mccgadmin

A wish for you

by

As 2018 draws to a close, we sincerely extend our thanks to our members and other community folk who have helped the MCCG in so many ways throughout the year.
In the words of our Chairman Jim Pope:
“I think we can all be very proud of what we have achieved. This has included over 80 bushcare working bees; over 13,000 visitors to the MCCG website; 520 Facebook followers; the supply of over 12,000 plants from our native plant nursery; public ‘outreach’ events such as Kid’s Day at the Cottage and the MCCG Photography Competition; our excellent quarterly newsletters; and in total around 4,500 volunteer hours.  All of this hard work continues to have a very positive impact on the local environment, helping to protect native flora and fauna and increase biodiversity.”

Hot off the press!

by

Let us entertain you over the Christmas break! Our Summer 2018 Newsletter is a treasure.

For starters, it features a wonderful collection of stories behind winning entries in our Photography Competition. This makes for very entertaining reading!

Learn what climate change has in store for birdlife, bid farewell to some of our longest standing volunteers and read the latest on the MCCG Canetoad Challenge.

We have a report from a thriving Bushcare group and a snapshot of the MCCG’s 2018 successes provided by our Chairman, Jim Pope.

There are plenty of other great articles on a number of topics – we guarantee to keep you captivated!

A heartfelt thank you to our Newsletter Editor Cathi Lawrence and to all those who took time to the submit the diverse range of content for this issue.

To start reading, please click the “Download our current newsletter” link on this page.

REMEMBER: we’re always on the lookout for new local stories! If you have one to share, please START WRITING!  You can send your story or request more info from our Newsletter Editor at [email protected] 


‘Morning Mist on Red Bottlebrush’, an entry by Ed Frazer in our 2018 Photo Competition.

Open your newsletter to see more winning entries and the stories behind them! 

Birds on summer holiday

by

You may not recognise the appearance of the Eastern Koel in this short video of Tim Sigg’s, but if you watch it through to the end, there’s a good chance you’ll recognise the bird’s call as one you’ve heard recently.

Eastern Koel Calling *

Eastern Koels visit Australia from Indonesia and New Guinea for an annual Summer vacation. They holiday along our Eastern seaboard, as far South as Victoria. They are here to breed right now and will stay till around April.

There is some speculation that climate change is extending their range further South. Interestingly, the further South they travel, the earlier they return home from vacation.

The Eastern Koel (Eudynamys orientalis) is a cuckoo and in true cuckoo fashion it is a brood parasite. It lays its eggs in the nests of other species – generally local birds such as wattlebirds and figbirds. When the cuckoo chick hatches it forces the eggs and chicks of the resident birds out, and the parents of the resident bird take responsibility for feeding the invader.

The Eastern Koel is a striking bird. The male has glossy black plumage with red eyes, whilst the female is spotted black and white. They are generally shy of people so are usually heard more than they are seen! We are grateful therefore to Carson Dron for sharing his lovely photo of a female, taken in September at Anstead. 

To learn more about our summer visitor, please visit our Online bird list and scroll down to the Eastern Koel. You will see more local photos, together with links to relevant articles of Jim Butler’s Feather Fascination.

* link used with the permission of Tim Siggs

 

CWCN Christmas activities

by

Each Christmas our Cubberla-Witton Catchment Catchment  Network colleagues never fail to deliver a wonderful program of children’s educational activities. Here’s their invite for 2018:
 

The holidays are approaching fast. and CWCN again has a great program ready for our young crowd. Lots of hands-on engagement and fun learning, and all about the environment and/or sustainability. Of course, there is a small healthy morning tea included in all activities. All activities take place at the CWCN Centre, 47 Hepworth St, Chapel Hill (UBD 178 A11). They start at 9:30am and finish at 12:00 noon. We charge a fee of $15 per child ($10 for CWCN members). 

 

Thursday, 20th December 2018
‘Tis the Season—Time to Create Your Very Own Christmas Tree and Decorations
Prep to primary school age
What a fun way of getting ready for the festivities! How about making your very own tree by using recycled wrapping paper from last year or from a birthday? The end result will be a stunning wall hanging celebrating the season. Of course, there is more. We have aprons but recommend that you don’t wear your best outfit!

Thursday, 10th January 2019 
Fenella Flutterwing & Munching Mike – Enviro Detectives at Work Investigating Butterflies
Prep to early primary school age
Who doesn’t like butterflies?  Seeing them makes us feel happy, and we know it’s summer. We look for young detectives who want to know more about butterflies. What better way than finding all the answers by putting wings on and becoming a butterfly for one morning. This is learning by having fun! And we top it all by celebrating a butterfly wedding!

Tuesday, 15th January 2019
Colourful Bottle Cap and Other Creations
Prep to early primary school age
Plastic is everywhere. It’s not like compost which turns into good soil for growing vegies or flowers. Where do all the many milk, soda and juice  bottles end up? What do you do with the many caps of all these bottles? Let’s reuse them and create something amazing. Become a bottle cap artist for one morning and after that, we’ll recycle even more plastic and transform it into fun items you can use at home.

Thursday, 17th January 2019
Tristan Truffle and Pixie Cap — Enviro Detectives at Work Hunting Fungi
Primary school age
What’s all this talk about fairy rings, witch’s butter, little pixies, ghost and ghoul fungi and toadstools? Our enviro detectives have a lot of work to do. They’ll figure out what mushrooms are, how they work, and why they are so important. Then there is also the issue of solving a crime, just the right thing for our detectives. This truly is a morning for investigators who are also budding scientists. Lots of hands on activities promise fun.

Tuesday, 22nd January 2019
The Fantastic Plastic, Tin & Cardboard Concert Band!
Prep to primary school age
Yeah! We are making music. Before we give our first concert, we have to understand what sound is and how it comes about. That alone is lots of fun because we hear elephants, see rice dance, feel and see sound move. Then we have to create our very own instruments. Can an old shoe box be a ukulele, a pipe, a trumpet or a raspberradoohoo (I bet you want to know what that is)? Can drinking straws sing, beakers imitate animals, can kitchen rolls sound like rain? Have you ever played a thongaton? We’ll have loads of fun!

For full details and to register please download the flyer: CWCN_School_Hol._Flyer_summer_2018-2019_final

Birds upon Bovines – symbiosis perfected!

by

The Cattle Egret’s story is so interesting!

We have all seen these white birds sitting atop of livestock. And yet, during their breeding season the Cattle Egret’s plumage changes so much (and so beautifully) that they look like an entirely different species!

This month Jim Butler brings us some wonderful facts about these “New Australians” – relatively recent arrivals to our shores.

You will learn about their global expansion and breeding and feeding habits, and the reasons behind their affiliation with livestock.

Please click here to open the November/December 2018 issue of Feather Fascination.    

Another notable AGM

by

Our 2018 AGM was held on Monday 26 November at the Brookfield Hall.

Our new committee was elected in and we were all captivated by Dr Ian Gynther’s discussion about a novel approach to conserving the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly.

We acknowledge with gratitude the tireless work of our outgoing committee members:
Joanna Yesburg (Treasurer for over 10 years), Sanja Oldfield (Secretary), Letitia Norton (Grants Officer) and Geoff Lawrence (Photo Competition Manager for over 10 years).

We are indebted to them for their generous contributions, expertise and support over the years and we wish them all well for future ventures.

Please visit our Contact Us page for details of our incoming committee for 2019.

The Chairman’s report contains a summary of the group’s work throughout the 2017-2018 financial year. It’s recommended reading, highlighting the group’s diversity and featuring facts, figures, stats, highlights and photos from the year: {module_literature,i,195204}  

Mt Coot-tha Zipline – what do you think?

by

Brisbane City Council is inviting community feedback on two major planning components of the proposed Mt Coot-tha Zipline: 

  1. the draft Mt Coot-tha Zipline Land Management Plan, and 
  2. the Zipline Development Application (DA) .

Feedback regarding the Land Management Plan may be lodged until the end of December, but residents must submit feedback on the DA by 14 December.  

Members of the community certainly have mixed views regarding the Zipline development so you are encouraged to voice your opinion during this limited time window.

The draft Land Management Plan, together with maps and Council newsletters regarding the proposal are available on the BCC website.

Details regarding the submission of feedback can be viewed by clicking here.

To further acquaint yourself with the proposal, you may also wish to visit the Mt Coot-tha Protection Alliance website, a community-run website which outlines several concerns. 

A link worth sharing!

by

Birdlife Australia recently announced the winners of its “2018 Australian Bird Photographer of the Year.”  And the results are stunning!

If you enjoy photography, please click here to visit the Birdlife Australia website and enjoy a showcase of winners across 7 different categories.