It’s the best kept secret in the Western Suburbs !!!

Hundreds of votes have been cast this week by enthusiastic visitors to our display of entries in the 2018 MCCG Photo Competition at the Kenmore Village Shopping Centre.

Come along to the Prize Presentation Ceremony to find out who received the most votes!

The People’s Choice award will be presented at 2pm on Saturday 27 October at Kenmore Village.

We have so many talented people in our catchment! 

If you haven’t visited the display, tomorrow (Saturday 27th) is your last chance.

Absolutely worth a visit!!!

Be sure to take a look at our online Field Guide to Mammals in the Catchment and scroll down 4 rows to the Yellow-footed Antechinus. 

Click on the thumbnail to open a larger view of the photos.

These wonderful images of this fragile, tiny marsupial are the latest addition to our Mammals field guide. They were kindly supplied by Beck Bain.  

On a damp and misty Sunday morning on 9th September, 47 intrepid (and chilly) volunteers arrived at their assigned sites before dawn on a mission to search for platypus.

This was the date of the 13th annual MCCG Platypus Survey, an initiative driven entirely by volunteers which contributes to a University of Queensland platypus PhD project.

Click here to read a full report of their 2018 findings compared to previous years, compiled and kindly provided by Dr. Christine Adams-Hosking.

Platypus Ripples – courtesy of John Liddington, Sept 2018

On Sunday 21st October, Councillor Kate Richards (Pullenvale Ward) and Councillor Vicki Howard (Chairman of the Field Services Committee of Brisbane City Council) joined Jim Pope’s bushcare group (MCCG Section 3) in Tuckett St. Park, Kenmore Hills for morning tea following their regular monthly working bee.

The crew was able to impress upon the Councillors the excellent work done by volunteer bushcare groups in preserving and enhancing the natural environment. 

They were able to show them some of the damage done by invasive weeds and weed trees such as Chinese Elm, (which can overwhelm native species) as well as the impressive way in which their removal and replanting with natives endemic to the local region can rapidly restore biodiversity.

Time is running out!

We strongly advise you to get your cameras out now! 

This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the beauty of our local area!

Your completed entry form must be submitted by Saturday 20 October 2018. 

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Note: Most entries will be displayed at the Kenmore Village Shopping Centre from Monday 22nd to Saturday 27 October 2018.

For more details about the categories in this year’s competition, please click here.

(photo courtesy of Ed Frazer – People’s Choice award 2016)

… and brought some rain with him!

So, if you would like some native plants from the Nursery please contact Bryan at 3374 1468 or [email protected]

Photo courtesy Damien Egan

We have a new photo to share with you! It’s of a rare and colourful visitor to our catchment: the Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus).

Ed Frazer took the photo on a foggy October morning. Our catchment is known to be in the vagrant area for this species, but this is the first time we’ve photographed one locally.

It’s a lovely photo of a male which clearly shows his bright green colouring, yellow belly and turquoise head, together with the red rump for which he is named. These are beautifully colourful little birds which are more prevalent in the South-eastern states of Australia than Queensland.

Ed speculates that that the bird was visiting in search of food and water from the Darling Downs where they are more common. 

Please visit our Rare and Vagrant Birds in the Catchment digital field guide and scroll down to view this lovely shot.

Jim Butler’s October issue of Feather Fascination will  enlighten you with many interesting facts about the Willie Wagtail.

Many of us are familiar with the sound and antics of this little bird which is in fact the largest of the Australian fantails.

Click here to learn more!

Photo courtesy of Ed Frazer

Our Spring 2018 newsletter has arrived, fresh off the press!!!

This issue is very diverse! 

Read about our Platypus 2018 Survey and the Large-leaved wilkiea, find out how many bird species live in Deerhurst Park and see if you can guess the age of the MCCG’s youngest member!

We have our regular Froggin Around article by Phil Bird, Seeds and Weeds by Dr Bryan Hacker and an endearing Bush Bites article by Ed Frazer about a much-loved Moreton Bay Fig. 

We strongly recommend you download a copy, find a sunny spot and spend a happy half hour browsing through the articles and pictures.

Or read it online – we guarantee you’ll find something that connects with you! (Follow the lizard and click the link on the right-hand-side of this page.) 

We extend our very special thanks to our editor Cathi Lawrence and to all who volunteered their time to contribute stories for this issue.