Tuesday 21st September 2021. 1350 – 1510

Weather

No rain in gauge. Beautiful sunny day with a few scattered clouds. Gusty southerly breeze to 20 knots. Track dry. Water level low and clearing. Full Moon.

Wildlife Report

Difficult not to feel bright and breezy on such a beautiful day so I set off with high hopes of another interesting Patrol.
There was nothing to be seen along Bunya Street but at Allumbah Pocket “Chocolate” the Brushtail Possum was half awake and not exactly pleased to see me. I could see no sign of her Joey which was probably in the pouch.
A couple of Saw-shelled Turtles were seen on the Stepping Stones.
The Large Golden Orb-weaver Spider seen yesterday was again seen near the bridge cable support and another had placed it’s web over the track between the support poles! Don’t look up if you dislike spiders.
At the Memorial Bench another Turtle was on a rock in the water while an Eastern Water Dragon was perched on the skyline of Horseshoe Rocks.
Another Dragon was on the rocks opposite Snodgrass’s Pool while a couple more Turtles were on the sloping tree trunk.
“White Spot” the Green Ringtail Possum was again in the tree right on the bank although her joey was not visible today.
At Platypus Bend I spotted a Platypus just upstream and he obliged by swimming past along the bank right in front of me. In fact he was almost too close!
A few more Turtles were seen here and there but none particularly noteworthy.
Another Platypus was seen at the approach to Log Jam Peninsula and was tracked upstream resulting in a couple of photos.
Surprisingly there were no Turtles on the Logs today.
At Platys Pool a male Green Ringtail Possum was perched in what has become a regular tree.
As I walked along Picnic Peninsula an Australian Darter took off from the tip and flew downstream for a short distance before landing in the water. Unfortunately no pictures were possible.
The web of the Golden Orb-weaver in the Lomandra Clump had been damaged, possibly by human intervention but I was pleased to find the owner reconstructing her web close by.
I spotted a Platypus in The Viewing Pond and after calling a visiting couple who were waiting hopefully just along the track I set off to see it.
As I mounted the steps up to the Highway level a group of visitors including several noisy boys were leaning over the fence pointing out a snake which was slithering along the base of the bridge. I took some photos which have been positively identified by an expert in Brisbane as a Slaty-grey Snake, which is inoffensive and has no venom and feeds on small reptiles including dragons and mammals such as rats and mice.
While crossing the Bridge I took more photos of “Calamity” the Brushtail Possum and her joey which the noisy boys enjoyed seeing.
After my delayed arrival at the Viewing Platform the Platypus had diminished to a distant disturbance upstream of which useful images were not possible.
The Red Brushtail possum was still showing it’s nether regions in the Fig Tree.