Weed swap, news, Frogmouth chick and working bees, October-November

Busy spring for everyone ... quite a few of our Mt Rogers landcarers have been volunteer explainers at the Bush Friendly Garden at Floriade. We've shared tales and anecdotes about landcaring in all its forms and weed problems all over the world. We and our visitors have been full of good humour and stoic in the face of the erratic weather this spring has produced.

On 29 & 30 October weekend there is Weed Swap at Parkwood green waste tip. 
Bring in woody weeds over that weekend to earn a free native plant or two!

Steve D has been working deeper into the reserve spraying African Lovegrass, Serrated Tussock and Chilean Needle Grass. This is a mammoth multi-week effort to thwart the introduced grasses' rain-induced growth before they flower and seed. Thank you very much for persisting against these invasive species Steve.

Here is a magnificent Frogmouth photo from Lyndon. He says: ' I'm pretty sure that the downy blob on the right of the adult is a new chick. The image was taken on 15 October at about 3 pm.'

Although I've not had time to be on Mt Rogers in recent days I presume the two other Frogmouth pairs' nests are still o.k. Perhaps the incubator on the others is also having to sit high on the nest as squirming chicks wriggle about underneath their feathers.

A Channel-billed Cuckoo has been heard in area of Deasland Place and Avery Place in Fraser. It would seem a bird has returned to the area that's familiar to it, but whether it's still there or has move on ... who knows. Try searching on the name + calls and you should be able to hear the extraordinary noise these huge cuckoos make. They parasitise Currawongs, apparently. Can 'we' persuade more to come, sooner, into the ACT's spring seasons to reduce the numbers of successful Currawong breeding efforts?


Sunday 23 October is the next working bee. We'll meet at Wickens Place, Fraser, at 9 am. 
On Monday 7 November we'll meet at the Flynn playground area, also at 9 am. I'll park the car in Rechner Place.
Speaking of Rechner place.....if you know anyone who would like to live within a few metres of Mt Rogers and be surrounded by the home's native garden, Pamela and Noel are moving north fairly soon.

Rosemary
Mt Rogers Landcare Coordinator