Today (04.05.16)
I had an almost 2-hour wander through Mt Rogers starting from behind Schwarz
Place, Flynn at 09.15. I meandered up to the Second Summit and probably
followed a big inverted-u-shaped loop before ending up near the Frogmouths’
tree near the playground.
Near the
start of my walk using the remains of a large mountain bike construction from
5-6 years ago, I could see the Bursaria shrubs we planted, looking really
healthy and with seed pods rusty orange in the sunshine. They are common,
insect-attracting shrubs in the local bush but, being mildly thorny, may have
been removed as public enemies in Mt Rogers’ grazing days. Red-stemmed Wattles
are also doing well and the Barbed-wire Grass seedlings I put in near the
boulders have multiplied. My photo here shows Barbed-wire Grass in a pot.
I only saw
scat evidence of kangaroos today, but they’ve been eating the Weeping Grass, Microlaena stipoides, as other grasses run to seed or turn
beige for winter. Separately, Eryka, Steve D. and others have reported seeing
‘our’ mob of kangaroos recently. At this time of the year Mt Rogers looks
especially healthy in terms of native plant numbers. Several local grass
species have seeded well and look in better shape than the rank, rather
derelict, introduced grasses. Wild oats have vanished but their seeds will
await rain and, alas, germinate rapidly when the soil’s damper. Oats’ flower-spikes
will be taller than we are by summer 2017.
North-north-west
of the Second Summit I found a few Serrated Tussock plants we shall need to
take out, but the ‘roos have enjoyed a sunny spot nearby, turning the soil
areas into a dust-bath. The ‘roos are canny enough to choose places like this
for their rest-times. They can see and hear when humans are around but not be
seen themselves thanks to the camouflage of their beigey fur.
I came
across a mixed feeding flock of small birds. It included Thornbills, Pardalotes
in the trees’ canopies, Golden Whistlers and occasional sightings of
White-eared Honeyeaters’ glorious olive-green plumage. There was one visible
White-naped Honeyeater with its breast and underparts feathers so white it
looked more like a Restless Flycatcher. The honeyeaters’ calls were strong, resonating
through the trees.
Above but
parallel to the gully, I found that the native Sorghum there had flowered. It’s
now quite close to a kangaroo track down from the Benchmark tree. I have found
about 15 Sorghum leiocladum plants on
Mt Rogers. The trick is to come across them when they’re in flower. If the evolving processes hadn’t been
interrupted, would Indigenous groups have utilised Australian sorghum species
for uses similar to flour?
(My photo here of native Sorghum was taken on The Pinnacle.)
(My photo here of native Sorghum was taken on The Pinnacle.)
A bit
further across the slope a Clustered Everlasting Daisy, Chrysocephalum semipapposum, had
shed its seeds into the remains of earlier bike-track-construction diggings. There
are about 20 younger plants that have taken advantage of the extra moisture in
the cut-out ditch the youngsters had made. This yellow button-daisy species is
common in ACT grassy woodlands, but the remaining plants on Mt Rogers are
scattered and easily overlooked. In fact, my photo of Clustered Everlasting here is again from The Pinnacle.
There were
pathetic skeletal remains near an ivy-covered stump that‘s previously hosted a
fox den. The ivy’s a reminder that, all along my route, there are occasional
Chinese Pistachio, Cotoneaster, Privet and Firethorn to be dealt with once the
sap’s running again to take up herbicide.
Our previous
two working-bees sought out these same woody weed species and dealt with them
as we walked and weeded on 24 April and 2 May. Brendan and Vimanh morphed into
a capable team with loppers and weed-wand ready for each new target. With Ted,
all four of us worked on a Hawthorn down from the summit. It’s a shadow of its
former self but will still need frequent revisits to check how resilient it is
and whether it’s produced crimson berries. Scores of Rose Hips were also bagged
… what a shame no one has time to make Rose Hip Jelly these days. It’s high in
vitamin C, but making the jelly is a time-consuming preserving process. We also
bagged the seed-heads of African Lovegrass (ALG) tussocks and dug out the
clumps.
On Monday 2
May we worked towards and at ‘Bridgets’ behind Woodger Place, Fraser. Angharad,
Ted and I again searched out ALG because this is the very best part of Mt
Rogers in terms of native biodiversity, uninvaded by weeds. In spring there are
species of wildflowers (Bulbine Lilies, Early Nancy (top photo below), Purple Hovea (lower photo below), Indigofera, Glycine)
which thrive on being in an out-of-the-way place.
Whilst we
were weeding Aidan came to chat about the drainage swales he’s dug attempting
to stop water running under their fence. When we realised there were
destructive truck tracks through the wildflower areas Aidan said this happened
when ‘next-door’ was having their pergola installed. There was a pile of
rubbish against the next fence section and several other tracks where shrubs’
branches had been destroyed and drying grasses and Lomandra crushed. Have the wildflowers’ bulbs and roots been
crushed by the weight of the trucks? The builders would have driven up the
rough steep track from near the Bingley Crescent bus stop. The sheer arrogance
and ignorance makes my blood boil. “It’s only the bush” is their mentality. For
many Mt Rogers folk such behaviour is equivalent to someone deliberately
driving through our gardens.
Our reward
for checking this area for ALG was that three Superb Parrots flew east over our
heads and the treetops. Once or twice we disturbed Common Bronzewing Pigeons. They’re the sometimes-shy birds that make that “oom - oom” call. They’re
nowhere near as common as their name suggests even though their numbers have
increased on Mt Rogers in the past 5–8 years. The one in the photo here is on the track up from the car-park.
Steve and Judy happily reported a
first for the Bainton Crescent area; two green-plumaged Satin Bower Birds in
the garden of the Tudor house. Perhaps it’s dispersal time for the younger
Bower-birds. A fascinating species if your garden hosts a bower.
On Sunday 22
May, Strathnairn Arts Association is holding its 2016 OPEN DAY from 10 am.
This event offers chances to watch artists at work in the studios of the
precinct beyond Belconnen Golf Course. By then the main galleries will be
exhibiting the U3A Photography Group’s diverse and stunning photographs. In the
WOOLSHED, over 100 artistic expressions from everyday creators, on square
canvasses, will be on show during the SQUARES Exhibition and competition. This
is the reason why the next Mt Rogers Sunday working-bee will be on 29 May
and not 22 May. And June’s Monday working bee will be on 6 June.
If you need to
report fallen trees, litter or anti-social activities around Mt Rogers please phone
13 22 81, Canberra Connect – Access Canberra, which will alert the relevant
authorities. I’ve found ‘Fix My Street’ online useful also.
See you on
Mt Rogers, and at Strathnairn on 22 May.
Rosemary Mt Rogers Landcare Group 6258 4724 10.05.16.
