Best photo yet of our resident white wallaby! From March of last year there have been reports of sightings of a white wallaby on Mt Majura – see April 2025 newsletter, and since then its fame has spread on to Facebook, with a video of it there and comments comparing it to pandas and Siamese cats!
Canberra NatureMapr has had a photo for a while and now in January 2026 a really good photo, submitted by cmobbs.
Whack Woody Weeds
Sunday, 15 March, 9am – 12 noon
Where: at the nature park entrance near the Antill Street bus stop, Hackett.
What: Removing garden escapees growing under eucalypts close to nearby houses.
Bring: Sun protection, drinking water, garden gloves if you have them. We provide gloves, tools companionship and a delicious cake for morning tea.
All welcome. More information and a map here.
Desert Ash Fraxinus angustifolia one of the woody weeds to be tackled at the working bee on the third Sunday in March.
Photo courtesy Canberra NatureMapr.
Reports
Bird Walk on 8 February
A drizzly morning did not deter keen birders – there were seventeen people in the woodland and lots of birds that don’t have an option to avoid a bit of rain. Peter Miller talked about the birds and Brian kept a tally of the different species – 27 in all. Here is a pamphlet with pictures of birds common in the ACT Box Gum woodlands.
Peter Miller talks to some slightly damp bird lovers.
Photo by Jenni Marsh.
Woody Weeding near Hackett Houses on 15 February
Ranger Adam with the Bluebell Creeper at his feet, talks with others at the woody weed working bee.
Photo by Jenni Marsh.
It was a perfect day for 8 volunteers, joined by ranger Adam Mahon.
Jenni introduced weeds we were likely to encounter, and Adam gave a presentation on how to treat them. The species we removed were the non-local Australian species Grevillea and Sallee Wattle and exotics Broad-leafed Privet, Chinese Privets, Laurustinus, Ivy, Sacred Bamboo, Asparagus; all of those exotics are spread by Pied Currawongs which eat the berry fruits of plants that are cultivated in nearby gardens. Also spread by birds is the Western Australian Bluebell Creeper, Billardiera heterophylla which Jenni spotted and which was promptly removed – the creeper is a first description for the Mt Majura reserve. Ranger Adam gave a large Needlebush, Hakea sericea a chainsaw treatment and close to 50 young bushes were cut and painted and removed from site; most of the woody weeds were mapped as were patches of Serrated Tussock for later spray treatment; the work crew concluded with two delicious cakes provided by Brian and Margy – thank you both!
Ranger Adam gives a thumbs up with the Needlebush massacre complete.
Photo by waltraud, courtesy Canberra NatureMapr.
Butterfly Walk and Talk on 22 February
Suzi Bond led a morning walk from the Antill Street gate, and this is her summary:
We saw the eggs, caterpillars, a pupa and several adult Stencilled Hairstreaks on a wattle. The larvae and pupa were being closely tended to by their attendant ants, Meat Ants, and there was also a Two-spotted Line-blue flying around the top of the same wattle. One Stencilled Hairstreak landed and perched long enough for some of us to get a clear view of it!
Other butterflies seen included a speedy Meadow Argus at the carpark at the start of our walk, and a male Shouldered Brown in a dry creek gully. We also saw an eggshell and old larval shelters of the Bronze Flat butterfly on a Kurrajong.
Suzi Bond was ecstatic to find a Parramatta Green Wattle with Stencilled Hairstreak Jalmenus ictinus larvae, pupae, eggs, and adults fluttering overhead. She’s holding a stem still so that everyone can see a caterpillar covered in ants. The ants are vigorously protecting the larvae which in return, excrete delicious honeydew on which the ants love to feast.
Photo from Jenni Marsh.
Mondays @ The Fair in February
The Mondays @ The Fair people have been taking heads off St John’s wort where seed capsules have formed, particularly in the open area east of the old dam, an area where there are lots of Clustered Everlastings.
Woody weeds such as Sweet Briars and Hawthorns are mostly defoliated by grazing, but still green in the stems, so they have been cut and dabbed or sprayed; we hope it works in these conditions. Serrated Tussock plants are also somewhat stressed in some locations but succumb to the mattocks. Luckily for us, the patches of Tussock are small in the Fair area, not as shown in the photo below. More of us are learning skills for herbicide use and mapping, essential for tackling invasive weeds efficiently.
Serrated Tussock Nassella trichotoma can form a dense sward as in this photo of one of several patches on the steep slope south of the old sheep camp site on the ridge leading to the Mt Majura summit. This is for the benefit of some Monday @ the Fair volunteers who may not have seen the potential effects of this Weed of National Significance.
Photo by J. Zeil, courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
Max has drawn attention to the current overgrazed state of The Fair area, demonstrated by the fenced wildflower nodes. We have previously seen this clearly at the lowest node, which is on deep soils, but now it is also obvious on the shallower stoney soils in the middle and upper nodes that protection from rabbit and roo grazing has a dramatic effect on ground cover. Outside the node fences there are small green shoots on the perennial native summer growing grasses, responding to the rain in February (about 60mm around here), areas of bare soil and lots of roo poo.
Ground cover in late February 2026 in the upper seed node contrasts with the bare conditions outside the fence. “What a difference a fence makes!”
Photo by M. Pouwer.
Strategies
It’s the silly season for strategies!
Draft ACT Nature Conservation Strategy 2026-2036is here on the Have Your Say website. Underneath the Document Library box, click on See more to get the Supplements. For reactions from various local pollies see the story in the Canberra Daily. See also coming events on the 4th March and 6th March.
The ACT government is also developing the next ACT Climate Change Strategy – see an event on 5th March and the Have Your Say website.
The ACT Government has released the refreshed ACT Water Strategy 2025-2045 see here.
It is actually sensible to be considering these strategies at the same time as they are interlinked. See a story from The Conversation about the impacts of increasing environmental temperatures. Watch the Biodiversity Council’s recorded webinar on Preparing for a more volatile future
Not Good News
Rat poisons story from the Conversation about the outcome of a review on ‘second generation’ anticoagulant rodenticides (SCARs) which are an unacceptable risk to native wildlife. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) review proposes to keep these SCARs in widespread use despite recognising the risks. For a current example of their impact on owls see here.
Add your protest by adapting the BirdLife Australia submission template or write your own using the instructions here.Submissions close 16 March 2026.
Good News Stories
Good news about Bogong Moths here and see talk at ANBG by Professor Eric Warrant in Events on 12 March. Also consider hosting a bug lantern next year from March to May – all lanterns allocated for now. This year some Bogong Moths have been tagged to track migrations – see here to register your interest for the future.
Best Bug Photos – see the Bugs in my Backyard winner and runner up here.
Green and Golden Bell Frogs Litoria aurea reintroduction to Canberra at Mawson Ponds – see a story and video
Enjoy the Bush – National Parks Association (NPA) has some good advice – NPA advice and here are some lesser known Walks suggested by the ACT government– see here.
Bogs and Fens –NPA is mid-way through a 4 year Natural Heritage Trust funded community education project about conserving bogs and fens – see NPA site.
Gliders livestream – best time is an hour before sunset, and see this story and the Final Feature photo!
Goannas on Mt Majura/Ainslie
Young Rosenberg’s Monitor goanna basking beside a track on Mt Ainslie this February. Great to see a young one! Will it survive?
Sighting by PeterFav, courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
Don Fletcher has determined that there are only seven, or possibly eight, adult goannas on Mt Ainslie/Majura and they all have names since they can be individually identified by their face markings. So, finding a juvenile this year is very important. Perhaps it is the offspring of Harriette’s goanna RobinLarge.
With so few goannas now in our reserve, and they are the last population in Canberra Nature Park, we need to be aware of the threats they face and encourage greater efforts to protect them from predation by foxes and dogs.
Goanna work is coordinated by Don Fletcher with many volunteers via the NPA and is supported by a government grant and donations. Read about the grant for goanna research here and the goanna project plan here.
Don is giving a Thursday talk about the goannas at the ANBG on 19 March – see in Events list.
Screenshot of poster outlining a plan being put forward by the NPA to improve the chances of survival of Rosenberg’s Monitors on Mount Ainslie/Majura.
Koalas
A Koala story from a northern NSW community hereand a Koala conference advance notice here – extract submissions close 31 March 2026.
What is the federal government doing about Koalas? See here.
Where are the Koalas close to Canberra? See the map below.
What is NSW doing to help local Koalas? See here. And see another story of a successful reintroduction of Koalas to the Murrumbidgee river red gum forest at a site not shown on the map, by the community at Narrandera.
Map of koala distribution from NSW Koala Strategy.
Events
ANBG is Australian National Botanic Gardens – Thursday Talks are featured below.
Now to Monday 16 March – vote for your favourite Eucalypt (from a short list) – see here
1–31 March 2026 Bogs and fens photo exhibition hosted by the National Parks Association at Namadgi Visitor Centre to showcase the flora and fauna, fungi and landscapes of these high-country wetlands that are found mostly in Namadgi National Park.
Sunday 1 March – Clean Up Australia Day It is happening around Hackett – see local corflutes!
Sunday 1 March 10am – 12:30pm Interconnected: Care for Nature in Canberra at Wildbark + Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve Facilitated by Landcare ACT, a relaxed walk-and-talk style gathering for anyone who connects with and cares for nature in the ACT (or wants to be more involved in doing so!) Interconnected gatherings link local residents with volunteering, citizen science opportunities, and the broader nature network in Canberra. See here for more info and to RSVP.
Wednesday 4 March Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network Member Meeting & Catchment ConversationsSee here
The next Member Meeting will be held on the morning of Wednesday, 4 March 2026 at the Jerrabomberra Community Centre, Queanbeyan. FoMM is a member. Individuals can also be members. Not a member yet? You are warmly welcome to join UMCN online.
Wednesday, 4 March 10.30am-11.45am The UMCN meeting will be followed by Catchment Conversations, open to the wider community, with options to attend in person or online. The event will feature two presentations: an update on the SWIOID Review and a look at Box Elder – a weed rapidly spreading through riparian areas. It’s on at the Jerrabomberra Community Centre in Queanbeyan or online. This free community event is open to all — please register here.
Wednesday 4 March 12am – 1pm online webinar Nature Conservation in the ACT hosted by the Conservation Council ACT Region. A briefing on the ACT Government’s recently released Nature Conservation Strategy now open for consultation. The document outlines a bold and exciting vision for nature conservation in the Territory over the next ten years – although one that will only be achievable if properly implemented and funded. This includes the creation of a new nature conservation network (NCN), developing stewardship programs, and creating new ways to fund nature restoration. This webinar will provide tips for you if you’re intending to Have Your Say and write a submission yourself. Register here.
Thursday 5 March International Women’s Day 8am – 10.30am on line event Celebrating Women in Conservation Breakfast. Bush Heritage Australia and Trust for Nature (VIC) are hosting an inspiring woman spearheading change and driving collective action in conservation. Keynote speaker is Lisa Miller, CEO, Wedgetail which she launched in 2022 to unlock sustainable investment for biodiversity. Since that time $20 million has been invested in projects across 20 countries. For more information and to register to join the breakfast online click here. Virtual tickets are $10 each.
Thursday 5 March 12:30pm to 1:30pm ANBG Bernadette Duncan ‘Indigenous plant names and tea tasting’. Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DHLQI
Thursday 5 March, 6pm – 7:30pm online Developing the next ACT Climate Change Strategy: online information session for the community Get more info and tickets here.
Friday 6 March 12:30pm to 2pm Information Session on Nature Conservation Strategy 2026-2036 at Ground Floor, Room 00.023/024, 480 Northbourne Ave, Dickson ACT or online through Microsoft Teams. For more information and to register see Information sessions here.
Sunday 8 March closing date for survey to aid development of a new strategic plan for Landcare in ACT. See here – it’s a 5 minute survey, so think what you would like to see from Landcare and let them know.
Thursday 12 March 12:30pm to 1:30pm ANBG Professor Eric Warrant ‘The art of coming far with a tiny brain: the remarkable navigational abilities of the Australian Bogong moth’. Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DJKKG
Saturday 14 March, 9am – 11:30am (unless sold out earlier) Growing Friends Autumn 2026 Native Plant Sale at the Australian National Botanic Gardens Banksia Centre Car Park – check the link for more info and a plant list on the Friends website closer to the date. All proceeds go to the Friends to support the Gardens. Be early as plants sell fast.
Saturday 14 March 9am until 4.30pm Friends of Dryandra Woodland Planting Day – for information and map and to sign up see here.
Thursday 19 March 12:30pm to 1:30pm ANBG Don Fletcher ‘Goannas in the Canberra region and what is needed to conserve and restore them’. Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DJUMO
Friday 20 March at 1 pm – 6 pm Volunteers ACT Open Day. ACT Landcare will be sharing a stall with the ACT Government NRM team at the University of Canberra Refectory.
- What: showcasing the land caring volunteer groups across the region with a focus on engaging young people and families to get involved.
Friday 20 March is World Frog Day Find out about Amphibian Ark which does ex situ conservation.
Saturday 21 March 10am to 1pm By Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch at Point Hut Pond District Park A World Water Day Event Launch of the 2025 Catchment Health & FrogWatch Reports, and ‘The Great Frog Choir’ book. For more information and to reserve a spot see here.
Sunday 22 March World Water Day – find out more here.
Monday 23 March, National Eucalypt Day – see here Go to the ANBG and do a one hour self-guided Eucalypt Discovery Walk – brochure at the Visitor Centre or here.
Wednesday 25 March 12.00pm – 1.00pm Bush Broadcast Autumn
Bush Heritage warmly invites you to our Autumn Bush Broadcast webinar, featuring CEO Rachel Lowry in conversation with Matthew Taylor. As we reach the halfway mark of our 2030 Strategy, Rachel will discuss our progress over the last five years and share the aspirations and challenges that lie ahead on the road to 2030. Register here
Thursday 26 March12 :30pm to 1:30pm ANBG Lori Gould ‘Movement and behaviour of Latham’s Snipe at Jerrabomberra Wetlands: the results are in’. Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DHLQS
Anytime – Art with Nature Themes – to purchase at the Belco Arts Shop – Prints on paper or clay by Fenja T. Ringl – see here.
Until 27 Apr 2026 10am – 5pm National Gallery of Australia After the Rain
Greening Australia (GA) Canberra Nursery wants more volunteers! See here and scroll down to see upcoming events. Looks like they want volunteers at 9am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays each week.
Saturday 11 April, 10am – 3pm Next GA plant sale
Final Feature
Why barbed wire needs to go from the old fences in the nature reserves! This Krefft’s Glider, formerly Sugar Glider Petaurus notatus, instead of being safely in its tree hollow home during daylight hours, was stuck on the barbed wire near the Hackett tank.
Photo by JochenZeil in 2024, courtesy Canberra NatureMapr.
Jochen reports:
“I went back (home) and collected a pair of scissors. Carefully cut her free by scissoring a small bit of her gliding membrane that had wrapped around the wire (which I assume is not enervated). She immediately went down a branch I had put against the fence and up on the next tree. Seemed happy.
So was I.”
A happy ending!
Thank you to all who contributed stories and pictures.
