Contributed by Joy Window, Member, Big Scrub Landcare What has large, hairy feet and lurks in the rainforest? No, not a yowie, but the southern myotis (Myotis macropus, aka the large-footed myotis or fishing bat). This bat has big feet for its size – while its wingspan may be 28 cm, its feet may be...
Contributed by Ken Dorey, Member Big Scrub Landcare. Birds may have evolved from dinosaurs but they’ve definitely upped their game in the PR department. They’re proactive in getting your attention, only too happy to flash colour and sing perfect notes – and all for free for those who stop to watch and listen. Ken Dorey...
Contributed by Georgina Jones, Member Big Scrub Landcare. Enhancing remnants, linkages and corridors across the Big Scrub is the focus of a $100,000 Big Scrub Landcare project funded by the NSW Environmental Trust. The project is enhancing and expanding critically endangered lowland subtropical rainforest across the Byron, Ballina and Lismore areas. This is the second...
Contributed by Joy Window, Member, Big Scrub Landcare. In the rainforest, the calls of unseen birds echo eerily through the treetops. Closer to the ground, you might hear the odd chortles and whirrs of the Alberts lyrebird (Menura alberti), found only in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales – for instance, in the former...
Contributed by Stephanie Lymburner, Committee Member, Big Scrub Landcare. The Richmond River Birdwing Butterfly was a reasonably common species when the Big Scrub rainforest once covered this region; its range extended from Grafton to the subtropical rainforest around Noosa in Queensland. This range has been severely modified due to extensive habitat destruction for timber, dairy...
Contributed by Ken Dorey, Committee Member, Big Scrub Landcare. In a previous edition of this newsletter, entitled Don’t Panic, I urged readers not to become frustrated at not instantly recognising the name of every species of flora or fauna in your forest – give it time. But we do wish to learn. In this edition,...
Contributed by Georgina Jones, Secretary, Big Scrub Landcare. Big Scrub Landcare has completed a successful 6 year project funded by the NSW Environmental Trusts Community Bush Regeneration Large Project Stream – Rehabilitating & Restoring Endangered Lowland Subtropical Rainforest, which involved restoring critically endangered lowland subtropical rainforest at 3 sites at Rocky Creek Dam and Nightcap...
Contributed by Shannon Greenfields, Manager, Big Scrub Landcare I grew Lomandra from seed as a teenager with remarkable success – so I thought why not give it another go? It’s one of the easiest native plants to grow – cost efficient, fun and the kids can join in; and there is a certain satisfaction when...
Contributed by Joy Window, Member, Big Scrub Landcare When you’re out in the Big Scrub rainforest and want to rest against a tree, don’t lean against this curtain of silk. Underneath it may be the highly venomous northern tree funnelweb (Hadronyche formidabilis). You can see the silk trip-lines that alert the spider to things crawling...
Contributed by Georgina Jones, Secretary, Big Scrub Landcare On Friday Dec 1st 2017 the Wilsons River Catchment Schools Education and Restoration Project partnered with The Big Scrub Rainforest Schools Project to strengthen the ability of students at St Johns College Woodlawn to take part in rainforest regeneration and to inspire young people to take action...
