Friday 3rd July. 1050 – 1555

Weather

2 mm of rain in gauge. Sunny with few scattered clouds. Light southerly breeze. Track damper than expected with some shallow puddles and mud, probably resulting from total of around 20 mm of rain during the past few days. Water level steady.

Post

On my own this morning as Cody now getting old and blind in one eye while Thomas has a sore foot and I didn’t want it to make it any worse.
Met one of Yungaburra Volunteers at Allumbah pocket and had a chat but nothing else of interest. While inspecting the trees at The Other Side heard Cranes honking but unable to see them.
A few minutes later saw a group of 5 Sarus Cranes, the first this year, and managed to grab a few images. Saw another small flock further along the Walk but too far away to photograph.
Going carefully as had already seen a couple of small families.
Spotted a Green Ringtail Possum on a branch of the large River Oak just upstream from Full Tide Island. He was perched as usual where a branch passes through the foliage of a eucalypt and provides concealment. He was quite hard to see but I managed to show a Mum with her little boy and a couple of passing visitors.
At the Log Jam a moderate sized Saw-shelled Turtle was atop a log for a short period but dived leaving another in the water and a couple of very small turtles on suitably sized perches.
At the upstream side of the Peninsula I was able to photograph an Eastern Yellow Robin and a Scarlet Honeyeater without moving more that 5 paces.
Another mini Turtle was seen at Picnic Peninsula and spotted the ripples of a Platypus at the upper end of Stringer’s Stretch.
Was passed by a family group from Townsville who joined me a few minutes later as I was photographing the Platypus along The Narrows and a couple of visitors from the North of England also turned up.
The Golden Orb-weaver Spider was still occupying her web half way across the Highway Bridge.
Slightly more luck today with the Brushtail Possum in the vacant block fig tree as she had turned around so that I was able to see her left ear. Her tail was however being used to cover the rest of her face.
One of the Bunya Street Bush Stone-curlews was back in it’s usual place across the road from home.