Saturday 16th January 2021. 1445 – 1545

Weather

4.5 mm in the gauge. Overcast with occasional bright to sunny periods. Light southerly breeze. Track damp. Several muddy areas remain although Yungaburra Volunteers have fixed several of them with a fresh load of Quincan scoria and have also done some remedial drainage work under the Highway Bridge. Water level high and steady.

Post

After some heavy gardening, lunch and a bit of cricket, set out alone in the hope of spotting “Ringneck” the Platypus with a plastic band around her neck.
Saw a solitary Bush Stone-curlew in one of the creekside gardens along Bunya Street.
At Allumbah Pocket I found Mrs Green, the Green Ringtail Possum in one of the trees overhanging the Parking Area. Both she and her Joey were partially concealed by dense foliage forming an amorphous mass from which various recogniseable features protruded. Photography was as usual a challenge!
Entering the Walk I almost immediately saw a Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo in the creek bank tree where Brushtail Possums are often roosting. While taking photos I was joined by a young woman from France who I introduced also to Mrs Green.
Moving on to Horseshoe Rocks, one of the resident Eastern Water Dragons was on display and pics taken.
As I moved on a group of young people started skylarking on the bridge so I yelled rather rudely that if they had not yet frightened it away there was a Tree Kangaroo to be seen nearby. When I met them later at Highway Bridge they had been transformed into grateful visitors from Cairns who were very pleased to have seen a Tree Roo.
Nothing was then seen until the Log Jam where in the absence of logs, three Saw-shelled Turtles were occupying the concrete slab. While photographing them a couple from China arrived and were also told about the Tree Kangaroo, an animal of which they had never heard! I was able to reassure them that many Australians were similarly unaware.
At Platy’s Pool another visitor asked for advice, this time a young woman with her small child in a sling who currently lives in Cairns. When told about the Tree Roo she was quite excited as she had urged her partner to come along but he preferred a nap!
The unidentified nest was still present at Picnic Peninsula but no activity to provide clues of ownership.
Crossing the Highway Bridge I photographed a juvenile Eastern Water Dragon on the rocks below which a few days ago were inundated with water from the street drains.
No platypus were spotted today so will try again tomorrow. Perhaps they are still recovering from the excitement earlier in the week!