Native grasses amongst the veldgrass

One of the joys of working in the bushland is seeing native plants gradually returning to the bushland. This patch of native grasses is beginning to take hold now that veldgrass is being controlled.

View live map Click here to download the GPX data for this map. Note, this data is an XML file - change the name to .GPX to upload to your GPS.

Underwood Avenue Bushland - invitation to comment

The University of Western Australia is inviting public comment on its proposal to subdivide the Underwood Avenue Bushland. These comments will go to the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Water under the requirements of the Commonwealth Environmental Protection of Biodiversity and Conservation Act. The Commonwealth is concerned that the proposal by UWA will further endanger the already endangered Carnaby's Black Cockatoos.

As part of the UWA response to these concerns, UWA has assessed 526 potential feeding sites near the Underwood Avenue Bushland. The argument by UWA is that with all of these other feeding sites, the Underwood Avenue Bushland is not significant source of food for the Carnaby's Cockatoos.

As part of our response to the UWA proposal, we have uploaded those sites identified by UWA to Google Maps to see precisely where they are located.

Click here to see the map of sites.

Some 'interesting' sites identified by UWA as potential foraging sites for Carnaby's include:
* 2 sites 100m offshore in the swan river (off Abrahams Reserve)
* 1 site in Rokeby Road (corner of Park St) in the middle of the Subiaco shopping centre
* 2 sites in AK Reserve (currently being bulldozed)
* at least 2 sites in Underwood Avenue Bushland that UWA proposes to bulldoze.

If you see any other 'interesting' sites, please send me a comment!

Found: a jewel in the bushland!

It is not often you encounter spiders in broad daylight in the bushland, but today we were lucky to encounter two of them.
This one is a jewel spider Astracantha minax


A little further on we came across an orb weaving spider - also boldly remaining on its web in broad daylight.

View live map Click here to download the GPX data for this map (note, this data is an XML file - change the name to .GPX to upload to your GPS.

Nedlands Council activities Oct 2007

We have been working hard to develop a means of communication between ourselves and Vicki, Bushcare Officer at the City of Nedlands so we each know what we have been doing in the bushland.

Vicki and I now can send each other the GPS data in GPX format - and upload it to our GPS systems.

Below is the first of the data we have received from Vicki - Geraldton Carnation Weed control activities in October and November last year.

	Nedlands Council Activities on 10th October 2007 View live map
	Nedlands Council Activities on 29th October 2007 View live map
	Nedlands Council Activities on 5th November 2007 View live map
	Nedlands Council Activities on 23rd November 2007 View live map

Mystery campsite

Unexpectedly came across a camp within the bushland - plastic bags with clothes and personal possessions hidden under a balga.

John, Dorothy, and I continued on with veldgrass pulling.


Came across another wattle that doesn't belong - Dorothy took samples to identify.

View live map

Face to face with a spider

Continuing on from last year - John and I returned to the spot where we saw the fountain grass - and dug it all out (took the flowering heads away) - will need to come back next spring to make sure no seedlings come up.
Then we continued with veldgrass removal - came face to face with this Orb weaving spider - do you know what it is? Let me know if you do!

View live map