A MAGICAL MORNING: NINE PEOPLE MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE ON MT ROGERS

Of course our morning involved more than the nine of us. Barbara & Chris had left slumbering visitors and walked rather than weeding this time. Anne was a visitor elsewhere and we all, probably, neglected spouses and families and gardens whilst working in the “big garden”! I drove in, rather than park in Mildenhall Place. This proved to be a real advantage as we could use the car as a base & it eventually filled up with more than a dozen ‘Clean-up’ bags of grasses.

 

We began at 8am expecting the day to be hot by 10am. The strong easterly kept us almost cool at first & then provided an excellent working-temperature even if it may have deterred curious small birds.

Heather joined us for the first time after seeing the notices. As an experienced land-carer elsewhere she’s no stranger to African Lovegrass (ALG) and Serrated Tussock (ST). She concentrated on a particular area with scissors and long-handled mattock (double-ended hoe).

We reckon there’s 10-14 days before the ALG really starts to disperse seeds on the wind and our paws and feet so our aim was to behead and bag the seed-heads from tussocks “uphill” of the gravel path. The Mt Rogers “bush” has only isolated ALG tussocks away from the edges of paths and tracks.

The area we worked on southwest of Schey Place continues the work of Jude and Steve a few weeks ago and, most importantly, took in two dense (3m by 3m) patches which are a soul-destroying prospect for solo-weeders.

We beheaded two ALG species: Eragrostis curvula, and what I call Tall Lovegrass because it’s taller and more robust than the common ALG. If Mt Rogers is anything to go by it’s probably just as invasive as there were only about a dozen plants 2-3 years ago.

If you Google what might be Tall lovegrass, Eragrostis chloromelas (Boer Grass) you’ll find a revealing site which also lists Mexican Feather Grass as an appealing grass to buy. The website is American however and Mexican Feather Grass was the subject of a frantic “re-call” campaign two years ago as authorities attempted to trace purchasers of this potentially extremely invasive grass. This all goes to show the situation we are in when overseas plants are wanted and sought-after but could be disasters for Australia’s fragile and unique biodiversity.

We occasionally digressed to distinguish other weeds such as Skeleton weed, Flatweed, Prickly lettuce and Salsify. Again, if you search on their names but add images, you’ll recognise the species we came across. Salsify can be used like a parsnip if pulled up before too much greenery has developed. On the Guided walks on 15 and 19 January we marvelled at the Salsify’s huge, lustrous flower heads. Their symmetry and delicate parachutes-in-waiting show the power of design-for-dispersal of the huge “daisy” family’s seeds.

Aidan, Pat, Bomber and Buddy came past but also queried the weeds they’d noticed from several tracks. Aidan showed me what they meant and the weed turned out to be St John’s Wort (SJW). Aidan is happy to pull out some of this for the group. This is a very worthwhile contribution because the capsules of thousands of seeds are pre-dispersal-green at the moment. If the pulled plants are left in the sun to “cook” the remains will eventually rot down and return nutrients to the soil. However gloves should be worn for contact with SJW as the handled plants can give flu-like symptoms. The plants need a steady almost gentle pull as the rhizomes and roots spread extensively through the soil. It’s easy to leave fragments in the soil but at least we can reduce the numbers of viable seeds waiting in the ground for the growth-triggering conditions this spring-summer has presented throughout the local region.

At one point Ann noticed that Ivan & Sue were working within a few metres of a pair of Common Bronzewing pigeons. Some years ago these birds were quite timid and would fly away at our intrusions near the main carpark. As the families have dispersed many of them seem to be less nervous. Their “ooming” calls can be heard, seasonally, from any point of the reserve. The bars of iridescence on their wing feathers show how recent our knowledge of light and colours is but don’t explain why the play of sunlight on their plumage is important to the birds. Even the more common Crested pigeon has some wing-colour if the angle of the sun is right.

At about 10.30 we moved towards what I call the Cryptandra patch, trackside on the track that passes above the twin reservoirs. There aren’t any others on Mt Rogers as far as I know and the original 7 or 8 have been joined by offspring. This is just as well as three of the older plants have died since spring. Cryptandra amara have delicate, heather-like white bell-shaped flowers, which the butterflies, as pollinators, just can’t resist.

The ALG along the track here has been brought in by mowers moving along from the infested carpark area. We can illustrate the Bradley method of weeding here by preserving what is a fine woody grassland area and weeding out invading species, working out from the natural vegetation in the centre.

A few flowers such as Bluebells, Chrysocephalum daisies, Yellow autumn-lilies, Kangaroo grass and unopened Columbine were visible even today. In due season Hardenbergia, Melichrus and Dodonea will add colour. The small amount of rain we’d had refreshed the Rock ferns near and Lichens on the rocks.

Just happening to glance up at blue sky, I chanced on a large raptor. The Binoculars confirmed that it was a Wedge-tailed Eagle using the wind to soar high above the southern edge of Mt Rogers. What a reward for our efforts. Sue, Ann, Aidan M., John and Ivan were in luck whereas Colin, Heather and Lynn had returned to their weekend lives. Previously Sue had watched a small lizard scuttle away but the sun wasn’t consistent enough to see others or the Dragon lizards sunning on the rocks.

There were plenty of appreciative dog-walkers enjoying the coolness this morning. Many have commented on how good the reserve looks now that the mowers have caught-up again. The small mower’s operator went as close as possible to trees and fences giving such a neat appearance. There is a renewed feeling of safety even though we need to be vigilant as the snakes are around, anywhere, in their habitat.

We’ll be monitoring the effects of the various methods we applied and whether the seeds Aidan M. spread round will colonise the inevitable areas of bare soil. Keeping as much ALG out of areas like Mt Rogers as possible is a balancing act between the need for mowing and maintaining mower-hygiene to reduce seed-spread. It was absolutely magical for me to see the enthusiasm and dedication of today’s volunteers and the way they toiled to protect the land we appreciate and need. Thank you all!

Rosemary

22.01.12.

January walks and working bees - and owls!

Chris & Helen are happy to share this photo of these delightful Boobooks with us. Just like the Boobook at Strathnairn last year the owls were discovered because their guano had collected on the ground below the tree. Obviously Mt Rogers would have Boobooks, but knowing where they roost is always the riddle. We've heard them regularly this summer calling "Mo-poke" from mid-Flynn but not known which tree hosted them. Are these the same birds I wonder?

Imminent events at Mt Rogers that might interest you are:

GUIDED WALK on Sunday 15th January from the Wickens Place carpark at 9am,

GUIDED WALK on Thursday 19th January from the Wickens Place carpark at 9am,
each for about two hours.

WORKING-BEE on Sunday 22nd January from 8am if hot.

WORKING-BEE on Monday 6th February from 9am.
Meeting places to be announced later.
The recent mowing has altered the priorities a bit but we may continue with work against African lovegrass if the seeds haven't dispersed by then.

For the GUIDED WALKS wear long pants, sturdy footwear, hats, sunscreen and bring water to drink + a snack. If you have binoculars & want to take photos bring the respective lenses!

Mt Rogers January 2012

Some weeks ago the Mt Rogers grass was mown and whipper-snipped to give the suburb-path interface an almost park-like neatness. Thereafter it wasn’t particularly hot so many plants read the weather’s signals and produced new flowers. African love-grass (ALG) has exploited the situation with a flush of delicate, grey-black flowers. Landcare Group members have donated several hours to beheading and bagging the grass tussocks where they are growing ‘above’ the gravel path.                               

We did hear that the ALG would be sprayed but that’s not happened as yet. In any case would spraying kill the seeds before they eventually fell off the dead plant? ALG has been in the news recently with adverts in the papers aiming to spread awareness but in places like Mt Rogers the aim is to keep it out of areas that are not already infested. It grows into robust tussocks which spread so that there are no inter-tussock-spaces for forbs and wildlife. If you’re not sure about identifying this WONS (Weed of National Significance) have a look in the Wickens car-park area where it’s not really been set back by being sprayed there two years ago.       

Steve and Judy have worked on path-side tussocks on their side of the hill and we aim to keep working round the path over the next few days before the seeds begin to drop off. Ivan and I worked on another infestation on the narrow track up to the summit from the northern “new concrete drain”. It’s easy to see that feet and paws have carried seed up this way over the past 5-10 years. It’s also a pointer to those that hold the purse strings for on-going maintenance programs. Mowing isn’t the only grass-related expense they need to budget for in nature reserves and urban open spaces.

ACT landcare and parkcare volunteers provide hours of labour for a variety of tasks. They enjoy making a contribution for their local bush, sharing like-minded company and learning-as-they-go about habitats, species and each other! There are always rewards for working that go beyond accolades, money or awards.

Today the raucous calls of kookaburras reached us several times. They wouldn’t be around if the place didn’t have a suite of animals to feed on and the sustaining plants. One or more Koels called occasionally “co-elle”. We often see the quick-getaway movements of small skinks and larger Ctenotus species with beautiful striped markings. Just to confuse us we found several Native lovegrass plants growing in damper areas on the edge of the sloping track. We came across a spreading ground cover with intense purple pea-shaped flowers. Glycines come into their own in summer with lush green leaves when most other plants are drying-off. There are one or two patches close to the path in the north. The twining species is more cryptic unless it’s climbed up taller plants’ stalks. Bluebells were fabulous once the sun shone on them this morning.

Sometimes bright yellow flowers can be seen from the main path. You’ll have noticed the swathes of yellow around the ACT’s open spaces. St John’s Wort (SJW) has responded to the rainfall and warmth of spring with huge numbers of residual seeds in the ground germinating and now flowering. There are 560 species of SJW worldwide and the orange-petalled native species is found on Mt Rogers. The pervasive Hypericum perforatum is native to Europe produces thousands of seeds but also has extensive roots making it difficult to successfully pull out even when the soil is damp. (Wear gloves when handling this one).

St John's Wort shows five petals, green sepals and many stamens in the centre of each flower. Even better for botany-lessons are the dandelion-like Flatweed flowers. Pull apart these yellow flowers to see that each head is a mass of individuals. What seem to be flat petals are five tiny petals fused together. At the base there’s the potential seed with the stalk having hairs that will eventually help the mature seed float away on the breeze. Flatweed and Catsear are having a ‘good’ season as Mt Rogers and unmown nature strips show. Bag any flower heads you take off, as the flowers will otherwise continue to ripen into seed-heads that’ll re-invade.

If you look closely at the seed-heads you’ll see the similarity to dandelions. The prize for such seed-heads would go to Salsify and Goat’s beard from Europe and Asia. Often they’re more than 6 cm across and the seeds can be nearly 2 cm long … great for drifting on the wind to colonise new ground. In the early 1600s Salsify’s taproot was likened to carrot and parsnip, but once flowers have developed they’re tougher-eating. Roasted roots could be a coffee substitute.

Peter sent over a photo of Centuary or Pink stars because he’d found a patch with white flowers. From Europe and Western Asia originally, it’s a weed that’s behaving just like many invaders. It’s been around for decades but in smallish numbers. Conditions this summer have suited the seedbank and millions have germinated. It’s one of those flowers that could convince us that it’s an Australian native. How many decades will pass before our open spaces look like open spaces everywhere when more weeds become naturalised?

The lush, greenest grass, currently, is Weeping grass. It’s a common native species and tends to be invasive. But in places that’s just what we want if it will take over from some of the introduced grasses which mature early and are dry by summer’s heat.

Several people have remarked that there have been fewer Superb Parrots around Mt Rogers this year. Yet they have been passing over mid-Flynn in small numbers and in all directions for several weeks. Perhaps real ornithologists will be able to tell us what’s been happenining eventually. There was a call for information on sightings of begging young but I’ve not even heard those calls.        

Young Galahs are begging and ‘our’ magpies brought their young in for us.

We can hear the gentle boom of the Common Bronzewing pigeon all over the reserve whereas a few years ago they were restricted to the main carpark area. Rosellas and finches can surprise us by gathering seeds amongst long grasses.

On 17^th November Nancy and John found the Frogmouth family in an old, flowering Wattle just 50 m NE of their nest tree. They and Lyndon caught some great photos (see November blog below). Last week there were three birds in that same tree and I wondered if two young had had their marching orders. But Kirsty has reported finding a Frogmouth corpse recently. This loss explains how important it is to have extra young to protect against this loss of huge parental energy and effort. There have been some great photos of young Owlet Nightjars on the COG email-line but ours have remained cryptic. Chris reported a Scrubwren in his Fraser garden … delightful birds that prefer dense cover and aren’t often seen on the hill.

I’m sure there’s been much more bird activity than this but I’ve been a bit slack in my journeyings. We watched a Willie Wagtail catch a brown butterfly elsewhere and then take the body off to feed hungry nestlings. This explained the collection of wings found on the ground near the same spot. Have you seen the masses of Soldier Beetles that cluster on certain plants for shelter overnight? There have been virtually swarms of them in the sky at times but perhaps they don’t taste good enough to excite birds such as Grey Fantails.

Keep the cameras busy. Your contribution to Mt Rogers could be that you make a photographic record over the seasons. Please send over any interesting sightings!

Perhaps we’ll see you as WORKING-BEES resume. Landcare’s not all hard, muscular work! As plants set seeds there will even be work for good pairs of scissors as we harvest seeds into bags before they can blow away. Some bending-over may be needed!

We have all learnt about plants and the weedy species as we’ve gone along so no prior knowledge or experience is needed. We reward ourselves with occasional plantings.

The Landcare Group has gloves, tools, gaiters and ENTHUSIASM!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and HEALTHY EXERCISE FOR ALL!

Rosemary  6258 4724  www.mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com  rosemary@blemings.org

29 December notes

Happy New Year everyone and here's to good health from being outdoors! I'm proposing a weeding or walking-and-looking session on Monday 2 January, from 8 am. If you are interested, please read on...

I went for a wander and weed this morning from 08.15 starting from Schwarz place, Flynn. I checked the Frogmouths' old wattle tree but they weren't there. The three Dianella clumps we planted look wonderful ... as if they've hardly missed a beat. The clumps I had dutifully split and put into the veg. garden (until autumn) don't look so happy.

I moved up the ‘mountain-bike’ track which still seems to have been neglected (let's hope there isn't a new track being built somewhere else on Mt Rogers).

My aim was to check for Serrated Tussock and African Lovegrass as I went. I cut off the seed heads and bagged them. The Serrated Tussock seed heads are so fine it isn't until the grass is cropped that the long heads become visible. That must be something to do with the colours too, as the sheen of the flowering stalks blends in with the background.

As I went I beheaded Fleabane and Salsify/Goatsbeard before the huge heads shed seed on the wind.

I was heading for the burnt area south of McNolty Place and Schey Place as I noticed that the regrowth of native species there in the grassy woodland was really promising. It's improved in two weeks. It might be worth even beheading Flatweed and mattocking or prising them out, it's so 'clean'.

The rough track up from the new concrete drain is another story because the African Lovegrass (ALG) infestation that's been there for some years is very dense in one spot.

I propose to return there, probably parking at Mildenhall or one of the two Places and attack the weeds again. At this stage I'm proposing Monday 2nd January as an impromptu weeding session ... or just a walk through this good section to see what Mt Rogers was like many decades ago! I'll aim for 8 am in case summer is still here, if you'd like to join me.

I realise that many are away or tied up with visitors but equally some might like a dose of fresh air.

There's also a patch of St John's Wort that's resurfaced in the south-eastern corner of the open space below the second-summit, and I remember Steve and Judy having a go at this infestation some years ago.

Chris and Margaret have been working at the Verbascum heads again ... there are quite a few Verbascum rosettes but they can wait a bit before we target them.

Cheers & "no obligation"!

SUMMER BEGINS ON MT ROGERS - November 2011

As the days warm up (to over 30 C as I write) the changes that precede summer become more obvious. We’ve had our month of Frogmouth-watching followed by the daily glance up to the nest since the chicks hatched. I heard they fledged on WEED SWAP weekend, 5^th and 6^th November and their disappearance was greeted with “Where are they?”. Great news from John and Nancy on 17.11.11 that they had found them and now have wonderful photos of the quintet. The birds were in the gully area on a horizontal branch … the three chicks close to father, with mother roosting on a separate branch to the right of the tree’s trunk. One chick had adopted the dead-branch pose like Mum but the others couldn’t resist wide-eyed stares at the interloper. (The 2 photos below are by Lyndon on 17 November.)

 

Teams from Canberra Indian Myna Action Group have been moving through reserves and nature parks checking activities in each of the PhD-study nestboxes. It seems that the nestboxes, generally, are being used less and less. Several Mt Rogers boxes have become beehives and Number 11 is regularly used by an Australian Owlet Nightjar. Its cute sugar-glider-like face peeks out momentarily to see what is going on.

The nestbox that fell off the tree and was on display at the Mt Rogers Explorer Day contained the remains of a nest, four white Rosella eggs, a large amount of bee-debris including dead bodies and honeycomb including young bees that died in their hexagonal cells. Part of the reason for the ACT-wide checks by CIMAG volunteers has come from the possibility that Mynas are now shunning the boxes in favour of using tree-hollows in reserves. In other words they’re back to their old, wildlife-threatening behaviour. What do you think? Have you seen any Indian Mynas regularly entering tree hollows around Mt Rogers? Please let me know, with a location if possible (phone 6258 4724).

Steve W has been videoing birds on Mt Rogers. Lyndon has taken a DVD-full of Mt Rogers wildlife photos. Colin has continued to refine the poo-bag dispenser so that bags can be taken for use when supplies at home are forgotten on dogs’ regular walks. He’s also invented and made the notice-stands that are currently being used to inform people about Superb Parrots, using one of Jude’s photographs. Steve D is about to try trapping Mynas in Melba. Soon Myna chicks will be around and, we hope, they will be naïve enough to enter the traps or not listen to their wary parents.

On 29^th October I took part in the Canberra Ornithologists Group’s annual Bird Blitz. Members visit the majority of grid-cells in the COG area of interest to see which species are present, record numbers and any breeding activities. It was wonderful to stroll around Mt Rogers seeking birds and making incidental notes of plants during the grey rainy morning. The Owlet Nightjar peered out briefly as I began (photo below is by Steve W). A cute beginning to a ‘hunt’ that also included brief sightings of three Superb Parrots near the carpark.

A beak-clacking Noisy Friarbird swooped towards me as I walked, obliviously, too close to its nest. They’re assertive honeyeaters, a bit smaller than Wattlebirds. Their distinctive penetrating calls announce their arrival in late spring. Later I came across a peaceful active group of small birds gleaning insects and enjoying the raindrops amongst the leaves. There were Whistlers, Silvereyes and Thornbills hosting migrants passing through to the higher ranges to nest. The Rufous Fantail was a happy surprise, the rust-coloured plumage on its back a contrast to the more subdued but attractive plumage-colours of the more common Grey Fantail. A pair of Leaden Flycatchers was skittish. Will they try nesting on Mt Rogers? They have failed in past seasons even though they tried nesting close to a Friarbird’s nest to take advantage of the Friarbirds’ bravado.

I watched two Double-barred Finches and two Red-browed Fire-tails foraging on the newly-green edge of the hazard-reduction-burn area. Flocks of ‘Red-brows’ are fairly common in other reserves but on Mt Rogers we don’t see either of dainty these grass-eating species often enough. Sometimes the mewing calls of the Double-bars are heard before the birds are seen. Four Superb Parrots, at the end of the walk near the Wickens carpark, were preening. They were using final rain-drops to help re-arrange feathers for their fast, streamlined flight and to move-on the mites that live amongst their feathers.

(The next day, in another survey (plants), volunteers were down on hands and knees amongst the apparently rough and weedy paddocks beyond The Pinnacle in Hawker. Each square metre was much more diverse and interesting than overall appearances would indicate. In some squares there were 20-25 species and often these were tiny native plants or native grasses which have withstood the swamping-growth of introduced grasses and weed species. This survey is part of an experiment to see what treatments help improve the chances of native plants in grasslands.)

There is an ACT awareness campaign about African Lovegrass at the moment. There was an advert in the Canberra Times apparently and one in the Chronicle of 15^th November on page 20. I’m not sure if the ad. is particularly helpful: if you’re not sure what this grass looks like there is plenty still surrounding the asphalt of the carpark even though the area was sprayed a couple of years ago. The aim is to keep this highly-invasive grass out of areas where it’s currently absent. Mt Rogers is one such area though mowers have moved its tiny, black seeds into the reserve from the Moroney Street Fraser-Spence easement. Our Landcarers have worked on this grass in the past, digging out and removing isolated clumps. We’ll need to maintain this vigilance!

Since the epic Working-Bee with the Conservation Volunteers on 24^th September we’ve continued cutting and daubing environmental weeds. We’ve used weed wands to daub on the glyphosate which is stored in the length of the wands. They can be quickly aimed at the cut stem and make reaching into dense bushes easier for pairs of weeders. The target species for our saws and loppers are Privet, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Hawthorn and the occasional Briar Rose. As we worked on 23^rd October we had the weird calls of Dollar-birds accompanying us for a couple of hours. They are also summer migrants passing through in search of nest sites.

On 20.11.11 I had another chance to check out the hazard-reduction-burn area to see how the plants have reacted to the burn. Fescue, Cocksfoot and Microlaena grass tussocks have sprung back to life. The first two are in flower whereas the Microlaena, like most other native grasses, flowers later in the summer. The weeds Salsify and Goatsbeard have ‘daisy-like’ flowers and huge seed-heads afterwards where the seeds parachute away. Perhaps they were going to have a good season anyway but they’ve certainly survived the burn using stored food in thick parsnip-like taproots. The ‘dandelions’ seemingly everywhere are Flatweed. Their leaf-bases are very good at taking space from native and other species on Mt Rogers and un-mown nature strips. Quite a few younger Eucalypts which were burnt are sprouting from their bases.

If you have a chance, take a walk through the native grassy-woodland area ‘above’ McNolty and Schey places. It was disconcerting to find a large ‘pile’ of rabbit poo but the emerging wildflowers show that the fire has only set them back not killed them. There are Spear and Microlaena grasses, Yellow Rush Lily, Lomandra, Sheeps Burr, Rock Fern, Button Daisies, Slender Tick-trefoil and Bluebells growing strongly or just about to flower.

I heard a Koel call once or twice “co-elle” but one which I heard over Charnwood yesterday sounded as though it needed more practice. These big cuckoos have only just arrived in the ACT for this summer or only just become vocal.

WILL YOU JOIN US ON 24TH SEPT - and 25TH SEPT?

WILL YOU JOIN US ON 24TH SEPTEMBER? WHEN THE CVA CREW WILL HELP US KILL-OFF THE PREPARED WOODY WEEDS? OR BRING US SOME MORNING-TEA OR LUNCH?

THEN ON 25TH SEPTEMBER, GINNINDERRA CATCHMENT GROUP’S HELPING US WITH AN "EXPLORE MT ROGERS" DAY

FROM 10.30am & BASED ON MILDENHALL PLACE, FRASER
NEAR THE NORTHERLY PLAYGROUND
& COMPLETE WITH FREE NOON BBQ AND FRUIT SALAD, THANKS TO LOCAL SHOPS

WE AIM TO CELEBRATE COMMUNITY & WHAT MT ROGERS CAN OFFER:

• TIME FOR YOURSELF,
• TIME TO THINK,
• TIME WITH FAMILIES,
• FRESH AIR,
• EXERCISE OPPORTUNITIES,
• CROSS-COUNTRY TRACKS,
• GREAT VIEWS,
• PHOTO-CHANCES,
• INTERESTING WILDLIFE,
• UNDER-CONTROL OFF-LEASH DOGS’ SPACE

IN ADDITION THERE’LL BE OLD FASHIONED GAMES SUCH AS HORSE-SHOE-TOSSING, EGG & SPOON RACES, HOOPS, A TREASURE HUNT AND….
IF YOU CHIVVY THEM UP, A WHOLE RANGE OF INFORMATION FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, HOBBY-IDEAS, ART GROUPS, CHOIRS, GUIDES & SCOUTS, CLUBS…

MORE DETAILS SOON BY NOTICES, EMAIL AND LETTER-BOXING IN YOUR SUBURB.


MT ROGERS LANDCARE GROUP…..6258 4724

MT ROGERS….LATE AUGUST 2011

BEES (working-type bees)

We’ve had three inspiring working-bees since the last ‘newsletter’: one retracing our steps somewhat to remove cotoneaster, privets and hawthorns on the sides of the main gully; one where Lorraine and I attacked stubborn African Lovegrass (ALG) tussocks on paths leaving the main carpark; and today’s, where we prepared more berry-producers for real destruction on September 24th by the Conservation Volunteers Australia.  

We used double-ended hoes for the ALG, and Ivan specialised in real-mattock use on Briar roses and some cotoneasters. Margaret, Ann, Kirsty and Jenny used pruning saws, loppers and secateurs to successfully increase the accessibility of the weeds, leaving each with one main branch decorated with pink ribbon for easy future-location. During the July session, Peter vanished for a while, to leave several lopped privets and hawthorns as 'disaster areas', up from the gully north of Rechner place, Flynn’s playground.
        
The weather was perfect today (28.08.11) and a real stimulus to walkers. Many passed by the parked car and quite a few brochures were taken up by the passers-by and others engaged in conversation about what we were doing. It must have looked quite strange to see us sitting on the path’s bank having cups of tea and Rod’s delicious Blueberry muffins during morning-tea, some two hours after our 9.30am start.

AND   In the time between July’s working-bee and now much has happened and we’ve had several severe frosts and some magically warm, spring-like days. There’s been news of a National Park for Ginninderra Falls and an exciting proposal for a really sustainable development beyond the Belconnen golf course. The latter plan has been modeled on the CERES concept in Melbourne where housing, community-farming and land-use are balanced to minimise effects on the land that’s absorbed by housing. We had a site visit by Jenny Conolly (Parks & Conservation Service) and Kelly Behrens (Ginninderra CatchmentGroup) to assess projects/work that could be done for Mt Rogers by Green Corps later in the year. And the on-again, off-again Hazard Reduction Burn in the eastern part of Mt Rogers absorbed a great deal of time and energy.

MFFs   The recent weeks have highlighted the presence of Mixed Feeding Flocks (MFF) of small birds. They move through an area together gleaning insects and raindrops from foliage and seeds from grasses below trees and shrubs. Group activities also give protection against predators. On an after-rain-then-misty morning at the Fraser-plantings (150m from the Wickens carpark) there were 13 species in the MFF that halted my walk. Wrens, White-eared, Yellow-faced and White-naped honeyeaters, Yellow-rumped, Buff-rumped Thornbills, Speckled warblers, Double-barred finches, a White-throated Treecreeper, Grey fan-tails, Scarlet robins, Spotted Pardalote, a young Golden Whistler. Galahs flew over and the distant calls of Cockatoos, Ravens, Currawongs, Magpies, Red Wattle birds and the “ooom” of a Common Bronzewing pigeon added to the mid-winter species list. And all this in a small space some 15? kilometres from the centre of the National Capital!

MICE     As I retraced my steps I realised a Kookaburra was perched just 6m away. It took no notice when I moved closer for another photo, suddenly swooping to the ground to show that a mouse was more important than reacting to me. It took the bird two minutes to subdue the little mammal. The hapless rodent seemed to squirm and ‘protest’ with its pink feet before it was swallowed head-first. What does it feel like to eat something alive? The Kookaburra flew up to a branch plump with food and fluffed-up against the chill. It was only then that I realised there was a second Kookaburra away to my right.

ROSE ROBIN      On my next visit a Grey butcherbird was heard in the west; and 3 weeks later, Kirsty and Steve separately had the luck of seeing a male Rose robin. Their sightings were in the area east of the carpark. It’s probably much more unusual to see this species on Mt Rogers as they pass through the ACT than it would be to follow-up the COG-emailed-announcement of their presence in the Botanic Gardens.

WATTLES    Other COG* members have commented on seeing the MFFs around the region, on the returning migrants and many species in breeding and nesting mode, although humans’ calendars say it’s still winter. A cryptic Dragon lizard was nearly stepped-on during today’s working-bee because it elected to 'freeze' whilst soaking up the sun amongst the grey-brown fallen bark. The Cootamundra wattles have flowered magnificently already and, true-to-form the Acacias’ yellow pom-poms have dried-off again having been soaked by rain when at their peak. There should be thousands of pods for the Cockatoos, Rosellas and Superb parrots to feed on in the summer. On Mt Rogers we can readily see why the native Cootamundra wattle, Acacia baileyana, is a pest-species out of its area as its seedlings germinate into thickets after the seed-splitting heat of fire.

INVENTIVENESS    Colin has devised a nifty machine for dispensing plastic bags for dog poo. He hopes people will use his voluntary-contribution when they forget their own bags, rather than for augmenting their own supplies.
After Barbara J. emailed having seen a young family swooped by a magpie near the Flynn playground she then alerted Canberra Connect about the problem (phone 13 22 81) so more signs can be put up.

NESTS      In this same stand of trees a Crimson rosella has been inspecting & possibly even modifying a hollow so it can prepare for a nest inside. For a large proportion of Australian birds and many other animals hollow trees are essential. This fact is conveniently ignored by those who fell or log our trees and then appealingly and ignorantly promise “We’ll plant new ones to take their places”. How many of the nestboxes will be used by birds other than Indian mynas? An Australian Owlet Nightjar chooses between two as its daytime roost … a really cute, small nocturnal bird with a sugar-glider-like ‘face’ in Steve’s close-up photo.

**Keep an eye on the Frogmouths’ tree as sticks are being assembled in its fork. I’ve seen both a Pardalote and an Eastern Spinebill each carrying strands of grass for their respective nests in recent days.

HRB   In some areas there’s a burst of purple as the Hoveas are flowering a few weeks ahead of the more common Hardenbergia. Both are members of the ‘pea’ family and they share a tendency to clamber over other plants to be visible to the pollinators of their flowers. But the main news of Mt Rogers’ plants recently has been the cool burn designed to reduce the amount of grass in the south and eastern sectors of the area. Although the Hazard Reduction Burn (HRB) was forecast in the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan Version 2 it was still a severe shock to be given only two days (unofficial) notice of the proposed event, and similarly for nearby residents who might be affected. I really appreciated responses from our Landcare volunteers and Mt Rogers Carers who wrote of their feelings, observations and expectations. Their perceptive comments have been included in a report which I have sent to ‘the authorities’ and which I will post on this Blog. At this stage the actual burn seems to have been effective and has not caused major losses of the native plants we value. If any Mt Rogers folk would like to start a series of post-burn photos we could all then see how the land restores itself.

The teams worked professionally and for some 10 hours on the day. Apparently 12 hectares or 32% of Mt Rogers has been burnt. I have asked whether this is an appropriate proportion of ground-level habitat change for such a small, isolated bush area. I have suggested that a brochure be prepared so that ACT residents might have a better understanding of the HRB process and why such burns are necessary. The brochure would go to all residents with properties in streets adjacent to bushland and it would be mandatory that those moving into such areas receive copies. If it were done comprehensively it could include a section on responsible gardening-near-bushland so there might be fewer young weed seedlings!

 *COG Canberra Ornithologists’ Group