MT ROGERS 2015 AND IT’S MID-NOVEMBER ALREADY

Several events seem to have crowded into everyday life recently leaving little time for my Mt Rogers wanderings.

In recent weeks though, Kirsty has seen three Speckled Warblers when ‘up there’ with her nephew. These delightful birds spend much of their time feeding on the ground and typically their nests are amongst long grass. With three seen it would suggest they have out-smarted the foxes so far.

NESTING

Congratulations and thanks to Barbara and Lyndon for sending in their evocative photographs of the Tawny Frogmouths. These are of the ‘behind the twin tanks’ pair (photos below). 

Both pairs were on their nests (or rather the males during the day) when I checked them out on 25^th October for the COG Bird Blitz Weekend.  By 10^th November the Schwarz Place family had moved away but the twin tanks incubator was still on the nest. A magpie was foraging on the ground nearby. Hopefully the magpies and Currawongs adopted a live-and-let-live attitude towards these Frogmouths after showing me where the nest was by their harassing flights last month.

I expect you each have tales of nesting birds near or in your gardens. Wattle-birds have at least one fledgling here but a Currawong was hoping to catch them unawares yesterday. A week ago I came across a very young fledgling Silvereye being fed in friends’ front yard, also in mid Flynn. I had wondered where and when the Silvereyes nest as their flocks were still regularly coming though here after the garden’s insects about 4 weeks ago.

10^th NOVEMBER WALK THROUGH MT ROGERS

I again saw Double-barred Finches within 70 m of the Flynn playground.

A Butcher-bird was heard and is presumably the Deasland–Avery Place (Fraser) one reported several times and, may we assume, a resident family? Noisy Friarbirds were heard as were the ‘ooming’ calls of the Common Bronzewing Pigeons. I thought I heard a Corella’s call amongst Cockatoo screeches and did see two Eastern Spinebills in Schwarz Place. I’d rather thought they moved to higher country to nest but I need to do more research on them also. I did see a few Superb Parrots at the Australian Institute of Sport on Monday 9^th November but I gather that sightings have been fewer this winter–spring. Wouldn’t it be a shame if they’ve decided it’s not in their best interests to become ACT residents? Will they return in time to eat unharvested Loquats? The Cockatoos are enjoying wattle pods already.

WHAT’S IN FLOWER

Elsewhere grassland wildflowers flowers are having a magnificent year. In certain places Spur Velleia, Native Plantain, Chrysocephalum ‘button’ daisies, New Holland Daisy, Australian Bindweed, Yellow Rush Lily and Bluebells are adding colour amongst the Mt Rogers native Spear Grasses and Wallaby Grasses.  Hop Bushes and Cassinia are shrubs in flower. Eucalypt species continue to take turns in providing insects, birds and small nocturnal mammals with nectar. November is the flowering time for pale-yellow Black Wattle Acacia mearnsii. Personally I find the perfume cloying but others like it.

And the introduced Capeweed is also flowering pale yellow particularly along the paths we use. The odd brownish fruits stick to fur and clothing but sometimes the Rosellas can be seen eating them.

Chris has been working on Mullein or Verbascum flower spikes. Cutting them down now will prevent the production of hundreds of tiny seeds per flower spike. Salsify (Maroon-pink) and Goats Beard (Yellow) are flowering. They’re two different species but each has wonderful large dandelion-like seed heads with seeds often 1 cm long ready to blow away. When young their parsnip-like roots are edible. Here is my photo of a Salsify seed head.

WHIPPER SNIPPERS

In mid-October there was a team of three young men working north of Jacob Place with whipper-snippers/brush-cutters. Presumably they were part of Chief Minister Barr’s allocation of money for ‘tidying up Canberra’ and mowing as they said they were reducing the fuel load. I haven’t been back to see whether the whipper-snipper thongs will have ring-barked the young trees and shrubs they cleared around.

INVASIVE GRASSES

Steve D has been fitting in spraying African Lovegrass and Chilean Needle Grass (CNG) where he comes across individual plants alongside the tracks and paths we use. There’s a healthy and extensive population of CNG around the Flynn playground. It was mown on 2^nd November. Half-fortunately the operator said they were next going into other Flynn areas. In spite of this population being reported I doubt if the three operators cleaned their mowers before moving into the suburbs’ green spaces. Ted and I cut flowers off and then dug out scattered Serrated Tussock (ST) plants on 2^nd November. The ACT is surrounded by ST, so it’s not surprising that seeds have made their way to Mt Rogers in recent years…perhaps on bike tyres that have previously been ridden around rural properties?

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

The reports you’ve sent in and the everyday inspiration we draw from the views and skyscapes from Mt Rogers help to remind us of the health benefits of enjoying and having time to reflect on the ‘simple things in life’. We’re also lucky to be living in the digital photography age where capturing images from everyday nature is ‘easy’ with portable cameras and phones. 

Images of Capeweed (see above), a huge moth on a post in the garden (below), the fleshy remains of a possum being consumed by ants, a cluster of galls (or perhaps eggs) on the back of a eucalypt leaf (below), old fence-posts and water dripping into a clear but gritty-based puddle are a few of my ‘crazies’. 

There’s a place for our ‘instant’ images alongside the evocative studies Lyndon a (nd Steve W create with their large cameras and videoing respectively. If you search for Canberra Nature Map you’ll find a way of sending in your photos so they can help build a record of where and when species were found. You become a Citizen Scientist.

Natalie Maras has concentrated on the soil’s crusts during her Artist-in-Residence time with CSIRO Research. The results are in her Interface exhibition at the Botanic Gardens until 6^th December. Botanical sketches are part of her collection but her polymer creations based on studies of lichens, mosses, fungi and the minutiae of soil organisms are magical. This soil-level world is one we readily take for granted, yet the crust species hold the soil together and prevent erosion and encourage the growth of mosses and tiny ground-hugging vascular plants.

29^th NOVEMBER is special as there’s a huge gathering and short march planned for the lawns of Parliament House near the Lake. This is Canberra’s chance to join the rest of the world’s everyday people in demanding that we be no longer ignored … immediate genuine action against climate change is vital for everyone and all the species and habitats we share the planet with. As observers and appreciators of Mt Rogers’ spaces and nature, please swell the numbers by being there on 29^th from noon. You can choose to wear colours based on which message is closest to your thoughts or come as you are: Blue…the future, Yellow…the solutions, Red…Impacted by Climate Change now, Green…voiceless species & habitats, Orange…a just transition, Purple….many faiths, many cultures.

See you there!…..Rosemary, Convenor Mt Rogers Landcare Group.  6258 4724

MT ROGERS NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2015

Drying out: It looks (02.10.15) as if we’re in the early days of a bout of warm weather. This may have the effect of hastening the flowering of grasses and their consequent release of pollen. Hay-fever sufferers will dread receiving the wind-borne pollen that is making its way to the female parts of other grass plants of the same species. Try searching online for Pollen grain images and you may be surprised at the delicate, intricate beauty of the tiny grains. We can now see them through powerful electron microscopes. Cores taken from, for example, the Lake George area and Antarctica have revealed much about the history of plants and the movement of the continents. Palynologists are those who study pollen grains. Their work has informed numerous studies about continental drift, the origins of Australia’s fauna and the occurrence of similar plant species in South Africa and Australia.

Superb efforts from Angharad, David, Heather, John, Kirsty, Ted, Phil, Rob and Sue have spoilt the 2015–2016 flowering and seeding attempts of Serrated Tussock plants, African Lovegrass and several woody environmental weed species during working bees on 7^th and 27^th September. We dug out the grasses and cut & daubed the shrubs (Privet, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Briar Rose and a few Prunus). Several apologies were received including Keith’s. He’s one of the many appreciators the Landcarers draw encouragement from for their compliments and keen observations. Thank you all for being part of the diverse and dedicated Mt Rogers community!

Euphorbia: For the first time we also tackled an infestation of Euphorbia. These garden plants, originally from Europe, are popular for their green ‘flowers’. Alas they join the list of trendy, useful or attractive plants that become weed threats to the bush when their seeds are readily dispersed by wind, birds, water, wheels, feet, fur and paws. Gazanias, Viburnum tinus, and Olives are among the weed species that Floriade visitors are being introduced to at the Bush Friendly Garden (BFG). Cutting off spent flowers is one way to enjoy these plants without their seeds or berries threatening biodiversity in reserves and others’ gardens. (The top photo below shows the 'pest plants' side of the BFG, and the photo below it shows the opposite side of the BFG with its welcome alternative plants.) 

Superb parrots flew east across our backyard in mid-Flynn this morning. Their familiar but not recently heard calls alerted me. Their vivid green fly-past was too rapid to judge whether they were all male birds. Definitely a species to look out for as there have been sightings of the over-wintering birds during the cold months. Presumably there’s breeding going on deeper into NSW and perhaps in the ACT. There’s an emerging citizen science survey aimed at recording Superb Parrot sightings. If anyone’s interested in participating please contact me, 6258 4724.

Butcher-birds have adopted the Mt Rogers area in the past year and may be nesting in Fraser’s Keene – Avery Place trees. Angharad reported regular visits and on 20^th I heard and then saw one Butcher-bird watching for movement on the ground near the twin tanks. The birds have a reputation for skewering prey on tree branches, hence their name. They are closely related to Magpies and share the ability for melodious carolling calls with the familiar ‘pies. 

Kookaburras have also been reported, including by Dennis, as active near Mildenhall Place. Keep eyes peeled for them as there may be last-year’s young helping to feed the incubating parent.

The Frogmouths: On 19^th September Tracy mentioned that their garden in Schwarz Place is hosting the Frogmouth pair this year. It’s usually the male that incubates during the day with the female roosting in a nearby tree. When Pam R and I walked the track south of the twin tanks there was a Currawong – Magpie commotion focussing on an ancient eucalypt. This led us to find another incubating Frogmouth. He ducked down as he was swooped. We took a couple of photos and retreated, worrying that the nesting attempt might fail. Phil reported that all was quiet next day. Stuart Rae is a Frogmouth expert in the ACT and said there might be as many as six pairs of Frogmouths nesting in the Mt Rogers area. The nests could be as close as 200 m apart. Mt Rogers is complemented by the presence of gardens that offer food, insect-foraging spaces and possibly nest sites. It’s usually the female young that disperse after a successful breeding.

On Mt Ainslie, Frogmouths have been enterprising enough to take over a disused Choughs’ nest. These mud ‘bowls’ are a far cry from the collection of sticks and twigs the Frogmouths normally create.

Kangaroos: Has anyone seen ‘our’ mob recently? On 29^th a woman was asking about a small black dog that had gone off chasing a kangaroo, possibly from the mob. A bit later I again saw the male ‘roo I’d seen at ‘Bridget’s’, the small patch of grassy woodland behind Woodger Place, Fraser. It seemed calm when I first saw it, and may have adopted that as its territory after being chased up towards Mt Rogers. We heard a fascinating talk by Jerry Olsen during which he showed that the main animals in Wedge-tailed Eagles’ diets are kangaroos. The birds have been known to harass female roos to the point of their ejecting their joeys ... a tender meal for the eagles though a gruesome prospect for our minds.

Wildflowers at ‘Bridget’s’ are great at the moment. Early Nancy tubers are rich in starch. This nutritional energy was very welcome after long cold winters. Bulbine Lilies’ tubers, rich in iron and calcium were eaten, roasted. When women dug the tubers the disturbed soil could later host the surviving lilies’ seeds. Glycine’s roots are liquorice-flavoured apparently. The ground above the Creamy Candles Stackhousia monogyna was burnt in the 2013 Hazard Reduction Burn but the cool burn obviously didn’t affect the plants’ underground parts. Several Indigofera adesmiifolia Tick Indigo occur in this remnant. It’s one of the species that put Mt Rogers on the map, as it’s not particularly common, apparently. We have 8 original species in 60 hectares. Native Clematis was scrambling over low shrubs and grasses. The Ngunawal people ate the twining plants’ roots, and another source notes Clematis’ medicinal use for aching joints. The Grevillea patch hosts several varieties of Grevillea with closer inspection showing diversity of the spider-like flowers’ shapes and colours. I wonder who planted the Grevilleas and when? Honeyeaters enjoy their nectar.

Trackside mown edges are currently hosting several introduced wildflowers. Some of them may also be in our gardens:

·         Pink = Cranesbill & Storksbill, Onion Grass (cockatoos & galahs dug for the bulbs in previous weeks).

·         Yellow = Flatweed, Cat’s Ear and Capeweed.

·         Blue = Creeping Speedwell.

·         White = a type of Clover.

With any of the flowers, see whether you think there are fewer Honeybees around pollinating them this summer. Are there any native bees visiting flowers? Many of them are about the size of a Hoverfly or smaller. 

Reptiles are on the move and will emerge in response to the warmer nights. There have been several sightings of Brown Snakes already. Definitely time to rein-in the random wanderings of our dogs and perhaps to warn those you reckon are newcomers about dogs’ curiosity amongst the grasses.

Bettongs and Bush Stone Curlews are the potential stars of night-time visits to Mulligans Flat, should you want a change of scene for an evening exploration. Any funds raised support the Canberra Woodland and Wetlands Trust and the scientific programs in the Trust’s reserves. The Trust advertises:

“At Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary we offer a two-hour guided twilight walking tour to spot-light for, and try to catch a glimpse of bettongs, curlews and other nocturnal animals in their natural habitat. To make a booking visit : http://bettongs.org/visit-us/”

Enjoy spring’s sights, smells and sounds!

Rosemary, 
Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group.   
http://mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com

Brown snake and successful working bee, 7-10 September 2015

Alert everyone! 

Frances emailed:
I just thought you might like to know that brown snakes are now active on Mt Rogers. I met this one in the grass as I was walking along the track beside the 2 tanks. It was the wide track adjacent to the tanks, not one of the narrow bush tracks

..............

On Monday 7 September, we had a working-bee opposite MIldenhall Place.
with John, Phil, Angharad, Ted & Kirsty tackling woody weeds. Photo below. 

Thank you all for a magnificent effort this morning. You morphed into an efficient team and accepted the rather haphazard-seeming challenge of walking & weeding.

Between us we despatched >100 Serrated tussock tussocks, caught up with briar roses, cotoneaster, firethorn and privet of various heights and complexities. Often this involved working in the depths of dead Cootamundra wattles. We took out smaller, non-flowering C. wattles.

Our rewards were good company, sharing with like-minds and an array of sightings....including White-eared Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, Thornbills and their calls. There was a weird cluster of fungi, there were Early Nancy blooms and we began by checking out the Cryptandra patch with neighbouring Hardenbergia, Hop Bush and Kangaroo Grass.

The 'Telstra' ivy patch was revisited to be saved for another, specific effort. St Johns Wort was earmarked for detailed spraying as the rosettes are throughout good vegetation in one 4 m x 4 m patch.

Definitely one of the most productive working-bees  to those who know what's there and what's at stake....thank you! 

Rosemary

WAS THE WATTLES’ SHOW EARLY IN SPRING 2015? MT ROGERS NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 2015

Glorious yellow: When I began this newsletter’s draft the Cootamundra Wattles, Acacia baileyana, were flowering prolifically, lighting up the reserve whether one took in a landscape view or looked closely at the glorious blossoms amid grey-green foliage. Today, a week later, some of the trees show a more amber yellow as the composite balls of tiny flowers begin to brown off. I’ve noticed over the years that, each spring, the wattle blossoms are subjected to at least one drenching and the forecast suggests 2015’s spring will fit in with that pattern.

Even when the flowers are still in bud the wattles are offering food sources for many birds. The Mixed Feeding Flocks (MFF) of Silvereyes, wrens, honeyeater species and thornbills are searching out highly nutritious insect larvae, insects and pollen as they build up their reserves for the breeding season. Grey Fantails will accompany the MFF species but catch insects on the wing, flying after them from amongst trees’ branches. (How do they and Swallows know which flying insects are edible when they’re darting about at speed? Obviously their eyesight is different from humans’.)

Mt Rogers spectacularly shows its large population of Cootamundra wattles as the end of each winter approaches. Both Acacia decurrens and Acacia dealbata flower now on Mt Rogers and elsewhere in the region. The Early Wattle has been flowering through winter with those the Girl Guides planted in 2010, in from the Wickens Place carpark, being particularly floristic. The branches of pale creamy-yellow blossom are prickly, making the locally occurring bushes ideal refuges for small birds. There are other spring-flowering wattle species in the reserve, though some may not be local to the area.

Other wattle species ensure they provide food for pollinators at other times of the year with Acacia mearnsii (Nov), Acacia rubida and A. melanoxylon (Oct-Nov), A. implexa (late summer) all being native to Mt Rogers.

Wattles are indispensible to other plants because their roots contain nodules hosting bacteria capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. Nitrogen in the soil improves fertility…especially important for the plants which rely on Australia’s impoverished and ancient soils. An Indigenous elder once told us that Eucalypts can’t thrive unless wattles are also growing nearby, alluding to the nitrogen-fixing benefiting other, unrelated, species. 

Other blossoms are worth studying if you’re inclined towards bird-watching. The almond trees on the corner of Flynn’s Schwarz Place surprised us by attracting Scarlet Honeyeaters a year or two ago. So far I’ve only seen Yellow-faced and White-eared Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebills and honeybees amongst this year’s almond petals. Near here in mid-Flynn, a neighbour’s Ironbark is still attracting the constant attendance of Rainbow Lorikeets. The story was that, nearly 20 years ago, a few Lorikeets were released from an aviary in Hawker. The species is certainly nearly always heard in or from the Pinnacle, and they have spread out from there over the decades. Probably they compete for nest hollows with other less-assertive species. Today we saw Australian Wood Duck flying over Mt Rogers. They also nest in tree hollows and not always as near water as we might expect...but how, then, do the little fluff-ball ducklings safely reach water after they’ve hatched and before their flight feathers can allow them to fly?

Rarer sightings include Margaret’s & Chris’s Crescent and New Holland Honeyeaters visiting their Banksias on 23rd. The ‘New Hollands’ are common in the Botanic Gardens…a good place for birdwatching! The pairs of Wood Duck mentioned above are unusual too.

Cryptandra are in full flower at the moment. The heather-like white flowers show on over 30 low-growing shrubs just to one side of the track that winds south of the two reservoirs. When I first discovered the ‘Cryptandra patch’ there were fewer than 10 plants. There are also Hardenbergia in full purple glory in that same area at the moment so it’s well worth our efforts to prevent the encroachment of African Lovegrass from the track and St John’s Wort from deeper into the bush there. The native grasses are flourishing and I found 2 or 3 Early Nancy lilies flowering, a sure sign that spring is here.

Frogmouths at Carwoola just outside Queanbeyan have begun nest construction but I couldn’t find any piles of twigs on the branch ‘our’ pair used last year. Rosemary L said she’d been shown the roosting Frogmouths in a Schwarz Place garden but the house has recently changed hands.

The Working bee on 3^rd  August involved Angharad, Ted and I in a stroll through the reserve with many interruptions where we tackled isolated weeds, picked rose hips and made a note of the need for return visits for concentrated effort. One target area will be NNE of and down slope from the summit. Another will be closer to the Fraser playground. Today (23.08.15.) Ann, Ted and I worked south-east from Schwarz Place, Flynn. I was prepared for a few woody weeds and a patch of African Lovegrass which has escaped the mowers. We found birds had often perched amongst a thicket of Hakea leaving cotoneaster, pyracantha, privet, Mahonia and Chinese elm seeds to germinate and grow up through the native Hakea. It was a hands and knees job to find the bases of the weeds’ stems and then to cut & daub them. The thicket had been a cubby in the past and would still be a wonderful retreat for young people!

Drainage realities have been visible over this winter, as seepage has reached houses which back on to the reserve. When the infrastructure was established before the suburbs went in in the seventies, embankments were created to prevent surface water rushing down the slopes. These have usually been successful but, underground, gravity dictates different routes which probably weren’t studied by the engineers. When moving round the main path several damp places are obvious after rain events. At least one of these occurs from a spring. Another known spring is amongst large boulders and, when wet, there’s growth of an almost-seaweed-like plant in the fissures.

A tour round, on 6^th August, allowed Brian Bathgate, the TAMS Belconnen & Gungahlin Place Management land manager, to follow up on the $20,000 repairs and resurfacing of the main gravel path around Mt Rogers. Karissa Preuss from Ginninderra Catchment Group also attended. We were able to show them the Landcare Group’s approach to reducing erosion on the tracks and paths people, paws and wheels use to access the cross-country parts of the reserve. By diverting water sideways through run-offs and into the bush’s vegetation, the speed of flow is considerably reduced. Fast flowing water thus fails to reach and gouge out the gravel of the main path frequented by hundreds each week. Seeds, silt and debris flow along the run-offs but at least the Mt Rogers Landcare Group’s volunteers can then see where any seeds have come to rest and germinated.

Creeks and rivers have followed this pattern for millions of years, replenishing the land with water-borne nutrients. The nutrients and the water itself have given rise to fertile land for agriculture for most of the world’s civilisations. I recently came across The First Eden by David Attenborough. It’s a 1987 book which vividly brings “The Mediterranean world and man” to life by describing the history of the sea itself, the influence of the land around its shores and the progression of the great civilisations. The major rivers, the floodplains and the fertile deltas they created were essential to people in each epoch of history. Forests and shrubs covered much of the continent that became Europe and the lands of ‘The Middle East’. Once the vegetation was cleared and the timber used, irrevocable changes to climate, rainfall, soils and livelihoods occurred. We have seen similar changes in and to Australia, especially once dams were built to tame flooding rivers and creeks and provide water for irrigation and stock. 

Erosion occurs when water travels rapidly downhill and grinds the soil away. David Tongway, who became David Tongway AM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, is an internationally renowned soil scientist, specialising in restoring soils and repairing the effects of erosion. He’s been volunteering his expertise in local reserves for years. Some of his work will be shown at the Park-Care – Landcare display at the Jamison Centre from 4^th to 6^th September. The display is a great chance to see what other landcaring groups’ volunteers are achieving locally.

Our achievements  are recorded on the blog at mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com

Enjoy spring on Mt Rogers and in your gardens!   

Rosemary 6258 4724

WINTRY WEATHER WITH WHITE IN THE NAMADGI DISTANCE - MT ROGERS JULY 2015

Wintry weather didn’t deter Ted from donating two more hours to Mt Rogers on Sunday 26th. By the time Diana joined us at Snow-Gum Corner we were in a position to see snow on the distant peaks but squally wind-blown clouds obscured the ranges as seen from north of Flynn’s Jacob Place. We saw a rainbow occasionally but didn’t actually get wet as we worked, mostly in the open.

This working-bee and the one David and Phil attended on 6th July saw us taking walk-and-weed routes through the reserve to places where weed species had been recorded. We used a double-ended hoe (a versatile, lighter version of a mattock), secateurs, loppers, a Bush saw, a collecting bag and the little Y-pronged diggers many of us have for garden weeds. Gloves, a couple of buckets and some brute pulling-strength were also equipment-components – as was being “dressed for the expected weather”.

Target weeds included collecting the hips (berries) from several Briar Rose bushes that were then dug up. Small-leafed privets: some were pull-upable and others we cut off leaving the leafy debris to mark the need for a return cut-and-daub visit once the sap runs again in spring. We attacked some Broad-leaved privets, two Viburnum tinus, several Verbascum rosettes and the two large Firethorn bushes Ted adopted as his speciality. Diana applied The Bradley Method* around a cluster of boulders by carefully levering out Plantains growing amongst Rock Ferns. This way of weeding works out from the centre of an area of good vegetation though in this case we were dealing with common lawn weeds which had invaded the native species around the rocks. We located several Serrated Tussock clumps in areas we’ll return to check in 6 months’ time. We pulled out several small Cootamundra Wattles, leaving the larger ones to flower and continue to provide food and shelter for insects and birds. (The two photos immediately below show a display (potted) example of Serrated Tussock, and Serrated Tussocks in situ on Mt Rogers before being dug out - with a woman's glove included for scale.)

The wind didn’t abate, becoming more unpredictable as the morning progressed. I can’t remember hearing many birds but Mixed Feeding Flocks (MFF) did share space with us once or twice. Presumably on stormy days small birds can only wait so long for the weather to clear before hunger drives them out in search of insects which may also be reluctant to emerge from shelter. During an afternoon visit two weekends ago it was encouraging to see several families out and about in the wintry weather. Earlier mistiness then didn’t deter them and they were rewarded with distant snowy peaks as seen from Mt Rogers’ 704 m summit. A MFF that day comprised several Thornbill species, a Yellow-Faced Honeyeater, Red-Browed Finches, Wrens and Grey Fantails higher in the trees’ canopies.

More birds seem to be passing through our mid-Flynn garden this winter in search of insects and spiders. We are a regular source of nectar for Eastern Spinebills whose piping calls show their presence, flitting between one Grevillea and another. Perhaps 50 metres away an Ironbark (probably Eucalyptus sideroxylon) has been in flower for 2 months with the deep pink blossoms supplying copious nectar sips for argumentative Rainbow Lorikeets and bossy Red Wattlebirds. Although they’re a boon to the tourist industries, Lorikeets’ assertiveness has major impacts on other hollow-nesting birds as older trees become increasingly scarce due to humans’ demand for land. Lorikeets have only spread towards Mt Rogers in recent years.

Photographs from Andrea and David some years ago and Joe and Tanya recently show what Mt Rogers looked like when they were building respective homes in Schwarz Place, Flynn. The oldest trees can be seen surrounded by rank grasses and the rocks and boulders which are now refuges for lichens, mosses, Rock ferns, Urn Heath, forbs, native grasses and the reptiles which also thrive on the micro-habitats’ constant temperatures and moisture levels. Shrubs may have been cleared in the previous decades’ grazing years and/or eaten by the stock that used Mt Rogers’ Yellow Box–Red Gum Grassy Woodland that became surrounded by Flynn, Fraser, Spence and Melba in the seventies. YB–RG grassy woodland is a threatened ecosystem in Australia.

Plantings of native trees and shrubs restored the reserve’s landscape though it’s only in the last 10 years that restrictions on what native species are planted, and where, have been tightened. Suburban gardeners were given quick-growing trees, ground covers and shrubs for their bare yards with these being the parents of the weeds the Landcare Groups destroy within the reserves and the ACT’s Canberra Nature Park components.

Management of Mt Rogers is a TAMS responsibility. Mt Rogers Landcare Group has worked co-operatively with the Operations team for Belconnen/Gungahlin over the years. We’ve always sought advice from Ginninderra Catchment Group (GCG), simultaneously, on diverse topics such bike tracks, plantings, events such as the Indigenous walk, rubbish dumping, drainage, mapping native species, weeds, working-bees, and our strong community-spirit. GCG hold regular meetings with Operations Manager Brian Bathgate. When I asked Brian about the cost of the recent resurfacing of the main gravel path he said the approximately $20,000 worth of work was completed via a “competitive quoting process”.  Brian is happy to receive queries about this work: P.O. Box 158, Canberra, 2601 and brian.bathgate@act.gov.au

Spraying of African Lovegrass (ALG) has occurred in early July. This is organised by the Urban Weeds officer in recognition of the fact that Mt Rogers is relatively free of this extremely invasive species. Steve D sprays isolated ALG and Chilean Needle Grass tussocks deeper in the reserve, and Landcarers dig out Serrated Tussock as you’ll have read above. As with most weeds, persistence in monitoring and treatment of the invaders is the reliable solution.

Floriade’s Bush Friendly Garden is being planned to again display local weed species and alternative plants for Canberra region gardens. Between 10 am and 1 pm, or Noon until 3 pm, volunteer explainers from a wide range of backgrounds and with welcoming smiles greet visitors each day. The aim is to highlight the importance of planting wisely in suburban gardens to prevent berries and seeds being taken into the Bush Capital’s reserves and others’ gardens. For the explainers, engagement and conversations with others is the best part of Floriade, and the BFG and the Urban Agriculture display garden are “top attractions” for hundreds of people each year. It would be great to have more Mt Rogers community members as explainers and promoters of nature in Canberra. All the plants are clearly labelled (such as in the photo below, from 2013) and there are handouts, which mean explainers don’t need to be weed experts! Please contact me if you and friends would like to volunteer: 6258 4724.

Spring is showing through the wattles’ preparations for flowering. The prickly Early Wattle has been in flower for weeks, and the ones the Girl Guides planted in 2011 near the Wickens car-park are easy to see. You’ll notice birds’ preparations for nesting also, with the larger species – Ravens, Magpies and Currawongs – possibly being more obvious. I have SWOOPING signs in the garage if the Magpie near the Flynn playground turns rogue this year. Or you could phone Access Canberra/Canberra Connect on 13 22 81 to report his behaviour.

Next Working-bees fall on Monday 3rd August and Sunday 23rd August respectively. According to our E’s-E-2-C calendar, Monday 3rd is Bank Holiday in ACT & NSW but Canberra Connect didn’t have it recorded as a Public Holiday. 

On 3rd August we’ll do a WALK, WANDER & WONDER between the two playgrounds starting from near Mildenhall Place, Fraser from 10 am and winding our way through the reserve to the Flynn Playground for about 2 hours. It will mostly be an exploring, monitoring and information sharing session rather than weeding.

On 26th August we’ll take a look at the weed situation behind Bainton Crescent’s southern end. We’ll meet at Snow-Gum Corner at 09.30. I’ll bring tools, gloves, gaiters and, hopefully, be able to drive in from the eastern end of Schwarz place, Flynn where there’s also parking space should you come by car.

BLOG:  Check out the mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com for background information and what was happening this time last year!

Best wishes,

Rosemary, Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare.

*To read about the Bradley Method, try http://anpsa.org.au/APOL4/dec96-5.html, an article in ‘Australian Plants online’, December 1996, by the Society for Growing Australian Plants.

MT ROGERS WINTER NEWSLETTER, JUNE 2015 - and LandcareACT announcement

Normally, according to a saying from my English vocabulary, “rain before 7, fine before 11” is a rule that usually rings true. Why hasn’t that happened today, 16^th June? Perhaps the weather came through to ensure I put pen to paper.

Both recent working-bees were on mornings of significant frost. That didn’t deter Angharad, Ann and Ted where their determined efforts involved collecting & bagging thousands of African Lovegrass seeds and digging out Serrated Tussock plants. We worked in the peninsular of Mt Rogers between Oster and Bird Places, Flynn and up and into the reserve from the notice box respectively. We put in 14 hours land-caring work between us with the aim of keeping the infestations of these two grasses to a minimum in spite of the constant likelihood of seeds being moved into the reserve as we walk, as paws run and as wheels turn. The other day there was an Orienteering event through the reserve: we must balance seeing others enjoying Mt Rogers with the need to vigilantly observe whether any transported seeds germinate in the months ahead.

On 10^th June I wasn’t quick enough with the binoculars to see what was the object of a commotion involving Crimson Rosellas, Wattlebirds and a host of equally vociferous Currawongs. I expect the objected presence was a raptor but perhaps it was a dis-oriented Tawny Frogmouth caught out in the daytime. Kevin & Megan and Chris & Margaret have each had a Crescent Honeyeater close to their homes which is a happy but unusual sighting for Mt Rogers. It’s wonderful & great citizen-science to share these observations.

The Scarlet Robin has been declared ‘vulnerable’ in the ACT. The species’ numbers generally have been declining but we’ve been lucky several times on Mt Rogers and been able to watch their un-shy feeding within a few metres of the paths. I was lucky on a (08.0615) walk to One Tree Hill on the from-Hall Centenary Trail, seeing a pair of Scarlet Robins feeding with at least two Diamond Firetails within a few metres of the One Tree Hill lookout. The Diamond Firetails are definitely rarer in recent years in the places where I might find them. Nearer home there has been constant daytime activity in a flowering Ironbark in the next street. The eucalypt’s pink flowers are nectar-pantries for Rainbow Lorikeets and the assertive Red Wattlebirds that can’t abide intruders in their territory.

The moral of these stories could be to be prepared for the unexpected and, if you have time, be prepared to closely check out flowering trees to see which birds might be present. We’re so fortunate on Mt Rogers that we commit time to being there, to being outside and to taking up conversations with others we meet. Overleaf there are two more instances of community engagement and capacity building in our region…proof that more & more people are finding ways to take back control of their lives as a shield against very worrying times and Federally-imposed policies.

I put some copies of the Belconnen Community Services April–July 2015 Newsletter in the Notice box. That is another organisation whose programs makes great contributions to the wellbeing of Belconnen residents. I also took the liberty of creating a laminated information sheet of businesses recommended by our family. If you’d like to add any other businesses to the next sheet please let me know. Maybe we can create a mini-services directory to guide our choices. There’s nothing like ‘word-of-mouth’ for growing communities.

During my cross-country wanders I’ve still come across Meadow Argus butterflies enjoying the sunshine after severe frosts. How can they find warm-enough shelter during the nights? Some may visit the Urn Heath shrubs whose pale cream flowers are heather-like bells. There are a few Bluebells and some dandelion-like Flatweed turning their blooms to the sun. The Guides planted several Acacia genistifolia not far from the Wickens Place car-park. They’re in flower, keeping up the wattle and eucalypt species’ tradition of having flowers ready to entice pollinators, in turn, throughout the year. 

(The photo shows Acacia genistifolia in the rain, but not at Mt Rogers. Photo by A. Zelnik.)

The next working-bees are on Sunday 28^th June and Monday 6^th July. Details later.

Rosemary, Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group, 6258 4724

LANDCARE-ACT ANNOUNCEMENT

I’m hoping that this LandcareACT initiative will morph into further evidence that people around our region are actively supporting ways for community activities to show governments and agencies success stories from working together for mutual benefit now and into the future.

Once you’ve read this try information on the Canberra Transition Town initiative. Transition Towns, universally, bring community groups and agencies together for the benefit of those that need informed help and support in their lives and in their volunteering. http://www.transitionnetwork.org/initiatives/canberra-transition-town

“Many hands – one voice”

Who is LandcareACT?

LandcareACT is a new ”peak body” which is being formed to represent and support the wide diversity of community landcarers in the ACT region.  There are over 60 Landcare groups in the ACT region including urban Landcare, Parkcare Groups, rural, junior and Aboriginal Landcare groups, Waterwatch and Frogwatch volunteers, rural landholders and Aboriginal traditional custodians.

LandcareACT was initiated by the ACT’s three catchment groups (Ginninderra, Molonglo and Southern ACT), who provide support for many landcare groups across the ACT and in surrounding NSW. It will be inclusive of rural landholders in the region and the local Aboriginal community.

Development of LandcareACT is being funded by the Australian Government. It will operate within the ACT and region and will also link to the National Landcare Network, which provides a community voice for landcare programs at the national level.

What will Landcare ACT do?

LandcareACT will work to sustain community efforts to look after their local bush in a number of ways. It will seek to build on government funding for landcare - by promoting the benefits of landcare to the wider community and seeking new partners and funding. It will encourage more people to get involved and try to build the capacity of existing groups. It will also be able to provide a “think tank” for regional innovation and collaboration as well as opportunities to share knowledge and experience across the region. Finally it will provide a forum for identifying and discussing issues important to community landcarers in the context of government policy and programs, which will benefit both landcarers and their government partners.

Who has been consulted about Landcare ACT?

The LandcareACT interim steering committee has consulted widely, including with the ACT government, rural landholders, members of the local Aboriginal community, the business community and other environmental organisations and NGOs. Discussions have been about future opportunities and about what organisation and membership structure will best support the community landcarers in the ACT. A constitution will be finalised in the near future.

To find out more about Landcare ACT you can contact:

Anne Duncan on 0466 108 432, or any of the Catchment Coordinators in the ACT (Molonglo: Bernie Bugden on 62992119; Ginninderra: Karissa Preuss on 62783309; Southern ACT: Martine Franco on 62966400)

Hi everyone,

This came in an email on May 9th.

"I thought you might like to include in your next Mt Rogers newsletter the fact that the Chief Minister has been approached about remedying the state of the Mt Rogers walking track. This came about after I slipped on some loose gravel last Sunday and injured a knee. I copied the email to Yvette Berry as a local member. So far  all I have received is an automated reply from her and silence from our Head of Government. I’ll keep you updated.

Regards Dennis"

Issues and incidents relating to Mt Rogers can be reported via Canberra Connect 13 22 81, Fix My Street online if it's nearby road issue and GInninderra Catchment Group 6278 3309.

Note from the blog putterupper. At last, Rosemary's April newsletter has been published on this blog and it's below. Do read it. I apologise for the delay.

ALSO Rosemary writes: Copies of the new edition of the Mt Rogers brochure have been placed in the Notice Box.  Ann M, Peter A, Margaret and 'the girls' made important contributions to the Brochure. Several other Mt Roger Landcare Group members advised on the text from time to time. Ginninderra Catchment Group provided significant in-kind help through Dave Wong who spent many hours on the design and the map.

The aim of this brochure is to entice people to visit our special place. I hope, eventually, to create an article 'The Natural History of Mt Rogers' in order to bring together our shared knowledge, observations and understandings of the history & heritage of the reserve. If you can't reach the Notice Box or need several copies to give to new neighbours please contact me.

The next working bees will be from 9 am on Sunday 24 May and Monday 1 June. We'll meet at the Notice box on the Sunday and the Wickens Place carpark on the Monday. We'll take different routes through the reserve seeking out weeds to dig out. This especially includes isolated African Lovegrass and Serrated tussock plants which affect the diversity of the reserve's native plants. Nerolie, Ted and Wolf were introduced to this task behind Woodger place where we were also able to find an array of local native species. Ivan, Lesley and Ted worked on isolated woody weeds on 26th April finishing near the extensive Tree of Heaven infestation.  Chris has adopted the project of buying new Perspex for 3 of the notice boards and already repaired the one that's not in use. Margaret & Chris have found a large, fertile Cotoneaster that they "will attend to".  Steve W saw Speckled Warblers today. Steve & Judy D had a Speckled warbler on their garden's fence on 30th April. Elsewhere this species is in decline. Mt Roger's SW numbers appear to remain steady. Scarlet Robins have also been reported. Local ornithologists are concerned about this species also but, again, Mt Rogers retains its luck in having them present during the winter months. Enjoy your walks and observations, Rosemary.

MOUNT ROGERS NEWSLETTER LATE APRIL 2015

MUSINGS :  After early ANZAC Day musings reflecting on the world we have now as a bewildering contrast to the future for which so many have sacrificed so much…I made a laminated notice to the repeat-offenders who use Mt Rogers as a rubbish dump. Condensed, this is the text:

FROM MT ROGERS TO DUMPERS

Please note that members of Mt Rogers Landcare community object to your dumping garden rubbish in the reserve.     THIS DUMPING IS ILLEGAL

Dumping is contributing to the destruction of the last remnant of intact, natural bush on Mt Rogers.

Unusual and rare birds use this area. There are unusual plant species including spring wildflowers which have survived 145 years of change in ‘Fraser’.

Dead shrubs, rank non-Australian grasses, prunings and weeds    DO NOT BELONG HERE.

Take them FREE to the green-waste recycling site at the west end of Parkwood Road, Macgregor between 07.30 & 16.45 daily.

Mt Rogers Landcare volunteers spend hours protecting the reserve from invasive species. Don’t make this work even harder by dumping weed seeds, diseased plants & other rubbish in a place we love.

 I then installed the notice near the decaying piles of the disrespectful gardener’s waste and continued a stroll through the wonderful nature ‘behind’ Woodger Place, Fraser. I took more photos of the Cranberry Heath Astroloma humifusum  that I found on 18^th. It’s delightful ground-hugging shrubby plant endemic to southern Australia and would probably be classified as widespread but uncommon. It’s possible I knew the plant was there but this is the first time it’s shown its  identifying crimson-scarlet flowers. I expect Eastern spinebills might take a quick dash to sip nectar from the flowers and perhaps the Common Bronzewing pigeons would later harvest the berries.

These pigeons are the ones that make the “ooming” calls around the reserve. They have only become more common in the last ten years…we’ve noticed their calls around the reserve where previously they kept closer to Wickens & Woodger places. Currawongs and Wattlebirds were active and later I checked out several flocks of small birds. Some were honeyeaters, gleaning insects as they moved through on their seasonal migration out of the ACT and towards warmer, winter feeding places. Peter C had brilliant bird-watcher’s luck 3-4 weeks ago, identifying a Regent Honeyeater moving through Mt Rogers with a migrating but feeding flock of Red Wattlebirds.

There’s nothing like a wander through the reserve for restoring equilibrium. Until the storm grumbled through it was a perfect autumn morning with people and dogs enjoying the sunshine.

This newsletter was really to be about the inspiring Wander and Wonder walk we had on 7^th April but writer’s block and Weed Swap intervened….so here’s a resumption:

RUBBISH:  Eight of us gathered at Wickens Place for Tuesday 7^th’s WANDER AND WONDER WALK. On arrival Anne and I noticed a pile of party left-overs near the burnt-out car that (like the one in Scullin) still awaits removal. We collected the bottles and cans into a bag. I found, later, that the two black plastic bags were also filled with similar recyclables. Let’s hope the NO DUMPING signs I’ve requested come soon.

The valiant Litter Patrol people are not directed to separate the rubbish they collect from recyclables so we thought it best to take away the lazies’ left-overs. At the sorting point, plastic bags are not opened by the operators as the bags’ contents could pose risks to their safety. This applies around the suburban collections as well as for the Litter Patrols’ finds in public open spaces.

LERPS & EUCALYPTS:  As we signed-on I dealt out some useful reference books. The Field Guides were no match for the first observations when we paused to examine eucalypts with pinkish leaves. On some trees near the car-park and around the region it’s hard to find any remaining green, functioning leaves. Searching for Number_6 Lerps_Insects leads to a South Australian Primary Industries article on lerps and the small to minute psyllid insects which make their marks on millions of hapless leaves. Under a hand-lens or a good microscope the lerps are seen to be shelters which the sap-sucking insects secrete to cover themselves. Some can seem like filigree, miniature palaces. Insectivorous birds forage for the lerps’ sugary secretions but the sheer density of the 2015 infestation seems to have overwhelmed the gleaning birds.

LICHENS:  After yesterday’s rain the lichens we found beside the narrow dirt track looked subtly colourful and almost lush. Like mosses they absorb water quickly. Here, as in the drier parts of the continent, lichens play a vital role by colonising bare soil and holding the soil’s particles together prior to vascular plants establishing themselves from seeds. Erosion of Australia’s soils has increased dramatically since hard-hooved stock were brought in to graze ancient land where soft-footed macropods didn’t break up the surface or displace lichens and mosses. Damage to lichens and surface-hugging alpine plants and the highly adapted Alpine flora is the main reason for keeping horses and cattle out of the High Country.

WATTLES & SHELTER:  We stopped to check the deep amber-coloured sap oozing from a wattle’s trunk. Tyronne said the Ngunawal people would heat the sap and use as glue for, for example binding shaped stones to wooden hafts for axes. Mixed with ash the sap made a sore-healing poultice. Maybe the 15ml rain had softened the sap as it was malleable but, as Rosalie & Tony noted, not sweet for those contemplating eating it.

Nearby there was a partly broken-down, dead wattle. It already looked like a ‘cubby’. This reminded us of the cubbies we’ve seen young people build on Mt Rogers. Usually they collect branches and arrange them tepee-like. Great to realise that the being-outdoors-adventure isn’t completely lacking in the current youngest generation.

Indigenous people knew, by ancient trial and error, which trees yielded bark for shelters. Pause to consider, as we reach for the central heating’s switches, how the people would have sheltered from the recent days’ stormy weather and sudden cold after the summer’s warmth. More details on plant-use are illustrated and explained in Ngunnawal Plant use: a traditional Aboriginal plant use guide for the ACT region.

MORE TREES :  Kirsty pointed out the tunnels laid bare on a bark-less, fallen branch. Borers had eaten their way under the bark, writing hieroglyphic messages until death took over the tree, its bark was shed and the ‘script’ was revealed in a range of subtle colours. Near some stumps, piles of powdered dust showed where beetles had attacked them and reduced their timber cells to rich nutrients for younger plants. Timber, which looks rotten and useless to us hosts a range of insects, beetles, larvae and bugs that are essential food for birds especially in winter.

Barbara related bird-calls to species we came across, sharing the messages about the distinguishing features and the honeyeaters’ migration. Tony found the Golden Whistler illustration as custodian of the McComas Taylor local bird Field Guide. On several occasions autumn colour drew our attention but, on Mt Rogers, this is for the wrong reasons. Usually the colourful leaves were found under a branch where bird’s droppings had left Chinese pistachio, Cotoneaster or Pyracantha berries’ seeds to develop into saplings. Fortunately Anne specialises in seeking out these environmental weeds and cutting & daubing them before they’re mature enough to have their own berries. Angharad, Ann and I found our first Chinese Rain Tree on Mt Rogers during our March 22^nd working-bee. Watch this space as the deciduous trees produce thousands of black, fertile, ball-shaped seeds! The seedlings form a mini-forest in gardens. Take care when buying invasives from nurseries!

GRASSES:  Olga has an artistic interest in native grasses. We were able to find a range of species, albeit rather autumny, near the Cryptandra Patch. Quite close by is a residual grouping of Barbed Wire Grass. The number of tussocks is increasing steadily. Mt Rogers probably has at least 20 different native grass species and some are scattered throughout the reserve in small patches and probably where the soil is shallowest. Chris D has worked on bagging Verbascum seeds and then cutting down the 1m tall flowering spikes. Often this also involves searching amongst the grasses for the newly germinated plants with their soft greeny-grey leaves.

OBSERVATIONS:  So many people help with the working-bees and with our monitoring of plant and animal activities on Mt Rogers. This all feeds into knowing where the next efforts are needed. And observations build into a valuable record of the natural world of Mt Rogers.

Rosemary, Mt Rogers Landcare….6258 4724……25.04.15.