Mulch, Mulch glorious Mulch – Where?
At The Fair! Sun 16 August 1 pm
Mulching group enjoy an afternoon cake break under the watchful eyes of a magpie, in July near the lower Hackett reservoir. Picture by Jenni Marsh.
Friends of Mt Majura (FoMM) host working parties on the third Sunday each month at various sites on Mount Majura.
In August we will hold another mulching session, this time in the nature reserve east of The Fair.
Put on your garden gloves and come along.
When: Sunday 16 August 2026, from 1pm to 4pm.
Where: Nature reserve east of The Fair, North Watson; view this map with the volunteer registration point and the work area around the big conifer.
Bring and wear: Body covering garden clothing, garden gloves if you have them, drinking water; we provide the tools and equipment and a delicious cake for afternoon tea.
This is a family friendly working party.
More info: https://majura.org/mulching-the-fair/
Enquiries: secretary@majura.org
Reports
More Mulching at the Hackett Gully on 19 July
Waltraud talking about the science of mulching, while a family dig & rake mulch and fill buckets to spread on previously poisoned patches of Chilean needle grass. Photo by Jenni Marsh.
A lovely winter afternoon for a mulching party – the mulch pile disappeared and the weeds we hope will disappear as well, smothered by the mulch. Another activity was covering Blue Periwinkle Vinca major patches with thick black plastic sheets. The objective is the same – cut off the light from the weeds so they will eventually die, cooked under the plastic. This will take time and monitoring to see that the Periwinkle runners do not escape from the edges of the plastic. Blue Periwinkle is a prohibited plant under the Biosecurity (Notifiable and Prohibited Biosecurity Matter) Declaration 2026 which is a legalese way of saying that it is a declared pest plant.
Tree Walk and Talk on 26 July
Tree lovers listen to Michael Doherty talk about a Scribbly Gum Eucalyptus rossii. Picture from Jenni Marsh.
National Tree Day was one of those beautiful blue-sky Canberra winter days, perfect for Michael Doherty who led a group of about 15 people to look at some of Mt Majura’s magnificent old trees. Michael talked about the important role of mistletoes of the eucalypt woodlands and explained the difference between box and gum.
Mondays @ The Fair
The Mondays @ The Fair crew have been busy spreading mulch, tackling Paterson’s Curse and Chilean Needle Grass and Phalaris grass and spreading black plastic on Umbrella Sedge Cyperus eragrostis around the old Fair dam in areas with dense growth and digging it out where it is not so dense and surrounded by native plants. We began work to improve the surrounds of dam two years ago and currently discuss plans for further rehabilitation work. Come along any Monday at 9:30 to the Tay St, Watson gate, get involved, meet people, have fun, and help protect your local environment.
On the last Monday in July some of the Monday@ the Fair crew spread black plastic on the western edge of the dam, while others weed out small Umbrella Sedge plants.
Photo by B. Read.
Invasion in Canberra
Friends of Mount Majura have recently produced a submission to the Urban Treescapes section of the City and Environment Directorate of the ACT Government as a response to a current review of Municipal Infrastructure Standard 25 (MIS 25) Plant Species for Urban Landscape Projects – see here for the current MIS 25 document.
The Conservation Council ACT Region has also made a submission – see here.
MIS 25 is the prescription for plantings on public land (street verges, parks and green spaces) and is mandated for developers of new estates. As such it has a profound effect on Canberra’s appearance and a long-term impact on the city and suburban environment.
If you look at the lists of trees and shrubs you will see that many of them have been assessed as not suitable for natural areas. For 147 entries for introduced trees 78 are not suitable and this number should be increased to 82 by adding in the 4 varieties of Callery Pear which did not have any restriction in the July 2025 edition of MIS 25. The basis of FoMM’s submission is that none of the entries listed as not suitable for natural areas should be included in the recommended lists at all. The MIS 25 indicates buffer zones for such plants for future plantings near nature reserves, but these do not consider the reality that spread of seed by birds can be long distance, and that the time frames involved in the invasion process are very long. Also, no new introductions should be made without a thorough risk assessment for invasive potential, including information from adjacent areas as well as overseas. Instead, horticultural efforts should be directed to developing local native species for landscape use. This would benefit the “bush capital” by improving the environment for local wildlife, birds, bees, butterflies and all those other little critters which rely on local plants for habitat.
Whereas in Australia as a whole 11% of plants on the census list are alien, in the ACT 39% of species in the plant census are alien.
Screen shot from Martin-Fores et al (2024) Towards integrating and harmonising information on plant invasions across Australia. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.92.113013
The ACT “leads” the nation for alien plant species including those with a very high environmental risk. In the recently published Alien Flora of Australia (AFA) database the numbers of naturalised introduced species is compared to the number of local native species listed by the plant census. Only a subset of introduced plants become naturalised, defined as the establishment of self-sustaining populations, not needing human assistance. (A plant census does not include the exotic crops, veges and flowers grown in gardens which rely on human cultivation.)
Some native species can also become what is called in the AFA “native colonising” – species which are Australian but become a problem when introduced by horticulture away from their natural distribution. The one we all know well here is Cootamundra wattle but there are many others. So, in MIS 25 these native colonisers should also be excluded from recommendation.
Birds and the Urban Environment
Gang-gang Cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum, a much-loved but endangered species, eating the fruit of an invasive species Callery Pear Pyrus calleryana. Photo by harrisi, courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
The Gang-gangs are not fussy eaters, they have plenty of native foods available, so they don’t need alien species grown in our streets and gardens or even the gumnuts from the native colonising Southern Blue Gum Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata. What they need is tree hollows for nesting and the threats they face are the loss of old gum trees through land clearing and bush fires. Climate change threatens them as well as us in our homes.
There is currently a consultation process open for the Draft National Recovery Plan for the Gang-gang Cockatoo, see here. It is open until 7 October 2026; and see Michael Mulvaney’s letter in the Canberra Times of 28 July.
Native birds and streetscapes – paper abstract here or here
Birds in Parks – see here. Plant locally native shrubs for the woodland birds.
Grevilleas in Gardens and Birds
There are few Grevilleas native to the ACT. If we find them in the Mount Majura Reserve, they are there because they are spreading from plantings in the suburbs. There are some which occur naturally on Black Mountain, which has different geology and soils to Mt Majura.
This Native Plant Society site lists 5 Grevillea local species for Canberra and one of those, Rosemary Grevillea G. rosmarinifolia, is invasive. It forms hybrid swarms which spread into reserves from surrounding gardens. See our Newsletter from a year ago when we had a working bee to tackle Grevilleas in the reserve behind the Hackett houses. The other 4 ACT Grevilleas have relatively small flowers and are not like the hybrid large-flowered varieties which you will see in the nurseries. The large-flowered Grevilleas are popular but as this news item explains, they are too popular because they favour large birds and these crowd out the small birds.
Nest watch – tips and an app here
Understanding Bird Flu – outline here in The Conversation.
H5N1 Bird Flu webinar to watch – here
From the News
Good News for Koalas here
Koala in Canberra video posted by Tim the Yowie Man on Facebook
How far can a Glider Glide? Story here
Wallabies – blog by the former Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews here.
Feral Deer – discussion – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tTVYBqToO8
Feral Deer Action Plan https://feraldeerplan.org.au/
Cost of Deer in Tasmania – see report from the Invasive Species Council here
Snow gums – see here
Grass Trees story here
Wallaby grasses here
Domestication of a Native Millet? See story from the Conversation here.
An alarming report from the Wentworth Group on Land Clearing in NSW here.
Native bees – threats – story here
Urban Trees – cooling effect here
Wonders of our World
Mycorrhiza here
Seed dispersal by animals – a story from Kew Gardens here.
The Ballistic Ant Trap Built by a Spider – see the action here.
Bird Song: A Quote from The Guardian:
In the last 50 years, Britain has lost an astonishing 73 million wild birds from its landscape, according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
“What we have is a shifting baseline,” said Dr Rob Robinson, a senior scientist at the BTO who researches wild bird populations. “People engaging in nature today are going to think the numbers they are seeing are normal, particularly children. But if you go back 50 years, they would have been able to experience a much richer environment.”
As the symphony of birdsong known as the dawn chorus draws to its annual close (in summer), the Guardian has recreated an audio landscape from across the past 50 years to try to portray the variety and plenitude of birdsong we have lost since tens of millions more birds were in full voice. The calls and songs of a variety of species have been isolated to build an illustration of the dawn chorus, representing a year in each decade, from now back to the abundance of the 1970s.
Today the soundscape of the natural world is utterly changed to one of absences, omissions and loss.
This “shifting baseline syndrome” – a gradual shifting of the accepted norm when it comes to the natural environment – is, said nature writer Robert Macfarlane, an “enormously powerful and I think very pernicious, psychological mechanism whereby each new generation measures loss from the degraded baseline that it grew up into. We’re part of a web. We’re wired into the wild world. Birds help us remember that, and they can do it in a very everyday way.” (End of quote from Guardian.)
Sorry if you cannot hear the Audio on the Guardian site.
What bird songs do you remember from your childhood, or even more recently, that you never hear now?
I remember the Willie Wagtail singing at night here in the Canberra suburb where I live, but it is gone now… will another ever take its place?
And I remember the Grey Shrike-thrush singing at its nest in our shed at Nangus when we lived there.
Find the songs of your favourite birds on the Canberra Birds website.
New Book
The Vanishing Wild by Justine E. Hausheer
NewSouth, $34.99
The Vanishing World by science writer Justine E. Hausheer is another important book about Australian wildlife from NewSouth publishing. Australia is celebrated for its unique animals, yet native species are increasingly in chaos. In the past 200 years, we have lost more biodiversity than any other developed nation, and unfortunately this trend is likely to continue. In an engaging manner, Hausheer takes us on a fascinating journey through the harsh reality of our extinction crisis and sets out what needs to be done. She also captivates with enjoyable vignette encounters with a range of animals from pygmy possums to bilbies and the elusive night parrot. Recommended.
The above review is from the Canberra Daily.
Our River
The Upper Murrumbidgee River, starved of water, choked with sediment and in need of urgent assistance!
Screenshot from The Forgotten River website.
Draft Report: the Independent Review of the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed (SWIOID) is out here. It’s long, very detailed and important for the future of the Upper Murrumbidgee, our river. The Upper Murrumbidgee catchment is Canberra’s water supply; unlike like coastal cities where a desal plant can provide water, the Murrumbidgee and its tributaries are the only water source for Canberra. Since Tantangara Dam was built the section of the Upper Murrumbidgee below it has been deprived of adequate water to support its functioning – the review says without reform the Upper Murrumbidgee faces what the Independent Panel itself calls a “gradual death.” You can watch a webinar about the review’s findings. Click HERE to view the recording of the webinar Preventing extinctions and restoring life to the upper Murrumbidgee River.
You can add your voice to support the need for reform by answering survey questions. The Forgotten River summarises the Review here and gives guidance about doing the survey and suggestions on answers in this Submission Guide. Submissions close at 5pm on Tuesday 4 August. The Conservation Council ACT Region has produced a similar submission guide here. (One question mentions the Mowamba Weir which impacts the Snowy River – see here.)
Events and Exhibitions
August is Platypus Month – lots of events to choose from, guided walks or actual morning or late afternoon surveys at various locations – Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Namarag Nature Reserve at Whitlam, and some other more distant sites on the Upper Murrumbidgee. Look here to check out events and reserve a spot. And see a video here about Platypus and Rakali.
Now until 23 August Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm My Country, My Connection – Full Circle, black and white photography by Alana Harris, at Pivot Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen. See review here.
Now until 23 August 9.30 am – 4.30 pm at the visitor centre Gallery, Australian National Botanic Gardens Eggpicnic at the Gardens – Through illustration and sculpture Eggpicnic celebrates the remarkable plants, animals and fungi that call ANBG home. See here and here.
Monday 3 August – 9 August – Landcare Week
Tuesday 4 August last day for feedback on the Independent Review Panel’s draft report on the future of the upper Murrumbidgee River. Click HERE to view the recording of the webinar Preventing extinctions and restoring life to the upper Murrumbidgee River. Then do the survey here. Submissions close at 5 pm.
4-6 August at Hotel Realm, Canberra National Biodiversity Offsets Conference 4.0 | Nature Positive by 2030: Integrity, Restoration and Net Gain in Action – look out for news items on this.
Wednesday 5 August, 7.00 to 8.00 pm on line Fruit fly management in your garden Organised by Canberra-based Sustainable Gardening Australia.
Queensland Fruit Fly has become a major problem for home gardeners and fruit growers alike, with the pest spreading further each year. This session will cover practical ways to prevent and manage fruit fly, including integrated pest management techniques and the practical use of traps, baiting, netting, hygiene and other tools to target key stages of the fruit fly lifecycle.
Fri 7 Aug 10 am Nature Therapy taster, free for 1 hour at Wildbark – see here to book.
Sun 9 Aug 10am – 2pm Branching Out: Explore Nursery Swamp Walk in Namadgi National Park with Gregory Andrews – some bushwalking experience and fitness required. For more info and to register see here.
Sat 15 August – 23 August National Science Week – many local events – see listing here Very diverse, offering something for everyone. Some events are specifically for children. See an example event on 23 August below.
Mon 17 Aug 6pm – 7pm Dr Hugh Saddler Memorial Lecture 2026 | Shane Rattenbury to speak on Climate, Power and the People at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) For more info and to book see here.
Wednesday 19 August, at 10:00am Australian National Herbarium tour
ANBG Friends are invited to join on a fascinating tour of the Australian National Herbarium (ANH). Maintained by CSIRO, the ANH is one of the largest plant collections in the country, with more than one million plant specimens. Some of the specimens were collected during Captain Cook’s 1770 expedition to Australia.
The ANH also houses specimens taken from the Australian National Botanic Gardens and helps to verify the scientific names used in labelling the Garden’s collection of living plants. Specimens are also used for ongoing taxonomic and evolutionary research, population biology and ecological studies.
This tour is exclusive to ANBG Friends. For more information see the booking site or email events@friendsanbg.org.au.
RSVP: Bookings are essential, and open on 1 August. Click HERE to purchase a ticket. The cost for ANBG Friends is $10.
Wed 19 Aug noon – 1pm webinar Understanding the Waragul (Dingo) – Evolution, Genetics, and Ecological Role by UNSW researchers Dr Kylie Cairns, and James Vandersteen, who will discuss their work on dingo genetics and evolution, and the dingo’s role in structuring ecosystems and conserving biodiversity in Australia. An apex predator in the ACT. More information and booking here.
Thursday 20 August 5:30 PM – 7 PM Register for this webinar at the link under its title.
More than green wallpaper: Exploring the hidden depths of Australian plants
Join the Australian Citizen Science NSW chapter for a webinar on the underrated value of plants. Drs Matthew Pye and Thomas Mesaglio will explore elements of plant blindness.
Fri 21 Aug 10 am Nature Therapy taster, free for 1 hour at Wildbark – see here to book
Sunday 23 Aug 23 two time slots: 9:30am – 12:30pm or 1:30pm – 4:30pm, Discovering Insect Biodiversity – more info here – at ANU, free but please register.
Sunday 23 Aug 23 03:00pm webinar Bogong Watch Update
After 15,000 Bogong moths were tagged back in February, a network of 50 volunteers have spent the last few months observing and recording the absence and presence of Bogong moths in a 50km radius around Mt Kosciuszko. Hear all the latest discoveries and updates on the project in this webinar. Register here.
Wednesday 26 August, at 10:00am Australian National Herbarium tour for ANBG Friends only. Repeat of the event on 19 August. See above. Click HERE to purchase a ticket. The cost for ANBG Friends is $10.
Sunday 30th August 10:00am – noon Sundays in the Sanctuary at Wildbark 25 Rosenberg Street, Throsby, for more info and to book see here
Thanks
Thank you to those who contributed stories or photos for this newsletter. For a future newsletter, if you would like to feature a story on your favourite plant or animal, or a walk you would like to recommend or have anything relevant to draw to the attention of the Friends of Mount Majura, get writing and send your story with a pic to the secretary@majura.org
Final Feature
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita inspects a tree hollow, a potential nesting site, in the Reserve near the Hackett Tank.
Photo by Phil Jones.
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