… 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.

Just a friendly reminder to all members that your annual 2018-19 membership fees are due for renewal in November.

The fee is $20 per person.

Please download the application form if you wish to email or post your renewal:

2020 A5 Membership Renewal

Alternatively you can transfer your renewal directly to our bank account as follows:

We would like to request that you opt for electronic copies (rather than posted copies) of your newsletter.  To do this, please send Dale an email at: [email protected]

Thank you so much!  

Every membership is important. We value your ongoing contributions and support.

Not a member? There’s plenty of benefits and it’s easy to join! Click here to learn more!

We have an exciting opportunity for one of our members  to join the MCCG Committee.

Unfortunately, Sanja Oldridge has to relinquish the role of Secretary very shortly for personal reasons. We are therefore seeking a volunteer to take over the position of Secretary, at least until the AGM in November and ideally longer-term.

Duties include attending and taking minutes at our monthly Committee Meetings (currently on the fourth Thursday morning of each month) and circulating notices to the Committee and the wider membership via email. 

Some proficiency in using email and word processing (in MS Word) is a requirement of the position. 

Sanja has offered to provide an induction and support for anyone wishing to take on the role. Overall time demands average around half a day per week.

Please contact Jim Pope on 3374 4181or via email at [email protected] if you are interested in this fulfilling role. 

Please also feel free to spread the word to anyone else who you think might be interested.

Some of you may have noticed the creation of trail bike tracks in Tuckett/Huntington parks by kids. Initially they simply dug obstacles in the grassed area opposite Boyd Terrace.

We believe a neighbour reported this to Council who levelled it out, but the area is still bare of grass. 

The culprits then seem to have moved to Tuckett St. Park where they are using part of the steep creek bank near the old trailer. 

They have destroyed several quite mature native trees that we planted several years ago on the upper banks by pulling them down and snapping the trunks. They have also caused considerable erosion to the bank.

The damage has been reported to the Council (11 September). They will send someone out to inspect it as a matter of urgency.

If anyone living in the area or passing by sees the culprits, PLEASE phone the Council hotline on 3403 8888.

These pictures tell a story of crude destruction:

Note: we have also noticed a number of trees cut down near the Western end of Creekside Park, close to where we did our July working bee. There is a point there where people have placed logs across the creek, but the track is now partially blocked by the fallen trees. Does anyone know anything about this? If so, please contact our Chairman, Jim Pope, or send an email to the MCCG Secretary at:  [email protected]

The tiny White-browed Scrubwren is only 12cm long. Yet  the male bird exhibits some remarkable behaviour when it comes to reproduction.

The White-browed Scrubwren is a cooperative breeder, with the male birds sharing reproduction rights based upon their paternity. 

Jim Butler’s latest issue of Feather Fascination explains the concept of Reproductive Skew Theory. This dictates how the male birds assume their place in the group’s hierachy and it also determines their mating frequency. 

Click here to learn more! 

Image courtesy of Ed Frazer