Wednesday 5th February 2020. 0930 – 1040

0.5 mm rain. Hazy sunshine. Scattered cumulus clouds, increasing. No breeze. Track damp.

Started the walk this morning with some trepidation, having dropped my camera and telephoto lens on the concrete floor of the patio when the hook securing it to a shoulder strap gave way! First sighting today was White Spot the Green Ringtail Possum who was roosting again high in the canopy and showing little of her joey apart from a pair of entwined tails. Fortunately the camera still worked and appears to have sustained no significant damage.
No obvious Eastern Water Dragons but a check along the upper level revealed two in the paddock and another was peeping out from behind a rock opposite Snodgrass’s Pool.
At Platypus Bend a small flock of White Headed Pigeons flew out of the trees but not fortunately until I had photographed their most prominent member.
To Turtles were seen at the Log Jam but just downstream I noticed a fast moving swimmer in the water. The images were not good enough to post but confirmed a Freshwater Snake (Keelback).
A bird took off from the water just past the Jam and was probably the Pacific Black Duck from yesterday but I did not see it.
At the base of Log Jam Peninsula I was peering up trying to sight one of the Cicadas who were calling loudly. Among the flowers of a Euodia Tree ( Melicope elleryana ) which is the host plant for the Ulysses Butterfly I sighted a number of Christmas Beetles Buzzing around. I fired off a few shots without much hope of a successful results but at least one was worth keeping.
Along The Narrows I sighted a small Platypus which insisted in hugging the far bank, mostly under the cover of overhanging roots and grasses. Not much good for photos.
One of the Rufous Shrike-thrushes was on the nest at The Viewing Platform.
The Bush Stone-curlews were still hanging out on the East side of the Car park.