October outing to Challawong and Glen Rock

Challawong  at Glen Rock

In past times there was an Aboriginal route from the east onto the Downs that passed the rock overhang called Challawong. This is the only known example of this form of Aboriginal art in South-east Queensland. By abrading and pecking the rock the natives created abstract designs of ovals, straight lines, U shapes and others. The meaning of these is unknown. They are only marred by some graffiti at the western end. This is truly a unique site which needs better protection and I have contacted the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to that effect.

Aboriginal abstract art

Glen Rock is one of my favourite places as I was on its development committee for six years representing the interests of conservation. It takes in much of the catchment of Blackfellows Creek and the top of Black Duck Creek in the southern Lockyer. Originally a cattle property, it was purchased by the Queensland Government and developed under the auspices of Gatton Shire Council. It is now National Park. 

The long drive up the valley is rewarded by arriving at a pleasant picnic spot and campground, impressive views of steep hillsides and the prominence of Glen Rock jutting out from the valley’s eastern wall. Also of interest are the slab hut with its walls hung with accounts of local history, and the Aboriginal native garden. The latter is dominated by small trees that do not give a representative array of native food plants. I believe our Nats. member Janet Crompton is related to the Philp family who lived locally and gave their name to Mt. Philp one of the many sizeable peaks. 

(Report and photos by Neil McKilligan)

Plants at Glen Rock 

Melaleuca bracteata, Glen Rock

Very little of the original vegetation survives in the vicinity of the creek at Glen Rock - a classic “depauperate” environment where clearing has removed most of the native plants, and only the hardiest survive. Two native trees, black tea tree, Melaleuca bracteata, and river she-oak, Casuarina cunninghamiana, were the predominant trees, with just a few kurrajongs (native) and pepperinas (introduced weeds) sprinkled among them. The undergrowth all consisted of weeds, with the exception of a few, hard to find, native nettles and bluebells, and one lonely matrush. The tea trees did their best to make up for the poverty of the flora, with lovely large, old specimens showing off their impressive, shady, green canopies.

 

Some us of took a further walk upstream where some equally outstanding, specimens occurred. These were distinguished by their astonishing height, with some having massive, straight trunks that did not branch till they reached a great height. This growth pattern reveals that when they were young, they grew in dense scrub that forced them upwards. A few remaining dry rainforest tree species, including an equally outstanding large whalebone tree Streblus brunonianus, gave us a clue as to what the long-vanished creek vegetation would once have been. Historical records tell us that dense “scrubs” in the creeks of the area were rigorously cleared in the early days of white settlement, as they provided refuges for aborigines. This was Jagera territory, and members of this tribe were a warlike lot, much feared by the settlers.

The camping ground boasts a very good Aboriginal Plant Use Garden, which informed us that the sweet nectar from the white, bottlebrush flowers of the tea trees, (not in evidence on our visit), was sucked directly from the flowers or made into a sweet drink by soaking in water, and the leaves were used medicinally for headaches, colds, and “general sickness”.

Acacia salicina seeds and arils, Glen Rock

On the path in that garden, the bright red arils of sally wattle Acacia salicina also attracted our attention. Red also attracts the attention of birds, and it was obvious that parrots of some kind had been eating the seeds, and dropping the pods on the ground. This is the only local wattle with red arils (the cords which attach the seed to the pod) so they help us to identify the plant.

Garden signage told us that Aborigines ate the seeds of this plant, and used its leaves as fish poison and its wood for making boomerangs. Seed collection was made easy for them by ants, which collect them for their very nutritious, oily arils, but leave the unwanted seeds outside their nests.

(Plant report and photographs by Trish Gardner)

Species List

Junction View to Glen Rock N.P., 5 October 2014 compiled by Lesley Beaton from member’s sightings.

Junction View:  27°48'0.73"S, 152°11'14.09"E

Channel-billed Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Noisy Friarbird, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow,

Challawong: Striated Pardalote, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Leaden Flycatcher.

Glen Rock N.P.: 27°53'15.41"S, 152°14'45.86"E

Birds: Crested Pigeon, Straw-necked Ibis, Galah, Pale-headed Rosella, Laughing Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, White-throated Treecreeper, Satin Bowerbird, Superb Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Striated Pardalote, Noisy Miner, Brown Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Little Friarbird, Grey-crowned Babbler, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Rufous Whistler, Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Welcome Swallow. 

Butterflies: Large Grass-yellow Eurema hecabe, Glasswing Acraea andromacha Meadow Argus Junonia villida, Common Crow Euploea core, Lesser Wanderer Danaus chrysippus, Common Grass Blue Zizina labradus labradus. 

 Dragonfly: Australian Emperor Hemianax papuensis

Reptiles: Goanna, Eastern Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata.

Blackfeller Creek between Glen Rock boundary and Junction View: compiled by Al Young

Birds: Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Australasian Grebe, Little Black Cormorant, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Dusky Moorhen, Sacred Kingfisher, White-throated Gerygone, Bell Miner, Eastern Whipbird, Willie Wagtail, Olive-backed Oriole

Dragonflies:Australian Emperor – Hemianax papuensis, Scarlet Percher – Diplacodes haematodes, Wandering Percher – Diplacodes bipunctata.  Reptiles: Macquarie Turtle – Emydura macquarii

Mt Sylvia: Pheasant Coucal  (Submitted by Lauren Marlatt)  

Scarlet Percher (photo by Al Young)

Australian Empereor (photo by Al Young)

 

September outing to Gatton

It was fortuitous that the topic of the September meeting was the Apex Lakes and that we were able to use our outing date to visit the Lakes and the nearby University of Queensland lakes. Eleven Field naturalists met at the bird hide opposite the island in Lake Apex which at one time was destined to be a wedding venue but permission was not granted by the colony of Australian White Ibis.

We were joined, briefly, by several members of FOLA (Friends of Lake Apex) who were there to replant trees in the Arboretum, which had been pulled up by vandals the previous night. FOLA members were able to remind us of the history of the Arboretum and talk about the Hairy Alectryon (Alectryon tomentosis) - tomentosis refers to the hairy leaves and hairy young shoots. First described by Ferdinand Van Mueller, it is now listed as ‘endangered’ in Eastern Australia. FOLA are collecting the black seeds (from inside of a bright red aril) for propagation. Within the Arboretum are many Silky Oaks (Grevillea robusta), Bunya Pines (Araucaria bidwillii) and several Brachychiton (B. rupestris, B. populneus, B. discolour).

Our group then began a stroll around Lakes Apex and Freeman. With the excellent leaflet put together by FOLA, we were able to ‘tick off’ an extensive bird list. It was noticeable that the ‘rarer’ birds were on Lake Freeman, far from the Cultural Centre and the Sunday picnics.

After lunch Tricia Allen led a small group of us to the lakes in the campus of the University of Queensland.  What a reward that was! Lakes Lenore and Galletly were populated with Avocets (eat your heart out Lesley Beaton - we saw them wading and swimming!), Pink-eared Duck in abundance, Freckled Duck, two types of dotterel, to name but a few. I was so overwhelmed that I had to be prompted to write down also the more common species. See the list below. Galletly Lake was built in 1955 to provide a hydraulic system for student teaching purposes. It is now an important stop-over for migratory birds, including the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.  The island in the middle has been revegetated to maintain a variety of protected habitats for birds, turtles and amphibians. Weather was good, lots of birds, good company: no better way to spend a Sunday in September!

Bird list for Lakes Apex and Freeman

Pelican, Darter (male and female), Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Australasian Grebe, Plumed Whistling Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Hardhead, Australian Wood Duck, Masked Lapwing, Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamp Hen, Eurasian Coot, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Australian White Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Little Corella, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet, Little Friarbird, Noisy Friarbird, Brown Honeyeater, Willie Wagtail, Magpie Lark, Welcome Swallow, Australian Reed Warbler, Crested Pigeon, Striated Pardalote, Rufus Whistler.

Bird list for Lakes Lenore and Galletly

Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Pink-eared Duck, Masked lapwing, Black Duck, Magpie Goose, Red Kneed Dotterel, Black Fronted Dotterel, Australian Grebe, Freckled Duck, hybrid Mallard-Black Duck, Plumed Whistling Duck, Brown Honey- eater, Masked Lapwing, Purple Swamp hen, Grey Teal, Eurasian Coot

(Written by Linda Mangubhai)

September Speaker's Report

Several member of FOLA (Friends of Lake Apex), led by Alan Wearing, and Rob and Jocelyn Wilson gave a comprehensive account of the history of Lake Apex and particularly the work their group has undertaken since its inception. FOLA is a non-profit volunteer organisation committed to the preservation, protection and prom-otion of the environmental and passive values of the Lake Apex Parklands at Gatton.

Although Lake Apex was initially developed by the Apex Club of Gatton in the early seventies, FOLA only became an active group following the public outcry over the secretive removal, by the Council, of the trees on the western island in the lake in 2009. Since then they have worked tirelessly to promote the environmental values of Lakes Apex and Freeman.

The speaker outlined various promotional events that have been held to publicize their cause. Some of these include photographic displays in the Cultural Centre, Open Day morning teas at the Lake, public speaking, production of a calendar in 2011, a bird photography workshop and bird watching tours assisted by Toowoo-mba Bird Observer members.

A major breakthrough in negotiations with the Council was the forming of the Lake Apex Community Advis-ory Committee, by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council. FOLA has three representatives who attend these meetings. This led to the development of the Lake Apex Master Plan in December 2011.

In 2010 FOLA adopted the development and maintenance of the Dry Rainforest Arboretum as a project and despite some major setbacks, notably repeated vandalism, they can be proud of what they have achieved. Hundreds of trees have been planted, and sometime replanted by them, often with the help of various volunteer community groups.

The speaker also outlined some of the unpleasant political issues the group has had to cope with including:

• Council's lack of general maintenance of the Park
• Indiscriminate clearing of the Lake edge vegetation
• Stormwater run-off into the Lakes from a nearby housing development which is adversely affecting the water quality and plant growth in both Lakes.

In March 2012 FOLA, in conjunction with Birdlife Southern Queensland, released two excellent brochures which are now widely available. These are: Bird Places of the Lockyer Valley and A Guide to the Birds of Lakes Apex and Freeman. Those of us who attended the excursion to the Lakes on the following Sunday saw firsthand the results of the wonderful work this group is doing.

(Written by  Tricia Allen)

A New Frog Book for Toowoomba Field Nats Library

Tadpoles and Frogs of Australia by Marion Anstis (2013). Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 829 pages.

This comprehensive book on Frogs of Australia has been bought by the Field Nats, with a grant from the Barry Kenway Memorial Fund, to be put into its library. Marion Anstis, the author, began her working life as a high school music teacher, but had a passion for frogs since childhood. She is now a frog biologist with a PhD from New Castle University. 

The book has been designed to help to identify live tadpoles, frog eggs, metamorphs, and adult frogs in Australia. It has three parts, the first two fairly short in comparison to the third:

• Part I deals with the developmental stages from egg to near metamorphosed frog.
• Part 2 explains various features of tadpoles, eggs and frogs used during identification.
• Part 3 deals with living frogs in their natural habitat. It has many illustrations and photos, calls they make.

For frog specialists, or a would-be specialist, there is a useful key for genera of tadpoles and direct development.

Take as an example, the Striped Frog Marsh (Limnodynastes peronii), found in our area and shown on the poster 'Frogs of Toowooomba': this is how it is treated in the book:

• Photos of adult frogs, one of them taken at night in Ravensbourne National Park
• Embryos
• Tadpoles
• Metamorphosis
• Behaviour
• Similar species

It is a beautifully bound book that one could dip in whenever one has a few moments to spare, or when a naturalist moment occurs. 

(Francis Mangubhai)

August Speakers' Reports

Report 1: Fungi of the New Forest (UK). Talk by Diane Ball

In 1079 William the Conqueror declared a large tract of woodland and heath south of his Winchester Castle to be a royal hunting ground. This land would be subject to the considerably severe ‘Forest Law’ – hence the New Forest. The area actually consisted of some open forest, small farms, heath (a result of Bronze Age people clearing the woodland) and grazing land.

As the soil was quite poor and acidic and unsuitable for agriculture, the land has remained mostly undeveloped through the centuries and to this day. The New Forest was designated a National Park in 2004 and is 56,651 ha (566 sq miles) in area. It is Europe’s largest area of ancient pasture woodland with about 2,000 free roaming ponies as well as deer, donkeys, cows and in autumn, pigs. It attracts approximately 18 million visitors a year.

Orange birch bolete (Leccinum versipelle)
(Photo: Diane Ball)

About 2,700 species of fungus have been found in the Forest. Many of these have very descriptive common names. Photos were shown of many gilled fungi starting with the plentiful Amanita sp of which the well-known fly agaric Amanita muscari is one. Many of these, especially A.phalloides (death cap) and A.virosa (destroying angel), are extremely poisonous. Russula spp, the brittlegills, are often brightly coloured and these were prolific. Other gilled fungi included Lepiota sp – parasols, Collybia  sp – toughshanks, Lepista sp – blewits, Clitocybe sp – funnel caps, Laccaria sp – deceivers, Lactarius sp – milk caps, Mycena sp – bell caps, Hyphololoma sp – brick caps, Cystoderma sp – powdercaps and Gymnopilus sp – rustgills. A number of boletes were represented. Most of these have a distinct cap with pores instead of gills. Leccinum versipelle, the orange birch bolete is a particularly attractive one.

Dyer's polypore (Phaeolus schweintzi)
(Photo by Diane Ball)

Large numbers of bracket fungi are found in the wooded areas often in overlapping tiers, some quite large. Many cause diseases in their hosts – butt rot, white rot and heartwood rot among them. The fungi produce enzymes which can break down lignin and cellulose. Phaeolus schweintzii has several common names – fuzzy polypore/velvet-top/dyer’s polypore – this last because it is a source of green, yellow and brown dyes. The olive-brown pores run onto the stocky stem and become maze-like with age giving the fungus a striking appearance.

The last main group of fungi are the puffballs – Lycoperdon sp, Vascellum sp, and Scleroderma sp. These have very short or buried stems and tend to be globular. The talk finished with photos of some of the odd fungi which do not fall into major categories:- Clavulinopsis sp – the orange club, Sparassis crispa – cauliflower, Exuda glandulosa – witch’s butter and a slime mould Lycogala terrestre – wolf’s milk.

A marble quarry

Report 2: Geology of Greece. Talk by Bob Fuller

Long-time club member, Bob fuller gave a fascinating insight into some of the geology of Greece, following his recent trip there with his wife, Leanne. From their travels, and from his own research, Bob detailed connections between mining (of marble, lead, silver and gold) and the ancient history of Greece in particular on the Attica Peninsula, and on some of the islands in the Aegean Sea. 

"Greece's history and its geology are inseparable," said Bob.

Bob's photographs illustrated so much - mountainous landscapes, how marble is formed, marble quarries, how marble is transported, restoration work on ancient buildings and monuments, etc.

Bob explained three common reasons why archaeological sites had become covered: river silt (e.g. at Olympia), rock fall (e.g. at Delphi) and volcanic eruption (e.g. on the island of Santorini). Special features of Bob’s photo-graphs were details of Santorini, showing, for example - volcanic banding in the caldera, grapevines trained to a low-growing form as protection from strong winds and terraced houses built on steep slopes. Thank you Bob

(Report by Michael Rooke)