Thursday 30th December 2021. 1325 – 1450

Weather

81mm of rain in the gauge. Overcast. Light rain and drizzle throughout the morning. Light southerly breeze. Track damp with some puddles and muddy areas particularly at the base of Log Jam Peninsula and Platys Pool. Water level risen about 300 mm and Stepping Stones all submerged. Moon phase Last Quarter + 3

Wildlife Report

It was too wet to be worth chasing wildlife this morning but after lunch it seemed to have stopped raining and I decided to take an umbrella and give it a go.
Nothing was seen along Bunya Street but at Allumbah Pocket a Green Ringtail Possum was just visible in dense foliage of the tree low on the Creek bank just downstream of the Sheltered Picnic Table.
The high water level was obvious as I crossed the bridge and was unable to see the Stepping Stones.
I found nothing at The Other Side but as I walked down the edge of the Horseshoe Rocks I spotted a female Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo with her joey in a tree between the track and the Creek. They were easy to spot on a horizontal branch but surrounding foliage made photography difficult. While I was firing off a large number of images I met up with a visitor from East Gippsland, Victoria and a local couple with their dogs who were delighted to see the Roos.
I then saw very little until Log Jam Peninsula where an Eastern Yellow Robin perched in a nearby tree.
At the Overhanging Bushes another Green Ringtail Possum was on his regular perch in the River Oak and was also seen by my Victorian friend who had caught me up.
I photographed a Black Faced Monarch, probably a juvenile, along Stringers stretch.
At The Narrows we found a Platypus having some difficulty with the current as it foraged busily just below the Highway Bridge. It came very close to us when we were joined by a Kiwi family from Brisbane who shared my surname!
While crossing the Bridge I found the Coppery Brushtail Possum in residence and showed her to a group of young visitors from Melbourne. I also pointed them towards the Tree Roos.
On the rocks under the Bridge a juvenile Eastern Water Dragon was taking the air.
As I walked across the Car Park to see if any Bush Stone-curlews were around I was roundly scolded by a pair of Willie Wagtails who might have thought that I was going to disturb their hunting.
The Patrol was completed when I found the Green Ringtail Possum and her joey in the regular tree beside the pathway through to Bunya Street.