March - Calling all Citizen Scientists

Fassifern Field Naturalist Club Inc. AGM

17^th March at 6.30pm, Baptist Hall, Church St, Boonah  (cnr of Church and Macquarie Sts)             

Michelle Gleeson's book on insects

Guest Speaker Michelle Gleeson, Director of Bugs Ed. and author of Miniature Lives – identifying insects in your home and garden, will talk on how to recognise the different orders of insects found in our area, as well as the clues they leave behind. She will also bring along some display cases with amazing specimens to look at and some live local Australian insects.

Admission for members and non-members is $4, this includes supper.  

The formal part of the meeting will, as our custom, be short, and s will be followed by supper and socializing with time to view the interesting items and photos.

Outing Report - Purga Area, 17 February 2018

FFNC members on the boardwalk at Purga Nature Reserve

The picnic table behind gives an idea
of the scale of the Melaleuca irbyana

This was definitely a botanical outing. Our first stop was Purga Nature Reserve a conservation area for Swamp Tea-tree Melaleuca irbyana. It occurs naturally only in south-east Queensland, and is characterised by 8-12m high paper-bark thickets with an open canopy of eucalypts overhead. The very fine leaves spiral up the branches, and the seed capsules are miniscule. It makes you wonder how those seeds ever manage to germinate and grow a tree! Tick Orchids (Thumb-nail Orchid or Tongue Orchid) Dockrillia linguiformis were abundant. No flowers at this time of year but quite a discussion about how they manage to hang onto a tree with such loose bark. The undergrowth is mainly grasses - native and exotic, sedges and herbs with many pest weeds - Trailing Lantana Lantana montevidensis, Prickly Pear Opuntia spp., Narrow-leaf Cotton Bush, or Milkweed Gomphocarpus fruticosus, and Lantana Lantana camara to name a few. Also in the leaf litter we saw a few red fruits of the native Winter Apple, Eremophila debilis. 

Small dam at Harding's Paddock

Harding’s Paddock is another Ipswich City reserve and is 6km due east of the Purga reserve as the crow flies. We walked the Bush Tucker Trail which is a series of gardens with some of the local plants used by aboriginal people for medicine, weapons and tools, fibre, shelter, and food. There were self-explanatory signs. It was interesting to see the Rose Wattle or Rosewood (Acacia fasciculifera) which is native to eastern Queensland. It grows in dry scrubs like brigalow, and supposedly the township of Rosewood is named after it. Butterflies, cicadas, bugs, grasshoppers and Spangled Drongos kept everybody occupied with photography. At the end of the walk was a small dam with waterlilies including Water Snowflake (Nymphoides spp.) in full flower. We spent some time here trying to identify the many dragonflies.

Purga Nature Reserve, Birds: Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher, Rainbow Bee-eater, Noisy Friarbird, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Spangled Drongo, Torresian Crow, Mistletoebird. Butterflies: Orchard Swallowtail, Clearwing Swallowtail, Common Grass-yellow, Wanderer, Lesser Wanderer, Common Crow, Evening Brown, Grey Ringlet, Common Eggfly, Meadow Argus, Glasswing. Dragonflies: Blue Skimmer Dragonfly (♀ & ♂). Mammals: Eastern Grey Kangaroo. Spiders: Biting Jumping Spider (Opisthoncus mordax) - with ant prey.

Harding’s Paddock, Amphibians: Cane Toad - toadlets hopping around the dam. Birds: Australian Wood Duck, Bar-shouldered Dove, White-faced Heron, Masked Lapwing, Pale-headed Rosella, Laughing Kookaburra, Dollarbird, Superb Fairy-wren, Weebill, White-throated Gerygone, Striated Pardalote, Noisy Miner, Scarlet Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Cicadabird, Olive-backed Oriole, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Spangled Drongo, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Eastern Yellow Robin, Mistletoebird. Bugs: Hibiscus Harlequin Bug (Tectocoris diophthalmus), False Cotton Stainer (Aulacosternum nigrorubrum) – mating adults, and 5th instars, Eucalyptus Tip-wilter Bug (Amorbus alternatus). Butterflies: Orchard Swallowtail, Lemon Migrant, Common Grass-yellow, Small Grass-yellow, Wanderer, Lesser Wanderer, Blue Tiger, Common Eggfly, Glasswing. Dragonflies: Scarlet Percher (Diplacodes haematodes), Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum caledonicum), Graphic Flutterer (Rhyothemis graphiptera), Australian Tiger (Ictinogomphus australis), Common Glider (Trapezostigma loewii). Scats: Common Brushtail Possum, Koala. Spiders: Golden Orb Weaver (Nephila plumipes male & female). 

February Outing - Purga area

Meeting Place: Purga Nature Reserve, Middle Rd, Peak Crossing at 8.15 am for 8.30 am start.

Boardwalk at Purga Nature Reserve

Activities: This is an outing in two parts in the Purga district.
Part 1: We will start at Purga Nature Reserve where we will walk the tracks in this very different habitat for our area. FFNC last visited here in 2002. The Reserve is the largest protected area of endangered Swamp Tea-Tree forest in the world; just under 65 hectares. The self-guided walks should provide us with an opportunity to explore vegetation and view wildlife. There are a couple of picnic tables where we can congregate for morning tea at about 10-10.30 am.
Part 2: Then we go by car to Harding’s Paddock (directions below.) After walking the Chalk Circuit encompassing the picnic area and Bush Tucker gardens. This trail is flat and easily accessible for all levels of fitness. Along the trail we can learn about various bush tucker plants through interpretive signage from both Indigenous and European perspectives. Then we can meander by the horse yards and bush areas beside the campground. For those wanting something more rigorous there’s always the Gamlen Circuit or beyond, at Harding’s Paddock but your leader will not be with you!
We’ll have lunch about 1.30 pm.
There are toilets at both locations.

Level of Fitness: Purga Reserve & Harding’s Paddock - very easy graded tracks
What to bring: Cameras, binoculars, identification books, sunscreen & insect repellent. Plenty of water, morning tea and lunch, chairs and picnic tables.

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $2 per person participant fee.  

Directions: From the round-about on Coronation Drive, Boonah head to Peak Crossing. Take the turn at the Hotel into Flinders St and then immediately right into Peak Crossing Churchbank Weir Rd. Continue for about 2 km then turn right into Middle Rd. Purga Nature Reserve is on the right at 5 km.
We travel to Harding’s Paddock by continuing along Middle Rd and after 3 km turn right into Purga School Rd which we travel on for just over 3 km until we reach the junction with the Ipswich Boonah Rd. We turn right and after 300m turn left into Carmichaels Rd which is clearly marked Harding’s Paddock. The road into Harding’s Paddock is 5 km where we’ll meet up at the shelter shed in the campground after the picnic area, unless it’s occupied. If so we’ll rendezvous at the nearest shelter shed.

Outing Report - Cunningham's Gap, 20 January 2018

Being an early morning start, it was still misty in the valley. 

Early morning mist

Although the forecast was for a hot day a number of members turned up, including some we hadn't seen for a while. The first bird of interest was a Bassian Thrush scratching away in the Crest Car Park. Plenty of photos were taken.

We set off on the Rainforest Circuit which was very dry, however there was plenty for us to see: birds, pademelons, plants, lichens, butterflies, beetles, and caterpillars, and the view of course.

Lake Moogerah from the Fassifern Valley lookout

Black Bess Beetle - Passalidae sp. probably

Caterpillar of the Orchard Butterfly, Papilio aegeus

Unidentified caterpillar; possibly a moth
5 photos above by F. Shute

Eventually we returned to the car park and drove down to the West Gap Creek picnic area. Other Nats had joined us by this time, and while eating breakfast we were deafened by the Bellbirds (Bell Miners), and watched by Satin Bowerbirds from the overhead branches. This picnic area is a lovely glade in the forest, and the butterflies obviously enjoyed it too as they were fluttering here and there. Later some of the members ventured up the Box Forest Track to look at some flowering Christmas Orchids. 

Noisy Pitta on the Box Forest Track

Orange Tipped Pea Blue

Speckled Line Blue

Macleay’s Swallowtail
4 photos above by A. Podlich

Christmas Orchids, Calanthe triplicata,
at Cunningham's Gap

Closer view of Christmas Orchid,
Calanthe triplicata
Orchid photos by J & N Crepin

RAINFOREST CIRCUIT AREA, CUNNINGHAMS GAP 20.1.18

Birds (30 species): Brown Cuckoo Dove, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella, Noisy Pitta, Albert’s Lyrebird, White-throated Treecreeper, Red-browed Treecreeper, Green Catbird, Satin Bowerbird, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, White-browed Scrubwren, Large-billed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Australian Logrunner, Eastern Whipbird, Cicadabird,  Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Pied Currawong, Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow,  Black-faced Monarch, East. Yellow Robin, Silvereye, Bassian Thrush. 

Other Creatures: Antechinus sp., Red-necked Pademelon, Red-necked Wallaby, Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar, Beetle from the Family Passalidae.

WEST GAP PICNIC AREA & BOX FOREST TRACK, CUNNINGHAM'S GAP  20.1.18

Birds (28 species): Brown Cuckoo Dove, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo , Musk Lorikeet,  Little Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella, Noisy Pitta, Satin Bowerbird, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Striated Thornbill, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Bell Miner, Noisy Friarbird, Aust. Logrunner, Eastern Whipbird,  Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Olive-backed Oriel,  Pied Currawong, Spangled Drongo, Rufous Fantail, Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow, Black-faced Monarch, East. Yellow Robin.  

Butterflies (18 species): Speckled Line-Blue, Dingy Shield Skipper, Meadow Argus, Small Green Banded Blue, Lemon Migrant, Blue Triangle, Macleay Swallowtail, Brown Ringlet, Brown Ochre, Wanderer, Orange-Tipped Pea-Blue, Blue Tiger, Orchard Swallowtail, Common Grass-Yellow, Common Albatross, Common Grass-Blue, Glasswing, Common Crow.  

Other Creatures: Red-necked Pademelon, Goanna (Lace Monitor), Major Skink.

January Outing - Breakfast with the Birds, Cunningham's Gap, 20th January 2018

It is traditional for our club to have an early start to the January outing due to the hot, summer weather. This year we are changing our venue to a more shaded and cooler destination, so we are going to the higher, cooler area of Cunningham’s Gap! This will be our year to check the forest and rainforest birds instead of the water and field birds!

View from the lookout over the Fassifern Valley

Meet: at the Crest Car Park, Cunningham's Gap; 6 a.m. for a 6.30 a.m. walk start. Please be careful pulling into and exiting The Crest Car Park. If you can car pool, please do so. It will save on car parking spaces.

Activities: We will check the rainforest circuit first, then back to the car park. We should be finished this part of our walk by 8 am. For those not interested in bird watching it is an easy, pleasant walk and there should be plenty of fungi and flora to see in the rainforest at this time of year. We will then drive to the West Gap Creek picnic area, for a cuppa or breakfast if you so desire, and more bird watching here and along the track across the creek for some distance back towards the top. A big percentage of our walk should be in shade or part shade, so we will call a stop to this walk to return to our cars when we have had enough. We will be able to then cover a variety of habitat from rainforest, open area at the picnic tables, and eucalypt forest with understory along the lower track. (Toilet facilities available at both The Crest Car Park and the West Gap Creek Picnic Area.)

Bring: Breakfast, morning tea, snacks, hat, insect repellant, sunblock and water to carry on the walks. Although there are picnic tables it would be advisable to bring your chairs so you can seek the shade. For use along the way or at the break bring binocs, cameras and some identification books.

Upon arrival – Please sign the Attendance Book and pay your Excursion Fee of $2 per participant.

Directions: Drive west on the Cunningham Highway from Ipswich/Yamanto, etc., pass through Aratula township and head up the Range to the top, just past the crest is the Cunningham’s Gap Crest Car Park on the right. Again, please be careful pulling into and exiting both The Crest Car Park and the West Gap Creek Picnic Area.

Be aware: There could be ticks and leeches. 

December Social

December is always when we have our annual Christmas Party. Plenty of our members were able to make it, and it was a talkfest of reminiscences and catching up with friends not often seen. 

The entertainment was provided by the members with topics ranging from lesser known NSW national parks to the Black-necked Stork nest at Warrill View, and the ever popular 'candid camera'.

Happy New Year, everyone, and Happy Natting in 2018!

Outing Report - Frenches Creek Moths, 18 November 2017

Unfortunately, a torrential downpour cancelled the November outing. It will be postponed to a later date. Meanwhile a few stalwarts turned up, and enjoyed a late afternoon tea on the deck watching the White-winged Trillers, Double-barred Finches, Australian King Parrots, and Grey-crowned Babblers. 

Outing Report - Flinders Plum Reserve, September 2017

Report adapted from the October Newsletter.

The birdos all wanted a sighting 
of the White-eared Monarch

The Flinders Plum or Shiny-leaved Condoo (Planchonella eerwah) was presumed extinct for a large part of last century until its rediscovery at Ivory's Knob, southwest of Ipswich in 1980.

  
The Flinders Peak Conservation Estate has a major part of the population of these endangered trees.
 
Saturday was a beautiful spring day: warm with clear skies. Eighteen Fassifern Field Naturalists and four visitors gathered at the car park prepared to enjoy this easy return walk of 3.5 km along Sandy Creek.

We didn’t get very far before the birds took our attention in the flowering Bottlebrushes. As to be expected Scarlet and Brown Honeyeaters were in abundance along with other honeyeater species and nectar feeding birds. It was a slow walk along a very dry creek bed looking at trees, plants, flowers, insects and anything else that drew our attention, most noticeable were the majestic Hoop Pines dotted along the creek side, so glad these didn’t get logged in the early days. Silky Oaks were flowering, another haven for nectar feeding birds. Keith pointed out various trees along the way with special reference to the Small-leaved Tuckeroo and its tiny flowers.

A great find was the White-eared Monarch, not a bird often seen, and for some members this was a new sighting for them. The bird was very obliging and stayed still long enough for us to get good views as it flitted around the trees by the track. 

We finished our trip with lunch at the picnic grounds, which by the way, is surrounded by the Flinders Plum Tree. A good ending to a delightful outing. 

Species Lists 

Birds: 

Bar-shouldered Dove, Wonga Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Goshawk, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Australian King-Parrot, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Variegated Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, White-throated Gerygone, Brown Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Lewin's Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Eastern Whipbird, Varied Triller, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow, Leaden Flycatcher, White-eared Monarch, Eastern Yellow Robin, Tawny Grassbird, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Double-barred Finch, Red-browed Finch.

Butterflies: 

Clearwing Swallowtail, Common Grass-yellow, Scarlet Jezebel, Wanderer, Lesser Wanderer, Meadow Argus, Glasswing.

Mammals: 

Red-necked Wallaby.

Other Invertebrates: 

Variable Ladybird (Coelophora inaequalis), Meat Ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) and nest, Wasp - no common name (Ropalidia socialistica), Yellow Brown Paper Wasp (Ropalidia romandi), Spider Wasp (Pompilidae family).

Plants of Interest: 

Hairy Birds Eye (Alectryon tomentosus), Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), Broad-leaved Apple (Angophora subvelutina), Small-leaved Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis parvifolia), Deciduous Fig (Ficus superba var. henneana), Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta), Native Frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum), Foambark (Jagera pseudorhus), Swamp Box (Lophostemon suaveolens), White Cedar (Melia azedarach), Emu Apple (Owenia acidula), Shiny-leaved Condoo or Flinder’s Plum (Planchonella eerwah), Brush Teak (Toechima tenax).

November Outing - Moths at Frenches Creek

This outing is on private property so if you are not a member and wish to participate please contact us by email (see left-hand margin.)

We may see moths that look like blankets
 - Epicoma zelotes ...

This is a late afternoon/evening outing, and we will meet at the property at 3 pm.

This is where we will have our evening meal so bring lots of food and drink (you might want tea/coffee as well). If you're refined - a table and chairs,  

insect repellent for the mosquitoes, binoculars for the day, and magnifying glasses (or loupes) and small lights for the evening.

Activities include an afternoon walk to check for birds and butterflies (and set up the white sheet and spot lights). Then dinner. Then when it gets dark we will start the lights going and see what pops up on the sheet. 

Wes Jenkinson from Beaudesert is a moth genius and will be helping us to identify the little dears. Some will be held for detailed identification at a later stage. We expect to finish around 8:30 pm.

Did you know that there are 3 twilights! On the night in question – Civil Twilight starts = 6:20pm, Nautical Twilight = 6:45pm, Astro Twilight = 7:15pm, and finally night at 7:47pm. (Ed: Duh!!)

... moths with weird patterns -
Green Blotched Moth, Cosmodes elegans ...

... moths in ball gowns - Problepsis sancta ...

... and some that hide their true colours -
Convolvulus Hawk Moth Agrius convolvuli

October Camp Report - ‘Bindarrabi’, Koreelah

Report adapted from the November newsletter.

Purple Beard Orchid
Calochilus robertsonii

With a forecast of threatening rain and storms for the scheduled camp weekend it didn't look good, and numbers at the camp were minimal. Fortunately, some members set up camp early on Friday when the weather was just great, and were able to put in a full day of walking to a number of areas on this property which has such varying habitats as open eucalypt forest, rainforest, heath, mountain streams flowing gently and cascading over rock slabs, and great viewing spots to look over the spectacular Koreelah Gorge. 

On Saturday the campers were joined by a couple of other members on a day visit. Each habitat had its own unique flora to admire. 

On the moist, sheltered banks, the pale pink flowers of Dendrobium kingianum glowed against its dark green foliage and the many varieties of fern looked lush and healthy in the overcast conditions.

In the grassy areas beside tracks groups of the bright yellow flower spikes of Goodenia bellidifolia waved gently in the breeze while the more prostrate Goodenia rotundifolia and the tiny flowers of two of the native violets, Viola hederacea and Viola betonicifolia, caught our eye underfoot. The highlight of our flora finds was the many Purple Beard Orchids Calochilus robertsonii we found scattered throughout open grassy areas. 

Viola betonicifolia

While carefully meandering along the rock slabs of Trough Creek we observed the tiny Tangle Orchids, 
Plectorrhiza tridentata, with their clusters of minute flowers, dangling by a thread from overhanging branches
and gently moving in the air currents. Impossible to photograph! 

The stark white papery flowers of a Helichrysum grew in the moist fertile soils along the banks while more kingianums clung to the rocky sides above the water levels.

In the heathy areas on the high rocky banks of the gorge Leptospernum polygalifolium was still in flower together with the Sticky Hop Bush. 

Springside, where the vegetation provided cover, the Tusked Frog, Adelotus brevis repeated his ‘tok, tok’ call. The large clumps of water cress at the stream crossing
tempted a couple of us to try out the peppery taste of this delicacy.

Nature's Totem Art

Once again, as on a previous camp some two years ago, the ‘totem art’ created under bark by an insect on a tree trunk, caught our eye. Some members, with more imagination than others, could make out eagles and other animals in the art. No! – tea, coffee and water were the main beverages consumed!

Unfortunately, with rain setting in late Saturday and continuing all night Saturday night and with further rain and storms predicted, we all decided to pack up and head home via Woodenbong and the Mt
Lindesay Highway – a bit longer but better than the freshly graded soil road through White Swamp.

Despite the early departure, it was a most enjoyable two days with lots of relatively easy walks and plenty to take our interest.

We managed to build up a respectable bird count in the day and a half of fine weather – 64 species. A small number of butterflies were also identified – 7 species.

Species List: compiled from members’ sightings.

Birds: Brown Quail, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Collared Sparrowhawk, Grey Goshawk, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Nankeen Kestrel, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet, Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Pheasant Coucal, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, Southern Boobook, Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher, Dollarbird, Noisy Pitta, White-throatedTreecreeper, Green Catbird, Satin Bowerbird, Superb Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Large billed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, White-throated Gerygone, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Bell Miner, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, Scarlet Honeyeater, White-throated honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Eastern Whipbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-winged Triller, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Australasian Figbird, Olive-backed Oriole, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Leaden Flycatcher, Restless Flycatcher, Black-faced Monarch, Eastern Yellow Robin, Tawny Grassbird, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Red-browed Finch.Butterflies: Orchard Swallowtail, Common Brown, Brown Ringlet, Wanderer, Common Grass Blue, Ringed Xenica, Greenish Grass DartOthers: Red-bellied Black Snake, Lace Monitor (Goanna), Red-necked Wallaby.