Natural History, home and away.

Noting a mini milestone, this is my 500th post to this blog. 

This covers a few interesting bird images and a report on a small trip we made on 21 September.

The first photo shows a Caspian Tern and 2 Hooded Plovers in the water of the Betka River, with the level rising quite rapidly due to the mouth being closed.

It is important to record breeding activity.  I didn't see the display or courtship elements of this event and from the disinterest of the female, I suspect they were not that evident.

One of the points of interest in our Mallacoota croquet games has been the presence of a Masked Lapwing nest on the higher grass surrounding the lawns.  When Frances and I played there on Monday 19th the adults were fairly bolshie, although if we stayed away from the area close to the nest an adult sat and brooded.  On Tuesday the birds were both off the nest and when I looked it there was only 1 egg (of 4).  I assumed a fox had had a meal.  With 11 players we were playing on both lawns and I only went near the nest when an errant shot on lawn 1 (where I was playing) went right across lawn 2 and teetered on the edge of the gutter.  Looking into the gutter revealed 3 chicks!   Neither they, nor the adults, seemed unduly fussed about our presence.

On the Wednesday we went for an explore along West Cann Road which loops off the Monaro Highway North of the village of Cann River.  

We were also planning to fill up the Pajero's fuel tank at the United servo in Cann as it would be cheaper that the $2.229c/litre being gouged by the place in Mallacoota.  Indeed: it was $1.999c/l - a saving of 30 cents a litre or ~$21 for the tankful.  As I was not replete with diesel when leaving home I checked the range on the car's info system: this was 120 km when in our driveway but by the time we had got to Genoa Rd (4km away) had dropped to 100km - the large hill had cut our consumption.  When we next checked the range - just after the Drummer Walk turnoff, some 50 km from home, it was back to 120km!  This shows what a lot of driving on dirt and several km in 4WD will do.

Here is a map of a fair bit of West Cann Road.  We have stopped several times in the past at point 1, mainly to tick Rufous Songlarks which appear there in Summer.  We hadn't been past it, but have been told of a rainforest pocket at point 2 where the road crosses the River (and thus goes on the West side)!  Knowing that the road comes back out on the highway a few km North we made a loop of it stating a third bird list at the dam marked as 3.

There was no Songlark at point 1 but a male Nankeen Kestrel was having a snack of something.

The River had plenty of water in it ....

... and has obviously had a lot more.  The log is about 3m above current water level.  My guess ir that would put most of the area back to point 1 under water.

No greatly exciting birds were seen here and we proceeded on going past some dairy farms.  Getting to a moderate sized dam there were some weird looking ducks.  When I spotted an adult male Australian Shelduck I realised that the weird ones were immature Shelduck.  Frances also spotted 2 black fluffballs in the company of an adult Australian Swamphen.  We extended that checklist for 5km along the road getting (inter alia) several Australasian Pipits and 2 White-faced Herons. 

For the area as a whole (ie all 15 previously listed eBird locations, all Personal locations) 104 species are listed and the Swamphen is an addition.  (I am only able to do this as I have downloaded all eBird data for East Gippsland.  I shall be asking people to try to rationalise their locations and declare some Hotspots, to make the data more readily accessible.)  I have made a trip report covering the three sites showing 29 species.

We headed for home and swung in to West Wingan "Rd".  I have put quotes around the word Road since the number and depth of potholes suggests that 'Track' might be a better classification.  We decided that we didn't want to rattle on for another 30km to the campground but stopped at Soda Creek Track for an explore.

This pea was interesting as it didn't look like anything we recognised.  iNaturalist reckons it is Goodia lotifolia which fits with Plants Victoria as "Golden Top".

A wattle with very long spikes.  iNaturalist can't suggest anything.  Observers have given A. genistifolia which matches books etc when looked at closely.  Much more vigorous than what I have previously attached this name to and I suspect my previous IDs have been wrong: but what were they?

Shorter spikes but again iNaturalist can't go past genus.  Observers on iNaturalist have proposed A. verticillata (Prickly Moses) with which I agree.  Joy's book has it under 'Watercourses" not on a ridge - but it was in a damp patch, possibly next to a spring.

A pretty spectacular Tetratheca, but I can't get further than that at this stage.

A Pomaderris.  I'll let iNaturalist sort this out.  An observer - who knows Pomaderris has commented "Going on the density of rusty hairs on stems and leaf underside I think this has to be P. ferruginea, which iNat for some reason has decided is called P. wendlandiana."  The reason is possibly that iNat is run by folk from California (although the main villain seems to be Kew)!  I have looked at various links about the name change and as usual with this genus it is all completely confusing with various references contradicting each other.

Kennedia rubicunda was looking attractive in the background.

And more so  when close up.

This puzzled us in the field but Joy's book (confirmed by iNaturalist) says Dodonea triquetra.

Caladenia catenata.

As we were passing we sung into the Genoa Creek track and saw one remaining Caladenia caerrulea and our first Glossodia major for the season

This one always fools me.  It is Sowerbaea juncea: a Lily.

Finally, on the morning of the 22nd the Masked Lapwings next door greeted 3 new members from the second brood this year.  I am unsure if the 4th egg will hatch or not.