Friday 24th September 2021. 1215 – 1515 (with a break for lunch)

Weather.

2 mm of rain in the gauge. Cloudy with southerly breeze and some showers. Track slightly damp. Water level low and clearing. Moon Full moon + 3 days

Wildlife Report.

Looked out of our living room window at around 1215 and found a small bird of prey perched on a tree stump in the garden. Had to check it out in the Bird Books and found that it was a juvenile Brown Goshawk.
It appeared to be quite healthy apart from having a tick on one side of it’s face and tried several perches and a scrabble through some ground cover apparently hunting for insects. It was eventually seen off by our resident Willie Wagtail who was totally fearless and aggressive! I will post a video on my Facebook Page and the Platypus Patrol Page.
After lunch and a few odd jobs I set off on Patrol, pausing along Bunya Street to photograph a pair of Bush Stone Curlews in the usual spot and a Dusky Honeyeater on a Bottle Brush at Allumbah Pocket.
While crossing the Suspension Bridge I spotted ripples from the Yungaburra Bank and after a short wait was able of get some shots of a Platypus as he went about his business.
The two Golden Orb-weaver spiders were both still around the West end of the Bridge with several suicidal males in attendance
None of my usual friends were around but I spotted a male Leaden Flycatcher near Full Tide Island and took a photo.
I spotted another Platypus heading downstream from Log Jam Peninsula and two more, a female and a male at the Jam. No Hanky Panky today however.
The solitary Saw-shelled Turtle occupying a log looked quite put out not to be the centre of attention.
At the overhanging Bushes I spotted a large Eastern Water Dragon lying on a horizontal branch at least 5 metres above the water on the far bank
On to Picnic Peninsula where I found a Green Ringtail Possum, almost totally obscure by foliage in the last tree to the West of the track before Foot Bridge. With some difficulty I managed a photo of his face.
At Dowling’s Corridor I snapped another large spider together with two more at the Lomandra Clump and while I was doing so tried to photograph yet another Platypus who refused however to emerge from the deep shade under the Bridge.
“Calamity” the Brushtail Possum and her joey were both at home near the centre of the Highway Bridge but were not communicating.
While I was checking out the Viewing Platform it started to rain and this was followed immediately by a cacophony of cries from a number of Bush Stone-curlews in the Paddock although I was unable to see any of them.
The red Brushtail Possum in the Fig Tree was at least able to show me one half open eye and looks as though he may have torn his left ear – in a fight no doubt!