Reefcare Report: Weeding in the Top

Once again it was a very warm day with a prediction to get above 30 deg. But that did not stop an enthusiastic group of 8 wanting to do more work to reduce weeds at Long Reef. We had Jennie, Julie, Brad, Merrilyn, Mary, Arthur, Misima, Lisa and our supervisor Mahi.

As in February our Supervisor Mahi suggested that we work in the Top Paddock just below the whale sculpture instead of going all the way down the flat, due to the heat. Brad did some trimming of Bitou over near the gully for about an hour before joining the rest of us who were targeting asparagus fern.

There was almost no wind, so it was very hard working in the sun. At 10:30 we found enough shade for us to have some morning tea – Merrilyn brought yummy anzac biscuits and a lovely macadamia cookie. We were visited with some magpies – they can sense morning tea within minutes of us sitting down! Saw a very aggressive fight between a pair of wattle birds (think they may have been protecting a nest) against the magpies – it was vicious.

There were also a pair of osprey who flew over us a number of times – a photographer got a photo of one with a yellow tailed fish. After a small discussion, it was decided to call it a day, just too hot to continue; but we filled two weed bags of asparagus fern rhizomes, and some fronds had to be bagged as they had green berries, so that was a job well done.

Text by Lisa