Weeding with a View – 2nd Take
Sunday 18 October 9am – noon
Massive Apple Box Eucalyptus bridgesiana just below the ridge line near the track which goes to the south from the upper Hackett water tank on Blue Metal Road. Waltraud shows the scale of its girth measured at 7.2 m in circumference at 1.3 m above ground.
Photo courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
Where: Meet at 9am at Mount Majura Nature reserve gate car park, Mackenzie St near Grayson St, Hackett; see link to map 1. below.
Aim: to remove as many herbaceous weeds as possible before they flower and produce seeds. The main weeds are several species of thistles including Variegated thistle, Horehound and Buchan Weed.
What: At the gate, we will distribute small mattocks to each of you to carry.
Walk together for about 30 minutes, along Blue Metal Road then veer right at a large water tank and continue uphill to the ridge top where there is great view eastward across the Majura valley.
If you miss the group at 9am, use Google maps links below to find the weeding site:
1. Walking from Mackenzie St car park; 2. Walking from the Kellaway St car park
Bring: Drinking water, your gardening gloves and favourite weeding tool if you like. We do provide gloves and a delicious cake for a morning break.
For more information see the website or contact secretary@majura.org.
Wildflower Walk and Talk
Sunday 18 October 2-4:30pm
Canberra Spider Orchid Caladenia actensis beautifully photographed on Mt Majura by Nree on 10 September, courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
Join ecologist Michael Doherty for a wildflower walk on Sunday 18th October 2-4:30pm from the reserve gate in Mackenzie St near Grayson St. Click on this map to view the meeting point. Wildflowers have been abundant so far with carpets of Early Nancies Wurmbea dioica; the display will continue with a great variety of species throughout spring.
Bring and wear: Sun protection, drinking water, sturdy shoes, camera, and a gold coin donation for a list of native plant species for Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie. An updated list including a few species added in the last 12 months, mainly exotics, will be available on the FoMM website here.
1 September was Wattle Day – Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha here is Australia’s floral emblem, and part of the spring display on Mt Majura / Ainslie here
Reports
Weeding at the Sheep Camp Sunday 20 September – Story from Jenni Marsh
It was perfect spring weather for a 2km walk up to the ridge-top to weed an old sheep camp. We enjoyed beautiful views across Majura valley and hills to the East, Mt Majura (North), and Mt Ainslie (South). Eleven enthusiastic volunteers uprooted piles of herbaceous weeds such as Horehound (in the mint family), several species of thistles and Mustard / Buchan Weed (Hirschfeldia incana) and mullein (Verbascum) which looks a bit like lamb’s ears. The sheep manure-enriched soil is toxic to native plants which fail to thrive whereas weeds grow strong and healthy and crowd out the natives. Therefore, we’ll follow up with more weeding in October before seeds are produced.
The view toward Mount Majura across the old sheep camp site, now regenerating after sustained weeding effort over 13 years.
Photograph by J. Zeil
Spotlight Walks in late August and September – Story from Jenni Marsh
Over the last two months, we had four spotlight walks each two hours long, all in the same location, with groups of ten or less people. All began at sunset and timed to coincide with a bright moon. Nothing else was predictable, yet we were lucky to have near perfect weather for each walk. No matter how carefully you look and listen, and how well you tune into your surroundings you may not be lucky to see many animals. However, there is the thrill of the hunt and always a promise of seeing something surprising, followed by a magic night walk with the bright moon behind you as you follow your personal moon shadow back to where you started.
Krefft’s Glider Petaurus notatus in a Drooping She-oak Allocasuarina verticillata on the western slope of Mt Majura.
Photo by Jenni Marsh.
28th August On both August walks, originating from an area behind the Blue Metal Rd water tank, we heard a morepork (boobook) owl, and fearsome shrieking (which we think was a fox). We were excited to see two Krefft’s gliders (Petaurus notatus), both in drooping she-oaks early on the walk. We briefly spotted a micro bat hunting moths.
20th September It was the warmest night since winter. Early on the walk in the post-sunset twilight, we heard a very small “chip” and a hint of a rustle, so with 8 pairs of eyes we located a glider. It raced to the top of the tree where we heard it land, then launched into a glide overhead, silhouetted black against the sky. Later on, some of the group reported that they sighted one or two more gliders and a few kangaroos.
Any other sounds were drowned out by the frog chorus in the dam below. Too good to miss. Down by the near full dam, bathed in moonlight and star-shine, we listened. We think the frogs we heard were: Common Eastern Froglets (Crinea signifera), at least one Pobblebonk or Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii), Spotted Grass Frogs (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis), and Peron’s Tree Frog (Litoria peronii). The frog enthusiasts located two rough-skinned frogs (spotted grass frogs?) nestled against rocks near the water.
23rd September – a cold night with a chilly breeze, and all we saw were a few moths and small spiders in shrubs, a redback lurking in a rock crevice and a few ground hunters, probably huntsmen. Nonetheless, everyone enjoyed the sunset, the night walk under the moon and stars and the ‘hunt’. They felt that they were now prepared to enjoy their own night walks.
If you are interested in booking a spotlight walk in the Mt Majura nature reserve, contact FoMMnaturewalks@gmail.com The next walks will be on 22nd and 23rd October at 7pm.
Read “The Sound of the Australian Bush at Night” about the Boobook Owl Ninox boobook here and listen to its call here.
Bird Walk and Talk Sunday 13 September – Story from Jenni Marsh
The weather was perfect for a bird watching walk through the bush at The Fair with Peter Miller and 11 amateur bird lovers. We practised listening carefully, to identify patterns of each birdsong. Some of us used the Merlin app to identify birds from their calls. We also had plenty of practice at improving our binocular and monocular skills.
Peter created a list of the thirty-one bird species which we saw on our walk today, on E-bird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S39232224
Some of the intent bird watchers in the early morning.
Photo by Phil Jones.
They are not looking at the soaring Brown Goshawk up high in the sky, or the Common Bronzewing resting alone on a high branch……they see flashes of small birds foraging among shrubby wattles and eucalyptus leaves! Here’s a tiny Weebill, and there’s and a Yellow-rumped Thornbill, with a Spotted Pardalote nearby with a bright yellow throat, and that bright flash moving though the foliage is a White-naped Honeyeater……
A Saturday Afternoon Full of Fun at the Fair – Story by Waltraud Pix
Once a year, the Watson C3 Church community gives a hand for a good cause. It was FoMM’s and Mount Majura’s turn on the afternoon of Saturday 19th September, a perfect spring day to be out and about and assist nature in the reserve east of The Fair in North Watson. Fifteen members of the Church community pushed wheelbarrows and carried buckets with woodchip mulch to cover patches where weeds had been treated before and drought and overgrazing led to bare soil prone to erosion. The hard-working volunteers flattened two piles of close to ten cubic meters in two and a half hours and there was still time for a lot of fun and chatting and everyone left with a smile. Job well done! A big thank you to the C3 Church community and to Marty, our ParkCare field support officer who delivered the mulch.
Hard work and fun at the C3 Church activity:
Michael pushes Peter, Peter pushes Michael, and Evolet pushes mulch.
Pictures by Waltraud Pix.
Why Mulch?
FoMM uses wood chip mulch extensively as a rehabilitation tool in the heavily degraded grassy woodlands of Mt Majura’s lower slopes.
Thick layers of mulch suppress weeds such as Chilean Needlegrass Nassella neesiana and improve the structure of soil where it is compacted.
Scattered mulch helps to protect soil from drying out, reduce erosion, provide a microclimate for young native seedlings and keep broadcast seeds in place.
Wood chips are a slow-release carbon source used by soil fungi and microbes which draw down high levels of nutrients during the decomposition process and by that, create a soil environment that is less beneficial to nutrient loving herbaceous weeds such as Paterson’s Curse Echium plantagineum and thistles. Previous lessees of these grassy woodlands used them for sheep grazing and horse holding which led to soil compaction, introduction of exotic herbs, increased soil nutrients and loss of native plants that evolved in Australian nutrient depleted soils.
Mondays @ The Fair
The spraying crew of up to 4 sprayers have been busy spraying patches of Paterson’s Curse and various thistles hoping to get most done before the Curse starts flowering. Others have been spreading mulch and taking out more scattered weeds using the small mattocks. Interesting discoveries have been three bike jump tracks constructed in the gully area, very damaging to the gully – and many beautiful patches of wild flowers especially Early Nancies and Creamy Candles Stackhousia monogyna. Mapping skills are useful for documenting what we find and do.
A termite mound turned into a bike ramp as part of the one of the creek bank jumps constructed by moving soil and rocks and hacking trees.
Photo by Waltraud Pix, courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
Come along and join the happy crew enjoying the spring wildflowers while they tackle the weeds! Any Monday at 9:30 we meet at the Tay St, North Watson gate to the reserve.
Ivor mapping a patch of Paterson’s Curse and thistles under trees and around logs in the gully area.
Photo by B. Read.
STEP Photo Gallery here. (STEP is the Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park at the Arboretum.)
Would you like to contribute to a Mt Majura photo gallery? Or provide photos of FoMM activities for this newsletter? Put your favourite wildlife pictures on Canberra NatureMapr. Other contributions gladly accepted by secretary@majura.org. Thank you to all who contributed to this issue!
ReWilding and Other Stories
Rewilding with Endangered Animals in NW NSW – see pictorial story from the ABC here and note how the species are now being introduced from the feral-free enclosures to exclosures with a low density of feral cats. Extended funding of this Wild Deserts program for another 10 years was recently announced by NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe.
Spotted Quoll article here
From the ACT Library
One Garden Against the World – in Search of Hope in a Changing Climate by Kate Bradbury. This is English, her wildflowers are out weeds, so read it for ideas, not the details. Grow creepers on your walls and fences but choose local native species for habitat, not Ivy!
Rewilding Suburbia – Bring Nature Home, No Matter How Small Your Space by Mel Logozzo. This one is Australian, and full of great pictures to inspire you. Lots of easy reading, details on how to grow habitat and food.
Mosses are Great Garden Ground Cover! And great in the bush too… See here.
Invasive Species
Selling Weeds – ABC news story citing the Invasive Species Council about continuing promotion of invasive plants in retail outlets such as Bunnings – see here
This “Sweetpea” is an acknowledged invasive plant. See here
When an Aussie Plant Invades … see this story from Canada about our Common Reed Phragmites australis which took over 40% of a large peninsula nature reserve in Lake Erie, requiring landscape scale intervention.
Rabbits are Booming – locally and Australia-wide. See story here.
Cats
Among the pigeons : why our cats belong indoors by John L. Read, read it and be glad that our local laws are moving in the right direction.
There is a local organisation which deals with Canberra street cats – see here.
What about technology to target feral cats? See this Bush Heritage webinar which shows the trial use of HAND (Humane Animal Net Device) traps with extremely smart EVorta cameras. Also see the Felixer website.
And for a different type of wild cat see here, a new species in Bolivia, the first new cat species found in over 100 years.
Our Wonderful World
Asgard Archeae, single celled organisms which are now thought to have given rise to all life except bacteria – see pictures of them in culture here.
Here are videos of Ctenophores (Comb Jellies) Not Just Beautiful. They’re Biological Wonders.
Ancient Animal Fossils Found in Norway, similar in age to the Ediacaran fossils from Nilpena in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. See story and a picture here. And look at the approximately 550M year old primitive animals from the seafloor at Nipena here in video recreation and photos here and here.
Sea Sponges – going from free swimming larva to attached sponge, metamorphosis in a hurry – story here.
Tassie Devils Once Lived with People in the Pilbara – see the Conversation story here.
Animalia – by Graeme Base – ABC story of its release 40 years ago. Get this re-released book for the children in your life…
Hummingbirds in Flight – video here
The State of the World’s Birds here – not so wonderful for the migratory species.
Tassie Tiger to be Recreated? See a SBS news story here or the same story here from the Australian Museum – I wonder about this one.
Events and Exhibitions
October = Frogtober
See all Conservation Council ACT Region events here. Includes Western Edge Walks on two Sundays 18 and 25 October.
Now to 28 November Calthorpes’ House wattle theme story here. Tickets for guided tours running on Saturdays at various times between 1 pm and 4 pm can be booked here. Only open for these booked tours. More information and an on-line tour are here.
Now until 11 Oct – Floriade – free at Commonwealth Park. Note: Sunday 11 October is when Floriade welcomes pooches big and small to Dogs’ Day Out. If tulips are your thing, go along. The natural floriade of the bush is also in full swing for spring on Mt Majura and will continue past 11 October!
Now until 11 Oct – at Ginninderry – The LINK, Strathnairn – 12 top finalists in the Threatened Species Photographic Exhibition. Or see the larger exhibition at Wildbark, listed below.
Now until 18 Oct – at NatureArt Lab at M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith. Exhibition ‘See What I See: A Celebration of Biodiversity Through Art and Photography’ open Wednesday to Sunday 12.00 noon – 5.00pm – more information here.
Now until 20 December at Wildbark, Rosenberg St, Throsby – Threatened Species Photographic Exhibition – see here for more information. Open when the café Kodo is open Wednesday-Sunday 7:00 am – 2:00 pm. The finalist photos are on display here. (Look at the superb camouflage of Michael Payne‘s “Granite Belt Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuarius wyberba)”.)
3, 10, 11, 17 October at 8:30 am at the ANBG for Wake Up with the Birds – see here to book.
7 October – Closing date for comments on the on the draft National Recovery Plan for the Gang-Gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum).
Sat 10 Oct 10am – 12:30pm Branching Out: Art, flora and fauna of Umbagong District Park with guide John Fitz Gerald from the Umbagong Landcare Group. Register here.
Sat 17 Oct 10:00 AM Canberra Writers Festival sessions on Climate: choice of two sessions running concurrently:
Cutting Edge Cli-Fi at Level 4 | National Library of Australia – for more info and to purchase tickets see here
or
Climate, Chaos & COP31 at Senate Chamber | Museum of Australian Democracy Old Parliament House – for more info and to purchase tickets see here
19 – 25 Oct BirdLife Australia’s Aussie Bird Count – see the intro video here, get the app and join in! The app makes it easy…
24 – 25 October weekend Canberra Birds’ Annual Bird Blitz – see here to participate.
Sun 25 Oct 8:30am – 10:30am Bird Walk Canberra – Citizen COP 2026 led by Gregory Andrews from Lyrebird Dreaming– more information and register here.
More Open Gardens in October and November – see here
Final Feature
Green-comb Spider Orchid Caladenia atrovespa photographed recently on Mount Majura by Bubbles.
Photo courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
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