Slightly Western Wildlife

On 29 December I, guided by our friend Gary, went exploring areas somewhat West of Mallacoota looking for an uncommon bird and an even less common orchid.  While I dipped on both (Gary saw the bird very briefly) there was a lot of other 'stuff' of interest and I was exposed to several very interesting areas I hadn't previously visited.

A first stop was at a patch of (mainly) unburnt Allocasuarinas where Gary has seem Glossy Black-Cockatoos in the past.   Sure enough soon after stopping we heard them chuntering away as they fed and after a small amount of flailing around in the bush found them right on the roadside!  (In case you think the following photo is sponsored by CrapBirdPhotography.com you should see the ones I deleted.)

After searching for the uncommon bird we headed back towards the highway, pausing briefly to allow a rather long (~1.8m) Eastern Brown Snake to get off the road.  Heading further West we then explored a few grasstree plains (also known as swamps).  They were mainly very damp - not surprising considering recent rain.  What I have realised was surprising was the absence of mosquitoes: perhaps the cool weather has restricted their breeding?

On the way in to the first area a Sacred Kingfisher attempted to hide from my camera. 

A rather lurid fungus was lurking in the lowest level of the 'vegetation'.

Several specimens of Hakea decurrens were evident.

Being a swamp lots of Fairie's Aprons (Urtricularia dichotoma) were evident.

Although the hoped for orchid was not found (possibly because the site was oozing water, rather than merely damp) we found a good-sized colony of Large Tongue Orchids (Cryptostylis subulata).

A common site in any swampy area has been a yellow pea flower growing on very thin stems.  This time I took photos, and looked it up on Flora of Victoria.  It turns out to be listed under "Golden Spray" Viminaria juncea.

As we got back to the car our attention was grabbed by a ruckus at the top of a dead tree.  This was a Pallid Cuckoo  ....

.. being mobbed by a pair of Jacky Winters.  I couldn't get an attack sequence!

A view over one of the grasstree plains.

A newly split-out species of Onion Orchid Microtis benthami.  

Most of the Callistemon citrinus were past their use-by date but some were still doing the lurid thing.  

We heard the distinctive weep, weep call of a Beautiful Firetail but couldn't get it to reveal itself.  The habitat was absolutely correct for the species.

On the way back in to Karbeethong we stopped to look for other orchids finding several Cryptostylis leptochila (Small Tongue Orchid)