OUTING REPORT: Sunday 07 APRIL: Oakey, Arthur Shooter Park, and Dr Donaldson’s project to replant koala food Eucalypt species.

On a beautiful mid-Autumn day, about 26°C and basically still, 22 Nats assembled at Arthur Shooter Park, with the Weir full but no longer visibly overflowing, though the pool below remained full too. Some decided to remain at the Weir, with its shaded amphitheatre and nearby picnic table – with all the activity around that wonderful old habitat tree. Different sized hollows at varying elevations attracted lorikeets to lower sites while galahs, etc., occupied higher, larger hollows. Heron species and the Royal Spoonbill worked the overflow pool, until the arrival of our numbers would have intimidated them.

The rest of us had about 1¼ hours to do our creek-side walk upstream and into the entrance area of Dr Donald-son’s house-block. Some of this was replantings (recent and long ago), but on Dr Donaldson’s land there was a small, original stand of bimble box (E. populnea) which we assumed was pretty much in its natural state.

On our way back, Janelle (a prospective new F.N. member) directed us to Musk Lorikeets actively feeding in a Mugga Ironbark (E. sideroxylon) whose lower branches were conveniently in good pink flower – most pleasing to our photographers. This was one of the top moments in our day.

Our morning-tea was at 10.15am perched around that habitat tree. We then moved nearby to meet our hosts for the day, scheduled for 11.00am. This was at a house on Dr Donaldson’s land, beside the disused abattoir. This land was formerly “Hamlyn’s holding paddock”, Hamlyns being the butchers in Oakey in earlier times.   

Our venue is now the HQ for the Oakey Urban Landcare Group, where we were addressed, in comfort, by Trevor Cockburn, co-ordinator for 25 years of this group, and by Dr Eric Donaldson, who is keen for this large area on the N-E outskirts of Oakey to be revegetated in order for koalas to be drawn back to the town periphery.

Trevor spoke on several themes of interest to our Club:

-          ***his junior membership of TFNC, starting in 1962 and costing 75 cents for annual membership! Postage then was probably 4 cents (5 pence);

-          ***he recalled that part of each outing was to record plant identifications and to assess whether rare or plentiful;

-         *** his childhood growing up on Brookvale Park near Jondaryan (established by his father, Lance, in the 1950s) and having to spend time each morning locating where the resident koalas were, for the convenience of the tourists/patrons;

-          ***his father’s participation in 1969 of the first expedition, east to west, across the middle of Australia (Cape Byron to Steep Point). This encountered the 1100+ sand dunes which had to be negotiated by going up the steep east-faces, shaped by the Westerly winds. (I was part of the audience that packed St. Stephen’s Hall to hear of such a modern adventure by this party of six naturalist expeditioners. One other of this party was Malcolm Wilson, ornithologist, of Dalby, and a long-time early member of TFNC, and who joined us on our Lake Broadwater outing in 2017.);

-          ***his Landcare Group’s first project of creek enhancement in town, which also focused on koala habitat, with 60 species of food tree plantings, and other species as “rest trees”. Wilgas are a favourite, with their denser canopies for hot days.

Koala Project - 300 seedlings (photo: Lauren Marlatt)

Dr Donaldson started by telling us of his first night in Oakey when his children were little, when all of the family were concerned over the growling and carry-on by the koalas just outside. He then gave us details of his new project and his vision for the future. In October 2018, there was a planting of 300+ trees, into five main rip lines – by Trevor’s group of Landcare volunteers.

 While some seedlings were sunburnt during our rainless Summer months (they were watered almost weekly), there was a very high rate of survival. There will be further plantings to establish corridors to the north, towards the Army Aviation Base, which was formerly a koala stronghold, and to the south to join up with the creek line (Shooter Park).

Prior to this project, there were only a few residual bimble box in this low-lying location. The recent plantings were of eight species of eucalypts at 40 of each. These include: E. moluccana - Grey Box, E. sideroxylon - Mugga Ironbark, E. camaldulensis - River Red Gum, E. blakeleyii - Blakeley’s Gum, E. nicholii - Willow peppermint, E. tereticornis - Forest Red Gum, plus two others. Holes had been dug into the rip lines, with water crystals slurried in, a week prior to planting.

All of this is to be surrounded by pest-proof fencing in the future. Obviously, the greatest threat to koala popul-ations is habitat loss to development and closer human settlement. Specifically, losses are caused by road kills, attacks by dogs and ferals, and by disease. (Chlamydia is present in koalas naturally but is exacerbated by stresses of habitat disturbance.)

Our walk around the site, with Trevor and Dr Donaldson, was edifying, giving us chances to speak with them in smaller groups. Also, despite it being the middle of the day, it gave me my second bird-watching moment of the day. A Royal Spoonbill glided in, landing in the residual swampy water-body, newly occurring since the recent rains. What I hadn’t seen was that there was a Yellow Spoonbill already in situ. These two gradually drifted together, then walked/worked together one metre apart for some time. Either this was a “star-crossed lovers”, Romeo and Juliet situation being acted out before us, or there was a mutual benefit in sweeping the still waters together to stir up their menu species. Eventually, the Royal Spoonbill took its leave, allowing the Yellow Spoonbill to resume its sole proprietorship of the pond.

I would like to thank Dr Donaldson for giving us such free access to his property and for his so commendable ambition to bring his land back to its former status as prime koala habitat. Also, our thanks to Trevor Cockburn and Betty Richter, of Oakey Urban Landcare, for the work done in setting up the venue, the Landcare boards and other naturalist displays for our convenience, let alone the sandwiches, biscuits, tea and coffee on offer. All so much appreciated.

I feel sure that our Club will appreciate further contact with this project as it evolves over ensuing years. A small number of our group trekked back to the Rotary Park in Oakey in order to have a closer look at Trevor’s project of creek enhancement in town. Also of note is that in the week prior to our outing, Dr Donaldson became the first person in Australia to receive Federal Government compensation for the escape of PFAS chemicals from Defence bases onto private land.

Leaf beetle (Paropsisterna octomaculata) Photo: Jean Gundry

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (photo: Jean Gundry)

Musk Lorikeet in pink-flowering Mugga Ironbark in Arthur Shooter Park (Photo: Jean Gundry)

Bird report and list from outing to Oakey habitats 07 April 2019 ( Compiled by Jan Veacock)

We started at Rotary Park, where we obtained an excellent view of the creek with water in it! The Oakey Urban Land Care group has done a lot of work in this park. Several species of birds were seen here, and the lorikeets were very vocal.

We then moved to the other side of the town to the weir where there was a magnificent habitat tree with lots of holes being inspected by Galahs, Corellas, Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets. Pale-headed Rosellas flew from the vicinity as we arrived, but the calls of the cockatoos and the various lorikeets continued most of the time we were there. Morning tea was had here after members had walked along the path beside the weir and the creek flowing in to it. A Royal Spoonbill waded through the shallow water moving its bill to and fro and was rewarded with quite a lot of food. There was numerous Wood Duck, and both White-faced and White-necked Herons were seen at the weir site.

The highlight of the morning was excellent views of Musk Lorikeets and Jean Gundry took a beautiful photograph of one.

After arriving at the Land Care’s building and listening to what the group is doing to bring koalas back to Oakey, members went for a walk to the area being planted with eucalyptus trees. Here a Yellow-billed Spoonbill and a Royal Spoonbill were sighted. After lunch, most members left after a satisfying outing, and some may have returned to Rotary Park. Twenty-nine species were sighted.

One of the interesting things about the day was that noisy miners and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets were about the smallest birds [in size] we saw. The lack of any substantial low shrubbery meant that small birds were not in evidence. Also, Noisy Miners which were dive bombing a pair of peewees that happened to intrude on their turf made for interesting watching.

Bird list: Plumed whistling Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Domestic Pigeon [rock dove], Spotted Turtle Dove, Crested Pigeon, Tawny Frogmouth, White-necked Heron, White-faced Heron, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Dusky Moorhen, Masked Lapwing, Galah, Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Quarrion  or Cockatiel, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Possible sighting of  Little Lorikeet but unconfirmed, Pale-headed Rosella, Noisy Miner, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Torresian Crow, Magpie Lark, Common Myna.