Friends of Fred Caterson Reserve

26/10/2026

Fake spider webs are a danger to animals

As we begin to hang bats and other ghastly ghouls, here’s a gentle reminder to think twice about one particular decoration... the fake spiderweb 🕷️🕸️

While it may look spooky, it can pose a real danger to our wildlife. Birds, possums, and insects can easily become entangled, causing serious harm. By opting for decorations that consider our local animals, we can help keep them safe.

It's also a good time to think about our pets at home 🐶🐱
For them, Halloween isn't always a treat. Those unfamiliar people in creepy costumes and the constant sound of the doorbell can be genuinely frightening for our furry friends.

Let's make this Halloween a safe and happy one for all our animals, both in our backyards and in our living rooms ❤️

07/10/2026

Can anyone add to our list of suburbs of koala sightings in recent years in Hills and Hornsby LGAs, Sydney Basin.
Has anyone heard calls or had a sighting?

Here are the suburb lists below of verified (proven) and anecdotal koala sightings in recent years. Some areas might only have 1 but other areas have multiple, our map has the actual numbers in each suburb and locations but we don’t share such specific information publicly for privacy reasons for the people reporting and for koala safety. So you won't be able to zoom in to the map to see more detail.
There are well over 50 anecdotal reports and over 30 verified from recent years (overall).

Verified Koala sightings/calls in the Hills and Hornsby LGAs, Sydney Basin:
Glenorie
Maroota
South Maroota
Forest Glen
Berrilee
Cowan
Brooklyn
North Kellyville
Border of Glenorie and Fiddletown/Arcadia

From INaturalist:

Mount Colah - 1 in 2019
Wahroonga 1 in 2017
Kuring-Gai Chase NP - rarely spotted

Reliable recent reports of koalas in Hills and Hornsby LGA but not ‘proven’ in recent years:
Canoelands
Galston
Glenhaven
North Kellyville
Kenthurst
Middle Dural
Berowra Valley NP suburbs backing onto this bushland- Thornleigh, Westleigh, Pennant Hills, Hornsby Heights
Bobbin Head

Some of these suburbs have been just one sighting and others have been multiple!

ALL of them have historic (more than 10 years ago) sightings listed on Bionet. The historic sightings tend to be consistent in location with current sightings both verified and non verified so that is good news.

01/10/2026

A little beacon of hope on wings!

Remember – these moths are not an inconvenience they are a blessing

30/09/2026

A local event that may be of interest to our followers.

Small Steps: Biodiversity Panel Discussion & Workshop is being held in Baulkham Hills on Thursday 29 October, 6–8.30pm.

The evening will explore biodiversity loss, the links between healthy ecosystems and human wellbeing, and practical ways individuals and communities can help protect local biodiversity. It includes an interactive workshop followed by a panel discussion with people involved in biodiversity, conservation and community action.

More information and tickets:

Explore how small actions and collective voices can help protect biodiversity and restore habitats.

27/09/2026

Have you seen any endangered Bogong Moths lately?

They seem to be recovering after a severe population decline in 2017-2019 due to fires and drought.

Please do not harm them as they pass through on their way to the Australian Alps to escape the summer heat.

Follow the latest headlines from ABC News, Australia's most trusted media source, with live events, audio and on-demand video from the national broadcaster.

05/09/2026

Not all great dads are human.

Powerful Owls are among the remarkable wildlife found at Fred Caterson Reserve, and the males take fatherhood seriously.

When breeding, he prepares the nest in a large tree hollow. While the female incubates the eggs and broods the young, he hunts and brings food back for her and the chicks. Even after the young fledge, they remain dependent on their parents for several months.

His work doesn’t stop once the chicks are raised. Powerful Owls mate for life, and the male helps defend the pair’s permanent territory all year round. It’s their long-term home, providing old hollow-bearing trees, roosting sites and hunting habitat.

This Father’s Day, here’s to one of Fred Caterson Reserve’s better dads.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures in our community.

29/06/2026

Upcoming local event

Join Mark Schmidt, exploring what a coordinated community effort tackling the growing Indian Myna problem could look like, through education, humane trapping, and the development of a mobile euthanasia aviary to protect native wildlife and improve public spaces.

When: 6pm, Thursday 2 July 2026
Where: Uniting Hall, 116B Jones Rd, Kenthurst
Cost: Free

13/06/2026

The platypus is an Australian icon, but it is also a freshwater species that relies on healthy creeks and rivers, stable banks for burrows, good water quality and connected habitat.

This article examines the uncomfortable knowledge gaps around this distinctive species, the race to understand it well enough to protect it, and the major role citizen scientists can play in bridging those gaps.

The platypus is an evolutionary anomaly. This duck-billed, semiaquatic mammal is both unique and rare. It’s just one of five egg-laying mammals on the planet. It nurses its young. And it also has reptilian traits: It has a cloaca, maintains a low body temperature (32° Celsius, or 90° Fahrenheit)...