I had some excellent encounters with rodents and an antechinus in the Sunshine Coast area over the winter months. A Grassland Melomys (Melomys burtoni - above and below) was much appreciated as it was released from a trap in which it was caught near Bli Bli during environmental surveys conducted by Wildwise Environmental Services. The site was in open forest adjoining a narrow strip of subtropical lowland rainforest that is flanked by mangroves along the Maroochy River.
Also in a survey trap at the site was a Buff-footed Antechinus (Antechinus mysticus - below). This species was recently split from the widespread Yellow-footed Antechinus. Its range and status in South-East Queensland is unclear but it is known from elsewhere in the Sunshine Coast region.
I’ve continued to come to grips with my relatively new thermal monocular. I found the Grassland Melomys’s close relative, a Fawn-footed Melomys (Melomys cervinepes - below) in rainforest near Kureelpa Falls, not far from home. It was sitting motionless in a tree three metres from the ground, about an hour before sunrise. Using the monocular, I found another Fawn-footed Melomys in rainforest at Booloumba Creek along with a Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes).
The Water Rat, or rakali, is reasonably common but seldom spotted as it is shy and usually nocturnal. I was surprised when one came out into the open in the middle of the busy Lake Alford park in Gympie mid-afternoon. Looking very wet, the animal (below) nonchalantly groomed itself for several minutes in full view of a throng of human passers-by and onlookers.
It’s now 10 months since we moved from Ninderry to Nambour in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Some of the Ninderry critters are missed, especially the Eastern Grey Kangaroos, but we’re happy with the new home, and there’s a fair bit to watch. The verandah offers fine views from the town’s western hill ridges out over the Nambour valley. The hills are part of the crater wall of an ancient volcano.
Raptors seen from here include Square-tailed Kite (above) and Grey Goshawk (below).
Elsewhere in the garden, a Dwarf Crowned-Snake (below) was a nice fine. Bluetongues like the rock walls around the house and are often encountered. Dark Bar-sided Skinks are about. Frogs including Graceful Tree-Frog and Tusked Frog are attracted to an ephemeral pool that forms in bush at the base of the property after rain. Not much on the mammal front so far but an Eastern Ringtail was located during the day thanks to a flock of hysterical Noisy Miners.
During a visit to Brooyar State Forest I found a colony of Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters (below) on the main state forest road, 2km in from the Wide Bay Highway (second entrance along from Gympie). The species is highly localised in South-East Queensland and rare in the Sunshine Coast region. Fuscous Honeyeater – another localised species - was also plentiful here.
Good numbers of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were feeding on white cedar berries nearby at Scotchy Pocket.
I enjoyed a walk through the Kawana Forest Environmental Park in the southern Sunshine Coast. A good variety of habitat here includes melaleuca wetland, grassland, subtropical rainforest patches and mangroves.
Nice birds included Fairy Gerygone (above), Dusky Honeyeater (below) and White-eared Monarch. The park is likely the southern-most Sunshine Coast site where the gerygone and honeyeater can be found readily. A pair of Fairy Gerygones, likely to be nesting, were also seen at Port Cartwright, at the northern end of the point’s forest patch.
In other activities we completed an 11.5km hike through Kondalilla Falls National Park. We took two vehicles to the Lake Baroom end, leaving one there and taking the other to the falls end. The one-way walk (below) is beautiful if strenuous. Following good rains this year, the rainforest is looking vigorous and fresh and creeks are running strongly.
A pair of Marbled Frogmouths spotted at their day roost in a tangle of thickets was a pleasant surprise.
No comments:
Post a Comment