We held a mini working bee to spread the last of the mulch piles in the quarry. The new plants on the bank are doing amazingly well.

Photos and words by Linda Fullagar

Midweek working bee Wednesday 5th December, 9 to 11am.

Our last "extra" midweek working at the beginning on the 14th November got cancelled due to rain. We will try again. This coming Wednesday should be fine. This will be our very last working session for the year.

We will meet at the New Rd car park, to tidy around the lovely native plantings there. At 11am we conclude with morning tea at the picnic table. Morning tea provided. A couple of whipper snippers would be very handy as there is some long grass to tidy up. Please bring gloves and a smile and we will make quick work of this task.

Thanks for all your support this year.

Spring/summer is a wonderful time of the year for bird viewing in Glenfern. A treat at the moment is a pair of Sacred Kingfishers hanging out along Ferny Creek.

Photo and words by David Moncrieff

Kookaburras are doing well in Glenfern.
Some reports say Kookaburras are in decline across Australia but locally they seem to be okay. We observed a breeding pair along Ferny Creek that successfully fledged three strong youngsters last week. The tree hollow looks awkward and its only about four meters above the ground. Space must have been tight with three growing birds. This photo is of one of the adults from that family, a frequent visitor to our backyard all year round.

Photo and words by David Moncrieff

The kunzea veils are so pretty now!

Photo by Marleen Foda

Special Visitors to Glenfern...

Local twitchers are very excited over recent sightings of two special visitors, the Fan-tailed Cuckoo and especially the Olive-backed Oriole. This species is not listed on our bird list, which means it hasn’t been sighted at Glenfern since records have been kept from 2001.

To the trained ear, its call gives it away … orri oriole. To the un-trained ear, you may think it is a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike.

The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a regular seasonal visitor and no doubt takes advantage of our local birds that build and raise their young in dome shaped nets, such as the White-browed Scrub Wren and Superb Wren. Cuckoos are renown for laying their eggs in other species nests and where the hosts do all the parenting.

These cuckoos were often seen in the area above Echidna Track, pouncing from over hanging branches onto caterpillars that were amongst the long native grass.

We are not 100% sure, but these caterpillars may be the larvae of the Common Brown Butterfly.

Turn up the volume, to enjoy the oriole.
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Words & Video by Mike Sverns

After a run of cancellations due to much welcome rain, we had a stunning day on Saturday for our last bush restoration of the year. And the only thing more exciting that spotting a snake in the grass was the morning tea.
Thanks to all who showed up to lend a hand. A lovely time was had.

Photos by Daniel Jackson

Two volunteering opportunities coming up this weekend - both on Saturday morning.

Glenfern is having it's last Bushland Restoration session for the year this Saturday. See flyer for details. Come and see us before the year ends.

Friends of Thompson Road Reserve are also having a Working Bee this Saturday, from 10.30-12.30. Drop in and see how good the reserve looks with many plantings growing and some hard landscaping completed!

A quick note to let you know that we will hold an extra midweek working bee this coming Wednesday 14 November, from 9am till 11am. We are just trying to get Glenfern in good shape for the summer.
This time we meet at the New Rd car park, to tidy around the lovely native plantings there. At 11am we conclude with morning tea at the picnic table. Morning tea provided. A couple of whipper snippers would be very handy as there is some long grass to cut. Please bring gloves and a smile and we will make quick work of this task. Photo is of an Eastern grey roo near the picnic table at the New Rd entrance!

Yesterday's rain had given the Reserve a good soak making the weeds easier to pull. We also spread a bit more of the mulch - nearly there with that - topped up the gravel around the logs and whipper-snipped the main entrance. Looking good.