Bird Survey
On 18 February, our birdwatchers recorded 68 species during the monthly bird survey at the Eco-Corridor. Noteworthy sightings included a White-headed Pigeon that flew out of rainforest zone P2, juvenile Spectacled Monarchs and a White-eared Monarch along the Eco trail, a Little Egret at the waterhole (last seen in 2016), a pair of Azure Kingfishers along the river past the waterhole and 6 Australian Pipits on the short grass beside the road to the SCHUB. We saw all 3 local finch species (Double-barred and Red-browed Finch and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin), but no fairywrens this time. Summer migrants included Dollarbird, Sacred Kingfisher and Sahul Cicadabird. The undoubted highlight was finding a Southern Boobook roosting quietly in a tree. You can find full details about the survey on the free eBird app.
Riverwatch Pine Rivers
The initial results of the first 6 months of water and invertebrate sampling across the catchment have been published on the PRCA website (prca.org.au). The good news is that the South Pine River at the Eco-Corridor is in a very healthy condition, as shown by chemical analysis and the presence of Stonefly larvae in the riffle section. We thank our coordinator Courtney Damen and the volunteers for sampling at the Eco-Corridor and Showgrounds Drive, Highvale. This project is funded by Community Bank Samford.
Bushcare
Our next Council-assisted bushcare working bee will be from 2pm to 4pm Sunday 8 March. Depending on soil moisture (very dry at the time of writing), we may plant some lomandras to plug gaps along the boundaries of rainforest plantings P1 and P2, but the main task will be weeding across the site. A delicious afternoon tea will be provided afterwards. New volunteers would be most welcome (contact us at samfordecorridor@gmail.com or just join us on the day).
Peter Storer
The Eco-Corridor is a project of Samford Progress
Photo: Southern Boobook at the Eco-Corridor (Peter Storer)