Bushwalk Australia

I got chased (briefly) by a goanna on the Bibbulmun Track! Is that a normal thing? I left the trail to make a wide arch around it, but once back on the trail it started chasing me for a short distance!

My experience with monitor lizards in SE Asia is that they tend to run away quickly, even the big ones (2 metres+), with the exception of the Komodo Dragon. However, the Australian ones are fierce! They just won't get out of the way and start to threaten me when I get to close.

Come along now.

great shot Lamont!

Ta. Wish the resolution/detail held a bit better.

We get micro-bats around the farm. One of them managed to get inside the house today - no idea how, and ended up on the inside of the kitchen flyscreen, waiting for dark. We managed to remove the flyscreen and shut the window: I imagine he (she?) will activate when it gets dark.

(Flash photo, false colour, on deck later)

They are very small, very fast, and very light. Cute.

(real colour, inside)

Cheers
Roger
(OK, not while out walking, but still ...)

Once again, not out walking as such, just getting into the really thick scrub at the bottom of the farm.
"Mind out for the snake" says Sue. Um . . .
OK, large fat diamond python slowly gliding past me on branches in the scrub at head level, quite close. A bit over 1.5 m long at least: I could not see its head in all the scrub. Really smooth travel, very close. Beautiful, but no photos - I was pulling lantana out from under the scrub at the time!

Cheers

Also other while in the bush but 2 foxes and a wedgetail eagle, scavenging the remains of, I assume, a kangaroo, shot and butchered on Thursday night.

I heard what I thought might be small calibre rifle, in the reserve area and wandered out the back to have a look on Thursday evening. A vehicle maybe 2 up the far end of the flat between some low hills. Red lights visible then. A few minutes later one vehicle leaving but looking for an exit not too near houses. An hour or so later, second vehicle was down near the housing and several people moving around.

It was here that foxes and eagle were occupied this morning. I didn't see any interest in the area on Friday morning though - too foggy, grey, dismal that morning

A collection of exotic birds.

Gordian worm. About 45 cm in length. Wirritin Creek, Shoalhaven River.

Besides seeing this lovely python I spotted 3 Albert's lyrebirds and a couple of Pademelons on my bushwalk at Bare Rock and Mt Cordeaux a few week ago.

Lamont wrote:A collection of exotic birds.

I think you've nailed them Lamont!

We saw what I think this is a broad tooth rat. He/she wasn't bothered by us at all.

Can't really get into the bush right now as we are required to remain within the city limits. So the available green space, often well occupied by others, is the only "bush". Still there is some wildlife pressed between the concrete and tarmac. Saw this little banana slug enjoying the little bit of extra moisture following some rain the previous day:

Can anyone ID this beast? It''s not a metallic skink of any sort - the scales have a matt finish and it's too big anyway (approx 25cm nose to tail), short legs, Tassie granite boulder country.

No photo, sorry. Looked like a brown 'green tree snake', but obviously wrong colour. He was where I was working on the pump for our irrigation system.
Possible a Southern Scaly-foot legless lizard. Dark brown/grey, long, and VERY thin.
Sue chased him off with water from the hose - although he seemed a bit confused for a while.
Later on the magpie had a bit of a battle with him - but the magpie has a freshly emerged baby right now.

Cheers

Echidna - Dharawal NP.

Canary Worm. Grampians, Victoria range.

Tawny Frogmouth. Male on nest during daytime. They share nesting and hunting at night.
Near our backdoor on our farm.


Cheers
Roger

Plenty Gorge Park - some interesting stuff, like a crow being harassed by a Willy wag tail I couldn't capture, so just a collection of usual Australiana...
(The software zoom on the iPhone isn't great.)

Post-lunch, washing up.
Huge squawking going on outside. Now, a few squawks from the birds is one thing, but a sustained squawking tells us there is a predator around. We try to nt interfere very much, but it's nesting season and we are biased towards the baby birds.

Ah yes: a stack of Noisy Miners fluttering around, hassling a goanna near the tree which has the nesting frogmouth. Yes, that has happened before, with the goanna going after the frogmouth eggs or babies up a different tree.


Ah, but there was also 'our' brush turkey there, also hassling the goanna. Well, he has a mound nearby too. This is a baby from last year.


So we watched for a bit. The brush turkey collects mulch for his mound by kicking it backwards. He also hassles goannas by showering them with mulch - same action! Multi-purpose, like one of Larry Niven's puppeteers. Well, the goanna turned away a bit and tried to ignore the turkey. Big mistake! The brush turkey crept around behind the goanna and started attacking his tail. Dive in, bite, spring back. Repeat several times. The goanna did not like it, but was too slow to fight. We were standing quite close, but the turkey ignored us completely.

Eventually the goanna headed away, off towards the dam, where there are several duck families. We were not worried: the Little Grebes would give him hell if needed. They are good swimmers, and they dive under their opponent, come up under them and bite their toes.

Cheers
Roger

Roger's tale of the nesting frogmouth reminds me of another nesting event that I and numerous others have been observing. Not that I'm allowed to walk among much wildlife in my small sector of Melbourne. This is virtual observation of what are now nine-day old peregrine falcons at:

https://www.367collinsfalcons.com.au/

Gorgeous!
What does it live on? Spilt Maccas chips and pizza scraps?
OK, OK, how about rats around the backs of some of the cafes, 'ratting' through the food waste at night? Rather more likely. Have to compete with the Dwarves in Angk-Morpok of course.

Cheers
Roger

Years ago when I worked in a Sydney high rise there was a pair of peregrines which lived on pigeons. Caught them on the wing and would occasionally dismember them on a small ledge near my window. Quite a distraction from the office work!

Ah - pigeons - of course! Prime plump pigeon!

Cheers
Roger

Yes I'm in lockdown. The back yard (small and rather bare) is the extent of my outdoor travel.

Found this badly injured Koala hiding under a rock in the scrub at Kentlyn (Campbelltown area). Rang Wires for help. They came but by the time we got back to the location very late in the afternoon it was gone. To be honest I don't think much could have been done for the poor thing.

north-north-west wrote:Can anyone ID this beast? It''s not a metallic skink of any sort - the scales have a matt finish and it's too big anyway (approx 25cm nose to tail), short legs, Tassie granite boulder country.

Hi NNW
What we have here is a She-Oak Skink (Casuarinae)
Commonly found in the higher country and west coast, and endemic to Tasmania.
They fold their front legs along their body and move like a snake.
When they bite they hold on.
They vary in colour, Can be green, grey, brown but rarely black. (Let me know if you see a black or white one)
Tail is usually the same length as it’s body.
They drop their tail, so be careful when handling
They bluff like a blue tongue lizard, mouth open and hiss.
Babies are live born and usually striped like a tiger.
After years of catching them, I have never caught 2 together under the one log or sheet of iron.

Regards OLM

A friend showed me this substantial bee hive under a rock ledge in the northern part of Thirlmere Lakes National Park.

post transferred to backyard

Can anybody help me please identify this little critter I stumbled across today at Tower Hill Game Reserve. SW Vic. Looks like some sort of possum but the white tail has me intrigued. I have never come across one there in all my years of training walks there.