In the summer newsletter… We say goodbye and a huge thank you to our outgoing Chairman for the last four years – Jim Pope and welcome our new nominee for the Chair position Alexander (Sandy) Pollock. Beck Bain gives a wrap up of the 2021 photo comp, sharing photos from the winners. Read about the Old Gold Creek Forest Walk that was established in 2021 spearheaded by Gordon Grigg. There is information on weeds (Creeping Lantana) and seeds (native Witch-hazel) and an excellent article on the Nursery and our fabulous volunteers. And so much more. Check out the summer newsletter here.
News
URGENT CALLOUT TO MEMBERS!
As you may know the 2021 AGM did not go ahead as planned on Nov 25th due to the lack of nominations to fill the roles of Chairperson and Secretary.
After 4 years Jim Pope has stepped down from the role as Chairman of MCCG. Kathleen Walmsley is also planning to retire as Secretary but will stay on until a new Secretary is appointed.
We really do need a couple of people from our 500 members to give the committee a go and support the Catchment Group’s activities. If we do not fill these roles soon MCCG cannot continue as we are.
We really are desperate for some new people to join the committee.
Please, if you are interested we need you to get in touch.
Wildlife Matters
In this month’s edition of Wildlife Matters, Rebecca Bain shines a light on the after dark antics of flying-foxes and shares why these Aussie bats are our friends.
Know Your Wildlife!
Know Your Wildlife
How well do you know the local wildlife? You are invited to meet the Wildlife Identification Challenge!
CAN you identify these bats using the MCCG Digital Field Guides?
ANSWER:
The Grey-headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) and Little Red Flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus) are native only to Australia, but the range of the Black Flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) extends to Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
- Black Flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) – photo Rebecca Bain
- Little Red Flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus) – photo Rebecca Bain
- Grey-headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) – photo Rebecca Bain
Published in
Notice of MCCG AGM Thursday 25th November 7pm
Annual General Meeting 2021
Everyone Welcome!
When
Thursday, 25th November 2021 at 7pm (doors open 6.30pm)
Where
Brookfield Showground Hall
Vacant positions: Chairperson & Secretary.
Please consider nominating. Nomination forms can be downloaded here
Tea, coffee and snacks served. Attendees will be entered in a lucky door prize drawn on the night.
We look forward to seeing you on the 25th!
Please direct any enquiries to Kathleen Walmsley [email protected]
Guest Speaker
Judy Magub OAM
History is not just about the people, events, and buildings. We have so many magnificent trees in our suburbs that also reflect our local history. Some are remnant vegetation; some remind us of the culture of the indigenous people; some were planted for a purpose; some to commemorate or remember a person or event; some were planted for shade or food.
Over the past year Judy has been researching and photographing these historic and significant trees. A Research Report has now been published to record what we know to date, and to generate more information from the community.
Judy Magub Bio
Judy has a background in Nursing and Health Administration.
She was elected to the Brisbane City Council and served as the Councillor for Toowong for 13 years before she retired in 2008.
She has a keen interest in local and family history and is currently the president of the Kenmore & District Historical Society. She has published five books on local history.
Judy has been involved in a wide range volunteer work with many community organizations. She has been a Rotarian for 30 years, was a Rotary District Governor in 2000, and is now an Honorary member.
In 2001 she received a QUT Outstanding Alumni Award and in 2014 an OAM
Protecting Platypus with Tamielle Brunt
Ecologist and Phd Candidate Tamielle Brunt uses eDNA and trapping to gather much needed information on these little known populations. We are so fortunate in Moggill Creek Catchment to have platypus.
Watch the video to learn about Tamielle’s research and also find out how you can help platypus survive.
Know Your Wildlife
How well do you know the local wildlife? You are invited to meet the Wildlife Identification Challenge!
CAN you identify these insects using the MCCG Digital Field Guides?
Which is the odd one out?
Common Crow (Euploea core) – photo Ed Frazer
Crow Moth (Cruria donowani) – photo Ed Frazer
White-banded Plane (Phaedyma shepherdi) – photo Ed Frazer
ANSWER:
The Common Crow (Euploea core) and White-banded Plane (Phaedyma shepherdi) are both butterflies. The odd one out is the Crow Moth. There are several characteristics that distinguish butterflies from moths, including:
- Moths tend to rest with their wings open, whereas butterflies usually rest with their wings closed.
- Unlike butterflies, moths have a frenulum – a wing coupling device that ensures the wings travel together during flight.
- Moths tend to have feathered antennae, whereas butterfly antennae are usually long and bare, with a club end.
- Butterflies are diurnal, whereas most moths are nocturnal.
Published in
Wildlife Matters!
Elusive Butterflies
The Purple or Common Moonbeam butterfly (Philiris innotata) occurs along most creek margins and in many of the catchments in Brisbane, including in the western suburbs. The adult butterflies are relatively small with a wingspan of just over 20mm and are particularly striking, the wings of the males have a deep purple upperside, and the females pale blue, with the underside of the wings of both sexes a satin silver colour.
Despite their beauty, the adult butterflies are rarely observed as the males spend a good deal of their time perched high on vegetation near creeks, while the females are quite secretive, sometimes observed flying around their host plants. Although the adult butterflies can be difficult to spot, signs of the presence of the butterfly’s larvae on its hostplant Ficus coronata
(Sandpaper Fig) are unmistakable and commonly observed. The butterfly lays its eggs on the undersides of mature leaves of the fig and the developing larvae feed on the leaf’s underside epidermis, and this feeding is obvious on the upper side of the leaf surface. These characteristic trails left by the larvae are a telltale sign that the butterfly is present, without ever seeing the adult butterfly. The larva that remains on the underside of the leaf grows in a series of molts and eventually pupates not far from where it last fed. The larvae are wonderfully camouflaged, green in colour possessing a dorsal stripe which matches closely the underside venation of the leaf.
The Purple Moonbeam has been observed, either as adult butterflies or as larvae, during the recent butterfly sampling in the catchments by Brisbane’s Big Butterfly Count (BBBC). The sampling will continue into 2022. The outcomes of this project have indicated that the revegetation of our catchments with Ficus coronata has greatly assisted the continued viability of this beautiful butterfly species along our waterways.
Trevor Lambkin
Common Moonbeam Philiris innotata larva Photo A.A. Davies
Common Moonbeam Philiris innotata larval damage Photo T. Lambkin
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Creek Health Monitoring Project is on this month!
The Spring sampling events for the Creek Health Monitoring Project (CHMP) are being held on Saturday November 20th, Wednesday 24th and Saturday 27th. Lots of volunteers are needed for this fun and interesting experience where you will learn more about our local creeks. See the flyer below.
To participate please register through Eventbrite – families welcome!
To find out more about CHMP click here
Results from the Platypus Survey 2021
There were at least 12 sightings this year which is great news and indicates that platypus are persisting in the Moggill Creek Catchment.
(Check out the map showing sightings and video below)
Key findings:
- Some observers saw two platypus
- When examining the times recorded, some may have been the same animals seen again by other observers downstream or upstream
- Three sightings in lower Gold Creek. In addition, on the evening before the survey, two platypus were video recorded at the confluence of Gold and Moggill creeks on a private property. The two were seen vigorously interacting
- One sighting in Moggill Creek near the Showgrounds
- Six sightings in mid-Moggill Creek, off Rafting Ground Road (Huntington Estate)
- One sighting a little further downstream in Kenmore Hills
- One sighting in a large pool in lower Moggill Creek, near Moggill Road
Unfortunately, many of our core historical platypus hotspots were again negative this year and this has been the pattern for some years. These include upper Moggill Creek (Upper Brookfield), mid-Moggill Creek (Kenmore High School region), lower Moggill Creek (Kilkivan/Fortrose Street area) and mid-upper Gold Creek. This is always a concern, with water extraction from the creeks and general watercourse degradation from human activities continuing to occur in what is a peri-urban environment. Interestingly, the sightings this year were, however, mostly in the more urbanised creek areas.
Thank you again to Dr Christine Hosking for running the annual Platypus Survey in Moggill Creek Catchment and to all the volunteers who are up early for Platypus watching.
