South East Queensland No Room at The
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South East Queensland OCTOBER 2015 Volume 9 Number 4 Newsletter of the Land for Wildlife Program South East Queensland ISSN 1835-3851 CONTENTS 1 No Room at the Inn 2 Editorial and Contacts 3 Fauna Vignette Nesting Willie Wagtails 4-5 Fauna Discoveries Lucky Luke Uncovers a New Potoroo Population 6 Fauna Research An Unsavoury Task Helps Potoroo Researchers 7 Fauna Profile Thank goodness for nest boxes. This one is in demand from both Links between Fungi, a Rainbow Lorikeet and Sugar Glider. Photo by Vic Weaver. Long-nosed Potoroo and Ecosystem Health No Room at the Inn 8-9 Property Profile Into the Forest hen I bought our property in 1975 it I try to prioritise my weed control efforts Wwas mainly a kikuyu paddock. Back and I use selective herbicides to target 10-11 Fauna Profile then, Witta was a rural area of dairy and specific weeds. We are always learning and The Queensland Bush beef cattle properties. Initially we ran beef just keep going. Stone-curlew cattle and then planted about 300 avocado trees. We built our home in 1981. We joined Land for Wildlife back in 2009 12 My Little Corner and have installed 15 nest boxes on our Eventually, as most of the avocado trees property, thanks to the Sunshine Coast Who is Nesting Where? started to die out due to root rot and as Council incentives program. The nest boxes 13 Book Reviews I was cutting them out, I started to plant are made and installed by Hollow Log native trees. Over time these areas of Homes, so we just sit back and observe the 14 Flora Focus native trees have become well established wildlife moving in. Possums, of course, get Ancient Eucalypt Discovered and our property has become home to into the boxes, as do parrots, lorikeets and in South America lots of little critters such as wallabies and other critters. We have lots of wonderful forest pigeons. We like to keep some areas birds now, especially since the native trees 15 Property Profile of grass to let the sunlight in otherwise we have matured. We are at the stage that Quinnie’s story of habitat would be living in a dark, damp rainforest. we see birds such as drongos and fantails coming back each year to nest. restoration on Oakey Creek As well as rural acreage properties, Witta now has subdivisions of residential sized There is always something to look out for 16 Philosophy with Phil blocks. The changes in land usage has in nature, and my interest in photography Wattle Homes resulted in a vastly changed environment has encouraged me to keep an eye out for with residents creating their own wildlife interesting bird behaviour, as shown in this habitats. Unfortunately the number and photograph above. Published by SEQ Catchments through variety of weeds has also increased. Birds funding from the Australian Government’s have also increased, benefiting from this Article by Vic Weaver National Landcare Programme new food source. They are unfortunately Land for Wildlife member good distributors of weeds too. Witta, Sunshine Coast Land for Wildlife Officers editorial South East Queensland Brisbane City Council ompared to many other nations, of Land for Wildlife Officers combined All enquiries, 3403 8888 CAustralia is the clichéd ‘lucky country’. with enthusiasm of Land for Wildlife Peter Hayes Catherine Madden A friend recently returned from Mexico landholders, this truly is a good news story. Cody Hochen Scott Sumner where her family work a standard 12 We now have researchers, governments Tony Mlynarik Amanda Maggs hour day only to rest during their one and landholders working together to week’s annual leave. I have just returned protect a fungi-eating, lightning bolt of Gold Coast City Council from a four weeks paid annual leave. fur that few Australians will ever see – the Lexie Webster, 5582 8344 Lucky. Australia still leaves much room threatened Long-nosed Potoroo. Saul Hondow, 5582 8896 for improvement in certain areas, but it is Todd Burrows, 5582 9128 always better to focus on one’s blessings. To celebrate spring, Land for Wildlife members have shared their nesting Ipswich City Council My leave turned into a combined tales, whether they be Willie Wagtails on Stephani Grove, 3810 7173 staycation, road trip out west and day clotheslines, Bush Stone-curlews under trips around SEQ, mostly in pursuit of houses or lorikeets in nesting boxes, there Lockyer Valley Regional Council bird species that are not yet on my ‘list’. I is always something enjoyable about Kaori van Baalen, 5462 0376 ticked the Painted Honeyeater in a patch of watching nature in action. Logan City Council roadside Brigalow near Goondiwindi; such Nicole Walters, 3412 4859 is the plight of our declining woodland On a final note, I would like to pay tribute Peter Copping, 3412 5321 birds, hanging on to bits of habitat among to Darryl Larsen, who after 17 years of Rachel Booth, 3412 4821 fields of wheat and cotton. service to private land conservation in SEQ, has retired and will re-focus his passion Then I was off to Lamington National Park for conservation towards hands-on bush Moreton Bay Regional Council with friend and Land for Wildlife colleague, regeneration activities. In effect, he has Ainslie Wyer, 5433 2288 Todd Burrows, in pursuit of the elusive swapped an office for his local creek and Zoe Samson, 5433 2244 Rufous Scrub-bird. It is not signposted, but his computer for a restoration tool kit. The at Lamington you enter the largest patch January edition will profile Darryl’s career Noosa Council of subtropical rainforest on Earth. Just and his unique perspective on the rise of Conor Neville, 5329 6287 under two hours’ drive from my home. And the private land conservation sector. Aren’t not only did I see the scrub-bird, I even got we lucky to have such a sector in SEQ? Redland City Council a blurry photo of it. Talk about lucky. Maree Manby, 3820 1106 As always, thanks to all contributors and I The luck continues in this edition with the welcome your feedback or comments. Scenic Rim Regional Council story of Luke, an orphaned Long-nosed Keith McCosh, 5540 5436 Potoroo, who triggered the discovery of a Deborah Metters Somerset Region previously-unknown potoroo population Land for Wildlife Darren McPherson, 5424 4000 on the Blackall Range. Through the tenacity Regional Coordinator SEQ Catchments Sunshine Coast Council Alan Wynn, 5439 6477 Danielle Crawford, 5475 7339 Landholder Registrations, Land for Wildlife SEQ - 1/9/2015 Dave Burrows, 5475 7345 Marc Russell, 5475 7345 Registered Working Towards Total Area under Kenneth McClymont, 5439 6433 Total Area Retained Properties Registration Restoration Stephanie Reif, 5475 7395 3129 840 58,204 ha 5,945 ha Qld Murray-Darling Region Toowoomba, Crows Nest and Forward all contributions to: Print run - 4795 western regions Back copies from 2007 - 2015 Sandy Robertson, Qld Murray-Darling The Editor available for download from Committee, 4637 6228 Land for Wildlife Newsletter www.lfwseq.org.au SEQ Catchments Back copies from 1998 - 2006 Burnett Mary Region PO Box 13204 available upon request to the Editor. Gympie, Fraser Coast, George Street QLD 4003 ISSN 1835-3851 07 3211 4404 North & South Burnett, Land for Wildlife is a voluntary program that [email protected] Bundaberg and Baffle Creek encourages and assists landholders to provide Burnett Mary Regional Group, 4181 2999 habitat for wildlife on their properties. Land for Wildlife South East Queensland lfwseq.org.au is a quarterly publication distributed facebook.com/lfwseq free of charge to members of the Land for Wildlife program in South East Queensland. 2 Land for Wildlife South East Queensland October 2015 fauna vignette Nesting Willie Wagtail Calendar 2013 NOV 20 DEC 11 DEC 15 DEC 17 Willie Wagtails find that my Three open mouths and First flight. Once they left the clothesline makes a good Getting squishy. dinner’s arrived. nest, they never returned to it. place for a nest. 2014 A sad discovery. We think OCT OCT they probably upended it OCT 6 13 themselves by accident. 28 Firstly, there was very little headroom for the sitting bird. They could have knocked it over squeezing under the bar above as they came and went. Secondly, the ‘branch’ is a smooth gloss finish and their best efforts of sticking their Another nest started being nest to it probably weren’t built, this time on a safer part good enough. This year’s nest is on another of the clothesline. Two days part of the clothesline. All eggs were broken. later it was finished. DEC 1 DEC 2 The last chick has gone. The nest just lasted the distance. I don’t think they’ll be getting their bond back though! It’s been a delight to see the parents teaching the chicks how to find food, how to bathe in the pool, and for us to watch Adult Willie Wagtails photos their wobbly flying as they by Todd Burrows. The first two chicks left the strengthen their wing muscles. nest just after this photo was Article by Louella Harley taken. The third chick left the Land for Wildlife member next day. Belmont, Brisbane Land for Wildlife South East Queensland October 2015 3 fauna discoveries Lucky Luke Uncovers a New Potoroo Population few years ago I heard on the native Listed under Commonwealth legislation as was a very exciting find indeed. For me, A grapevine that a Long-nosed Potoroo vulnerable to extinction, the Long-nosed the questions raised by Luke’s discovery (Potorous tridactylus) had been taken Potoroo is known to live in a wide variety were many.