coot-tha Protection Alliance website, a community-run website which outlines several concerns. 

Birdlife Australia recently announced the winners of its “2018 Australian Bird Photographer of the Year.”  And the results are stunning!

If you enjoy photography, please click here to visit the Birdlife Australia website and enjoy a showcase of winners across 7 different categories. 

“Have you ever rescued a riverbank?  A tract of bush, native tree or a garden, a waterway, an eroded beach or some farmland? A native animal or bird?
What do you feel as you tend to tired earth, or engage with the intrinsic value of an old-growth giant, or look into that creature’s eyes?
In some way, do these things rescue you?
In the act of environmental rescue we nurture a tree through drought, we restore a place, or we restore a native animal, to health. But this is not a one-way encounter. 

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The Rescue Project is a partnership between Landcare Australia and the University of NSW. It’s part of a research study looking at why, as individuals and community groups, we continue to carry out small acts of rescuing animals and landscapes in the face of a global environmental crisis.

It also asks what role citizen storytelling across online media can play in motivating an environmentally concerned public.

You can join the project. To participate all you need to do is join the Rescue website and upload a 500 word story by January 2019 about rescuing habitat or animals.

Like to learn more? Click here to open the Rescue website. 

  Rowena Park rescue 
Fragility of the Antechinus (courtesy Ed Frazer)

Healthy Land and Water invites you to a number of community forums following the release of its 2018 Report Card. This is an annual assessment of the pressures facing our waterways, their current environmental condition, and the level of social and economic benefits waterways provide to local communities.

Four community forums will be held across South East Queensland between late November and mid-December. They allow you the chance to share and discuss past and current projects in your region and to raise opportunities for future projects. Experts will discuss how they’ll be undertaking an upcoming review of the SEQ Natural Resource Management Plan. There will also be discussion around the 2019 National Landcare Program.

For more information, visit the Healthy Land and Water website or call Jenn Meyer on (07) 3177 9130.

Even if you’re not able to attend, we recommend checking out the website – it has some great info about projects, events and resources to help us protect our own patch of the SEQ environment.

… the guest speaker at the MCCG Annual General Meeting on Monday 26 November is zoologist Dr Ian Gynther.

Ian is an expert in wildlife conservation. At our AGM he will share his vast knowledge on the Richmond Birdwing butterfly. His talk is titled “Conserving the Richmond Birdwing through direct intervention – a captive breeding and release approach“. SO interesting!

Please come and join us! Members of the general public are also very welcome. 

THE MCCG AGM: 7.30 PM MONDAY 26 TH NOVEMBER IN BROOKFIELD HALL

For more information, please download your invitation: {module_literature,i,194749}

… or phone our Secretary, Kathleen Walmsley on 3374 3671

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PROFILE – Dr Ian Gynther

Dr Ian Gynther joined the Queensland Government’s conservation agency in 1992, where he has worked ever since. Currently, he is a zoologist in the Threatened Species Program of the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.

Originally, Ian’s role involved conducting general vertebrate fauna surveys across South-east Queensland as part of a community-based wildlife atlas program.

More recently, his focus has been on reversing the decline of threatened birds, mammals and invertebrates, including the magnificent Richmond Birdwing.

The incentive to work on the conservation of this butterfly was provided by Dr Don Sands, who, along with the MCCG, laid the foundations for the project that will be presented in this talk.

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This is an opportunity to hear from an expert in our state’s biodiversity.

Note: Wildlife Queensland’s launched its Bring Back the Birdwing Project in 2018. Click here to re-visit a news item from earlier in the year.

We were recently visited by a team from the ABC’s  ‘Gardening Australia’ programme.

They filmed a segment on the damage to the environment done by Cat’s Claw Creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati). 

The ABC team shown in the photo below is (from left to right) presenter (Jerry Coleby-Williams), producer (Neil Proud), the cameraman and sound engineer. They spent the entire day filming out at Upper Brookfield. 

Our very own Adrian Webb was the ‘star’ of the show, with our respected leader Jim Pope and the ever-inspiring Bryan Hacker in supporting roles!

We’re not sure yet when the segment will go to air, so stay tuned (literally) for further information!

Our heartfelt thanks to Council for their recent removal of several large Chinese Elms from Tuckett St. Park. They have facilitated a revitalising step forward!

The work was held up for over 6 months for reasons beyond our control, but we finally have a large area that will be ideal for planting with natives from early 2019.

In the next step, Habitat Brisbane will spray the area with herbicide and spread large piles of mulch that have resulted from chipping the Chinese Elms. Then we can begin restoring natives to the area!

Clearly this means LOTS OF TREE PLANTING in the early months of the new year (if the weather is favourable.)

Tuckett St Park is a beautiful parkland of natural beauty and environmental diversity. It is a little-known area offering ample recreational activities enjoyed and nurtured by local residents.  

If you’d like to contribute to this SIGNIFICANT REGENERATION EFFORT by planting some trees, please contact Jim Pope, leader of our “Section 3” bushcare group on 3374 4181.

Jim can also be reached via email on: [email protected]

The Section 3 bushcare group generally meets on the last Sunday of each month.