- Dec 30, 2018
The last job of the year, 29th December - monitoring of our 2 Small Milkwort (SM) Plots in the Kara Kara National Park. Both plots are very dry and show signs of incursions by wallabies and kangaroos- scrapes, hip hollows, pruning and droppings. The larger plot had 58 spikes ( we believe that each rootstock puts up multiple stems and it is hard to decide where each plant starts and ends). There were only 7 flowering spikes in contrast to 24 last year; the spikes were very small and the flowers miserable! Most plants were less than 5cm tall.
On a brighter note, the Eutaxia microphylla and Templetonia stenophylla are doing very well- both are members of the pea family and are very palatable to browsers and grazers so the protection offered by our fence has proved its worth there. Leafy Templetonia- T. stenophylla flowers and leaves
Common Eutaxia- E. microphylla
The second plot, also known as the "Small Small Milkwort Plot" is also having problems with wallabies- the Peach Heath looked as if a mower had been over it and ditto the Small Milkwort. Only 1 flower spike out of 48 plants was found. A new colony of SM was found in 2016 and is persisting - 7 stems but no flowering spikes. It is likely that more SM is out there but the smallness of the plants, and near-impossibility of seeing them unless they are flowering makes this plant difficult to find.
Summer, grass-seeds, mosquitoes and heat all combine to make searching for it quite a task. Monitoring data for this project will soon be on our website. The Yellow Gums in both plots have been flowering and are now getting ready to shed their bark- the colours are astounding.
- Dec 14, 2018
Many landholders like to have a spic and span property- dead trees removed, sticks and leaves raked up and dead branches turned into firewood. Very nice the property looks then - to our eyes anyway but to our often-unseen neighbours, homelessness is the result.
The loss of many of our species- birds, reptiles, butterflies,insects and small mammals can be sheeted home directly to loss of habitat. The rarely seen Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops sp) has been captured on film here on a covenanted (Trust for Nature) property at Carapooee where all creatures are accorded a home. Here is the adult Blind Snake- head downwards.
And here is the juvenile that had taken up residence in the kitchen- taking Land for Wildlife a bit far perhaps!
Blind snakes live on ant eggs, pupae and larvae as well as ants themselves.
They are vocal at times, non-venomous, lay eggs and produce 3-5 young. According to the Field Guides we have 3 or 4 possible species here-
Can anyone help with identification of these facinating reptiles.
- Oct 17, 2018
Warm, sultry overcast weather with storms.
The farmers hate this weather- too late for rain to do any good and it spoils the hay!
However, strange things blow in with a north-east weather system. Large flocks of White-browed Woodswallows hunting for insects over the treetops. Pair of White-browed Woodswallows
Photo G. Cheers
Then a weird metallic trumpeting, muttering and cackling call and 2 Dollarbirds appear on the scene.
Magpies, Striated Pardalotes and Red Wattlebirds get a run as do the Woodswallows.
Dollarbird at Carapooee West
Photo A Hughes
A quite large and chunky bird with a most distinctive flight pattern and a white circular patch on each wing- the eponymous dollar. Checking on the distribution in the Birdlife Atlas, these are rare visitors to our region.
This is the first sighting I have had of this species in our region in 37 years- so a new species for our BIrd List.
