Thanks to all who joined us on Saturday in Area 7. Formerly “pitto paradise”, Area 7 is now an open grassy hill, spotted with eucalypts and dead chickens – the local fox had been hunting and chose Area 7 to dine. But apart from those surprises, and we moved through the area quickly (not too many weeds this time around!) and into the adjacent bushlands.

Upcoming: Our Friends group will have a stall at the GrassRoots market in Upwey on Sunday 31st of March. So be sure to drop in and say hi, ask any questions, or get any tips on how to have a great beard like our President, David.

Photos by Daniel Jackson

Volunteering opportunities this weekend - Sunday morning.
Glenfern is having its first Bushlands Restoration session for the year this Sunday. See flyer for details. Come and join the team and be part of this well established and successful conservation project right here in Upwey! We will be working on a particularly beautiful area of the reserve between Creek Side Walk and Wallaby Walk. See you on Sunday!

Great first working bee of the year. So much done from fantastic people. The quarry area is looking great. Thank you.

Photos by Linda Fullagar

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