Time is ticking away and Spring is nearly upon us! Unfortunately, the warmer Spring weather often brings with it an increase in ticks and tick bites! 

We have found a video about these little parasites which feed on human and animal blood: 

Interestingly the creators claim that it doesn’t matter if the mouth parts of the tick are left behind when it is removed, provided that it is pulled straight out as close as possible to the surface of the skin and is not squeezed or twisted in the process.

The best way to avoid tick bites, however, is to spray the skin with insect repellent, which we always provide at our MCCG working bees.

Click here to view the video.

We have some additional info on our Ticks page and some useful tips and observations from Ed Frazer and Gordon Grigg in a Bush Bites article about ticks.  

Each 12-18 months,  THECA holds a community forum. 

The aim of these day-long events is to discuss significant environmental issues. The forums are renowned for the quality of their content, with a number sessions delivered by expert speakers. 

This year’s forum will be held this Saturday 11 August at QCAT, Pullenvale. 

The theme is Citizen Science: Challenges and Benefits for Biodiversity Conservation. 

For more information about the day and to enquire about registration, please visit the THECA website.

*THECA – The Hut Environmental and Community Association Inc.

Which bird is responsible for the dispersal of around 70% of seeds in Australian rainforests?

Quite remarkable!

The name of this news item (“Two Pigeons“) provides a little clue, but perhaps this picture will  provide the answer for you:

To learn the answer whilst enjoying an entertaining read, please click here to see Jim Butler’s August issue of Feather Fascination.

2018 has been the fourth – driest April to June period  since the Bureau of Meteorology started tacking records in 1900. 

Lower-level soil moisture this July 2018 has also been below average. 

ABC News has this week published an article which may be of interest. It provides the definition of a drought and describes in layman’s terms different types of droughts and the reasons behind our increasingly arid climate. 

You can read the article by clicking here: What you need to know about droughts:  why they happen and how they are defined.

You may also wish to view the Bureau of Meteorology’s recent Youtube video: August-October 2018 Climate and Water Outlook.  It reports on the reasons behind our most recent weather conditions.

And finally, you can monitor national rainfall deficiencies and soil moisture each month by viewing the Bureau of Meteorology Monthly Drought Statement.  

Approximately 10 million tonnes of litter ends up in our oceans EACH YEAR!!!

The theme of Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2018, which runs from Monday 20 August to Sunday 26 August is Marine Litter.

Get involved by participating in the Keep Our Waterways Beautiful competition.

For all the details, and to see more facts about marine litter, visit the Keep Australia Beautiful website.

Moggill Creek, Tuckett Street Park – photo courtesy of Janine Nicklin

Come along and meet like-minded volunteers as Brisbane City Council celebrates achievements in protecting and restoring Brisbane’s biodiversity. 

A MESSAGE FROM JIM:

Our July working bee would normally be held on Sunday 29^th July, but it has been BROUGHT FORWARD to NEXT SUNDAY 22^nd JULY.

We’ll do some more weed clearing and will meet at the extreme western end of Creekside St. park, opposite the bottom end of Stoneybrook St. 

I hope to see you all there!

The McKay Brook bushcare group usually holds its working bees on the first Saturday and third Sunday of each month.  

Unfortunately, due to commitments this month, our next Sunday working bee is scheduled for SUNDAY 29 JULY. 

This will be a morning working bee, commencing at 8.30am and we’ll be tending our Mirbelia Street site.

Please click here for all the details. For more info, please call Bryan Hacker on 3374 1468.

Would you like to see some extraordinary shots of local Kookaburras doing unexpected things?

Then take a look at our latest Bush Bites article by Ed Frazer.

Ed takes us through some of his early morning encounters in Brookfield, which are very entertaining and quite extraordinary.

Open the article by clicking here. It’s a great read – scroll down to see the Kookaburras!

This is an enviable way to start the day!!!

If you have a wildlife encounter to share, or would like to tell us about your favourite part of our Catchment, please send an email to: [email protected]

MCCG Chairman Jim Pope has shared some photos of an event which unfolded in his backyard recently.

We’ve added it to our Bush Bites series of articles.

What was it all about?

Perhaps this photo taken by Ed Frazer will give you a hint of the animal involved! 

Carpet pythons mating – Ed Frazer

Click here to open the list of Bush Bites articles. (Jim’s article is currently at the top of the list.)