MT ROGERS: THE BEGINNING OF 2017’S AUTUMN??

Our next Landcaring dates are Sunday 26^th March and Monday 3^rd April. Details later.
Angharad, Ann, Anne, Ivan, Ted and I contributed 21.45 hours work on February 26^th & March 3^rd. Diana surveyed for 1 hour. $35 per hour is now utilised in calculating the value of volunteers. We’ve saved ratepayers over $700. We’ve improved the biodiversity of Mt Rogers by destroying invasive weed species that compete for space, water and the soil’s nutrients.

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After greengrocery shopping at Choku Bai Jo at Lyneham it was 10.15 am before I reached Mt Rogers. It had been quite misty earlier and the mist was only slowly lifting. Did the sun appear in time for the Canberra Day weekend Balloons’ lift-off? Do plants contribute to mistiness through transpiring moisture through their leaves at night? There’s precious little moisture around apart from the lakes. In spite of 15 mL of rain a week ago everything is still so parched & beige.

The cloud patterns as the sun burnt off the mist were varied & delicate. Looking at clouds or for birds is a dangerous pastime in places where the gravel has been eroded off the path. I have sent in photos and a request for the surface to be maintained. The main section is that which passes the Flynn playground. Would some of you please phone the Ginninderra Catchment Group 6278 3309 to ask that they relay the message about the path’s state to the City Services people. There are many such requests to prioritise but it’s high time Mt Rogers’ gravel path received attention again, isn’t it?

Butterflies were already out presumably looking for plant species for egg-laying as there were few sources of nectar from flowers. They were followed by Yellow Winged & smaller species of Grasshoppers. There were quite a few walkers out also enjoying the day’s cooler start & aiming to be home before the 29 degrees established itself. People were asked if they needed a Mt Rogers brochure for new neighbours and about 7 were handed out.

There were several dog poo deposits on the path and no sticks in sight to move them out of people’s way. Time to ask the ACT Government AGAIN for signs about off-leash dog etiquette– if it could be guaranteed that the oblivious owners would read official signs or our own signs. The other day there was a report of kangaroos being chased by a dog when the owner-walker was present.  

Today one young dog owner had come from Florey. It’s almost impossible to see where Florey is these days as the trees and shrubs our adjacent suburbs host mask patches of grass. The vegetation is providing vital connectivity for bird species and linking the suburbs with Ginninderra Creek’s natural corridor. Ginninderra Catchment Group has organised many working parties to manage the growth of weed species along the creek over the years. This is in addition to the ongoing efforts of the Landcare groups at Evatt and Umbagong (between Latham & Macgregor), and Macgregor’s and Dunlop’s teams of dedicated volunteers. Upstream there are groups at Giralang and Crace Ponds.

Today’s conversations included several “It’s such a great place to walk round and take in the views”. It would be wonderful and so valuable if more people took time to write to ministers or phone them at the Legislative Assembly to express these feelings about our special places. Say how reinvigorated a walk makes us feel. Explain that being outdoors in nature lifts the spirits and improves our health. Show how we value the conversations we have each day. Unfortunately quantifying how people benefit from being amongst nature, plants and animals is difficult. It’s sometimes avoided by those who ‘hold the purse-strings’ so that inadequate amounts of money are allocated to reserve management and landcaring.

At around the time of the ‘backpacker saga’ $100,000,000 was allocated to Landcare by the Federal Government. With 5,400 Landcare Groups and 100,000 volunteers Australia wide that money won’t go very far. Some have the perception that ‘the environment will look after itself’. You all know that’s a fallacy because you’ve seen what a difference volunteers make over time through work that gives native species the chance to thrive in their habitats. Ginninderra Catchment Group is closely watching for the money’s allocation.

One or two people today mentioned not having seen me for a while. I have been lax in not reaching Mt Rogers. The hot days have played a part in this situation. I’ve taken the quick way out of walking around Flynn when the evenings’ cooler temperatures & breezes arrive. One of the main reasons is being part of the teams trying to prevent the Ginninderra Falls area from being overwhelmed by the Ginninderry development that’s emerging in West Belconnen.

Both the Ginninderra Falls Association & the Ginninderra Catchment Group want to see the reserve re-opened to the public. The Riverview Group has spent 7–8 years planning the Ginninderry development on land leased or owned by the Corkhill family and 5 other landowners on NSW land nearer the Ginninderra Falls. The planning has involved ground-breaking attention to ecological detail & retaining landscape features. The Murrumbidgee River in the ACT is protected by a Conservation Corridor & associated Conservation Management Plan.

However nearer Ginninderra Falls the developers are asking Yass Valley Council to change the E3 Zoning from Environmental to R1 Urban in order to maximise the number of dwellings that will be near the edge of the Falls forest in future decades. Loss of the E3 Zoning would threaten the survival of several endangered species including the Rosenberg’s Goanna. Here is a link to a short video illustrating the uniqueness of the Callitris Pine forested gorges that surround Ginninderra Creek’s last kilometre before reaching the Murrumbidgee River west of Parkwood  https://vimeo.com/207234386   The privately owned Ginninderra Falls was closed in 2004 when insurance for visitors using the nature park became impossibly expensive.

You may have heard of an announced feasibility study into the establishing of a National Park that would include the Mulligans Flat, Goorooyarroo, Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura reserves of Canberra Nature Park. There will be chances for the public and agencies to have input into the proposal. This proposal raises many questions including: how is a national park defined?, and what would be the benefits of this change of status?

My preference, stimulated by the Ginninderra Falls situation, would be to have the ACT and NSW jurisdictions work together to protect the Murrumbidgee River corridor in perpetuity. The natural vegetation and complex habitats of the river and its numerous tributaries deserve protection. In the huge swathe of land between Yass, round to the ACT’s east and south up to the High Country there are many vital connectivity corridors that allow birds and other mobile species to move through the landscape as they and Indigenous peoples have done for millennia.

There are already numerous landholders in the region who manage land in genuinely empathetic ways. Some have worked with Rivers of Carbon (riversofcarbon.org.au) and Greening Australia to fence stock out of creek and river zones, to revegetate the banks and to encourage rainfall to spread across the landscape as nutrient rich water once did. These creek corridors could provide links with other vegetation on properties throughout the region. 

Photo showing some of the region's connectivity, taken from a hill near Gundaroo NSW.

From Mt Rogers we’re able to see conservation and connectivity in action. That’s reflected in our bird list that includes overflying Pelicans, Cormorants, Eagles, Ducks. Non-resident species such as Choughs, Black-Shouldered Kites, Gang Gang Cockatoos, Varied Sitellas forage or hunt in the reserve. Scarlet Robins, Whistlers and some Honeyeaters are residents for part of each year. Butterflies come to find mates on Mt Rogers. Kangaroos may still be spooked up to Mt Rogers though we now have ‘our’ resident mob.

I’d like to see the whole National Capital region declared a Conservation Zone. Those who already live in this ‘corner’ of Australia would be stewards of the land. Our water and food supply would be protected through continued wise land-use practices. Carbon would continue to be sequestered by the trees, shrubs, forbs and grasslands and our soil and air would remain unpolluted. We’d continue to celebrate the rich tapestries of Indigenous and ‘White-fella’ culture and heritage by preserving our ancestors’ artefacts, technologies, creativity and customs.
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Any time now Scarlet Robins and Whistlers should be visible on Mt Rogers. There have been reports of these species returning to other reserves around the ACT from higher altitudes. We’ve had such a racket of Cockatoos around the middle of Flynn. I assume they’re roosting near the Flynn playground. Twice I’ve witnessed a parent Cockatoo regurgitating food for a begging youngster. There have been Galah begging calls also. Thornbills were enjoying the bird bath’s water a few days ago. Magpies seem to find something to dig for amongst the beige grass every time they visit.

So much to see!

If you want a change of scene and don't mind a clay footpath in places try walking round the West Belconnen Ponds in Dunlop. There's parking off Percy Begg Circuit. the views across to the ranges in the west are beige but fascinating. Plenty of waterbirds to watch. There's also safe open space for children to run around on as Jarramlee park is between the houses and the water. Two playgrounds and a half basketball 'court' and several seats give other opportunities.

Rosemary

Mt Rogers Landcare Group.  Phone 6258 4724    

11.03.17 & 14.03.17

HEATWAVE SUMMER: MT ROGERS in FEBRUARY 2017

The next dates for working bees are Sunday 26^th February and Monday 6^th March. Probably the starting times will need to be 08.30 again. We shall meet at Mildenhall Place, Fraser, on Sunday 26^th February and at Wickens Place, Fraser, on Monday 6^th March  See some of you then, & thank you!

Furry Victim

On Friday 3^rd February four of us went for a drive around Mt Rogers in a Government ute. As we passed along the Tween Tanks Track Dave noticed a furry body on strands of barbed wire above the reservoirs’ fence. It was a Sugar Glider. By Monday 6 February, all that remained was the tail. We formed the view that the little possum had glided from a nearby eucalypt without seeing the wire.

Dave took photographs and I photographed the tail on the Monday (photo below). We each sent them in to Canberra Nature Map. It’s now official, as perhaps some of you knew before this: Mt Rogers has Sugar Gliders! (Petaurus breviceps at Mount Rogers - 03 Feb 2017)

Remains (its tail) of a Sugar Glider first seen on 03.02.17 on the fence surrounding the twin tanks.

Canberra Nature Map (http://canberra.naturemapr.org) is fairly recent. It began as a way for botanists and biologists to send in photographs of the species they’d found with particular reference to a list of rarer plants. CNM has grown to include birds, insects, fungi, reptiles and frogs. The Parks and Conservation Service rangers are using CNM to access data as well as photos of weed infestations. Provided your camera or phone has GPS capability, photos can be sent to CNM where they’ll be checked for species identity by a team of volunteer moderators. CNM gives everyone the opportunity to create data, an ongoing record of the other species we share the region with. We can be citizen scientists. I have sent in several photos, and have many more to send.

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Working Teams

Why were we driving round? You’ll have heard of the Green Army. Ginninderra Catchment Group is applying to have Green Army teams working in our reserve areas on tasks that are time-consuming for Landcare Group volunteers. We felt that they could make a difference if they treated Blackberry, and pulled out Honeysuckle and Ivy. Then staff of TCCS (Transport & City Services, formerly TAMS) could remove the debris. Nick Bakker, the TCCS Volunteer co-ordinator, with Dave Wong from Ginninderra Catchment Group and me, showed Liz, a Green Army team leader, where some of the weed clusters were located around Mt Rogers.  

I had an email from James Gray of Icon Water to say they had tackled the Tree of Heaven infestation but had now run out of the money allocated for destroying this suckering woody weed as part of the compensation for clearing native trees around the reservoirs. On our Monday 6 February working bee, glances from where Angharad, Phil, Ted and I were working didn’t show what Icon Water’s contractors had achieved. If the heat ever ends and my feet feel like being in sneakers & gaiters I’ll go up to see what has been cleared and what still needs doing.

Our working bee was from 08.30 to 10.45. We concentrated on cutting off the heads of Prickly Lettuce and St Johns Wort. We ended up with 3 compacted bagsful of the yellow daisy-flower heads and SJW heads with browning-off capsules full of seeds. Thank you all, and apologies to others for whom I failed to give meeting place details.

Fallen tree (it fell in two stages) partly across access track.

Signage Rock

Nick Bakker is a liaison person between Landcare volunteers and the TCCS land managers for Mt Rogers and other nature reserve areas excluding Canberra Nature Park reserves. We are working with Nick to bring to fruition the idea of replacing the long-dead MT ROGERS sign that was alongside the Wickens Place car-park.

On Wednesday 1 February I went to a rock repository at Mitchell, a new site for me! Phil Nizette from Wellspring Environmental Art & Design was there to select a suitable boulder and other rocks that would support it, as an installation at Wickens Place.

Boulders at the rock yard. The smaller ones will prop up the main lettered one.

The idea is that TCCS will organise the moving of the boulder and rocks to Mt Rogers, supervised by Phil. Phil will carve MT ROGERS into the boulder using his own equipment and power-supply. This is likely to cost approximately $3,300 and take 5 days.

Mt Rogers has some $1,000 in an account managed by Ginninderra Catchment Group (we had money donated by Telstra for a previous corporate working-bee day). We may be able to apply for a grant for the work. I am proposing to write to the Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay to see if there are funds that could pay for it as an art installation. Some Mt Rogers community members have kindly offered to donate towards the boulder-sign. We may be able to receive money from the ‘signage’ unit to help defray costs, as we’re working on the principle that all reserves and public places deserve an identifying sign … the difference here is that we’ve gone ahead and organised a replacement sign ourselves.

The boulder idea is to have as vandal-proof a sign as possible as Wickens Place also attracts people with counter-productive ways of entertaining themselves.

Wickens place car-park. Phil likes the idea of the sign going right of the bare patch (the entry worn by many feet!)
The last galvanised post is on mid-left.

Previous sign was in centre of pic. Galvanised post remains.

I am still working on another principle, dating from 2014, that we need a sign about the off-leash status and visitors understanding canine behaviour.

Perhaps you’d approve a planting of hardy native species around the sign’s site? But it would be up to us to maintain the ‘garden’ probably outside working-bee times or times that would suit the team. This would mostly mean keeping water up to the young plants and keeping the rank grasses and wild oats in-check as there’ll be many seeds still in the soil.

Spotted Birds

Lyndon’s beautiful photograph of a juvenile Koel at Mt Rogers is below this post, and uploaded some very fine bird photos from his travels to birding sites around the ACT. These will complement the treasure-trove of Mt Rogers wildlife photographs that he brought over in mid December. Such a brilliant way of recording what’s around. Equally important are the records such as Angharad’s, of birds seen in and around our gardens. At the working bee Angharad reported seeing a Peaceful Dove in their Fraser garden. Sometimes these delightful birds are seen as aviary escapees but there are also irruptions of Peaceful Doves with individuals visiting the outskirts of Canberra’s suburbs.

Look out for Oxeye Daisy

An irruption that’s definitely unwanted is that of the Oxeye Daisy. The ACT Government recently put out a media release and fact sheet about this very invasive species.  You may remember a few years ago we were warned about Fireweed and people were worried about their yellow daisies. The Oxeye Daisy is white with a yellow centre. It has quite large flowers (2–6 cm across).  The also-white African Daisy has a blue centre (it’s a ‘sleeper weed’ and not one to idolise in the garden, but not as invasive in bush areas as the Oxeye Daisy will be if it takes hold). The wind blows daisies’ seeds. The fact sheet about the Oxeye Daisy is at the top of the Pages at the right of the screen at this Mt Rogers Landcare Blog.

Beetles and bark

Has the Christmas Beetle invasion come to an end? You’ll notice that some of the victimised eucalypts have quite a different ‘look’ as half of each leaf has been chewed away. Some of them look yellowy-green rather than eucalyptus-green, presumably something to do with the effects of light. Now the trees are having to cope with this extreme heat. A big gum tree opposite us is going through its bark-shedding phase. I collect the fallen bark & use it as mulch. It deflects any rain drops & allows the drops through into the shaded soil below. 

Rosemary, Mt Rogers Landcare Group

Sunday 12 February 

6258 4724

               

MT ROGERS JANUARY 22nd PRE-32 degrees WORKING-BEE. Koel added 6 Feb.

Three messages about Mt Rogers (top message and photo added 6 February)

6 Feb.
Lyndon Howe writes:

 A "Common Koel", juvenile, I think, on Mt. Rogers , Flynn. Note the stained feathers probably from fossicking in fruit trees.

Photo © Lyndon Howe.

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Late January
Stephen Wallace writes: 

At least three koels have fledged on the northern slopes of Mount Rogers this month. While I was filming one of them, an adult male koel called nearby and the juvenile interrupted its begging to give a different call. It did this twice but when the host returned to feed it the juvenile did not respond to the Koel call. Video linked here: 

http://www.hbw.com/ibc/1326060  

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and a farewell sent to Rosemary by former Mt Rogers landcare group members:

"It has been great to work with the Mt Rogers bushcare group. Although it was brief I enjoyed it immensely. The enthusiasm and dedication of the members is awesome."

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Next working bee...

For the Monday 6^th February working-bee we’ll meet at the Wickens place car-park at 08.30 if it’s going to be hot. We’ll search out SJW to behead as there’ll still be unripe seed capsules to bag.

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ATTITUDES

As usual, 24 hours before each working-bee I ask myself why I do these things, why I involve myself in challenges? All such qualms evaporate once the day dawns and actual action begins.

Even better, the turning-up of our enthusiastic volunteers shows their dedication to making a difference on our 65 hectares of bushland. On Sunday 22 January, Ted was chatting to a fellow dog-walker on the Wickens Close nature strip. Ted has a way with dogs and knows all the Mt Rogers regulars and most of their attitudes.

Ivan was waiting in his car to avoid the warm walk back home after weeding on unpredictable terrain.

Anne was on time for 08.30. Ann thought we were starting at 9 am so was a little later but wisely phoned to find us.

We had not gone far as 15 minutes of landcaring became dog-caring. A Bull Terrier similar in colour to Marian’s Jasper joined us in the carpark. He was friendly, panting, seeming to have done much running, had no collar, possible cancer spots on his white nose but otherwise looked middle-aged healthy. We looped a lead round his neck. He drank a lot of water. He responded with a tail-wag when we said “good dog” but ignored “sit”!! A couple of passing regulars didn’t recognise the dog. Why was he, an entire dog, on the loose? I phoned 132281 explaining the situation and asking if they had Domestic Animals Services’ number. “They’re in ‘after-hours’ mode but the dogs can be taken there and put in a holding pen and these pens will be checked from time to time”. He then said the dog had already been reported from the Mt Rogers area. We could set him loose to find his way home or we could take him to DAS at Mugga Lane.

As we were deliberating on what to do a compassionate woman drove up with the aim of taking the dog with her. She had noted him earlier but couldn’t do anything as she had her own dogs with her. Both she and Anne had some treats to offer him but he didn’t understand “Jump into the back mate”. Ivan lifted him into the very tidy rear of the car and they left for the next phase of his adventures. What a compassionate and resourceful start to our working-bee….We knew there were reasons to have diverse boots-full of items.

WEEDING

Ivan, Anne and Ted, wearing the Mt Rogers gaiters, went into the long grass after Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola. It’s been said that the Egyptians developed the lettuces we eat from this species’ ancestors. There are thousands of them around at the moment wherever their wind-blown seeds have found space around Mt Rogers and all through the suburbs’ neglected spaces. Previous years’ seeds have made the most of the good rains we had months ago. We cut off the flower-heads and bagged them so the flowers wouldn’t continue to develop into seeds. Some of the plants pulled out and others we cut off low to the ground. This is what it looks like. 

I had a brief chat with Peter C who, with Tops, walks many kilometres around west Belconnen bird-watching. To our advantage, Peter includes Mt Rogers and he reported seeing a Speckled Warbler just a few days ago. Always good to know our rarer species are still around.

SJW

Our other weed target for the day was St John’s Wort which we knew was growing well on the unmown slope and bank 20 m east of the “white house’s” Frogmouths’ tree. Previously the pretty yellow flowers were visible and attracting bees and other pollinators. Now they were browning off but we could see thousands of capsules, still green and containing millions of seeds. Again we cut off the flower-heads putting them in bags. Taken to Canberra Sand & Gravel’s Green Waste composting facility at Parkwood they’ll be mulched and then they’ll decompose at temperature high enough to destroy the seeds’ viability. This first photo here shows Ted seeking SJW, with silver-leafed yellow-flowered Chrysocephalum semipapposum in the middle of the photo.

Steve D’s done a great deal of back-pack spraying around Mt Rogers. This volunteering has made a huge difference to the infestations we might have experienced as a result of the earlier rain. 

Here's a photo of the SJW we were pulling out, and one of the slope we were working on. 

REWARDS

We enjoyed each others company, reported on holiday happenings and Mt Rogers sightings. We’d seen Superb Parrots earlier. We found a few woody weeds to cut & daub. I photographed Mt Rogers’ lone Sun Orchid. It’s produced about 15 flower-heads this year. Hopefully some of the minute seeds will find the specific conditions that stimulate germination and the fungus that promotes the young orchids’ growth. There was a Clustered Everlasting, ‘button’ daisy with many yellow flowers.

We estimated the numbers of people walking past with dogs and/or family. A few stopped to chat and I wished I’d brought a few extra brochures to hand out in case any of them had new neighbours who didn’t yet know about Mt Rogers.

We chatted with at least one couple, long-term residents, who thanked us for our landcaring. You are all part of that effort as there are a multitude of ways in which each one of us contributes to our community and to the special place Mt Rogers is for us and the region.

MAGNIFICENT BIRDS

Some of you may know Lyndon and their Heeler, Doug. They are Mt Rogers identities as Lyndon has taken thousands of photos of Mt Rogers wildlife. Working from the mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com cumulative list of birds sighted on and from Mt Rogers since 1997 Lyndon has now presented us with 96 photographs of the 102 listed birds. Steve W has frequently taken Lyndon on expeditions to find birds in our region. Steve specialises in videos of them and Lyndon has the photographic images. Thank you Lyndon for sharing your passion and expertise; including the recent Frogmouths photos that are on the blog.

Clearly I must ensure that the actual list on the Blog is as up to date as Lyndon’s.

SILVEREYES

Have you been plagued by thousands of what I call “fruit flies”? They have been hiding in our Parsley seed heads and the Garlic flowers that bees also pollinate. Some have been able to crawl through flywire mesh towards the lights but can’t find their way out again. In the last few days the Silvereyes have discovered these flies and, with Wrens and Thornbills been an absolute delight to watch as they dine on the masses. Even better, we’ve been able to watch the birds’ antics and enjoyment as they cool off in the shallow bird bath and then preen their feathers perched in the bent Protea. Should you be interested in taking part in the valuable summer survey of birds that visit your garden for water and feeding please visit the survey site and become a citizen scientist at www.feedingbirds.org.au  

GRASSES

Peter C mentioned that the excessive length of the grass and oats around Mt Rogers won’t be ideal for Speckled Warblers that forage and nest on the ground. That may be true for Quail and even kangaroos as the latter prefer to graze on shorter grass. Do snakes prefer long grass? No doubt many of these animals have their own ways and tracks through the tall, introduced grasses that are a legacy from earlier farming methods. Many native grass species have tussocky form allowing for spaces between each plant; spaces for wildflowers, reptiles, small mammals, ground-feeding birds and the invertebrates the animals depend on.

SNAKES

At Snakes Alive I came across Canberra Snake Rescue & Relocation service. They have a Facebook page under that name and their number is 0405 405 304. 

We had a Blue-tongue Lizard in the garden in December. It didn’t need rescuing! 

Thank you for all you do and the sightings you share for everyone’s enjoyment & interest.

Rosemary

Mt Rogers Landcare Group.   6258 4724

PRE HOLIDAY-SEASON OBSERVATIONS AROUND MT ROGERS

A one-hour circuit walk after a rainy two days

Shiny carapaces in poo beside the path suggested a fox might have feasted on Xmas beetles. Why do some beetles have those iridescent colours?

Have a look for 2016’s Insects of South-Eastern Australia by Roger Farrow. Many insect questions answered & wonderful, accessible natural history!

After two dull, drizzly & showery days the sun’s presence cheered the spirits.

Round the bases of some Cootamundra Wattles there’s a litter of leafy branches. The Cockatoos have been through for the seed-pods. Does being eaten kill the seeds?

I remembered my fly-veil & was grateful. Camping-gear shops usually sell them.

Neatly mown is the impression around Mt Rogers’ edge-space. Thanks TAMS!

Good work by the mowing teams but we still need to be alert for snakes.

There were ten walkers between 09.45 and 10.45 on a sunny morning.

Is it their rubbed wings or a special organ that cicadas use to make their sounds?

Motor cycle of some sort went up the Gully at 10.45. Arrogance.

Eucalyptus blakeleyi, Red Gums, are showing some new leaf growth after two worrying lerp attacks to their leaves. May their resilience prevail!

Why does it become windy after rain? The vital moisture is quickly evaporated. 

I didn’t hear Koels’ calls whilst up there but they’ve been busy in mid-Flynn for 10 days now. I suspect it’s they who are eating unharvested Loquats.

Tigers of the air: Dragonflies were around today & long before the dinosaurs!

Hands need sturdy gloves if pulling St Johns Wort. Thank you to those who have identified, walked and weeded SJW. Cutting the flower-heads off is a good option.

Oats, Tall Fescue, Phalaris & other non-native grasses are taller than many of us.

The pile of soil & the prickly pear have gone from the renovated house in Schwarz Place. There’s a new Colorbond fence. Do metal fences deter Blue-tongued lizards?

Has anyone seen or heard regular Superb Parrot visitors?

Every time they land Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes shuffle their wings. I had a glimpse of one of these elegant grey birds, using the shuffle as identification.

Rosellas weren’t noticeable. Perhaps they were feeding earlier.

Suzi Bond has published her photographic Field Guide to the 87 butterfly species seen locally. Try the Botanic Bookshop at the Gardens for copies.

White flowers just past-their-prime are bottle-brush-like Melaleucas. Shrubs were planted on Mt R in the seventies. The taller trees around town have really thrived on the winter rains. Plenty of nectar for insects and birds!

Hill-topping is a butterfly activity when they’re attracting mates. Mt R. is a good place to watch for this. Some butterfly species actively defend their territories.

On their wings, Meadow Argus butterflies have round eye-spots. They’re common & cooperative, settling with wings open to absorb heat from the sun.

Near & above low grasses there were small blue butterflies. They settled with their wings closed making identification tricky. The Lycaenidae family they belong to shows some names & identification possibilities.

Easy to distinguish from their bald black heads, Noisy Friarbirds’ calls haven’t been noticeable around Flynn this sprummer. Perhaps they’ve nested on Mt Rogers and stayed quiet to avoid Koels looking to lay eggs in their nests.

Eyes surrounded by an ‘owl face’, Double-barred Finches make meowing calls. They feed on open grassy ground so perhaps they’ve kept away from the rain-induced rank grasses in the reserve. They’re not as common as they were.

Deasland place’s Frogmouths may have been those Angharad spotted on our Monday working-bee. They were near the twin tanks & a very old nest-box. See the photo at the end of this post.

Yellow-rumped Thornbills usually feed on the ground. Perhaps it was too windy for them today.

Orchard Swallowtail are those big black butterflies that are also attracted to our gardens’ citrus blooms. They are di-morphic with differing shapes and colour patterns between females & males. 

Under cover of darkness a whole new world would be visible around Mt R.

I wonder if spot-lighting walks are feasible?

Strong colours on butterflies may mean they have recently emerged from their pupae & the sun hasn’t faded their colours.

There were a few Brown butterflies about also. They, with their varied patterns & wing markings belong to the Satyrinae family.

Have a look through the Butterfly book if only to see the diversity of the names. Globally there are Albatross, Beak, Bird-wing, Crow, Darter, Owl, Peacock, Swallowtail butterflies to show ornithological connections.

Endangered Golden Sun Moth seen on Wednesday near Ginninderra Creek’s Axe Grooves at Latham. The GSM is endangered as its native grasslands have gone.

Green grass, particularly under trees in summer, signifies Microlaena stipoides or Weeping Grass. There’s plenty of Microlaena to be seen around Mt Rogers.

Red Wattlebirds called occasionally. Have they managed to breed this season without being cuckolded by the Koels?

Every now and then there were calls from the bush. Presumably they were from small birds’ calls I should know but couldn’t remember for identification!

Arriving silently, a Kookaburra landed near Schwarz Place looking for an insect snack. Birds need reliable water but don’t need food offerings from us.

Tiny blue butterflies reminded me of the numerous species of beige moths that inhabit our grasslands & grassy areas. Should I carry one of the coat-hanger-based butterfly nets we made for the children years ago & try identifying them?

Eyes are pale blue for Magpie Larks or Peewees. I wonder what evolutionary & survival advantage those pale blue eyes give them?

Striated Pardalote calls came through “cappuccino, cappuccino” from the canopy. 

There are only a few yellow Paper Daisy plants on Mt R. Painted Lady butterflies are photogenic when eating from the daisies as a reward for pollinating them.

Going back down to Flynn the unnatural noises of vehicles & crassness of dumped rubbish disturbed my reverie. Thank you to our wonderful team of removalists who take others’ rubbish home to keep Mt R clean.

I did wonder at a green bag, dropped in error, presumably containing dog poo. Un-bagged poo will break down in the bush decades sooner than plastic bags. 

Flatweed flowers are obvious on many nature strips. Impress by knowing they are not dandelions. Each flower head can have 75+ individual flowers then seeds.

The ringing calls of magpies provided serenades from various vantage points. We’ve had great pleasure in the magpies’ company, antics, territorial spats for another year. We’ve tried to identify & name them from their markings.

HNY!

I hope you're able to zoom in on this to see the Frogmouths' expressions. 

MT ROGERS: Brilliant spotting from Angharad.

The green nest box has been to the SE of the twin tanks for decades.....long before Kate Grarock began her Indian Myna nestbox studies. 

The roost tree is perhaps 30m from the long-fallen tree that's been painted. There's no guarantee that they will roost there in future.

Angharad, Ted and I were walking back to the Wickens car-park after a hot 1.5hours working-bee against St Johns Wort. Angharad looked towards the nestbox and saw the Frogmouths straight away. Ted had said he'd not seen them since they fledged in spite of looking. We assume these are the ones from the large eucalypt above the white house and near the steps up from Deasland Place.

Rosemary  17.12.16.

Convenor: Mt Rogers Landcare Group.

MT ROGERS in late NOVEMBER 2016

Our next Monday working-bee and last for 2016 will be on Monday 5 December. We’ll meet at the Wickens Place, Fraser carpark at 09.00am. Gaiters, tools and gloves will be provided but please bring water to rehydrate!

27.11.16 Working-bee

Thank you all for making today's such a special working-bee. Anne, Ivan, Kirsty and Ted all worked very hard at demanding tasks needing our bodies to bend and pull when not thrilled about doing so … as the temperature climbed towards the forecast 26 degrees.

We were reducing the St John’s Wort (SJW) plants’ chances of being pollinated, setting seed and returning thousands of seeds to Mt Rogers’ soil.

We know we made a difference, even though the lack of SJW in those areas may be almost un-noticeable to the passer-by. I would imagine we moved 100 plants onto the track, or onto rocks or onto barer patches to desiccate. Many more were de-bloomed and/or pulled up and left to dry out where they'd grown. That's 10xthousands of seeds that won't make it to the seed bank.

These are complex places to work. Steve can't really reach the plants' rosettes to spray Starane on them, even with a suitable nozzle. The many species of introduced grasses are already tall, allowing their pollen to catch breezes and winds. And, as we saw towards the end of the morning, these areas are habitat for many native species ... and are therefore ‘DO NOT DISTURB THE SOIL’ places, if we can manage that. We came across mosses, lichens, hundreds of Cheilanthes (native Rock Ferns) and some young eucalypts.

Team-work, musing and socialising

I like the way our land-carers so readily work in flexible teams regardless of the combination of people who are able to be present on any one occasion. The social benefits of landcaring and its volunteering are very important, together with sharing tales of our journeys towards being in the same place and with the same objectives for this particular working-bee.

At various stages Anne, Kirsty and I explored the value of gardening concluding that it's much the same as a walk on Mt Rogers in that our brains are able to unclutter, re-process and also respond to what the bush offers us in new sightings and new stimuli for our thoughts whilst we work at a physical task or exercise. 

Other species

We were rewarded today by the presence of several birds (even a brief Superb Parrot call) and by finding new research opportunities through the St John’s Wort biocontrol beetle Chrysolina hyperici. The photo below shows the beetle this year at Shepherds Lookout in Woodstock Reserve North. We hope to see these on Mt Rogers' SJW.

Ted's other multi-coloured beetle and the spider Kirsty found added to our shared ‘biology’ lesson. 

We met at Mildenhall Place, soon finding that 3 or 4 of the native grass species looked really healthy, if hugely out-numbered, as we walked through them to the weeding sites.

We often heard Noisy Friarbirds, which was interesting because their calls and Koels’ calls have been unusually inconsistent in mid-Flynn this ‘sprummer’ (spring and summer). On Saturday 26 November there were Oriole calls on Mt Rogers but I didn’t sight them. Thank you to those who have sent wonderful photos of the Frogmouths this spring and/or emailed through updates on the three nesting pairs’ progress. Do you have Rainbow Lorikeets near you? There must be blooming eucalypts near here as the Lorikeets are nearly as ubiquitous as ‘our’ magpie families at present.

Pulling weeds

I think it was Ivan who first spotted Paterson’s Curse (PC) plants scattered through the grassy-bush. Pulling these up and leaving them to dry became our first team-job for the morning. Anne mentioned that she’d pulled a few up on her dog-walks each day. We have a few more days when SJW and PC plants can be pulled up and left to desiccate in the sun. Soon some of the pollinated flowers will have seeds which could continue to ripen and disperse even after uprooting. If anyone else is prepared to take a pair of gloves with them on their walks and pull SJW and PC this would enhance our efforts and augment Steve’s spraying hopes. Gloves are essential as there can be reactions when handling these ‘pretty’ weeds. We each wore gaiters this morning in case the snakes were slow to move away from where we walked. Gaiters are great guards against seeds manipulating their way into socks and laces.

This photo shows the team at our 27 November Working-bee: Kirsty (hat and backpack visible!) gathering SJW plants to put on the track to dry out. Anne and Ted with Ivan (who is kneeling). Ivan is a specialist at retrieving and working on weeds from under other plants. In this case the fallen but live branch of the eucalypt had allowed the weeds to grow with maximum protection and moisture. The hills seen distantly beyond Hall form a background to this, Mt Rogers' Cryptandra patch. 

Daisies

The incredible rains have really shown us what plants can achieve if they’re well watered. Many nature strips are now hosting Flatweed blooms so large and sun-happy they rival Dandelions in size. They belong to the Daisy family; its name used to be Compositae and has changed to Asteraceae. Other members are Asters, Gazanias, the daisies, Marigolds, thistles and paper daisies. Sunflowers show the flower-heads contain hundreds of individual but small flowers surrounded by showy ‘petals’ that advertise the presence of rewards to pollinating insects. Sunflowers have seeds that appeal to birds but, of course, many daisies disperse their seeds on parachute-like structures that allow seed dispersal by the slip-streams of passing vehicles. Alternatively, I’ve noticed Crimson Rosellas feasting on the furry and unappetising-looking brown seed-clusters of Capeweed.

Other pollinators

Have you noticed the huge numbers of Hoverflies around, once flowering began in 2016? They are much slighter than Honey-Bees but seem to have taken over pollinating duties this ‘sprummer’. There are also many species of native bees around and they’re often about the same size as Hoverflies. There’s been plenty of publicity about bees in recent months including Bee Houses at the Botanic Gardens and at Floriade’s Bush Friendly Garden.

Other insects act as pollinators as they crawl over composite flowers moving pollen from plant to plant as they feed. This sprummer we’ve been able to watch the successive arrivals and/or hatching of butterfly species. In the last few days several of the ‘Brown’ butterflies have come on the scene. Many birds and some possums are pollinators, being rewarded with nectar from the flowers they visit. There is protein in pollen, but around nesting time birds are also seeking insect larvae in order to give their chicks the best chance to grow quickly once hatched. Some birds, such as cuckoos, specialise by eating caterpillars that are hairy or spiky.

Other Working-bees

On Sunday 23 October we tried an experiment to see whether cutting and daubing Wild Sage, Salvia verbenaca, would kill those plants closest to a cluster of boulders where Vanilla lilies had been found a week earlier. We were working on the principle of weeding out from the cleanest, most weed-free areas, an adaptation of The Bradley Method. A check this week showed very few Wild Sage left where we had worked. Those more distant from the lilies are now seeding with seeds that readily stick to socks and other fabrics probably by small hooks. (Was it high school or college where we learnt about the origins of Velcro? Burrs on Burdock plants’ seeds allow them to hook onto animals’ fur. George de Mestral patented his fastener idea in 1955.)

Anne Mc teamed up with Ted, and Ivan and Anne C worked together, whilst I tried to persuade the Vanilla lilies to open up for more photos in the sometimes-reluctant sunshine.

Ann M joined us later by which time we’d turned our attention to a patch of Mustard plants just beginning to flower yellow amongst a wattle thicket and near an inspiring Kurrajong sapling. 

On Monday 7 November, Phil, Angharad, John and Diana walked through the reserve from ‘behind’ the notice box. Our main target species was Serrated Tussock. We found a few plants to dig up but were amazed and delighted at the thoroughness of Steve’s spraying sorties in recent weeks.

Snakes Alive, January. Spread the word!

In January, the annual Snakes Alive display is on at the Botanic Gardens. Even if you’re unlikely to go yourself please would you help with publicity? Any money raised by the volunteers through the event is used to protect frogs, reptiles and snakes in their natural environments. There’s no need to book tickets:

As Snakes Alive 2017 gets closer, the ACT Herpetological Association are looking for ways to get word out to the general public to promote the display. To achieve this we have created a Facebook event for Snakes Alive! 2017 that can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/713339572164158. 

Rosemary. 62584724 

Lack of control at Mt Rogers!

Several of Mt Rogers' caring people are considering how best to word a possible sign or signs in relation to the blog post here. For input, please contact the Ginninderra Catchment Group office, on phone 6278 3309.
*****

As we (Rosemary, Ivan, Anne, Anne, Ted and Ann) were leaving after the working bee on Sunday 23rd October a woman with three Jack Russell-type terriers walked through the entrance to Mt Rogers reserve from the Wickens Place, Fraser carpark. This was at about 11.45.

A group of several adults (whom I did not recognise) was walking past and east along the main gravel track at the same point. Their terrier attacked one of the woman's dogs. She fended off the attacker with one of those ball-throwing 'sticks' and was bitten on the left hand.

The attack was unprovoked and the walking family made no attempt to show concern or ask if the dog or its owner were o.k. 

I suggested later (by a note under her windscreen wiper) that the woman make a complaint or at least a comment. I don't know if she did so.

The woman had come from Holt specifically because her dogs would have the freedom to walk around naturally.

Over two years ago the Mt Rogers community submitted scores of submissions in support of Mt Rogers remaining and off-leash dog exercise area. 

We also reiterated many times that

• there is a need for several signs explaining the reserve's OFF LEASH status 
• the sign should include a message about dogs being UNDER CONTROL AT ALL TIMES 
• the sign should explain that dogs should remain on-leash if they are not socialised or well behaved around other dogs or people
• the sign should explain that dog walkers have a legal obligation to collect and take away their dog's faeces.
• there is a need for faeces-collection bins in the same way that other jurisdictions provide these.

We were told that, since it's an ACT-wide problem, neither the signs nor the bins could be provided instantly.

I would like to think we will not have to wait much longer for the Mt Rogers sign. New visitors to Mt Rogers need to understand dog and dog-ownership etiquette before they venture into our very popular reserve.

Thank you for any expediting of the signage dog control and DAS is able to give.

Rosemary Blemings, Convenor

Mt Rogers Landcare Group

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