Saturday 10th April 2021. 1300 – 1415

Weather

1 mm or rain. Sunny with scattered clouds. Some thundery clouds along the Eastern horizon. Light intermittent breeze. Track damp. Water level high, steady.

Wildlife Report

Left home alone after lunch and on arrival at Allumbah Pocket found one of the regular Green Ringtail Possums in the trees on the left of the entrance. No others that I could find.
Crossing Lloyd’s suspension bridge the Fruit Bats were again visible in the trees on the Village bank but quiet and inactive.
A Saw-shelled Turtle was on a rock near the Memorial Bench and an Eastern Water Dragon was poking it’s head up from the Horseshoe Rocks.
At the path to the Upper Level opposite Snodgrass’s Pool, “Scarface” the large Eastern Water Dragon was on his accustomed perch.
A row of Turtles were occupying the recently fallen tree in the Pool.
As I continued on towards Log Jam Peninsula a Rainbow Bee-eater flew ahead of me and I eventually got close enough to take a photo.
More Turtles were seen on the far bank and on top of the concrete slab at The Log Jam.
I stood for a couple of minutes before noticing ripples radiating from the bank on the upstream side of the Peninsula and a Platypus soon appeared. After a couple of dives however he set off upstream.
I caught up with him again at Platys Pool and watched while he completed a few dives. While doing this I photographed two more Turtles on the far bank and a Spangled Drongo preening after a quick dip in the creek. I have been surprised by the different birds which drink from the surface while on the wing or take a splash into the water.
The Platypus suddenly noticed me and did a crash dive before setting off upstream at high speed. I saw him again near the other fallen tree but lost him among the debris dammed up behind it so I crossed to the other side of Picnic Peninsula where a group of people were Platypus watching.
A different animal was diving repeatedly on the far side of Stringers Stretch so I sat and waited to see if he would come any closer.
After a few minutes the other viewers moved away to observe number 1 Platypus who had arrived at the tip of the Peninsula. Number 2 decided that the time had come for his morning ablutions and commenced with some genteel scratching on a partly submerged log. This was clearly not adequate so he removed to a floating log which allowed home to get completely clear of the water where he got down to serious business. I recorded so many images that I found if very difficult to select the best so I have displayed a selection in order with the final and I think the best being when No 2 observed No 1 swimming past!
I continued on and again found the Chocolate Brushtail Possum half way across the Highway Bridge although he refused today to show his face. I did get some rather good pics of his claws!
One of the Bush Stone-curlews was along at the far end of Nick’s Car Park enjoying the proximity of various attractive artifacts!