May I dare suggest that if you have any questions in regards to access to areas along the MRC you call the Cotter Depot on 6207 2425.
Many of the Nature Reserves along the river corridor are deliberately low key in terms of facilities and access (there are plenty of intensive areas in terms of the rec areas). This is because the priority is
conservation and water/river quality. Access is allowed on foot throughout Stony Creek NR as with all the MRC reserves – they just require a bit of effort. Over the last 6 years there has been a big revegetation program along the entire MRC – weed control
followed by a large native tree/shrub planting program as part of the ‘Million tree project’- guided by the Riparian Strategy and MRC Management Plan. This should see the likes of the heavily degraded (land clearance, over grazing, weeds ) areas such as Stony
Creek transform dramatically over the next few years as these planting mature. The value of Stony Creek is even greater now due to the impact of residential development in the Molonglo. Stony creek has a healthy population of Aprasia and raptors. With the
new residents of the Molonglo development not far away the MRC is likely to face greater recreational pressures.
Michael Maconachie
Senior Ranger
Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve
ACT Parks and Conservation Service
TAMS Directorate
0428 113 533
From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Saturday, 9 November 2013 5:52 PM
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Painted Honeyeaters at Stony Creek Nature Reserve
From: Julian Robinson
Sent: Saturday, 9 November 2013 12:31 PM
To: 'Canberra birds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Painted Honeyeaters at Stoney Creek Nature Reserve
I wondered too about the location of some of these mysterious reserves. Attached is a sketch of Stony Ck Reserve made by superimposing the otherwise useless ACT Govt map onto Google maps that gives a reasonable
idea of its limits. Interesting is the apparent access point from the western part of Uriarra Rd.
From: Wallaces
Sent: Friday, 8 November 2013 21:48
To: 'Canberra birds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Painted Honeyeaters at Stoney Creek Nature Reserve
After they were reported on Eremaea from Uriarra Road, I checked Steve Wilson’s book. I followed his description of the early 1960s observations being ‘in the river oaks upstream from Uriarra Crossing on the
east bank of the river’.
Your comment about the records in the database being from areas away from rivers is correct. The casuarina in Stoney Creek is full of mistletoe which is flowering well at the moment and the birds were feeding
in it.
The area is not remote and I think it would have been visited by many birders over the years. It is just upstream from the Uriarra East picnic area on a vehicle track. Go through the gate at the southern end
of the car park and follow the track for about four hundred metres. There is a sign when you reach the reserve. I agree that maps appear to be hard to find but it is strange given the reserve is part of the Murrumbidgee River Corridor. Some schematic maps
(not particularly helpful) are in http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/385082/Rec_Areas_near_the_Cotter.pdf.
Steve
From: Jack & Andrea Holland
Sent: Friday, 8 November 2013 8:37 PM
To: Wallaces; Canberra birds
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Painted Honeyeaters at Stoney Creek Nature Reserve
Steve, very interesting to see them in Casuarina! You might be aware of the (former?) sign at Uriarra Crossing and the story in Birds of the High Country how in the early (post war) days they
seemed to return to the Murrumbidgee River to breed every year. This story is also included in a bit more detail in Steve Wilson’s book Birds of the ACT Two Centuries of Change. From there it seems the last bird seen at Casuarina Sands was in 1971 and as
far as I’m aware all other ACT records have been of birds away from the M River and I suspect in gums.
It’s interesting to speculate whether they have been overlooked because they’ve been in the less accessible parts of the River (I’ve had trouble finding the exact location of Stoney Creek Nature
Reserve), whether they’re resuming past habits, or were simply passing through escaping from the very dry inland as so many other species seem to be at the moment.
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2013 1:35
PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] Painted Honeyeaters
at Stoney Creek Nature Reserve
While watching a flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos at Stoney Creek Nature Reserve this morning, two Painted Honeyeaters landed nearby. They came and went three times before heading off towards the east.
The table below (ACT records only) shows a summary of the ACT records from the COG database.
Steve
ACT only
|
Number of records
|
Year end 30 June
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grid cell
|
2003
|
2004
|
2006
|
2007
|
2009
|
Grand Total
|
|
G17
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
J11
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
J15
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
J16
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
J23
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
K13
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
L11
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
M10
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
M11
|
3
|
|
|
1
|
|
4
|
|
M12
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
M13
|
12
|
1
|
|
|
|
13
|
|
N13
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
Grand Total
|
26
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
32
|
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