Saturday 9th October. 1415 – 1530

Weather.

Fine and sunny with a few scattered clouds. Variable southerly breeze. Track dry. Water level very low. 3 days after New Moon.

Wildlife Report

It is nearly 2 weeks since my last walk along Petersons Creek as I have been laid up with a most unpleasant virus infection which was not fortunately Covid 19.
I saw nothing along Bunya Street or at Allumbah pocket.
As I walked over the Suspension Bridge my first impression was of the extent to which the water level had fallen and is is now possible to cross to The Other Side using the Stepping Stones.
I soon spotted an Eastern Water Dragon relaxing on one of the stones and as I took photographs a large male Platypus swam between the stones and disappeared down stream.
Two more Dragons were spotted at Horseshoe Rocks and on the Rocks opposite Snodgrass’s Pool and several Saw-shelled turtles were sun bathing on the sloping Tree Trunk in the Pool.
I had no sooner taken shots of these when a small Platypus appeared near the far bank and I introduced her to a lady from Mareeba and her visiting Father from NSW who happened to be passing.
A male Platypus, probably the same animal I had seen at the Suspension Bridge, then appeared on the scene, obviously trying to make contact with the female but without success.
At the base of Log Jam Peninsula a female Platypus was seen heading upstream with another nearer the Log Jam heading in the opposite direction and the marauding male one again joined in the action!
Several handsome Saw-shelled Turtles were gracing the logs in the Pool.
In Number 3 of the Overhanging Bushes a small male Green Ringtail Possum was presenting himself beautifully to the visiting Public. I had already been told about him at the Log Jam and myself showed him to a visiting family.
Nothing more was seen until I checked out the Creek bank at the bottom of the vacant lot and was surprised once again to find a juvenile Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo with it’s mother high in the canopy. They seem to have adopted this spot as a regular part of their territory.
Finally I visited the Coppery Brushtail Possum displaying his nether regions in the overhanging Fig Tree.