News

CWCN Holiday Activities Coming Up

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Cubberla-Witton Catchments Network Holiday Activities
 
The summer holidays are heading our way…. What an ideal time to be creative and to get close to nature. CWCN again offers several fun-filled events for children to choose from. We are looking forward to seeing an enthusiastic young crowd at all events. 
 
Tuesday, 12th January 2021 – Let’s go batty!
Have you ever seen or heard a microbat? They are much smaller than Flying Foxes and they may fit into the palm of a hand. They find their food (invertebrates) by sending out calls and listening to the sound bouncing back to them. They fly at night. Let’s learn about them with games and by going on a bat walk with special devices which allow us to listen to the calls and even visualize them on a small screen. 
When:   4:30pm to 7:30pm 
Where: CWCN Centre, 47 Hepworth St, Chapel Hill
Who:     Primary school age (and your family may want to join the walk)
Fee:       $15 ($10 for members)
 
Thursday, 14th January 2021 – Butterflies galore!
Did you know that Brisbane has close to 160 butterflies? What is special about these insects? Why are they not only pretty but also important in our environment?  Let’s have a closer look at all their life stages, see where they fit into pollination, and what role they play in the food chain? We’ll use microscopes to investigate their bodies including their tiny scales, check out host plants, and participate in Brisbane’s Big Butterfly Count in the surrounding parklands. 
When:   9:30am – 12:00pm
Where: CWCN Centre, 47 Hepworth St, Chapel Hill
Who:     Primary school age
Fee:       $15 ($10 for members)
 
Tuesday, 19th January 2021 – Building terrariums and bee hotels
You will build your own little habitat in a glass jar and work to provide accommodation for native bees and other insects. Of course, you take home your work results and observe what happens inside both your creations. These are great hands-on activities using different materials and tools, all done while having fun and learning about the environment. 
When:   9:30am to 12:00pm
Where: CWCN Centre, 47 Hepworth St, Chapel Hill
Who:     Prep to primary school age
Fee:       $15 ($10 for members)
 
Thursday, 21st January 2021 – All about water and the critters in it
All life depends on water, that applies to us and all plants and animals. So let’s check out what one little creek does for us, how it stays clean, what threatens its health, and what is able to live in it. We experience hands-on how pollution comes about using a catchment game. We measure the water quality and catch and have a close look at the critters in our creeks. Yes, we may get wet while doing so. Therefore, don’t wear your best outfit and wear gumboots or shoes which don’t mind getting wet. This is a great and fun-filled activity. 
When:   9:30am to 12:00pm
Where: Moore Park, off Russell Tce, Indooroopilly, near little wooden bridge.
Who:     Primary school age
Fee:       $15 ($10 members)
 
All activities are supervised by Blue Card carrying volunteers who will also make sure that COVID 19 regulations are being followed. A flyer with information and the registration form can be accessed www.cwcn.org.au. If you have any questions, please ring Jutta on 0407 583 441. 
 
To access a flyer with the registration form, please click here: http://cwcn.org.au/images/CWCN_School_Hol._Flyer_summer_2020-2021_PDF_final.pdf. 

Meet Colin the Sparrowhawk

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In Ed Frazer’s latest Bush Bites, Colin the Sparrowhawk was saved from certain death.  Ed muses the implications of interfering in the balance of nature and shares the adventures of a new friend.

Meet Colin the Sparrowhawk here

Colin in the Hacking cage 21/11/2019 Photo – Ed Frazer

The Summer Newsletter is out now!

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Summer is here and isn’t it HOT already but not as hot as our latest newsletter!

As always it is packed full of the recent MCCG events such as the annual Photography Competition with an event ‘snap shot’ and also some ‘behind the photo’ tidbits of some of the winners.  Check out who is now First Aid trained and read all about the Creek Health Monitoring Program.

The local fauna and flora is fully covered with information on Powerful Owls, boxing Wallabies, Platypus, Frogs and ‘Collared Colin’. Lomandras, Butterfly Vines and weedy Taro are also featured.

Find out why Yvonne Quinlan volunteers and how you can too.  And if you have always wanted to go for a walk in the park with Malcom Frost – now is your chance!

As usual there is the Chairman’s Report and this newsletter has the AGM wrap up.

Grab a cold drink, sit back and enjoy the latest MCCG Newsletter.

Feather Fascination – The Final One!

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It is with huge appreciation and a tinge of sadness that the final Feather Fascination is published on the website and in The Local Bulletin.  Jim Butler’s incredible contribution to increasing awareness and love of our local birds and their antics has been widely enjoyed in the community for 8 years. His knowledge is unrivalled and his time spent volunteering these articles will be greatly missed.

Thank you Jim!

Please enjoy this Feather Fascination

Here is a link to read all of Jim Butler’s Feather Fascination articles.

MCCG will be filling the gap left by Jim with a variety of writers contributing to the new  ‘Wildlife Matters’ column in The Local Bulletin and also on our website.  Stay tuned for the first article in January 2021!

Know Your Wildlife!

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Test your skills each month with  Jim Butler’s Wildlife Identification Quiz!

You’ll find Know Your Wildlife towards the back of every month’s The Local Bulletin.

We will provide the answers to each quiz right here in the first week of every month!

So, do you have your answers ready for the December quiz?  The correct answers are:

The three birds are:
1. Wonga Pigeon
2. Brown Thornbill
3. Pheasant Coucal
The answer: Which birds has come through our back yard for 44 years IS: Pheasant Coucal.

ps: If you need some help, we’d recommend searching our digital field guides! Open them from the side menu:

These alphabetical lists provide a wealth of local information about wildlife. They feature thumb-nail images which expand to a larger view when you click upon them.

Keep an eye out for next month’s quiz!

MCCG AGM 7:30pm Thursday, 26th November 2020

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The AGM for the Moggill Creek Catchment Group will be held at 7:30pm on Thursday
28th November at the Brookfield Hall.  Our guest speaker will be aquatic ecologist, Dr
Timothy Howell.

Tim is an aquatic ecologist whose childhood interests in freshwater ecology continued
through to his professional career. He holds a degree with honours in Aquatic Science
and a PhD (research) in fish ecology and river rehabilitation. While writing up his PhD
thesis Tim lived in Kenmore and spent much of his spare time poking around in Moggill
Creek. In 2010 he worked with members of the Moggill Creek Catchment Group to
develop the initial sampling protocols for the Creek Health Monitoring Program (CHMP).
Tim was involved in the initial surveys and continued to provide data analysis support
for several years after moving to the Sunshine Coast in 2012.

In recent years Tim has continued to undertake aquatic ecology assessments across
Queensland, including managing and leading an extensive annual fish sampling
program across the Brisbane region. He has also undertaken detailed assessments of
fish assemblages in several catchments within the Brisbane region, including such an
assessment within the Moggill Creek catchment in 2017.

This presentation will provide an overview of fish assemblages in Moggill Creek
covering:
– Native, translocated and introduced pest species recorded in recent times
– Species that appear to have become locally extinct
– Species which may be recorded in the foreseeable future
– Variability in life histories
– Spatial variability in assemblage composition
– The value of long-term monitoring programs (such as the CHMP)

Renewal and Committee Nomination Forms
Open the Membership Renewal Form for 2021 here and Nomination Form for
Committee positions by clicking here.

Fish Survey Training Nov 15th (CHMP)

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Recently MCCG obtained funding from the State Government under the Queensland Citizen Science Grants for a program to re-activate our Creek Health Monitoring Program (CHMP), with a particular emphasis on community involvement. The project is led by Adrian Webb and Lewis Peach and aims to survey at least 6 primary sites in the Moggill Creek catchment, (including Moggill, Gold and Savages Creeks) over a period of 3 years. Surveys will be carried out twice a year at each site and will comprise four elements: 1. Water Quality Monitoring, 2. Fish and 3. Macro-invertebrate Surveys and 4. Assessment of structure and composition of the creek bed, bank and riparian zone at each site (including invasive weeds).

The first major event of the program was a Fish Survey Training session on Sunday 15th November, led by Leo Lee from ‘Save Our Waterways Now’ (SOWN), who is an expert on native fish in the greater Brisbane area. The training was held in Gold Creek just inside the Gold Creek Dam site and was attended by 18 enthusiastic volunteers. It was a very hot day, so all of us were happy to get into the creek, although care was taken to disturb the water and the creek bed as little as possible. We learned how to catch fish, both with box net fish traps and with dip nets and to identify some of the more common species, both native and introduced. (All native fish caught were returned to the creek). The event was somewhat hampered by the fact that there was no electrical power to The Cottage due to a fallen tree, which meant that we had no refrigeration, but fortunately Leo had brought a petrol generator, so he was able to conclude the training by showing us some very interesting video clips to reinforce the practical training. Leo is a mine of information and anecdotes about the fish of Moggill and surrounding creeks, so an interesting and entertaining time was had by all, despite the rather oppressive heat.

More information about the Creek Health Monitoring Project

If you would like to become involved in the CHMP, please contact me at: [email protected]

Jim Pope

Jim Pope setting a fish trap (photo: Tracey Read)

Practising with a fish net. (photo: Tracey Read)

Fish ID – Native/non-native (photo: Tracey Read)

Leo Lee presenting at the cottage (photo: Jim Pope)

First Aid Training for MCCG Volunteers

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Twelve volunteers recently attended a First Aid training course run specifically for MCCG by St John’s Ambulance and held in Brookfield Hall. The training was organised by Sam Bayford-Brown and funded by Brisbane City Council. It included Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training as well as basic first aid. It was attended by volunteers from our Native Plant Nursery and bushcare groups, as well as several Habitat Brisbane group leaders and MCCG Committee Members. John, the trainer from St John’s Ambulance, did an excellent job under somewhat trying conditions, (it was a very hot day and there is no air-conditioning in Brookfield Hall). John also had to compete with a thunderstorm in the afternoon and numerous police ambulance sirens, which made the experience somewhat surreal, but perhaps emphasised that accidents can occur at anytime and it is best to be prepared!

Many thanks to Sam for cajoling so many of us into updating our first aid training and to Donna Edwards and Simon Fox from Brisbane City Council (Community Conservation Partnerships/Habitat Brisbane) for supporting the initiative.

Attendees at First Aid Training in Brookfield Hall

 

2020 Photography Competition Winners

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The 2020 MCCG Photography Competition successfully concluded with a fabulous selection of photographs wowing the public at Kenmore Village recently.  See all the category winners here.

Thank you to all the volunteers, contributors, supporters and sponsors for making this annual event such a success!

Water Dragon by William McConaghy