Tuesday 12th January 2021. 1105 – 1215

Weather

48 mm of rain in the gauge. Sunny periods with increasing cloud. Breeze 10 knots S-SW. Track slightly wet. Areas of black mud which can be difficult to circumnavigate. Water level had been over the normal banks at times. At present approx 500 mm above normal.

Post

Thomas in disgrace today after having replaced a chewed through seat belt at a cost in excess of $400.00. Enough said.
Spotted a small Saw-shelled Turtle on a rock just upstream of the Suspension Bridge with another about to climb aboard.
At The Other Side, two Eastern Water Dragons were observed on the Rock behind the Storage Shed, one a male of substantial size.
More Turtles were seen on the fallen Tree at Snodgrass’s Pool and another Water Dragon on the path to the upper level on the other side of the Walk.
Cicadas were very noisy this morning and I found a Red Roarer at low level on a Grey Gum tree near Platypus Bend.
The Christmas Beetles have all vanished for the moment as the tree blossoms have all been destroyed by the rain and very few Honeyeaters were around for the same reason.
At Picnic Point while looking in vain for a Platypus I noticed a birds nest high in a tree on the opposite bank. It was similar in over all shape to a Sunbird’s nest but with the base attached to a branch rather than being suspended and much shorter and more dumpy.
Birds were tending the nest at regular intervals, I think still building, but they were too far away to identify. I did not spot any flashes of yellow and a very poor image of one of the visiting birds is more suggestive of one of the Gerygones which I believe have nests of this type. Any comments would be welcome.
I deviated to the Fig Tree which leans over the vacant lot and was pleased to see a Green Ringtail Possum high in the canopy. I think a male.
My neighbor met me along Bunya Street to advise that the female Bush Stone-curlew and one of the chicks seems to have disappeared but the male and other chick had visited for breakfast and were still in her garden. I took some photos before being warned off very firmly by Dad.
Hope that Mum and the other chick turn up again but in the meantime Dad and chick are enjoying meal worms!
Meanwhile on the other side of the road a Masked Lapwing and a juvenile Australian Brush Turkey were greeting each other.