CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 05 September 2025
An urban possum Photo: L. Beaton |
CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 05 September 2025
An urban possum Photo: L. Beaton |
The planned outing to Goombungee had to be cancelled because of the amount
of rain during the night. Instead, we were to meet at the James Byrne end of
the Highfields Falls Bushland. Ten members and a
visitor arrived by 9 a.m. on a sunny but cold morning.
It was an easy walk with a chorus of birds to keep us company. The stops made on the route were mainly to try to spot birds which were flitting about, quite often high in the canopy. These spots were where the sun broke through, as well as at the top of the waterfall, and again at the bottom of the Falls. Recent rains ensured that there was a good flow of water. Opposite the descent to the bottom of the Falls was a tree where Powerful Owls used to roost, but there was no sign of any owl, nor any giveaway signs on the ground to indicate they might have been there.
One of the non-avian things that caught our attention was some large galls on a quite small wattle tree (see photo). It was not the gall that poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was referring to in these few lines:
But
it is a bit of a curse for the wattle tree. The gall is a reaction to insects such as mites, thrips
and wasps, laying eggs in the plant tissue, and their larvae release chemicals
(like cecidotoxins) that stimulate abnormal cell growth, forming the
gall. The gall is essentially the tree’s defensive response - a kind of
botanical scar tissue - triggered by foreign substances or organisms. It walls
off the invader, but in doing so, creates a nutrient-rich shelter that
ironically benefits the pest. Gall shapes vary on different Acacias. [For more information on galls: gall
history in Aus.pdf.]
Straw-necked Ibis; Pacific Baza (probable sighting); Brown Quail; White-headed Pigeon; Galah; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Rainbow Lorikeet; Little Lorikeet; King Parrot; Pale-headed Rosella; Laughing Kookaburra; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Eastern Yellow Robin; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Fantail; Eastern Whipbird; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Brown Thornbill (probable sighting); Varied Sittella; White-throated Treecreeper; Noisy Miner; Lewin’s Honeyeater; White-naped Honeyeater; Brown Honeyeater; Mistletoebird; Spotted Pardalote; Red-browed Firetail; Olive-backed Oriole; Australian Figbird.
CLUB MEETING:
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Latham's Snipe Photo: Jason Girvan by CC BY-SA 3.0 |
7 pm, Friday 1 August 2025 at
St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba.![]() |
Bird Beak Hakea Hakea orthorrhyncha |
Added information – There are
many different routes to travel to Glenmorgan with interesting stops along the
way. Some suggestions - Hugh Sawrey
Memorial Park Kogan, Caliguel Lagoon Condamine, Brigalow Creek Meandarra, Tara
Lagoon and many creek crossings with water.
Non members: please email toowoombafieldnaturalists@gmail.com for more information on accommodation and directions.
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Lagoon on the way into Myall Park |
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Myall Park entrance by the lagoon |
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Mud map of key birding sites near Myall Park (not to scale) |
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Rush-leaf Wattle Acacia juncifolia |
Where: Bottle Tree Park in the main street of Goombungee between George and Edward Streets. Car-pooling into high clearance vehicles is suggested.
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Boronia inflexa |
Adapted from the TFNC newsletter report of M.Simmons
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Rhyolite blocks and tuff Photo: K. Stephenson |
In the Muntapa picnic area we were given interesting little stories and information on the geological formation of the surrounding rocks and topography. ‘About 18 million years ago [this area] was subject to complex and violent volcanism where rising rhyolitic magmas superheated groundwater resulting in huge phreatic explosions. Craters between 100 and 200 metres deep were infilled with masses of material fallen from the sky. Both portals [of the tunnel] will show us the variety of this material – through which those who had constructed the tunnel had worked with hand tools.’
The tunnel has now been fenced giving a Gothic-like appearance through to the roosting and breeding colony of several thousand Bent-wing Bats, Miniopterus schreibersii. These bats cluster tightly together (up to 1,500 per square metre) on the ceilings of caves, mines, disused railway tunnels, storm water drains and old cement buildings. (‘Bats of Eastern Australia’ Qld Museum booklet No.12). The historical markers and information recording the history of the tunnel, the workers campsite and associated memories of long-term residents all added to making this a worthy revisit for the Nats.
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Black Bean Castanospermum australe pods at The Palms N.P. Photo: D. Pagel |
Bird list for July outing. (Muntapa
Tunnel and Palms Nat. Park compiled by L. Moodie.)
Oakey Rotary Park: Pacific Black Duck,
Australian Pelican, Australian White Ibis, Little Corella, Noisy Miner,
Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Magpie-lark.
Muntapa Tunnel: Red-backed Fairy-wren, Lewin’s
Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Spotted Pardalote, Speckled
Warbler, Brown Thornbill, Varied Sittella, Grey Shrike-thrush, Pied Currawong, Australian
Magpie, Grey Butcherbird, Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow, Silvereye, Red-browed
Finch.
Palms National Park: Australian Brush-turkey, Brown Quail, Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Treecreeper, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Spotted Pardalote, Brown Gerygone, White-browed Scrubwren, Golden Whistler, Eastern Whipbird, Grey Fantail, Eastern Yellow Robin.
CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 4 July 2025
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Dingo on K'gari Photo: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license |
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Map of railway route from Oakey to Cooyar |
Where: Rotary Park on Campbell Street, Oakey (next to the Park House Motor Inn). This route closely follows the original Oakey-Cooyar railway line.
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Withcott Waterlilies Photo: M. Simmons |
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Rodent droppings Photo: L. Moodie |
We then moved on to an area of scrubby woodland on poor thin soil at Postmans Ridge. Here the Gatton Sandstone that had not been so conspicuous at our first stop demonstrated how friable and easily eroded it can be. Our sandy road became impassable because of deeply eroded channels, probably the result of tunnelling where the clayey subsoil contains sodium salts that dissolve or ‘melt away’ on wetting. On one side of this road, we noted stands of Black She-oak Allocasuarina littoralis and termite activity both on trees and in a prominent mound that was capped with the dark droppings of an unidentified species of rat. Those who walked on the other side noted Geebung Persoonia sp., Cough Bush Cassinia laevis and Sweet Canthium Psydrax odorata subsp. buxifolium. Acacias included Flat-stemmed Wattle Acacia complanata and Blake’s Wattle Acacia Blakei subsp. diphylla.
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Fungus Pisolithes sp. Photo: D. Pagel |
Our final destination was Helidon Spa where Nats enjoyed lunch at the water’s edge while admiring large numbers of Plumed Whistling Ducks and the image of Little Corellas in a eucalypt, vivid white against an intense blue sky. Warm thanks to Melanie for organizing this enjoyable excursion.
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Little Corellas at Helidon Spa Photo: M. Simmons |
Species Lists
Birds:
Withcott. Superb Fairy-wren, Magpie
Lark, Willie Wagtail, Common Myna, House Sparrow.
Postmans Ridge. Plumed
Whistling Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Hardhead, Australasian
Grebe, Crested Pigeon, Little Black Cormorant, White Faced Heron, Dusky
Moorhen, Pale-headed Rosella, Noisy Minor, Grey Butcherbird, Magpie-lark,
Welcome Swallow.
Helidon Spa. Plumed Whistling Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Australasian Grebe, Dusky Moorhen, Straw-necked Ibis, Masked Lapwing, Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Willie Wagtail.
Butterflies: Small Green Banded Blue, Caper White, Common Grass Yellow, Wanderer (Monarch).
CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 6 June 2025 St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba
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Tomatoes Photo from Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution |
Where: Withcott; the car park beside the Freedom Fuels Service Station
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Ashlands Drive |
One of the dams on Minglen Photo: L. Beaton |
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Natters in the Hirstglen Valley Photo: L. Moodie |
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Austral Toadflax Thesium australe Photo: L. Moodie |
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White-banded Plane Phaedyma shepherdi Photo: M.Weaver |
CLUB MEETING: 7 pm, Friday 2 May 2025 St. Anthony’s Community Centre, Memory Street, Toowoomba
Leon Steinhardt will speak to us on the 'Fossils of the Esk Formation, Brisbane Valley'. Leon Steinhardt
Photo: Leon's Facebook page
Where: The Lions Park on the corner of the New England Highway and Freyling Road, Hodgson Vale.
Adapted from the TFNC May 2025 newsletter reports of C. Stephenson & D. Ford.
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Skeletal remains of the victims Photo: K. Crompton |
This property of hoop pine dominated softwood scrub, bordered on three sides by predominantly eucalypt State Forest, was enveloped and destroyed by a huge fiery cloud. Tall, skeletal remains of the victims of the fire towered over the lush, green re-growth. Only two of the hoop pines remained, damaged, but alive. The steadfast work of the owners in clearing lantana, and planting hoop pine and other native seedlings is showing positive results. However, steep slopes and aggressive growth of invasive lantana will be an ongoing challenge.
Over
300mm of welcome rain in March has aided in the rapid regeneration of
pioneering species, especially green wattle. (up to 6 metres high). The
resilience of eucalypts is evident from the obvious coppicing from the base of
burnt trees. Naturally regenerating hoop pine seedlings were seen as we
meandered along the walking tracks close to the creek.
Of great interest was the spectacular array of abundant fungi
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Chocolate Tube Slime Stemonitis splendens Photo: B. Dyke |
In the creek bed was a tiny waterfall, formed by a buttress root, all that remained of a large fig tree, that had been incinerated in the all-consuming fire. Many thanks to our hosts for their welcome, and willingness to share their property. Their provision of maps, species lists and marked, maintained tracks was most helpful and very much appreciated. We wish them success in their endeavours to reawaken this special place.
Deongwar
species list - 06 April 2025 (Collated by C. Stephenson)
Birds: Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (in vicinity of Hampton Information
Centre), Rainbow Lorikeet, King Parrot, Welcome Swallow, Laughing Kookaburra,
Eastern Yellow Robin, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush,
Spectacled Monarch, Leaden Flycatcher, Rufous Fantail, Grey Fantail, Willie
Wagtail, Eastern Whipbird, Superb Fairy-wren, Yellow-throated Scrub-wren,
White-browed Scrub-wren, White-throated Gerygone, Brown Thornbill,
White-throated Treecreeper, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Brown
Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Striated Pardalote, Silvereye, Red-browed Finch,
Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow.
Reptiles: Yellow-faced Whipsnake.
Insects: Grass Dart or skipper Ocybadistes sp., Australian Emperor, Yellow Migrant, Wandering Percher, Evening Brown, Blue Skimmer, Brown Ringlet, Hibiscus Harlequin Bug Tectocoris diophthalmus, Monarch Butterfly.
Toowoomba Field Naturalist members went on a NSW camp in March - Armidale & Myall Lakes National Park. The report will be posted later. Watch this space!
Cattle Poison Sawfly Lophyrotoma interrupta Photo: Glenda Walter |
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Greater Gliders have been recorded at Deongwar since the fires Permission to use this image is under the GNU Free Documentation License, owner benjamint444 |
Where: Hampton on the corner of the New England Highway and the Hampton-Esk Road.
TRC Parks of North Toowoomba
This outing had been
rescheduled courtesy of the much vaunted Cyclone Alfred. The Field Nats
assembled at Horn Park on a fine dewy morning, heralding a warm day to follow.
Others joined in as the morning progressed. (Dr. Alex Horn had donated this
land to Council in the early 20th Century.) Our attention was first drawn
to 6 to 7 Black Kites Milvus migrans, just soaring above the trees
adjacent to the Bridge Clubhouse. We could ascertain no reason for this
aggregation, other than that they were also enjoying their early autumnal morning
….McKenzie St Lookout, Toowoomba
Our second stop was at the end
of Henry Street to visit a huge Moreton Bay Fig just inside the former Rifle
Range Reserve. This tree was planted by Eric French prior to his enlistment in
the AIF in 1916. He survived the war but lived the rest of his life as a
dentist in Brisbane. I was surprised that it was such a huge tree for its 110
years.
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Hoop Pine Araucaria cunninghamii at Boyce Gardens |
A drive to the very northern end of Mackenzie Street brought
us to the eastern edge of the
range where the waterfall from the end of Rifle
Range Road was still trickling after the recent rain ….
Lunch was relished in the shady gardens overlooking the original pool and water feature of Boyce Gardens. Not everyone took the rainforest walk, but with the recent UQ and Boyce Trust upgrade with historical markers, it concluded a warm sunny day enjoyed by all.
All photos: B. Weller
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Golden-shouldered Parrot country |
Where: Horn Park in Stuart Street