Reefcare Day Report: A big turnout for the start of 2025!
It is all smiles as Lisa and Stephanie clear Pigs face on the upper slopes near the Gully.
What a fabulous start to 2025 with thirteen Reefcare volunteers turning up! It was a mild, cloudy 20 degree day, so perfect for working on the open terrain. After signing on and allocating equipment, we took some photos of Merrilyn and Des, each with a plant donated by the Northern Beaches Council (NBC) for their attendance – follow the link below for more details and photos.
Once again it was exciting to see so much wildlife as we worked. A nankeen kestrel hovered over us as we weeded, looking for prey, and an osprey soared over the slopes, a small fish in its talons for morning tea. On the ground, Brad found a baby eastern blue tongue (Tiliqua scincoides) and soon after, Des found another one. It felt so rewarding to see that this native animal is breeding on our site, the native vegetation providing good cover from the weather and predators.
we found another maroubra snail and Kristie found a spider, not seen at Long Reef before, which looked like it was from the Salticidae family. As the Long Reef area returns to native vegetation the number of insects and invertebrates is increasing. Lisa recalls seeing almost no insects when she started clearing the invasive bitou bush, twenty-seven years ago!
This jumping spider: Maratus scutulatus (white garland house hopper) was seen hunting in the foliage at Long Reef. Photos and video by Kriste King.
We were having a relaxing morning tea on the upper slopes when Stefanie spotted an Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) near shore. It came up onto the beach where Brad and Kristie saw that it was hurt, so they called the sea life rescue organisation: ORRCA. They arrived at about 1 pm and set up signs to warn people of its presence. They had been monitoring it since yesterday. NPWS set up a 40m exclusion zone so it can rest while recuperating from its injuries. The Northern Beaches Council also posted some photos of it on their Facebook page and website:
Seals occasionally come ashore at Long Reef. This one was injured so we called the sea life rescue organization: ORRCA.
After morning tea, Des spent his time scouring the site for small bitou seedlings, asparagus fern, and other weeds to try and maintain our better areas as best we can. He was backed up by Merrilyn, who focussed on Gladiolus caryophyllaceous, as well as asparagus fern and bitou seedings which proliferate all along the north-facing slope of our site. Julie spent all her time on asparagus fern, as she had done for the last half of 2024. This weed is severely problematic on our site. There are huge plants along the fence line, in the public areas around our site and in the dunes just south of our site. Birds pick up the seeds elsewhere depositing them all over Long Reef.
Alex and Leila continued to work on the turkey rhubarb (Acetosa sagittata) that had infiltrated the acacia, and found dozens of good-sized bulbs. This area has been a focus for the past four working days, and still needs more work. They then checked the nest and another turkey rhubarb source in the Westringina on the flat, before heading back up hill and clearing the rest of the pigs face (Carpobrotus sp) near the fence line.
Elias, Josh, Arthur, Lisa and Stefanie worked on the non-native pigs face and were really thrilled to finally cut through to the gully. In one area where they removed the pigs face they were absolutely delighted to find a large patch of healthy kangaroo grass (Themeda Triandra). They also found a rather freshly eaten large blue tongue. The smell of it encouraged us to work faster and move further west!
Stefanie, Arthur, Josh, Lisa and Elias (our Dragonfly supervisor), clearing pigs face on the upper slopes
Mary is still getting over a twisted ankle and was unable to work on the steep western slope, so she kept to the eastern dunes area, clearing kikuyu on the southern edge of our demarcation. This line was established in our December working day, to protect our beautiful kangaroo grass.
Brad and Gen with some help from Des continued to remove bitou from the western side of our site; as well as Brad and Des cutting a new pathway through the bitou to an area of huge asparagus ferns. It is a steep area involving climbing over roots so hard work for the boys.
It was a great start to 2025 and we are looking forward to our next working day on the 1st of March.
Text by Lisa Calder
