Location: Kenmore Shopping Village
Type: 2 Day event
Organiser: MCCG
Contact: Dale Borgelt: [email protected]
MCCG will have a special stand on 21/22 April 2018. Here is a chance to sign up new members, and perhaps encourage more volunteers to join local bushcare groups. Two free native plants will be offered to new members who join the MCCG at the stand.
MCCG members – PLANTS for the long weekend!!
Wondering how to fill in the daylight hours during the Easter long weekend?
The soil is beautifully moist and the weather is perfect – so how about planting some natives on your property?
Members can contact Bryan Hacker at [email protected] or phone 3374 1468 to arrange a time to pick up free plants from our Nursery!
Members making a difference
Our MCCG bushcare groups are simply inspirational !!
Members and volunteers alike just keep pitching in and – to their credit – delivering significant results!
These pictures provide evidence of the success which can be achieved with quiet tenacity and patience. They tell the story of how one team has nurtured the landscape around McKay Brook in the Mirbelia Street vicinity since 1999. Look at the habitat they have created:
Photo taken in 1999: 
Photo taken in 2000: 
Photo taken in 2003: 
This is testament that the future of our catchment is in good hands!
You can check our Facebook page to read about the latest achievements of the McKay Brook team in another area around Bozzato Place.
Is there any chance can you help? The McKay Brook team is a friendly crew led by Bryan Hacker, which gets together on the first Saturday and third Sunday of each month. Refreshments are provided. Their next working bee is Saturday afternoon 7 April.
We have bushcare groups who meet on weekends in other areas that may also suit you. Our Working Bee Calendar has all the details.
Photos courtesy of Bryan Hacker
Gotcha! Successful Cane Toad Collection Drive
Up to 30 people responded to our challenge to join our Cane Toad Collection night on 9 March.
The purpose of the event was to supply the University of Queensland Cane Toad Challenge Team with adult toads. The toxins from the toads are used to synthesise baits which are then used to trap tadpoles.
Our Facebook page has a report of the night’s activities.
And to learn more about this groundbreaking project, visit the UQ Research Project website.
Note: In conjunction with Brisbane City Council, the MCCG will continue its involvement in the project, so keep an eye on this website for further updates.
Nightlife in the Catchment
Brisbane folk tend to equate nightlife with The Valley but we have our own active scene happening every night right here in the Catchment!
Whilst most of us are asleep and the younger generation is partying, there is an amazing amount of nocturnal activity occurring right here around us.
Take a look at our latest Bush Bites article to learn more!
Red-necked Pademelon photographed at night with an infra-red camera (courtesy Ed Frazer)
Note: if you have any snippets of your own to share with us, please send an email to:
[email protected]
National Waterbug Blitz
Be part of Australia’s first nationwide citizen science waterway monitoring event!
If you value our waterways and eco-systems, here is a genuine opportunity to become involved in the assessment of the health of our waterways at a national level.
The National Waterbug Blitz, funded by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, is a month-long event to be held annually in October, commencing in 2018.
Every Spring, people across the nation will be encouraged to explore their local waterways and to identify the waterbugs living within them.
Waterbugs (or aquatic invertebrates) are small invertebrates such as dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, caddisflies, water striders and water beetles. Each type has a certain sensitivity to pollution or water quality changes, so measuring the type and number of waterbugs in a waterway can tell us how healthy the waterway is. The MCCG used waterbug surveys as part of its own creek health monitoring initiative from 2011-2016.
During the National Waterbug Blitz, surveys will be conducted throughout Australia in October and anyone can join in!
All that is required is a passion for the environment, a hand net, sorting tray, pipette and teaspoon!
Different levels of participation will be available, from 20 minutes to all day. The Blitz therefore caters for people with varying degrees of interest in our waterways, ecology, taxonomy and environmental monitoring.
Training workshops will be provided for volunteers and supporting info will be available on a national website (www.waterbugblitz.org.au) to be launched in April.
All findings will be recorded in a national database via The Waterbug App (available from September 2018) to provide a snapshot of waterway health across Australia.
Specific event details will become available closer to the Blitz launch date on World Rivers Day, Sunday 30 September 2018.
In the meantime, please view the flyer for detailed information:
National Waterbug Blitz – Introductory Factsheet – 2018
Additional Info
- General info about aquatic invertebrates is available on The Waterburg Company website.
- Melbourne Water has some very informative videos about waterbug surveys on You Tube.
- BCC provides Waterway Health and Assessment Training sessions throughout the year. See our Creek Monitoring Calendar for details.
World Rivers Day
Location: N/A
Type: Event
Organiser:
Contact: http://worldriversday.com/
Launch date for The National Waterbug Blitz
Harlequin Bugs: facts and photos
It is quite likely that you have come across some wonderfully colourful insects known as Mallotus Harlequin bugs in your property or backyard.
These little bugs often cluster together in large swarms, creating an eye-catching sight!
Our latest Bush Bites article is a collaborative effort between Geoff Monteith, a respected local entomologist, and talented wildlife photographers Prue Cooper-White and Ed Frazer.
Together they have created an interesting article about these intriguing little creatures, supported by some captivating photography.
Click here to learn and enjoy!
Photo courtesy of Prue Cooper-White
Red-necked pademelons are here – Ed Frazer
Which wallaby? Some time ago we published a Bush Bites article called “Which Wallaby?”
In that article, Ed Frazer shared photos of wallabies he has photographed around his property over the years.
Ed has shots of Swamp wallabies and Red-necked wallabies, but in the article he stated his belief that Pretty-faced wallabies and Red-necked pademelons also live in the catchment.
During evenings at home, Ed often hears a very distinctive single thump. This is the sound a pademelon makes when it is disturbed: it sends a warning to predators by thumping its hind feet.
Whilst Ed was certain that the little marsupial lives nearby, he had never been able to get a photo of the animal. They are particularly cautious, easily frightened and notoriously difficult to spot.
So he set up his Infra-red triggered camera and was fortunate enough to pick up the following shot:
Living proof!
You can see Ed’s original Bush Bites article here.
To learn more about the Red-necked pademelon, visit the Queensland Museum website or take a look at the Rootourism fact sheet.
Injured and Orphaned Native Wildlife Groups Meet and Greet
Location: THECA, 47 Fleming Rd, Chapel Hill
Type: Event
Organiser: THECA (The Hut Environmental & Community Association)
Contact: http://www.theca.asn.au/
Do you love native animals? Come and chat with wildlife carers from a number of groups at The Hut (47 Fleming Road Chapel Hill) on Sunday 25 March. You can ask questions, learn what to do with injured animals and find out about volunteering opportunities. For more info, click here.
