Aboriginal heritage walk at Mt Rogers on 14 March

A note to alert you that Tyronne & Wally Bell will be introducing interested Mt Rogers folk to Ngunawal Aboriginal history and land use on Saturday 14th March, between 10 am and noon.

More details will become available soon, but this is the date at least, in case this special insight into Mt Rogers interests you.

Wally and Tyronne have been leading walks through several local areas in recent years, with the aim of explaining about their culture and local Aboriginal heritage.

General background is available through Tyronne's website, www.thunderstone.net.au

Rosemary

BIZARRE AND BEAUTIFUL: FROM A JANUARY 2015 WALK AROUND MT ROGERS

On Saturday 10^th I drove to Lyneham to buy fruit & vegetables at Choku Bai Jo. All along Ginninderra Drive there seemed to be people of all ages walking or cycling. Once home I determined not to miss the opportunity of my own walk before the expected, humid 30 degrees following 12ml rain. I was on the Mt Rogers circling track by 10.10am and decided to make a note of the birds I heard or saw as I walked round. A kingfisher was a highlight.

Towards the end of the 2.4 km walk where I’d stopped several times, I came across a couple with two leashed dogs getting ready to collect dogs’ poo. I opened the conversation with “Thank you for being responsible dog owners.” “Oh always have been and always will be,” was part of the response, and they’d had dogs for 20+ years. “It’s all part of the [ownership] deal”. We chatted on and during this the black bag of poo was put above the path near the beehive tree.

They mentioned Canwalk which is a website that details over fifty different walks around the ACT including those of the Centenary Trail. As we parted company I was astonished to observe there was absolutely no effort to collect the bag of poo and take it away. How bizarre!

On my previous walk I had a relaxing and in-the-shade chat with Nancy and John. We were near the notice-box and sat on the seat delaying the inevitable return into the mid-morning heat. In the bush up from the seat we could see a bag and a collection of bottles. Assuming that there would be some empties that I could take away rather than have the hoons smash them against the rocks, we went close to check out the scene. There was a brand new Rabbitos back-pack-cooler bag as well as the scatter of cans and bottles. Some of the cans and bottles were unopened as were a bottle of Bundaberg and several other expensive bottles of booze....bizarre.

Between us we had several theories of the drinker’s state and plight. I took away the empties and John carefully packed the $100+ of drink into the bag. Placed against a tree the bag wasn’t visible from the seat and, going past today, there was no sign of it.

On 7^th my main purpose was to check out a report from David W. that there were Patersons Curse plants in flower on the trackside between the tanks. He was right, and now the plants have been duly bagged so the seeds have no chance to mature - as they can do when left on the ground on pulled-out plants. Thank you, David, for keeping us informed.

As I walked through the rough grass on the western edge of the twin tanks’ fence I came across several Indigofera adesmiifolia plants which are new to our records. Oddly Mt Rogers doesn’t seem to have the commoner Indigofera, Australian Indigo, but has several of the tiny-leaved species which are considered to be a rarer species and worthy of protection.  Beautiful!

Beautiful and notable for a different reason are clusters of St Johns Wort flowers. They’re almost shiningly deep yellow at present. David has noted some of these also and they will be a priority for our resumed working-bees. Pulling the plants out isn’t a long-term solution so we will note their positions and see if Steve can spray them with Starane. In the meantime we can cut off the heads and bag them to prevent the capsules from maturing and the thousands of minute seeds from ripening and being dispersed.

Just when I was adding to my tally of 21 species in the hour’s walk there was movement east of the Flynn playground as a parent Kookaburra gave its young a tasty morsel. More movement and the other parent landed on a nearby power-pole and continued to look into the grass below. Beautiful to personally acknowledge a previous report of the young Kookaburra being fed, some days ago. Near the Avery Place trees I’d seen a Kingfisher.

I thought I’d heard a Superb parrot’s call but couldn’t see any movement. Hanging around paid off as three eventually flew out of the trees and over towards the Woodger Place trees. I’d not expected to come across any Superbs, thinking that their days of creching the young on Mt Rogers had been superseded by the young being strong enough to fly into the suburbs and search for food with their parents.

Loquat tree owners have mentioned a poor crop this summer. Perhaps this is why there haven’t been regular comings and going of Superb Parrots in mid-Flynn this year. The loquats have failed. Wattlebirds took most of a neighbour’s unharvested peaches and there’s a strong presence of Rainbow Lorikeets. Has the latter species already asserted authority over the Superb Parrots around here?

On Mt Rogers and in other reserves there are cream flowers on Bursaria and Cassinia bushes as spring gives way to summer’s heat. Neither of these native shrubs is particularly attractive as a garden plant but they attract numerous nectar-seeking insects, including butterflies, in the bush. This in turn attracts the attention of small birds which also find the prickly Bursaria a valuable shelter that deters predatory species.

For at least the past month 1 in 10 gardens around the local suburbs are hosting creamy-white to yellow flowering trees which will delight Currawongs and other berry-eaters by autumn. Privets are a sign of time-poor gardeners. Often the trees are seen growing through other plants, showing that the original berries were pooed into the garden by birds perched on existing plants.

Broad-leaf and Small-leaf privet are Ligustrum species which were introduced as hedge plants. “The whole plant is considered poisonous, especially the leaves and berries; the slightly fragrant (I think it’s sickly) perfume can cause hay fever and sore eyes. Toxic to Livestock…and Humans, especially the berries to children.” (A quote from RCH Shepherd, Is that plant poisonous? page 144.) Let’s hope Privet owners can fell these environmental weeds before the berries are edible and bring them to the next Parkwood WEED SWAP in April and be eligible for free native replacement plants.

I don’t think it’s my imagination but there seem to be more Meadow Argus butterflies about in recent weeks. Previously the commonest butterflies were the Common Brown. The Meadow Argus have rings or eye-shaped patterns on their wings, possibly to deceive predators. I’ve come across brown hairy caterpillars several times and wonder what adults they’ll morph into. Wouldn’t it be useful to have a book to help identify caterpillars? It’d be a tall order with 400 butterfly and 20,000 moth species in Australia but they’re not all common enough for us to come across them.

If anyone’s interested in local Indigenous history and culture there’s a series of Ngunawal Walks and Talks scheduled for 2015. Local Elders, in partnership with freshwater and earth scientists, bring fascinating interpretations of the vistas we take for granted by reading the landscapes and showing how Aboriginal people lived for and from the land.  If anyone would like to try growing “bush tucker” Kangaroo Apples there are numerous berries on our bushes which would enjoy new homes!

I hope the change of pace over the holiday period has meant that you’ve been able to explore new walks and ways to be outdoors even with the heat’s deterrent. There have certainly been new faces, including children, walking round Mt Rogers in recent weeks which is wonderful. Several said they’d driven up from Dunlop, or Evatt, and first-timers had come from Macgregor.

We’re beginning to notice and enjoy the textures and hues of eucalypts which begin shedding bark now. Beautiful colours to us, and useful mulch, but those used to deciduous trees have found the annual shedding of bark to be a bizarre Australian habit.

A walk along Ginninderra Creek to Kippax the other day gave views of a Kingfisher and Leaden Flycatchers. There were calls from Orioles, and Cunningham’s Skinks and Water Dragons could be seen on rocks under the boardwalk. Native raspberries grow there and a Water Rat was swimming in the creek.

On 27^th December I strolled along the Centenary Trail from Hall reconnecting with views and sightings first seen a year ago. There were Scarlet Robins there so presumably they breed in the area. At one point a rare Little Eagle flew overhead upsetting the Ravens. The activities of the Christmas Beetles could fill another newsletter, as might the trackside weeds!

Have a look at the blog to see what was happening this time last year! mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com  

Rosemary,  Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare,  6258 4724.     11.01.15.

CONSEQUENCES: MT ROGERS IN DECEMBER 2014

A Mt Rogers walk on 8^th December was my first for some time and there was another gap before today’s circuit amongst Sunday regulars and dogs out before the expected 28 degrees.

On Monday 8^th I went bush with sneakers and gaiters replacing sandals worn to reach the Frogmouth Tree area. Gaiters prevent grass seeds reaching socks and are some preparation for snake encounters. Alongside and in from the Lily track I pulled up several St Johns Wort (SJW) plants to prevent them flowering. There were only a few of them because Steve’s spraying with Starane had been effective this time last year.

Under the tree debris, so despised by those who want the bush to look neat and park-like, were two Senecio plants of the same species Kirsty discovered in 2011. Nearby, the uncommon native Blue Grass Lilies Caesia calliantha were in flower among the grasses. They are one of the 3 or 4 special ‘protected’ plant species recorded at Mt Rogers and entered on the Canberra Nature Map website (http://canberranaturemap.org/). Canberra Nature Map is a relatively new initiative where the occurrence of plants can be recorded, with photographs, by those who find them. There is also an on-going list recording plant species for the ACT. It makes an interesting resource. The first sightings of species are noted, be they native or introduced.

I beheaded and bagged seeds from a few well-hidden Serrated Tussock (ST) plants near the Benchmark Tree. There was a dense patch of ST in this area before the Guides and William dug up the tussocks 3–4 years ago.

Our last working-bee for the year (23.November.14.) also focussed on ST but these were closer to the Notice box. As the temperature prepared to rise to 29 degrees Anne & I didn’t dig up the plants in case the metal tools struck rocks in the soil and ignited the other dried grasses. (Today I wondered about the same fire potential when a Mt Rogers neighbour in Flynn was trying to cut down the tall oats and grasses with a conventional mower. They were growing amongst the fruit trees planted decades ago outside the property’s fence. No doubt TAMS wouldn’t have mown the grass in that normal mowing zone because of the fruit trees’ presence…they can only do so much to protect properties.)

On 23^rd November, Sally and William took out about 10 woody weeds. At least two of these small trees had germinated from cast-away pear or apple cores.

You’ll have noticed the huge amounts of wild oats, tall and beiged-off, on Mt Rogers and anywhere else not mown or whipper-snipped. The ancestors of these oats are a consequence of post war policy to fertilise the land and to use the oats as pasture-improvement species along with other introduced grasses.

Butterflies don’t seem to mind the height of the introduced grasses. At least three species are active, hill-topping, leaving the shelter of the grass stalks and perhaps laying eggs. Common Brown butterflies seem to be a bit later hatching out than the Meadow Argus and the Australian Painted Lady.

On shorter grass there’s likely to be the small Common Grass-blue butterflies whose scientific name is Zizina labradus. The caterpillars may be attended by small ants. A consequence of looking through Michael Braby’s field guide to Butterflies of Australia is noting the array of common names that butterflies have been given. There are Albatross, Crows, Owls, Admirals, Jewels, Opals, Awls, Skippers, Darts, Darters, Jezebels, Swifts and Triangles. A palette of colours is used beyond the use of Blues.

Kirsty is sharing the development of a Hawk moth caterpillar with grandchildren and later they found the chrysalis in leaf-litter near the back door. With over 20,000 species of moths in Australia (and just over 400 butterfly species) perhaps we can be forgiven for being overwhelmed at the number of small beige moths we come across amongst grasses. Once we move away from the need for brash colours we could be ready to appreciate the subtleties of moths’ colours and patterning.

As each summer day warms up the noise from Cicadas increases. John, Morris, Nancy and Peter shared experiences of being deafened by Cicada choruses. In some species the ‘musicians’ spend years underground before emerging to fly, mate, lays eggs and die in a short few days above ground. We’d all noted another season of countless Soldier beetles in the reserve and our gardens.

I became interested in Hangay and Zborowski’s Guide to the Beetles of Australia after finding thousands of Christmas Beetle carcases under a favourite eucalypt on the Pinnacle’s western edge. They live two weeks or less in spite of munching their way through thousands of eucalyptus leaves. Beetles make up 40% of all insects known to science, and 350,000 beetle species have been described worldwide. Of the 30,000 that may occur in Australia only 20,000 have been scientifically described including weevils, scarabs, dung beetles, chafers and leaf beetles. Only a small proportion of beetles are damaging, with huge benefits coming from their larval lives including the recycling of leaf litter and the conversion of dead plant material into nutrients.

Quite a few societies include insects in their diets, including Indigenous Australians. Most of us would have to overcome hang-ups about the consistency and unexpected nutritional factors of these other foods because we’ve been taught otherwise for so many generations. How many lifetimes would we need to even begin to study, research and find the species of invertebrates which we depend on for keeping ecological balance and habitats liveable?

Mulligans Flat’s Bettongs have been in the news this year. They have been re-introduced into the Sanctuary. They are already having an improving effect on the reserve’s soils through their digging behaviour. Numerous species of small Australian mammals played vital roles in opening up and turning over the ancient soils. This returned humus, water and air to the soils until the obsession with grazing hard-hooved animals compacted soils into infertility. Evening wildlife-spotting visits to Mulligans Flat are now available each first Friday. The Bush-Stone Curlews are nocturnal so they might be seen also.

Perhaps local bird-watchers will come to Mt Rogers again to hear and see the Superb Parrots that Dennis has reported from near his Fraser garden. There were several families with noisily begging young on the northern and western edges of the reserve this morning. The Superbs’ visits are the highlights of the ‘there’s-always-something-to-see’ situation in our bushland. Will they move into the suburbs to feed once the loquats and other fruits ripen? Lorikeets are vocal and busy in mid-Flynn: are they nesting or just roosting near us?

Dave and Glenda, Pat and Max are among those Mt Rogers regulars I’ve heard of who have planned moves to different lifestyles. We’ll miss them! Who will we welcome to our Mt Rogers community in 2015? Let’s hope they also find that walking on Mt Rogers gives them time to think, time to unwind and time to explore the natural world for their health’s sake.

Enjoy the holiday period, especially if it brings you closer to those who need your company…via visits, phones or Skype.

Rosemary

Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group, 6258 4724

MT ROGERS NEWSLETTER: AS NOVEMBER 2014 BEGINS WITH MORE WILD WINDS...

Working-bees

We had a successful working-bee on Sunday 26 October tackling woody weeds in the peninsula of Mt Rogers that leads up from Jacob Place, Flynn. Aisha and Michelle from Mt Rogers Guides contributed whilst clocking up hours for their Queen’s Guide Award. Anne and Glen sought out isolated Privet, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha and Chinese Pistachio plants. I marked Chilean Needle Grass (CNG) tussocks and have reported them so that the spray teams will come to follow up on the supportive work they’ve already done in the area and the reserve as a whole. It’s great to know that this area has recently been treated, because there are patches of remnant vegetation within it.

For decades Morris has mowed grasses near the street. Steve D has been out with the spray backpack tackling CNG, African Lovegrass (ALG) and Serrated Tussock. All of these are significantly invasive grass weeds and our aim is to reduce their spread into Mt Rogers which is relatively weed-free in comparison to other places. CNG is turning up in nature strips where ALG is already present and also unrecognised for its insidiousness in many suburbs.

On Sunday 28 September Glen and I worked on isolated but previously ignored Cotoneasters, Privets, Briar Roses and Pyracantha north of Jacob place and Snow Gum Corner. These two working-bees point to the change of Mt Rogers Landcare methods in that weeding usually now means walking and hunting the weeds down in the process. There are clusters of Ivy and Honeysuckle to tackle but we may have Green Army help for those and there are many young bird-introduced seedlings hidden under trees by the huge growth of Wild Oats spring has encouraged.

Subtleties

On 28 September we also caught up with Phil reporting on his drainage contributions. Phil’s work is a prime example of Landcaring that doesn’t necessarily make headlines…work that brings considerable benefits to
Mt Rogers but isn’t specifically part of the official working-bee schedule. Those who collect the litter left by the thoughtless are other contributors to land-caring. Jill, Dennis, Lyndon, Kevin, Arjen have reported sightings including a rare visit by Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (YTBCs). Walkers are also donning gloves and pulling out isolated Patersons Curse plants as they find them on their journeys…the succession hopes of thousands of seeds are ruined by this valuable, incidental weeding!

Un-subtle

For several weeks the spreading of Capeweed along the paths we and our canines use has become obvious. Although the pale yellow blooms show they’re daisies the seeds aren’t parachute-like and seem to be covered in tangles of pinkish-brown fluff. Presumably these adhere to clothing, laces and fur like Velcro. I’ve seen Rosellas and Galahs eating amongst Capeweed, perhaps taking the seeds as food but they are another dispersal method for the plants.

Weedy observations

Gardeners are noticing a weird, colourless plant growing in their yards. It grows as a pinkish-beige spike from a bulb. Try Googling Orobanche minor or Broomrape to find out more about its parasitic habits especially amongst northern hemisphere agricultural crops.

Have you noticed another numerous, purple-flowering species in bloom amongst the grasses and trackside? Alas this is another introduced plant amongst colleagues and the local native vegetation: it is Wild Sage, Salvia verbenaca. It belongs to the same family as Aluminium plant, Lavender, Horehound, Thyme, the mints and Stachys or Lambs’ears.

You’ll have realised by now that I’ve become fascinated, if not obsessed, by weeds. With time to Google and wonder it’s amazing to tease out the details of migratory plants’ possible routes into the island continent. Some may have been here long before the ‘documented European arrivals’ and, if we think beyond what we see and know, towards the next phases of evolution the possibilities may be more endless than we can imagine.

Boards

I felt dispirited and affronted when I noticed that several boards had been nailed to the magnificent Apple Box tree near the notice box, presumably so youths could more easily climb up into the tree. How dare anyone treat a 300-400 year old marvel like that? But, of course, I realised that “’Twas ever thus” and the next tree up the eroded track there, The Bench-Mark tree, has been similarly attacked over several years, as have others in the reserve. I’ve heard that nailing into trees’ barks introduces infections which can be fatal but I suppose infection depends on the thickness of each species’ bark.

News on dogs

Mary has received notification that the access easements to Mt Rogers are also to remain DOGS OFF LEASH areas. I also received the following email.

‘Hi Rosemary

Two things really turn my stomach — dog-pooh on shoes, and bags of dog pooh left beside the path or thrown into the bushes. Neither would be happening if all dog owners were responsible, and cared for their environment and other users of Mt Rogers.  

The idea that off-lead means you can leave your dog’s faeces freely anywhere seems to be prevalent. In one of your newsletters can you please ask all dog-owners to clean up after their dogs, as is required by the legislation.

Regards, Jenny & David’

Birds

Dennis reported the gruesome sight of a Bronzewing pigeon wedged into the fork of a Bottlebrush and wondered whether a Raven or Currawong might be guilty as they’d been active in the area recently. Butcherbirds are known to impale their victims on branches, hence the species’ name. Jill and Kevin reported the YTBCs’ visits, and Dennis also saw Gang-gang Cockatoos on 23 October…even rarer visitors. The summer migrants have returned, including Noisy Friarbirds with their black heads distinguishing them from Wattlebirds, but I’ve not stumbled on any of their nests this year. My hope that Kookaburras might be nesting near Miildenhall Place seems to have been false. Superb Parrots have been seen and heard, as have Rainbow Lorikeets. Orioles’ calls came to me earlier in October but not recently. We assume that ‘Superbs’ are nesting in the ACT again as groups and flocks without females have been seen. Possibly the first ‘Mt Rogers area’ Koel call was heard in the east from mid-Flynn on Sunday 12 October. Their presence seems to have been more sporadic this season so far but I’ve been in and out a lot and may have missed daytime passings-through.

Both Barbara and Dennis took part in COG’s bird blitz by recording the species they’d observed on Mt Rogers on 25 or 26 October. I wonder how many species they found? I recorded 31 whilst at the Strathnairn open day on 25 October and didn’t have time to check the Thornbill species.

Welcomes

A bonus of the 26 October working-bee was meeting Cathy who said that their family had moved into the area a few years ago because of the views and because Mt Rogers is less than 100 m away from their new home. Cathy’s comment joins those of Tim and several others that emerged during the ‘dogs submissions’ — that Mt Rogers is a major attractant for itself and not just for real estate values. 

I also met Dennis for the first time actually on Mt Rogers but have enjoyed his reporting of bird activity on the Canberra Ornithologists Group’s (COG’s) email line for several years.

The Frogmouths have two wriggly chicks to contend with this year, as shown in the photo here by Lyndon who has followed their progress photographically. 

When Ann has recovered from the exciting Friends of Grasslands Forum (30 October – 1 November) she’ll be getting to work on Mt Rogers’ new welcome-brochure and checking out the photographs Lyndon and Pamela have taken for the new edition.

Rosemary Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group.   6258 4724     .01.11.14

SEPTEMBER’S HERE at MT ROGERS

ALERT. A large brown snake crossed the circuit path yesterday (23 September) just in front of a dog and its companion. Be on the look out! 

Newsletter, 11 September 

I opened this week’s Chronicle (approx. 12 September) to find an article, about page 30, on the Mt Rogers dog-walking status. It includes Mary’s photo with her three dogs but there’s no reference to the wonderful work she’s done over many years by fostering retrievers before their re-homing.

It was good to see Hoot showing Buddy and Bomber one of the cross-country routes this morning. We humans had a look at the delightful Cryptandra amara growing in the middle of the reserve. The tiny white bell-flowers are reminiscent of heather and both species belong to the worldwide Heath family. Beyond and around the Cryptandra there’s Urn Heath, Hardenbergia, Kangaroo grass and a range of other native grasses. This patch is one of Mt Rogers’ natural treasures and the landcarers vigilantly try to keep African love grass (ALG) out of this area.

When nine staff from Telstra came to landcare on 29^th August we showed them this patch as an introduction to Mt Rogers and why we care for and about the reserve. Next they worked hard to remove the ivy that’s been growing up a large Banksia for several decades. Damon, from Ginninderra Catchment Group, brought the Landcare trailer in later to remove the equivalent of two wool-bags of ivy. It was taken to Canberra Sand & Gravel’s green-waste site at Parkwood to be composted at high temperatures. It’s odd to think of ivy having berries and seeds but I’ve seen ivy’s inconspicuous flowers attracting many bees with their perfume. Perhaps ivy offers pollinators nectar as well.

 For several hours the T-team also walked through the reserve pulling out or cutting & daubing small Cootamundra wattles. They also cut seed-heads off isolated ALG plants and then dug out the tussocks. Two or three deciduous trees were also cut down near Mt Rogers’ summit. One was a hawthorn and another an apple which probably grew from a discarded apple core. The Telstra team, who had been given a choice of ways  in which to spend a day on volunteer work, in Telstra’s time, were as impressed with the views from Mt Rogers as we were with their contribution towards removing invasive weeds in the reserve. Telstra donated $350 to the Mt Rogers account, money that will be useful for publications and perhaps tools or the latters’ sharpening.

Over time we hope the wattle species which occur naturally will take over from the over-fertile Cootamundra wattles but in the meantime these trees will give several years of shelter and food-sources to small birds. As the Cootamundra wattles’ blooms lose their brilliance other species such as Silver and Black wattle are taking over. Hickory wattles bloom later in the year providing a succession of nectar and pollen for pollinators. If you hear birds’ contact calls stand and watch as the birds forage for caterpillars, other insects and invertebrates among the blossoms.

A couple of days of perfect spring weather drew me towards walking around the reserve after the family’s support of a successful soccer final on the Sunday. Already on “cloud nine” the views from and the brightness of life in the reserve kept up my euphoria. We enjoy the Brindabella backdrop and the spectacular views towards One Tree Hill beyond Hall and over to Wallaroo Road. If the “works of man” turn us on then looking over the suburbs towards Black Mountain, Mt Majura and even Gungahlin has its own appeal.

We can watch the progress of the Lawson development. It’s designed to fully protect the endangered Natural Temperate Grasslands between McKellar and Giralang.  Hopefully the vegetation where the grassland meets the Ginninderra Creek corridor can be improved and restored as part of the development. McKellar wetlands and Giralang Ponds have been in the news frequently for unusual birds sighted there amongst the reed-beds. A Landcare Day held at Palmerville was well attended, I hear. It’s to be hoped a group will form to care for the Landcare Forest there. The planted trees commemorate lives and special occasions for families. Palmerville features in the new edition of the $5 Belconnen’s Treasures as does a brief description of Mt Rogers.

Angharad and I indulged in a wildflower walk on Monday September 1^st though we did earn our enjoyment by dealing with any ALG tussocks that we came across. We first called in to Bridget’s, which is the name I gave to the Woody Grassland remnant behind Woodger Place, Fraser. The Creamy candles, which I feared the Hazard Reduction Burn had destroyed, are just beginning to flower. I hoped to find Purple Hovea but there were several Twining Glycine instead and they’re possibly flowering earlier than usual. Amongst the leaf-litter there were Bulbine lilies. Sometimes their yellow flower clusters were visible but their stalks had some lengthening to do to bring the flowers where bees could easily reach them.

On the sunny grassland slope there was almost a swathe of Early Nancy lilies. Their leaves are barely visible but the white petals are patterned with purple. Elsewhere in the reserve there are others showing. But it can take a while to “get your eye in” and find them amongst the grass. They probably favour places where the native grassland and the soils have not been disturbed. 2014’s spring is a “good year” for them, showing that the amount and sequence of rainfall and spring warmth all contribute to growth. Nearby there’s a collection of Grevilleas with a range of flower colours. The spider-shaped flowers are favoured by honeyeaters and sometimes Silvereyes. They’re not, technically, a Mt Rogers species but they are doing more good than harm in our Not-Canberra-Nature-Park-reserve.

Alas there’s a growing pile of garden rubbish in this area which includes soil, lawn mowings and small prunings. Perhaps it’s burying some of the lilies. Neighbours reported that people in a 4WD had used the very rough track up from Daley Crescent as a practice run. Presumably they combined the vehicle’s trip with bringing dumpings from their garden instead of taking them to the green waste site at Parkwood. Garden waste does rot down in time but if it contains seeds, berries or grass-runners their presence makes the Landcare volunteers’ work harder.

Through the reserve there are native Clematis with pale yellow flowers. It would be more decorative if they climbed up tree trunks but many of them seem to scramble over the ground. Later the seeds will have Old Man’s Beard-plumes which allow them to blow away. Another creeper I re-found was Love Creeper, Comesperma volubile. It has vividly blue flowers which I first thought were orchid-like. It’s one of those species which may have been much more common on Mt Rogers decades ago but we came across its striking colour when a shaft of light highlighted them during a working-bee a few Septembers ago. The stems are quite woody as they also scramble over the leaf-litter but even so the original plant has disappeared.

                Many people have noted instances of spring-like bird behaviour. There are courtship chases, changes in birds’ songs and a preference for feeding on protein to build up reserves of food-energy for egg production, laying and incubating. For several weeks it’s been common to see magpies and smaller birds carrying nesting materials. Four kookaburras were seen together recently. Some of them co-operatively “laughed” for the Telstra team at one point. I wonder if they have a nest hollow somewhere?

                Increasingly there have been sightings of Rainbow Lorikeets. Their calls are distinctive. They’re certainly quite frequent visitors to middle Flynn and now Mt Rogers. They will also require nest hollows and, being over-assertive, may out-compete other hollow-nesting hopefuls. Rainbow Lorikeets are native birds but not native to the Canberra region. It’s said a few became naturalised after being released from an aviary in Hawker about 17 years ago. But on a similarly colourful but more positive note a flock of 4-6 Superb Parrots came through to check out the reserve on Wednesday. It’s likely they’re part of the group that’s favoured the trees around the AIS car-parks over winter. Keep your eyes and ears alert if you’re near the AIS, though there’s Noisy minors there also.

               

                Have a search through the seven or more years of newsletters at mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com to see whether this spring is earlier than others.

                I’m working on a list of small, common garden weeds and may put a few copies up in the notice box. You may wish to add ones which are annoying at your place. The next working bees are on Sunday 28^th and Monday 6^th, though the latter is a public holiday.

See you “on the hill”,

Rosemary   Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group   6258 4724     7-11.09.14.

SPRING IS HERE BUT SHOULD IT BE? MT ROGERS IN EARLY AUGUST 2014

Today, 4^th August, seems to be the second of the Canberra winter days that have reached us recently. The old MAX - MIN thermometer here in mid-Flynn said minus 8 degrees overnight yesterday and today, and the ensuing sunshine created brilliant winter weather each day. Last week there was the opportunity to photograph snow on the closer hills and it lingers to the south in the far distance. People have been drawn out into the sunshine to enjoy the cheering light and to see what’s happening in their gardens and the outdoors.

Claire was no exception, bringing her young twin granddaughters towards our Monday working-bee. “This is why I can’t volunteer at the moment” she said. But she could! As the stroller vibrated the little ones to sleep Claire went round to check the notice box for me. There were no leaflets left so I knew what my next task would be. Until they stirred again Claire helped by mattocking out a dozen African Lovegrass tussocks after we’d cut off and bagged the seed-heads. Angharad and Lorraine worked in the area east of the Wickens Place carpark digging out mostly-small Flatweed rosettes from the damp soil. This will prevent 120 seeds coming from each dandelion-like flower and ruining the natural biodiversity of this small part of Mt Rogers where we’ve weeded and planted in the past.

The work was a hands-and-knees or bending-over job so we varied the volunteering by looking around. The native shrubs the Guides planted in 2010 are doing well. Prickly Early Wattles have been in flower for weeks, their pale yellow flowers contrasting with the yellow Box-leafed Wattles’ flowers and, of course, the Cootamundra Wattles’ profusion. From time to time small birds came through with a Grey Fantail coming quite close. Earlier I’d seen a pair of Scarlet Robins checking out the site for insects and larvae…much prettier pest control than a bottle of Roundup.

A native Clematis with pale yellow flowers, was sprawling over the grasses near a eucalypt that it was also climbing. Weeping Rice Grass is spreading well in this area adding to the “tally” of native species. The Indigofera adesmiifolia planted here are ready to flower. We found several rosettes of a small native daisy Solenogyne dominii which I first noticed after the drought. It seems to prefer open areas of woodland and has mauve-tinged petals on insignificant-looking flowers. At this stage it looks like the Flatweed but the leaves have serrations at the edges.

Later we walked over to Bridget’s patch, a great piece of natural bush behind Woodger Place. More Indigofera, including some originals, were in bud. Swathes of a native plantain thrive on whatever the soil’s chemistry gives them. Purple Hovea are in flower and yellow Bulbine lilies are just beginning their flowering and growing the flower-stalks higher so pollinators can reach them.

We found several white and purple Early Nancy lilies, so keep an eye out for these elsewhere in the reserve near the edges of the paths. There are also reports of Frogmouths, elsewhere, daytime-roosting in their pre-nesting trees. Patient checking of flowering trees and shrubs might bring rewards of post-winter bird sightings.

            To our horror we also discovered a pile of earth to which grass-mowings had been added recently. There were also other plant trimmings and an old conifer at the pile. Large pieces of tree trunk were also dumped nearby. Some people go to great lengths to desecrate our reserve. Rocks had been taken for their lichened appearance and smaller rocks removed from their habitat to fill the holes left. Not long ago a couch and chairs were dumped beside Wickens Place, as well as other household rubbish. 

Your reporting of such dumpings to Canberra Connect 13 22 81 will activate action, as will going on-line to Fix My Street.

                As we walked back to the cars there was a TAMS ute driving along the gravel path. Seething about the dumped pile we were able to attract the driver’s attention. Andrew then explained that he was one of the TAMS arborists and was trying to find a branch that had been reported to Canberra Connect as being across a track. He tries to save trees whenever he can but sometimes removal is the only option in public places. It was great to meet another ranger who works with us and for Mt Rogers. TAMS litter patrols come to the car-park regularly.

                On the previous Sunday working-bee Ann, Flemming, Ivan and I worked on the Serrated Tussock (ST) tussocks I’d found in the gully up from the northerly, newer concrete drain. The ACT Government has organised winter spraying of this nationally significant weed species, and dead tussocks are evidence all over the reserve. As volunteer landcarers we can complement this tax-payer-funded work by searching the reserve for and removing grass tussocks that they have missed or those that have since grown to a recognisable size and shape.

Just when we needed reinforcements William and Sally were able to take over the grass-tussock removal to the north of and below the summit. I’d cut off and bagged the African Lovegrass (ALG) seed-heads weeks ago but needed William’s strength to take out the older tussocks.

On 7^th July Glen and Zazie tackled a newly-found cluster of ALG deeper in the bush near the twin tanks. In comparison to other reserves and even suburban nature strips, Mt Rogers’ infestation of ALG, ST and Chilean Needle Grass is currently minor. The ACT Government’s aim, together with Steve’s spraying and our manual tussock removal is to keep the reserve as ‘clean’ as possible and constantly monitor the spread of seeds on feet, paws, wheels and the wind.

For every working-bee there are always several apologies when Mt Rogers dates and commitments from our everyday lives clash. One date for your diaries is Friday 31st August. Ginninderra Catchment Group’s Damon has a group of Telstra staff who volunteer for landcaring work. Angharad, Ann and Steve made project suggestions and it’s been decided to work on removing the smaller Cootamundra Wattles.

You’ll have noticed that when there’s been a fire a thicket of these Cootamundra natives grows into a dense monoculture where little else can grow. The wattles have provided excellent habitat for small birds over many decades and delight us with their cheering blooms every late winter. As mentioned there’s caterpillars, insects and nectar in these wattles now. Later the pods will feed Cockatoos, Rosellas and Superb Parrots and other species check out the bark for borers and beetles and larvae. The skeletal remains of the trees provide small-bird-refuges from raptors and Currawongs and lookouts for species that watch the ground for food.

                We will begin a very gradual removal of Cootamundra Wattles with the visitors’ help but will have 100 Greening Australia propagated local wattles to plant as replacements for the removed non-flowering wattles. Please come along to help with the planting and to show Mt Rogers to the group. We’ll be meeting in Mildenhall Place at 9 am for a 9.30 am start, Friday 31 August.

                Chris reported today that he’d been swooped by magpies on Mt Rogers. They approached assertively when he reached into a pocket, refusing to understand that he had no food for them. Chris reckoned “someone’s feeding magpies on Mt Rogers”. We’ve had opportunist Magpies turn up at working bees if we’ve been digging. They watch expectantly but haven’t swooped for food. Real magpie-season will begin soon. Phone 13 22 81 to report locations of swooping birds.

Cliff reported seeing Rainbow Lorikeets on Mt Rogers recently. Are they checking out potential nest hollows?  I’ll leave you to decide whether this spring activity is early! 

There has been a ministerial reply to our outrage over the vehicle track-widening (see the first May 2014 blog post: ‘A letter has been sent…’). Whether it’s a valid response is open to discussion.

Rosemary, Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group  6258 4724

P.S. Ann’s done some rearranging of the blog pages, and we’re working on the new Mt Rogers brochure.

Comments from ornithologist Mark Clayton about Superb Parrot habitat near Mt Rogers and in Gungahlin

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Superb Parrots were a common species in the area that is now covered by the suburb of Fraser.

I used to know people who owned a property there and Superb Parrots commonly bred in some huge old Yellow Box trees. There was also probably Canberra's last colony of Grey-crowned Babblers present on site.

The parrots then appeared to die out for quite a while and it is only in the last decade that they appear to have made a comeback to the northern part of the ACT. How long they will stay remains to be seen as they tend to follow food resources around. The breaking of the drought has probably had quite a bit to do with the birds’ return.

On the other hand the ACT Government has done nothing to help them by clearing large areas of suitable habitat, for housing. I remember someone once saying that of the 95 mature Yellow Box and Red Gum trees in the area that is now Crace, 80 were removed for housing.

Several years ago I travelled along the road that borders Mulligan's Flat Nature Reserve and was horrified to see that every tree up to the reserve’s boundary had been flattened. As I pointed out to Chris Davey when he was doing surveys to record breeding sites for the parrots, it is a totally useless exercise to find nests if all their food trees are being knocked over. This is what is happening with Regent Parrots along the Murray River. They breed in the River Red Gums and feed in the mallee which is still being cleared for agriculture. They are having to move further and further to find feeding sites.

I will be interested to see what happens with the Superb Parrots as Canberra continues to move into critical habitat in the newer Gungahlin suburbs. The ACT Government plans for so-called "offsets" is a farce and so is their so-called "solar orientation "policy which is one of the reasons the trees in Crace were removed. All the old eucalypts near the Gungahlin Town centre will be dead within the next 50 years and nothing appears to have been done to start potentially replacing them. As soon a building goes up near them they will be removed as potential hazards.

The older I get the more cynical I become about governments and their "environmental" policies. I don't think any of them really have a clue!

Mark