Tuesday 09th February 2021. 0920 – 1050

Weather

1 mm of rain in the gauge. Overcast with occasional brief sunny periods. Light intermittent southerly breeze. Track damp in parts. Water level steady.

Wildlife Report

Took a few photos before starting the day as a handsome Stick Insect was resting on the roof of the garage.
Left home at 0920 and photographed a Bar-shouldered dove along Bunya Street.
Met up with Mark from ABC Cairns at Allumbah Pocket where, needless to say, there were no animals to be found!
Crossed the bridge to The Other Side and found a handsome male Eastern Water Dragon on the rocks behind the storage shed. He quickly ran into the paddock but paused to have his photo taken before he disappeared.
Mark and I continued on our way chatting about this and that but unfortunately there was very little to be seen.
Examined several of my camera traps set up on the far bank of the Creek and looked for any more likely burrows.
At the Overhanging Bushes I was able to introduce our new visitor to a small male Green Ringtail Possum in Number 3 who sat placidly above us while we chatted away and took photos. He seemed to have an unusually large number of ticks on his ears but did not have the scars of “Piratical Pete”.
Mark was surprised to view a known Platypus Burrow within 5 metres of the Gillies Highway Bridge with traffic roaring past. Unfortunately there were no Platypus to go with it.
After crossing the bridge we spotted the pair of Bush Stone-curlews with their chick in Nick’s Camping Area and walked over to take photographs.
We finished our relaxing stroll, otherwise known as an interview, by going down to the village side of the Creek and collecting the cameras put out yesterday. Mark was kind enough to help carrying the clobber!
The memory cards have already been checked and unfortunately show no Platypus. Two cameras had been set up incorrectly and had not functioned at all so I will have to try again, perhaps tomorrow.