Sheep Station Creek South and Betka

In our continued exploration of areas close to home we went to the Southern part of the Sheep Station Creek Track on 7 August.  This was the first time we had been here, and I was unsure where the track went.  Sheep Station Creek is the one to the right of our route: the other watercourse is un-named.

A Tetratheca sp.

For the first ~300m the understory was dominated by Acacia (probably A. terminalis) now about 1.5m tall.

A bean! Platylobium parviflorum.

The track ended going down (not too steeply) to this interesting-looking marsh beside the Betka River.

Scanning the area I recorded 7 White faced Herons patrolling the watercourses.

On 8 August we returned to traditional values by doing the long version of the Heathland walk which includes Davis Beach and the Betka estuary.  It is slightly annoying that the Shire (or RRV) has prohibited parking on the LHS of Betka Rd.  I am unsure why this has changed, as there is plenty of room and good visibility for pulling off or out.

There were a few flowers around but have all been photographed recently.  On getting to Betka we couldn't locate the Hooded Plovers, but there are many places for them to hide (or the noise of the construction of a wall at the picnic area may have driven them off).  However a pair of Caspian Terns posed well beside the river.

Heading back along Chip Track a lot of Clematis - I think from habitat C. microphylla is more likely but the leaves don't look particularly "micro".  Advice has been sought from iNaturalist.

Leptospermum laevigatum

Hybanthus vernonii was common in the heath.

Despite my best efforts to call it something else I have decided that this is yet more Dillwynia sericea.

2 Black Swans were cruising on Davis Creek.

Glycine clandestina.