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In this
newsletter:-
Weather
Mission
Beach
Butterflies and other
invertebrates
Brown
Tree Snake Rescue
Vines
in the forest
Birds
New
Birding Resource for north
Queensland
Quiz
Apologies to those who received
an unformatted copy of the last newsletter. Also sorry to
those who I said that the next newsletter was not far
away but have not delivered until now.
Weather
A dry
March followed a rather wet February.In February we had half
as much again as usual but in March the rainfall was only just
over half of the median. April started off cool and wet. Much
of southern Australia remains in the grip of a terrible
drought. In those circumstances it seems churlish to complain
about having to mow the lawn yet again! As the month wore on
the growth rate of the grass slowed with the cool evenings and
cloudy days. As I write this however it is a beautiful sunny
autumn day in May which reminds Europeans so much of their
spring.
Mission Beach
A trip
to Mission Beach yielded two views of Cassowaries although it
was not a birding trip. I had gone to give a lecture about
Green Ringtails to a local conservation group. This area
suffered badly from Cyclone Larry and some people's
indiscriminate "clean up" efforts. The feeding efforts of the
Environment Protection Agency was successful in getting the
birds through the hard times after the cyclone. Other feeding
by householders encouraged the birds into areas where they
were subject to dog attack and car strike. Loss of habitat has
been a problem for the birds as well. Without the intact
forest, those developments which might otherwise have had
restrictions imposed or even been rejected have now gone
ahead. It seem that we all want an intact forest just on the
edge of our view of the water, mountains etc. Conservation
efforts are moving ahead with the planting of corridors in the
lowlands. These are now linked to the main forested areas on
the ranges and there are narrow links at higher altitudes as
well. We have seen Cassowaries on the Tablelands in places
where they haven't been for ages. A tree-kangaroo was also
seen down on the coast recently. Despite the development
Mission Beach is still a lovely place and well worth the
visit. We were told about a little rainforest water hole. What
a wonderful spot to spend a hot afternoon.
Butterflies and other
invertebrates.
Sighting an Australian Admiral in
Atherton during March was a bit of a surprise. Australian Painted Lady
& Cruiser in
Yungaburra were also unusual sightings. I have heard of
cannibalism among overcrowded Cairns Birdwing caterpillars and
it seems to be true as the little ones on a crowded vine
disappeared. However I am yet to actually see one being eaten
by a larger caterpillar. Since early March we have had great
numbers of larva of the Australian
Leafwing Butterfly crawling around our yard.
These larva are black with spines and rows of iridescent red
and blue dots along their sides. Now we have the butterflies.
Another surprise has been the appearance of some coastal
butterflies in more than normal numbers. One Australian Vagrant was the most
colourful of this species I have ever seen and I was not sure
of my identification until having ruled out everything
else.
Cicadas had a huge emergence this year. Not only in
numbers of individuals but in the variety of species which
were obvious. They ranged from the huge Yellow Emperor to some tiny grass
cicadas.
Palm
Katydid females are about 9cm long. So they
are big. And they only eat palms. The nymphs are white and
look like bird droppings. As this is the end of their season
the females are coming to ground to oviposit. It has not been
a great year for katydids but I know not why.
Brown
Tree Snake Rescue
Having breakfast one
morning we noticed a Brown Tree-snake on our undercover
washing line. No it is not secret, just out of the weather. As
the animal was not moving off despite my passing close when
going inside for more juice I thought it necessary to
investigate. The silly snake had crawled though an open
clothes peg until it became stuck on a swelling in its
stomach. Using a butterfly net to support the snake, we
released the peg and removed the snake to a safer environment
in the back yard.
Vines
in the forest
A year on from the cyclonic
influences of Larry the vines in the rainforest are rampant.
In most places these are native vines but weeds are also
becoming a serious problem. At my nocturnal site Turbina
corymbosa is a real threat. Turbina corymbosa is a large,
woody vine with heart shaped leaves and white, bell-shaped
flowers. Known also as Christmas vine, it was introduced to
Australia for its attractive white flowers and perhaps for its
psychotropic properties. The plant has been identified as the
Aztec visionary intoxicant ololiuhqui. It is claimed that
priests ate ololiuhqui which induced a delirious state during
which they were able to receive messages from the supernatural
and went into a state of terrifying hallucinations under the
influence of the drug. The main component in the seeds is
d-lysergic acid amide, also called ergine. The great danger
associated with the use of hallucinogens without medical
supervision is the possible occurrence of a "bad trip ", i.e.
the development of severe confusional and anxiety states which
may lead to suicide, or permanent psychic trauma.
Browsing
by Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroos, Copper Brushtail Possums and
Green Ringtail Possums helped to keep it in check. Seedling
recruitment in the rainforest is very low even though light
levels in Mabi Forest are higher than many rainforests. Two
weeks after the cyclone the leaves on fallen branches were no
longer palatable to the possums and tree-kangaroos. Few trees
had produced new growth which could be browsed. The main
source of nourishment for the foliavores was Turbina. This led
me to comment to a parks ranger that the removal of this weed
was a bit like St Augustine’s prayer for chastity, “not just
yet!”
Birds
The
family of Pacific
Bazas is still being seen regularly in village
and along Peterson Creek. Both Latham's and Swinhoe's Snipe were at
Tinaburra but have gone north now to breed. Talking of going
north to breed, so have the waders from the Cairns Esplanade.
Imagine though the journey of a Godwit which breeds in Alaska
and spends the austral summer in New Zealand. It is now
possible to track their migration using satellite technology
and you can follow their progress at http://www.werc.usgs.gov/sattrack/shorebirds/overall.htmlThe
Buff-banded Rails
which live in our garden have bred again. The first time this
season they raised none of their brood but were successful in
fledging one chick later. This time at least nine chicks were
hatched which is a record for this pair. A group of ten
Sarus Cranes were
seen in late March and early April but not recently. It should
not be long until the return of the birds for the dry season.
Bustards are
already on their winter feeding grounds around the Tablelands.
The numbers of r aptors being seen is rapidly
increasing. One day recently I saw eight species without doing
any dedicated bird watching. I am of course always bird
watching; well almost always! The new Wetlands centre in
Ingham is soon to be opened. Tyto Wetlands was so named
because four species of Tyto
owls have been seen there. At the centre is a
dramatic copper sculpture of a Grass Owl produced by an ex
student of mine, Amanda Feher.
Tree-Kangaroos
A recent
sighting of a tree-roo at Lake Eacham was
confirmed by photograph. There have also been reliable reports
of sightings at Lake Barrine also. Kara & joey put on an
amazing display of behaviours on two nights. We saw them move
around, feed groom and what appeared to be kissing. I believe
that this leads to the inoculation of the young with stomach
flora. I have not seen the female cough up stomach contents
before or during this behaviour which would be as close to
confirmation as I'm likely to get. One guest said of their
antics, "Well they did everything but put on a song and dance
act." Joan, a 2
1/2 year old daughter of Jill has turned up back in her
mother's territory after an eight month absence. When I first
saw her again I had suspicions about her identity but once I
saw her sitting with her mum and younger sibling there was no
doubt about which one she was. I am glad to report that
Dorothy has
expanded her range on our side of the road and is not taking
the dangerous crossing as often as she was. She crossed the
road in response to Cyclone Larry's reduction to her habitat.
The big grey male from the southern end of my site seems to
have been replaced by a smaller and younger individual. Nikkie and her joey have
been crossing the creek in town.
Assisted Migration
One of the
possible human responses to the potential loss of biodiversity
due to climate change is assisted migration. This is to shift
animals and plants to sites which are now more in tune with
their requirements. This is fraught with danger as far as I'm
concerned as it is not possible to tell what stresses these
organisms will place on their new ecosystems. However I do not
see that there is a possibility of assisted migration to areas
which have become uninhabitable in the recent past because
human interference. The idea that local forms have to be
preserved seems funny when the objectors say but you will be
playing god by choosing which genes you assist. If the gene
flow would have been possible without our interference why
should our interference not make it problematic? There
will be a rigorous sorting process taking place anyway and the
more genes the population has, the more biodiversity.
New Birding Resource for
north Queensland.Jack Leighton has
produced a 2 DVD set of 100 birds of the north called
"Rainforest birds of Australia's 'Wet Tropics'." This is a
truly great achievement as all the birds are accompanied by
their calls and there is no commentary. The birds are
introduced with their name over a picture of a flower or
fruit. From a huge Cassowary bathing in a rainforest creek to
a cheeky little Boatbill dancing and singing his heart out
there are many wonderful natural history moments captured by
Jack. He can be contacted at birdsnbarra@tinaroowaters.com.au
and has the capacity to produce DVDs for playing on any
system.
Quiz
This
newsletter questions are about colour. I'll give you two
scientific names which refer to the same colour, You decide on
the colour. For bonus points what are the common names of the
organisms concerned?
1 Agathis atropurpurea, Petrogale
purpureicollis
2 Hersperilla flavescens, Antechinus
flavipes
3 Melaleuca argentea, Dleias
argenthona
4 Nacadubia cyanea, Malurus
cyaneus
5 Areda alba, Petrophassa
albipennis
For a double point bonus which of
these organism's name is composed of three colours?
Last newsletter's
answers
1. One should be careful around
Rose Butternut trees because c) the plant is poisonous
2. Green Ringtails are autocoprophagus which means
they b) eat their faeces
3. Most macropods
(kangaroos and their kin) have four teats but give birth in
the pouch to a single young. True
4. Ferns are found in wet
areas because their gametes need to be able to swim to mate.
True | 
