tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18060442538583178972024-03-14T07:27:44.701+11:00HarPer’s bizarre - a naturalist's miscellanyHarvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-29669119958982053422020-09-27T09:49:00.004+10:002020-09-28T15:52:25.648+10:00Entomopathogenic Fungi'ed Fluffy Flies<div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqhf0qXAAME/X2_QMhLllyI/AAAAAAAACZs/N-GGpSQBMjM2YAnuSW7-N0MToRx6VNdiwCPcBGAYYCw/s800/P1290113%2Bbanner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="800" height="128" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqhf0qXAAME/X2_QMhLllyI/AAAAAAAACZs/N-GGpSQBMjM2YAnuSW7-N0MToRx6VNdiwCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h128/P1290113%2Bbanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Spring in Canberra this year has had an abundance of wet
weather and variably cool mornings. Conditions which are ideal for a pathogenic
fungus which infects a range of insects, but is particularly noticeable to us
humans when it affects flies. <i>Entomophthora</i> is also sometimes known as
the puppeteer fungus and causes infected flies to have distended abdomens, with
spread legs, and outstretched, often forward-pointing, wings. </span><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Entomophthora </i>comes from the Greek roots </span><span style="font-family: Symbol;">entomo</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> (entomo), meaning insect, and </span><span style="font-family: Symbol;">jqora</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">(phthora), meaning deterioration/damage/destruction/decay
– so a very apt construction. It belongs to a group (Phylum) of fungi called
Zygomycota, and is very far removed from the various fungi, such as mushrooms,
bracket fungi, and even yeast, that we are more familiar with. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The reason for the name puppeteer fungus is the concept that
some of these fungi effectively hijack the insect’s brain, turning them into ‘zombies’
with behaviours that enhance the further success of the fungal infection. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Entomophthora</i> fungus is not uncommon, provided the
right conditions prevail, but infected flies, apart from being small, tend to
cling to the undersides of leaves or are otherwise unobvious and not noticed by
the vast majority of people. I found a dozen or so infected and very dead flies
early one dewy morning in mid-September when I was inspecting our nectarine
tree to see how much fruit set there might be this year. Later, I found more on a range of other plants, including azaleas and on the undersides of the leaves of the olive tree. These provided opportunities for what I think are some beautiful, if rather gruesome, photos. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Several links to further information are provided at the end
of this post.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nELxqBD5mh8/X2_QLm1mAxI/AAAAAAAACZ0/quT-2tBYt68jZeM_c67XErTlJSzcPwjRgCPcBGAYYCw/s1000/P1290099%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nELxqBD5mh8/X2_QLm1mAxI/AAAAAAAACZ0/quT-2tBYt68jZeM_c67XErTlJSzcPwjRgCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/P1290099%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mnN1-abkwno/X2_QLvTlWTI/AAAAAAAACZw/k6FSU9mhNxId8nZ8PRkFEwkjg8HJWkqiACPcBGAYYCw/s1000/P1290101%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mnN1-abkwno/X2_QLvTlWTI/AAAAAAAACZw/k6FSU9mhNxId8nZ8PRkFEwkjg8HJWkqiACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/P1290101%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0kcNOq3ql1k/X2_QLrOjfpI/AAAAAAAACZ0/QOh-uS65i3gZQHK5MTLbQv18pr_tcRmngCPcBGAYYCw/s1000/P1290105%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0kcNOq3ql1k/X2_QLrOjfpI/AAAAAAAACZ0/QOh-uS65i3gZQHK5MTLbQv18pr_tcRmngCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/P1290105%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AMbOujjIcSM/X2_QMpk92-I/AAAAAAAACZ0/qjDFkToYNGcsnNA7wintwF1pJDgUCeyEgCPcBGAYYCw/s1000/P1290110%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AMbOujjIcSM/X2_QMpk92-I/AAAAAAAACZ0/qjDFkToYNGcsnNA7wintwF1pJDgUCeyEgCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/P1290110%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg50PtOcjjA/X2_QM2QX3FI/AAAAAAAACZw/04M64mNJ8Q8fBHQYVWXvI-isyQI-I4JrgCPcBGAYYCw/s1000/P1290113%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg50PtOcjjA/X2_QM2QX3FI/AAAAAAAACZw/04M64mNJ8Q8fBHQYVWXvI-isyQI-I4JrgCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/P1290113%2Bentomophthora-infected%2Bfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xafEVpuCoSM/X2_QNlAtRmI/AAAAAAAACZ0/srW2xvKRt0Ah-z2tXwbZkqDxXikorrJsQCPcBGAYYCw/s800/P1290118%2Bentomopathic%2Bfungi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xafEVpuCoSM/X2_QNlAtRmI/AAAAAAAACZ0/srW2xvKRt0Ah-z2tXwbZkqDxXikorrJsQCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/P1290118%2Bentomopathic%2Bfungi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gtuFxpfjWEI/X3BOaM8fraI/AAAAAAAACaE/JjNtAGL62bwHSf_qezgIihbNr-IypaHqwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1000/P1290662%2Bentomophthora.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gtuFxpfjWEI/X3BOaM8fraI/AAAAAAAACaE/JjNtAGL62bwHSf_qezgIihbNr-IypaHqwCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1290662%2Bentomophthora.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tMBlniNZO48/X3BOaO9DbtI/AAAAAAAACaA/ktSQxZYNJIg8wXpoYwXS0OLXdkUN0h0ogCNcBGAsYHQ/s1000/P1290700%2Bentomophthora%2Bolive.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tMBlniNZO48/X3BOaO9DbtI/AAAAAAAACaA/ktSQxZYNJIg8wXpoYwXS0OLXdkUN0h0ogCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1290700%2Bentomophthora%2Bolive.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umDWCavhn78/X3BOaAHog9I/AAAAAAAACaI/vW_oidOuHwQ5I-naUhIbeEbtP6UR4SRowCNcBGAsYHQ/s1000/P1290721%2Bentomophtora.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umDWCavhn78/X3BOaAHog9I/AAAAAAAACaI/vW_oidOuHwQ5I-naUhIbeEbtP6UR4SRowCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1290721%2Bentomophtora.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fd8MvER2v8o/X3F5t9mJ-YI/AAAAAAAACaY/nFIBb0a0UqMPEIn6lg_N672Qa2JdBZpxwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1000/P1290735%2Bentomophthora%2Bfly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fd8MvER2v8o/X3F5t9mJ-YI/AAAAAAAACaY/nFIBb0a0UqMPEIn6lg_N672Qa2JdBZpxwCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1290735%2Bentomophthora%2Bfly.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urrBuFv8X5I/X3F5t5EYO3I/AAAAAAAACac/uBsenTqoUQoY3I7SRX7gAssFMGXkE443ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1000/P1290742%2Bentomophthora%2Bfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urrBuFv8X5I/X3F5t5EYO3I/AAAAAAAACac/uBsenTqoUQoY3I7SRX7gAssFMGXkE443ACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1290742%2Bentomophthora%2Bfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomophthora_muscae">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomophthora_muscae</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/mar2000.html">https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/mar2000.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/pathogens/entomophagamuscae.php">https://biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/pathogens/entomophagamuscae.php</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/47656-mind-control-fungus-in-flies"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.inverse.com/article/47656-mind-control-fungus-in-flies</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p></div></div></div></div>Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-66991585124357827732020-07-18T18:42:00.000+10:002020-07-18T18:45:21.328+10:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Winter Damselflies</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are a lot of comments around at the moment by people
noticing that some birds seem to think winter is over already for this year!
Various species from thornbills to ravens have been seen collecting nesting
material, and several species of cuckoos have been heard calling, both here in
Canberra and elsewhere, quite unseasonally, suggesting they think the birds
whose nests they parasitise might also be active, or nearly so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And it’s true that for mid-July we have had relatively few
severe frosts or particularly low sub-zero temperatures. It seems the dragonflies
and damselflies have also picked up on this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was a slower wind-down to the dragonfly season this year,
in my view, with several species persisting for longer than I would expect them
to. Wandering Ringtails (<i>Austrolestes leda</i>), and even a few Inland
Ringtails (<i>Austrolestes aridus</i>) which seem to be rather itinerant here
in Canberra but had a relatively good season this year, were being found well
into May, and even June. Not only by me, but by number of people submitting
their photographic records to Canberra Nature Map (CNM). Tau Emeralds (<i>Hemicordulia
tau</i>) also seemed to persist, admittedly in relatively small numbers, longer
than I am used to, with one reported as late as 14 June. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And yesterday (17 July), a record came in to CNM from Shorty,
aka ‘rawshorty’, of a Wandering Ringtail on Mount Ainslie saddle. What’s more
it was a teneral male, meaning it was only recently emerged from its watery
larval home (presumably a small dam in the Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve) and
was not yet fully coloured-up, and was munching into what looked like a small
water beetle or some such. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TO66kx49kEU/XxKvt87U-LI/AAAAAAAACWE/wHK3My7H6Ns850iRoluSp_E2r14seclzgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Shorty%2527s%2Bringtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="800" height="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TO66kx49kEU/XxKvt87U-LI/AAAAAAAACWE/wHK3My7H6Ns850iRoluSp_E2r14seclzgCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/Shorty%2527s%2Bringtail.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A teneral Wandering Ringtail (male) photographed by Shorty on Mount Ainslie.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is known that in some places (that have a distinct winter
that precludes pretty much all dragonfly activity) Wandering Ringtails may ‘over-winter’,
which is not a usual behaviour of damselflies. But I never expected this would occur
in Canberra which really does get very cold! I had made some half-hearted
efforts in previous years to see if I could find any overwintering individuals,
but had never been successful. So, when Shorty’s image showed up I thought it
time to have another look. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I rationalised to myself that the best bet would probably be
a small, well vegetated swamp with a northerly aspect which would allow any
sunshine to warm the shallow waters quickly. So I decided to check out a tiny
seepage swamp on the northern flanks of Black Mountain, just off Belconnen Way,
where I know Wandering Ringtails can be abundant when the summer conditions are
favourable. I had recorded a late emergence event of this species there on 14
May (32 individuals including seven mating pairs) and assumed they would be the
last for the 2019-20 season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I arrived, the sunshine was weakly obscured by a haze
of high cloud, there was a slight breeze, and it was a balmy 12.5°C (it had got
down to a relatively mild 0.2°C overnight). It all looked very quiet except for
the four cockies and four Wood Ducks and I spent a good 15 minutes scrutinising
the sedges for any perched damselflies. But then, just as I was about to leave
and was doing one final scan with the binoculars – there it was. A male
Wandering Ringtail. All by itself, not moving but being gently buffeted by the
breeze and presumably trying to soak up as much warmth as was possible. I
clicked away, even the 400 mm lens finding the distance difficult, but any
attempt to get closer would mean approaching it from the other side of the
swamp and directly into the low-angled sun. But I had my proof and felt quite chuffed.
And it really hadn’t been that difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnoNkL5Rz5I/XxKyX7hNJuI/AAAAAAAACWk/_m8_xQHotk4U8krEnVW2NGlX9kS0Wv1owCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_9592%2BWandering%2BRingtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnoNkL5Rz5I/XxKyX7hNJuI/AAAAAAAACWk/_m8_xQHotk4U8krEnVW2NGlX9kS0Wv1owCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_9592%2BWandering%2BRingtail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An adult male Wandering Ringtail at a tiny swamp on the northern flanks of Black Mountain in mid-July</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I went and checked out the nearby small dam, largely shaded
by trees, and as expected found no activity there at all. Returning to the
swamp, I went to take just a few more photos, but the damselfly had moved on. I
eventually relocated it about 2 metres away, and in a clump of sedge right on
the edge of the opposite bank. I worked my way around slowly and what I hoped
was unobtrusively until close enough to crouch down and use the little Lumix
camera on macro, getting near enough to largely overcome the poor lighting
direction. When my closeness did eventually disturb it, it fluttered weakly just
20 cm away and re-perched. Poor thing, I thought, not even warm enough to be
able to fly properly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It wasn’t until I got home and downloaded the photos that I
realised the macro shots were of an individual with a malformed wing-tip, and
obviously different to the individual I first photographed with the long lens.
So – at least two males were present on this tiny swamp in mid-July. There’s no
way to know if they were survivors of the emergence I recorded two months previously
in mid-May, or had emerged much more recently, like Shorty’s male on Mount
Ainslie, but it is clear that, at least this year, this incredibly hardy little
species (they are only about 35-40 mm long and incredibly slender) can survive a
Canberra winter! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QB47WumwuaA/XxKzCLUpv6I/AAAAAAAACWs/nmWa2m2TKVw4cw2bjKBaWTivCZm51e7kwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1280125%2BWandering%2BRingtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QB47WumwuaA/XxKzCLUpv6I/AAAAAAAACWs/nmWa2m2TKVw4cw2bjKBaWTivCZm51e7kwCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/P1280125%2BWandering%2BRingtail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyZNcZCprZ4/XxKzEHZyZXI/AAAAAAAACWw/mR0vUhnP4J4b-ZHploZrCg5XBrBzASeygCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1280127%2BWandering%2BRingtail%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyZNcZCprZ4/XxKzEHZyZXI/AAAAAAAACWw/mR0vUhnP4J4b-ZHploZrCg5XBrBzASeygCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/P1280127%2BWandering%2BRingtail%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Canberra Nature Map is at: <a href="https://canberra.naturemapr.org/">https://canberra.naturemapr.org/</a> </span></div>
<br />Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-91060528412544146872019-12-09T22:23:00.002+11:002019-12-09T22:23:18.965+11:00Christmas beetle cocky feast<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Early one morning last week, I was wandering up my street
(bird watching) and noticed a group of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos on the road
under a large eucalyptus tree. They were clearly feeding on something on the
ground. Closer inspection revealed their interest was in Christmas beetles.
There were ten cockatoos on the ground, a further three in the outer foliage of
the tree and a couple more on prominent perches nearby (possibly sentinels?).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The birds on the ground were feasting on fallen beetles –
some alive and still crawling, many barely alive, and many more quite dead. The
birds in the tree were clambering about the outer foliage deliberately seeking
out and ‘plucking’ the beetles feeding on the fresh young foliage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In both
situations, the cockatoos manipulated the beetles, using both beak and feet, in
the same way they would an equivalent-sized fruit, or acorn; the softer inner
parts of the beetle being scooped out and eaten before the exoskeletal husk was
unceremoniously dropped, adding to the carnage below. From the remnants, it
appears the muscle tissue inside the thorax was possibly the main attraction. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following morning, a slightly smaller group of cockies
again arrived on the scene and began helping themselves to the dwindling supply of
beetles. They seemed a little less engaged, or a little more distracted, and were
soon dispersed when a small dog showed up. Some of the cockatoos moved off down
the street to feed on the under-ripe fruit of a flowing plum tree for desert. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My interest and surprise in these events was twofold. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly, the sheer number of Christmas beetles was impressive, particularly in
times when the incidence of these beetles seems to be reducing year by year. I
estimated at least several hundred beetles on the ground, and many more were
visible in the foliage. As far as I could discern, all were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anoplognathus chloropyrus</i>, the
Green-tailed Christmas Beetle, even though several different species of
Christmas beetles occur in Canberra. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Secondly, animal material is a rare component of the diet of
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. HANZAB (Handbook <span style="background-color: white;">of <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds</span> - the
A</span>ustralian ornithologist’s ‘bible’) and another authoritative book on
Australian parrots mention a few instances of insect material being consumed,
including the larvae of longhorn beetles from dead trees, and the larvae and/or
eggs of Diptera (fly larvae), Hymenoptera (ant eggs) and Orthoptera
(grasshopper larvae and eggs). Christmas beetles are not mentioned. Indeed
there is no mention of adult forms of any kind of insect being eaten, let alone
such large, crunchy, heavily sclerotized ones as Christmas beetles (not that this would be an issue
for the cockies’ massive bills). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When available, Christmas beetles are readily eaten by a
range of other birds in the area, including th<span style="background-color: white;">e <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Australian Ravens that breed each year in the tree in
question, Pied Currawongs, Australian Magpies, Noisy Friarbirds, Dollarbirds</span> and</span> so on. But
this appears to be the first instance, at least that I am aware of, of
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos exploiting this food resource. It seems this might be
quite an unusual occurrence, and quite possibly related to the severity of the
ongoing drought. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope enough of the Chrissie beetles survived to procreate and produce the next generation...</span><br />
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<br />Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-84231865551497969852019-02-05T23:09:00.003+11:002019-02-05T23:09:44.311+11:00Twin-spot Hunters find Canberra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ic01M-1ahY/XFlwafyHS0I/AAAAAAAACJo/_oy7j3hGlroJ7ZQcWDMn5gKDGQXvZ5ciwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7841-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528blog%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="800" height="174" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ic01M-1ahY/XFlwafyHS0I/AAAAAAAACJo/_oy7j3hGlroJ7ZQcWDMn5gKDGQXvZ5ciwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7841-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528blog%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was Saturday afternoon and 40 degrees outside. I was in
the relative comfort of the study, the fan blowing a cooling breeze, when a
report came through on the online <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canberra
Nature Map</i> (CNM) of a Unicorn Hunter – a type of dragonfly that, in the
ACT, frequents sand or shingle beds along some of the lower altitude rivers. As
a moderator for dragonflies on the CNM platform I logged in and had a look at
the photo. An initial cursory glance showed a tell-tale yellow double band <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">at the 7th</span> abdominal segment, then I looked at the ante<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">humeral stripe</span> to ensure it was ‘attached’ to the
collar – it was; but something about the spots on the side of the final
abdominal segments, and the pattern of the yellow patches on the side
of the thorax, just didn’t seem quite right. Then I looked at the location of
the sighting. It was all wrong. It was from open woodland, though not too far
from a few small ‘farm’ dams. But nothing like the sandy-edged river locations
preferred by Unicorn Hunters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bBLqC0B_Rz8/XFlx3oIx6BI/AAAAAAAACKY/oSprPgiBIDgTGMorT2vYdIa1UXezD4l5gCLcBGAs/s1600/John%2527s%2BTwin-spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bBLqC0B_Rz8/XFlx3oIx6BI/AAAAAAAACKY/oSprPgiBIDgTGMorT2vYdIa1UXezD4l5gCLcBGAs/s400/John%2527s%2BTwin-spot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The photograph submitted to Canberra Nature Map, initially suggested to be a Unicorn Hunter.</td></tr>
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So I took a closer look at the thoracic and abdominal
patterns against the various other ‘hunters’ in the Theischinger & Hawking field guide, and it
became very apparent that the photo was in fact of a thing called <i>Austroepigomphus praeruptus</i> or <i>Austroepigomphus melaleucae</i>, the
Twin-spot Hunter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This species pair has a bit of a confused
history. The original <i>A. praeruptus</i>
was described by Selys, in 1858, based on a single specimen from South
Australia; but the specimen was lost and has never been relocated. Meanwhile,
in 1909, Tillyard described a very similar species from Queensland and called
it <i>A. melaleucae</i>. Although the vast
majority of known records are from Queensland and northern NSW, it seems that
the species has now been accepted as <i>A.
praeruptus</i> and <i>A. melaleucae</i> has
been relegated to junior synonym status.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There ar</span>e close to a hun<span style="font-family: inherit;">dred records of the species in the
Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), generally from inla</span>nd south-eastern Queensland
and inland north-eastern NSW, but with some more coastal records, including as
far north as Cairns and as far south as Sydney. Interestingly, there is a 1976 record from Elanora Heights in the bushland of northern Sydney, less than a
kilometre from where I grew up and where I was a teenager at the time! There is also a tight cluster of three records
by Reiner Richter, from January/February 2016, from a small drying creek
between Shepparton and Euroa in northern Victoria. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PE7hpmm6UIg/XFl2lCuvpqI/AAAAAAAACKw/9-kCtDNBuEouOVJ4EtlkGT6XugMoYE5GgCLcBGAs/s1600/ALA%2Bmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="757" height="341" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PE7hpmm6UIg/XFl2lCuvpqI/AAAAAAAACKw/9-kCtDNBuEouOVJ4EtlkGT6XugMoYE5GgCLcBGAs/s400/ALA%2Bmap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distibution of the 92 Atlas of Living Australia records (Jan 2019).</td></tr>
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In a personal email, Reiner indicated to me that a record,
in iNaturalist, is of, finally, a recent record of the species from South
Australia. This was of an individual in a very poor state from the Adelaide
hills. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So the finding of an individual of this species in the ACT
is an important and, for me personally, very exciting outcome, and fills a
sizable gap in the species’ distribution. I got onto John Bundock (the
naturalist photographer ‘colleague’ of mine who found the dragonfly and
submitted the record) immediately by phone, quizzing him on details such as was
it just the one individual, how far was it from the nearest water, did it hang
about, did he have any other photos of it etc, etc. It seemed to take a while,
but I eventually convinced him of the significance and excitement of his find
and we agreed to go out together in the morning to try to gather further
evidence. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Next day, Sunday 27 January 2019, dawned quite overcast and
we were even subjected to the occasional brief shower as we searched the first
dam. Not the greatest dragonfly hunting weather. It remained cloudy for several
hours but eventually gave way to more extended sunny periods and reached a
temperature of 30 degrees. We searched the woodland where John had seen the
dragonfly, now three days prior; we searched another couple of nearby small
dams, all of which had relatively low water levels. Blue Skimmers and Common
Bluetails were particularly evident, and we also recorded a few Red & Blue
Damsels and a single Blue Ringtail, but we found no evidence of any Twin-spot
Hunters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We decided to head deeper into the woodland reserve to a
couple of other small dams that I’d been wanting to survey for a while, and as
we went, photographing any other insect life that caught our attention, my mind
started to formulate a possible scenario. If this species is known to inhabit
“sluggish streams and rivers, including isolated riverine pools”, it may well be likely that the
species has adapted to a nomadic lifestyle. This might go some way to
explaining its very patchy distribution through eastern and south-eastern
Australia, and the individual John had seen may well have been an itinerant or
wind-blown ‘traveller’. Fine as a theory, but not great for my personal
aspirations of seeing the species which I desperately wanted to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the other dams there were lots more of what we’d already
seen and we added Tau Emeralds, an Inland Hunter and Wandering Percher. But
still no twin-spots. So finally, defeated by lack of success and the heat, we
decided to head back towards the car. We did a bit of a loop past another
drying dam before rejoining the main track just above one of the dams we’d
checked earlier that morning. As we approached, I noticed a Royal Tigertail
perched on a small emergent branch just out from the bank. We hadn’t seen this
species earlier, so I raised my camera and, even through the viewfinder, I
realised fairly quickly that this was no Royal Tigertail. I mentally checked
off abdominal banding and spots and thoracic markings and knew straight off
this was in fact a Twin-spot Hunter. Yes! We spent about half an hour scanning
the dam and taking hundreds of photos, eventually seeing three of the
twin-spots together. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1aDH8U0Gt4/XFlwgyg8vsI/AAAAAAAACKE/SeaVsLkmjgsoxee5PSMRfQaBZIMJgMdawCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7699-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528CNM%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1aDH8U0Gt4/XFlwgyg8vsI/AAAAAAAACKE/SeaVsLkmjgsoxee5PSMRfQaBZIMJgMdawCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_7699-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528CNM%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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When we dropped down to the next dam, the one we first
surveyed in dull showery conditions, we tallied no less than eight individual
Twin-spot Hunters, all along one edge of the dam, perching mainly on logs and
emergent submerged branches, but also occasionally on the stems of rushes or on
the gravelly bank. What a difference a bit of sunshine can make.</div>
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This completely changed things. These were not blow-ins, but
in all likelihood had emerged locally. The species was a ‘resident’, at least
for one season, of the ACT.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pST9_k17Wk0/XFlwh5VX5aI/AAAAAAAACKI/cga7XapAb5oGoYwNcAL3pMiy82mz8inlgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7862-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528CNM%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pST9_k17Wk0/XFlwh5VX5aI/AAAAAAAACKI/cga7XapAb5oGoYwNcAL3pMiy82mz8inlgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_7862-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528CNM%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HWsQ8t5nW9c/XFlwidRjFHI/AAAAAAAACKQ/pdBwIqAfiQM0HDcslP7uRRvNuBzh2T5xgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_8086-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528CNM%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HWsQ8t5nW9c/XFlwidRjFHI/AAAAAAAACKQ/pdBwIqAfiQM0HDcslP7uRRvNuBzh2T5xgCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_8086-Twin-spot%2BHunter%2B%2528CNM%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now we need to monitor over the remainder of this season, and more importantly, check other potential sites in the region, and see if they show up again next season.<br />
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<br />Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-79633594824502432522015-12-08T23:54:00.000+11:002015-12-12T21:59:59.664+11:00Inland Hunter inexpectata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dGH9fyEvhC0/VmbBqCMvmCI/AAAAAAAAB1s/4vfemTk0KVg/s1600/IMG_1101%2Bbanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dGH9fyEvhC0/VmbBqCMvmCI/AAAAAAAAB1s/4vfemTk0KVg/s1600/IMG_1101%2Bbanner.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last Wednesday I took a lunchtime stroll along
the northern edge of West Basin, a section of Lake Burley Griffin. It is just across
Parkes Way from where I work and is in the heart of Canberra. I should confess
that it wasn’t really just a stroll, so much as a survey of what odonates
(dragonflies and damselflies) might have been present at the time. This is part
of my fairly concerted effort this summer to get a feel for what odonate
species occur in the ACT and when they are present through the season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apart from the expected damselflies - Blue
Ringtails, Red & Blue Damsels and Common Bluetails (all of which have been
present there for the past month or so) - I saw four or five individuals of a
smallish black and yellow dragonfly. From the shape and body markings these
were clearly a type of gomphid (Family Gomphidae) and at first I thought they
might have been either Stout or Southern Vicetails (<i>Hemigomphus heteroclytus</i>
and <i>Hemigomphus gouldii</i> respectively) which are not uncommon in some of
the ACT’s rivers. But some decent views through the binoculars at close range
of one individual made me think differently. It clearly had dorsal stripes down
the abdominal segments and appeared to be some sort of ‘hunter’ rather than a
‘vicetail’, possibly a Unicorn Hunter <i>Austrogomphus cornutus</i>, but
clearly not a Yellow-striped Hunter <i>Austrogomphus guerini</i> that I’m
relatively familiar with. As I didn’t have my camera with me I took mental
notes of what would hopefully be diagnostic ID features and jotted down a few
comments in my little notebook.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nIgdeR3tCQU/VmbB-IIPLxI/AAAAAAAAB14/sX9UdIgrOFo/s1600/IMG_1725%2BStout%2BVicetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nIgdeR3tCQU/VmbB-IIPLxI/AAAAAAAAB14/sX9UdIgrOFo/s1600/IMG_1725%2BStout%2BVicetail.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stout Vicetail <i>Hemigomphus heteroclytus</i>; Coppins Crossing, ACT; 5 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LdDo8zpbUP8/VmbCGfK6aOI/AAAAAAAAB2E/Nm9uWF8wudk/s1600/IMG_8297%2BSouthern%2BVicetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LdDo8zpbUP8/VmbCGfK6aOI/AAAAAAAAB2E/Nm9uWF8wudk/s1600/IMG_8297%2BSouthern%2BVicetail.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Southern Vicetail <i>Hemigomphus gouldii</i>; Gudgenby River, ACT; 26 Dec 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GQ24yugz2mM/VmbCntmpdxI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/BVKvAt6TqBw/s1600/IMG_7898%2BUnicorn%2BHunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GQ24yugz2mM/VmbCntmpdxI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/BVKvAt6TqBw/s1600/IMG_7898%2BUnicorn%2BHunter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unicorn Hunter <i>Austrogomphus cornutus</i>; Gudgenby River, ACT; 26 Dec 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7plI-uuDn4/VmbCwU7hmEI/AAAAAAAAB2c/HsoAI9NteQg/s1600/IMG_8283%2BYellow-striped%2BHunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7plI-uuDn4/VmbCwU7hmEI/AAAAAAAAB2c/HsoAI9NteQg/s1600/IMG_8283%2BYellow-striped%2BHunter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yellow-striped Hunter <i>Austrogomphus guerini</i>; Gudgenby River, ACT; 26 Dec 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I got back to work I looked up the field
guide (Theischinger & Hawking 2006) and the only thing that looked like
what I had seen was Inland Hunter <i>Austrogomphus australis</i>. A species I'd never seen before.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The match was good for what I had seen, and nothing else really fitted. The problem was the field guide, and later the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) when I looked it up, indicated that this species doesn’t occur in Canberra. The nearest records in ALA are from Wodonga (220 km to the south-west), Griffith (300 km to the west) and up near Tambar Springs (415 km to the north).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zUbPEM_Qb1U/VmbNxKuziLI/AAAAAAAAB5E/zFHs0pGut-E/s1600/fg%2Bmap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zUbPEM_Qb1U/VmbNxKuziLI/AAAAAAAAB5E/zFHs0pGut-E/s320/fg%2Bmap.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Distribution of Inland Hunter according to the Theischinger & Hawking field guide.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhSNbwIyQ-o/VmbM9VRR4EI/AAAAAAAAB44/qf9UvY4rxo0/s1600/map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhSNbwIyQ-o/VmbM9VRR4EI/AAAAAAAAB44/qf9UvY4rxo0/s400/map.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Distribution of records of Inland Hunter in the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) at 4 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was kind of exciting but also frustrating that I had no visual record, and I determined to go back next day, with camera, and get some evidence/proof. So you can imagine my acute frustration when Thursday lunchtime revealed absolutely no sign of any of these dragonflies, despite walking back and forth and checking closely the locations where I had seen them the day before, under similar warm, bright sunny conditions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What had been clear on the Wednesday was that these dragonflies were always associated with sandy/gravelly patches, be they gravelled pedestrian tracks along the edge of the lake or the tiny patch of gravelly sand that purports to be Acton Beach. I thought it unlikely that there would be several individuals at this location one day, and none the next, so I returned again on Friday lunchtime and this time was successful. I spent the better part of an hour photographing one of these dragonflies as it came and went, perching on the gravel and darting out over the water if I got too close or something else disturbed it. Just before heading back to work I saw a second individual and they had a brief skirmish the way dragonflies often do.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4tq1NGsA4Ko/VmbDDajs92I/AAAAAAAAB2o/at_156W6FlA/s1600/IMG_1088%2BActon%2BBeach%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4tq1NGsA4Ko/VmbDDajs92I/AAAAAAAAB2o/at_156W6FlA/s1600/IMG_1088%2BActon%2BBeach%2B1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inland Hunter <i>Austrogomphus australis</i>; Acton Beach, Canberra, ACT; 4 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--8irQLjgHF8/VmbE9vEg_6I/AAAAAAAAB20/Vwau-LoKxoo/s1600/IMG_1180%2BActon%2BBeach%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--8irQLjgHF8/VmbE9vEg_6I/AAAAAAAAB20/Vwau-LoKxoo/s1600/IMG_1180%2BActon%2BBeach%2B2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Inland Hunter </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Austrogomphus australis</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">; Acton Beach, Canberra, ACT; 4 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HnDVzOlSIaI/VmbFSPsVguI/AAAAAAAAB3A/bCvFKzLaOKs/s1600/IMG_1454%2BActon%2BBeach%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HnDVzOlSIaI/VmbFSPsVguI/AAAAAAAAB3A/bCvFKzLaOKs/s1600/IMG_1454%2BActon%2BBeach%2B3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Inland Hunter </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Austrogomphus australis</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">; Acton Beach, Canberra, ACT; 4 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I felt vindicated. Not only had I relocated
at least two of these dragonflies, but I got quite a few photos, and most
gratifyingly they clearly indicated that they were indeed Inland Hunters - and
my mental note taking was validated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later that night as I went through the photos,
culling the out-of-focus and leaving the small fraction that remained
acceptable, it became clear, based on details of the colour development on the
final four segments of the abdomen, and to a lesser extent the shape and
completeness of the humeral stripe on the synthorax, that the photos
represented at least six different individuals – all males. Only twice had the
same individual returned for a second sitting. My initial assumption that the
same individual had been coming and going was patently wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the question remains – what was this
species doing in Canberra? The field guide indicates that the species “<i>inhabits
rivers and riverine pools, common and widespread in the inland river systems of
eastern Australia</i>.” Well that description is not at odds with the Canberra
situation, but it doesn’t explain the near total lack of records of the species
(at least in ALA) from the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan catchments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what was going on? Could it be that
Canberra is within the species’ normal range but for whatever reason had not
been reported from here before? Seems unlikely given that one of Australia’s
foremost odonatologists, J.A.L. Watson had lived and worked in Canberra for many
years. And why are there no records from along the lower courses of the ‘bidgee
and Lachlan? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Or might it be that the species has expanded
its range or increased its population size in this region? Could climate change
be a factor? Or might the species be migratory and I had just happened across a
cluster of migrants, or even wind-blown individuals from further west? Starting
to scrape the barrel a bit here I think, particularly as, as far as I know,
Gomphids tend to be rather territorial rather than migratory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I got to thinking if there were at
least half a dozen of these things at one small beach right near the city,
there must be others about. The closest place I could think of with similar
habitat features was Grevillea Park at the eastern end of Lake Burley Griffin
(LBG), about 3 km away. So early on Sunday afternoon I dropped by and
scanned the ‘beach’ there and did indeed find and photograph another single
male Inland Hunter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inland Hunter <i>Austrogomphus australis</i>; Grevillea Park, Canberra, ACT; 6 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qFcyCwejl1A/VmbInAGXHPI/AAAAAAAAB4g/Ho-lS5-DdF4/s1600/IMG_1503%2BGrevillea%2BPark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qFcyCwejl1A/VmbInAGXHPI/AAAAAAAAB4g/Ho-lS5-DdF4/s1600/IMG_1503%2BGrevillea%2BPark.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Inland Hunter </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Austrogomphus australis</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">; Grevillea Park, Canberra, ACT; 6 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the more surprising discovery was of yet
another individual at Coppins Crossing on my way home. Coppins Crossing is on
the Molonglo River about 12 km downstream of the lake and presents quite a
different habitat to the shores of LBG. The river there is fairly muddy
(probably due to the massive multi-suburban development of ‘North Weston’ not
far upstream) and not particularly fast-flowing except where it percolates
through some rocky sections. The male I saw (which I had initially assumed was
just another of quite a few Stout Vicetails present along that stretch of the
river, and only discerned as an Inland Hunter later that night as I went
through the photos) was perched on the top of a small rock in the middle of an
expanded pondage where the water was murky and still. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YBbvwggwJI/VmbJHRE5jgI/AAAAAAAAB4s/Ee0vzxhGOAg/s1600/IMG_1663%2BCoppins%2BCrossing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YBbvwggwJI/VmbJHRE5jgI/AAAAAAAAB4s/Ee0vzxhGOAg/s1600/IMG_1663%2BCoppins%2BCrossing.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Inland Hunter </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Austrogomphus australis</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">; Coppins Crossing, ACT; 6 Dec 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So it has been quite a special few days in
which I’ve found a species that supposedly doesn’t occur in Canberra in three
different Canberra locations. And I’m left wondering what to think about it and
what to do about it. As a first step, I’ve written this blog post and will make the
records available on ALA and Bowerbird…</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-37734829216696598402015-11-27T21:58:00.000+11:002015-12-09T00:08:16.929+11:00Rhapsody in Blue Ringtail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RfUV7nLDW70/VlL3zHbnhOI/AAAAAAAABzo/pO_dr_-bWNE/s1600/IMG_7969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RfUV7nLDW70/VlL3zHbnhOI/AAAAAAAABzo/pO_dr_-bWNE/s1600/IMG_7969.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before starting to read, consider if you'd like to listen to George Gershwin’s <i>Rhapsody in Blue</i> while you read this post - if so you could try this link - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFHdRkeEnpM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFHdRkeEnpM</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last Summer I introduced myself to the amazing world of
dragonflies and damselflies in the Canberra region. Prior to that I’d taken
opportunistic photos of some fairly spectacular dragonflies (see for example
earlier posts on <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/cape-dragonflies.html">Cape Dragonflies</a> </span>and <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Dragonflies">Top end Dragonflies</a></span>), but this was a concerted and
systematic effort to try to find out what was present in the various watery
habitats of the ACT. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the season I had seen and photographed 32 of a
total of somewhere around 50 species that I think are likely to occur in the
ACT (based on my interpretation of the Theischinger and Hawking 2006 Field
Guide and occurrence records in the Atlas of Living Australia). Some of these
were featured in an earlier post, <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/damsels-down-at-local.html">Damsels - Down at the Local</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This season, apart from wanting to find as many as possible of
the expected species I didn’t pick up last year (I’ve got two so far – Slender
Ringtail and Powdered Flatwing), I’ve been trying to get a better idea of the
time and sequence of emergence of dragonflies and damselflies after the long
Canberra winter. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-71x0_hJXoe0/VlL9Xa1pMlI/AAAAAAAAB1M/IBK3oEh4ocY/s1600/IMG_6934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-71x0_hJXoe0/VlL9Xa1pMlI/AAAAAAAAB1M/IBK3oEh4ocY/s1600/IMG_6934.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A teneral (recently emerged immature) female Slender Ringtail <i>Austrolestes analis</i>, 24 Oct 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Male Powdered Flatwing <i>Austroargiolestes calcaris</i>, Orroral Valley, ACT, 8 Nov 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So far it is pretty clear, and not surprising, that the first emergences occur in the
shallower water bodies at lower elevations (presumably because the water warms
more quickly than water bodies that are either deeper or at higher elevations).
The earliest species I saw, in mid-September, were Wandering Ringtail and Tau
Emerald at a small pond at the local golf course. And I’ve only just in the
past week or two (i.e mid-November) started to see the occurrence of river
dragonflies in the lower reaches of the mountain rivers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the most spectacular emergences I’ve witnessed this
season has been at the large pond at the entrance to the National Arboretum. I
drive past this most days on my way to and from work, but had always considered
it to be fairly uninteresting and sterile – the pond, and arboretum, are still
in a fairly early stage of development. I was in for a shock!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first visit to the pond was on 17 October, and I wasn’t expecting much – just filling in surveyable sites really. And at first there wasn’t much to be seen along the narrow muddy edges fringed with rushes. But as I approached the end of the pond where the run-off from the surrounding slopes enters, the numbers of Blue Ringtails and Red and Blue Damsels increased, and there was also a single Australian Emperor and a few Tau Emeralds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adult male Blue Ringtail <i>Austrolestes annulosus</i>, Australian National Arboretum, 9 Nov 2015. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EgMBhUlVUo/VlL3v7nLO7I/AAAAAAAABzE/5BpVwX5GeEk/s1600/IMG_7918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EgMBhUlVUo/VlL3v7nLO7I/AAAAAAAABzE/5BpVwX5GeEk/s1600/IMG_7918.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A tandem pair of Red & Blue Damsels <i>Xanthagrion erythroneurum</i>, 9 Nov 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three weeks later when I returned, on the afternoon of 9
November, the numbers of damselfies had increased greatly and I estimated a
total of at least 300 Blue Ringtails and probably about 60 Red & Blue
Damsels, just at that end of the pond. The large number of teneral (immature
newly emerged adults) Blue Ringtails I saw in the clumps of rushes and tall
grasses bordering the pond indicated the population is still on the increase. The
emperor and emeralds were still there, and I also picked up a handful of fairly
newly emerged Common Bluetails. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1MZSgnoCvw/VlL3ytwfvNI/AAAAAAAABzw/e9rPcJDARP0/s1600/IMG_7957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1MZSgnoCvw/VlL3ytwfvNI/AAAAAAAABzw/e9rPcJDARP0/s1600/IMG_7957.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Newly emerged (teneral) male Blue Ringtail. The areas of pale orange will eventually mature to a bright sky blue. During this vulnerable stage, when they are comparatively soft and weak-flighted, they tend to stick to the safety of dense grasses and other vegetation.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PhOtV27Q6YU/VlL30IdfgeI/AAAAAAAAB0E/OdolrWnCSnY/s1600/IMG_7993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PhOtV27Q6YU/VlL30IdfgeI/AAAAAAAAB0E/OdolrWnCSnY/s1600/IMG_7993.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A teneral female Blue Ringtail.</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following photos attempt to convey a sense of the intense activity at the pond.</span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fqx-zw7RmEc/VlL3x0XqZuI/AAAAAAAABzk/6_LYDgCMSPo/s1600/IMG_7952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fqx-zw7RmEc/VlL3x0XqZuI/AAAAAAAABzk/6_LYDgCMSPo/s1600/IMG_7952.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-johbLxvI3xU/VlL3tvTjBLI/AAAAAAAABys/nmaO8_asMOY/s1600/IMG_7840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-johbLxvI3xU/VlL3tvTjBLI/AAAAAAAABys/nmaO8_asMOY/s1600/IMG_7840.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kTyQhIqVKzY/VlL3s4qCa1I/AAAAAAAAByc/HBGn2Y7YVgk/s1600/IMG_7784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kTyQhIqVKzY/VlL3s4qCa1I/AAAAAAAAByc/HBGn2Y7YVgk/s1600/IMG_7784.jpg" /></a></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perching spots were at such a premium that the different species even tolerated each other briefly. </span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gI0WMSWwJ0w/VlL33hPgQUI/AAAAAAAAB08/4Jw9AT2WL9I/s1600/IMG_8067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gI0WMSWwJ0w/VlL33hPgQUI/AAAAAAAAB08/4Jw9AT2WL9I/s1600/IMG_8067.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blue Ringtail and Red & Blue Damsel sharing a perch.</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pairing up was a clear priority...</span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ay69awa2-i4/VlL3suvjHII/AAAAAAAAByY/nyd_E5rLxsU/s1600/IMG_6157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ay69awa2-i4/VlL3suvjHII/AAAAAAAAByY/nyd_E5rLxsU/s1600/IMG_6157.jpg" /></a></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The protagonists of this newly established pair were a little awkward and had some trouble knowing just how to get it on, but eventually figured it out. </span></o:p><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RvQwGFdIass/VlL30oIFSSI/AAAAAAAAB0M/vJxWedb4JME/s1600/IMG_7996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RvQwGFdIass/VlL30oIFSSI/AAAAAAAAB0M/vJxWedb4JME/s400/IMG_7996.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XBzchjLtWtA/VlL31ObaJiI/AAAAAAAAB0U/pF8MCyngOK8/s1600/IMG_8000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XBzchjLtWtA/VlL31ObaJiI/AAAAAAAAB0U/pF8MCyngOK8/s400/IMG_8000.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nuh-uh - wrong!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EsOvSl8mgKQ/VlL31l1FrYI/AAAAAAAAB0c/lWD8g-o3Z3s/s1600/IMG_8001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EsOvSl8mgKQ/VlL31l1FrYI/AAAAAAAAB0c/lWD8g-o3Z3s/s400/IMG_8001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TaYqN35QLc8/VlL32OLFkgI/AAAAAAAAB0k/rbr0C_pvFlU/s1600/IMG_8009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TaYqN35QLc8/VlL32OLFkgI/AAAAAAAAB0k/rbr0C_pvFlU/s400/IMG_8009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's try that again...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W9QAgEUDdGI/VlL32a8O5QI/AAAAAAAAB0s/D7o_LJK0UmQ/s1600/IMG_8011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W9QAgEUDdGI/VlL32a8O5QI/AAAAAAAAB0s/D7o_LJK0UmQ/s400/IMG_8011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nearly there...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YqY4nBFIJ5M/VlL321_1XjI/AAAAAAAAB00/CJr8HtCvM1g/s1600/IMG_8017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YqY4nBFIJ5M/VlL321_1XjI/AAAAAAAAB00/CJr8HtCvM1g/s400/IMG_8017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ahh - yes, that feels right!</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was a lot of competition involved, leading to some pretty debauched behaviour. This male tried his luck with a female who was already paired up...</span></o:p><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sEW3LJpYj4/VlL3wXFUPZI/AAAAAAAABzI/6ReePD34xGA/s1600/IMG_7933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sEW3LJpYj4/VlL3wXFUPZI/AAAAAAAABzI/6ReePD34xGA/s1600/IMG_7933.jpg" /></a></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...and this one even tried it on with a hapless female who was all but dead and was floating on the water!</span></o:p><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uk2Het2vSbM/VlL3xSwxa4I/AAAAAAAABzY/FsS8MenjlPs/s1600/IMG_7947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uk2Het2vSbM/VlL3xSwxa4I/AAAAAAAABzY/FsS8MenjlPs/s1600/IMG_7947.jpg" /></a></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were swarms of ovipositing tandem pairs of both Blue Ringtails and Red & Blue Damsels - presumably there were suitable water plants and twigs just below the surface that provided prime egg laying sites.</span></o:p><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3_EXHzoID8/VlL3uxraptI/AAAAAAAABy4/URA1TQoFD0k/s1600/IMG_7852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3_EXHzoID8/VlL3uxraptI/AAAAAAAABy4/URA1TQoFD0k/s1600/IMG_7852.jpg" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both Blue Ringtails and Red & Blue Damsels are species which will totally submerge when laying eggs, the female dragging the male below the surface as she works her way deeper and deeper down a submerged plant or twig.</span></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UC9ngdEkvhM/VlL3s5ePSQI/AAAAAAAAByg/KZI19gVfbP8/s1600/IMG_6205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UC9ngdEkvhM/VlL3s5ePSQI/AAAAAAAAByg/KZI19gVfbP8/s1600/IMG_6205.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two pairs of ovipositing Blue Ringtails. The lower pair is completely submerged; the upper pair is still working its way down the substrate, while another male flies past.</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But not all had a successful or happy ending!</span></o:p><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ndEptgsy-E/VlL3zaScO8I/AAAAAAAABz4/DkbV0aQesHM/s1600/IMG_7971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ndEptgsy-E/VlL3zaScO8I/AAAAAAAABz4/DkbV0aQesHM/s1600/IMG_7971.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the biggest massing of damselflies I’ve yet
experienced. Which is interesting, because last season, the only Blue Ringtails
I recorded were a couple of males at the local golf course dam in November and
December. This year I’ve already seen them in reasonable numbers at Acton Beach
on Lake Burley Griffin (deeper water), and the lower reaches of the Gudgenby
River (admittedly at still water of the pondage created by a weir).
It’ll be interesting to see if they tend to be an early season specialist. Or
whether this year might be a good year for them whereas last year wasn’t – for
whatever reason. I have no idea yet how much variability there might be from
year to year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another thing that is intriguing me for the moment is the
absence so far of any Blue Skimmers which are normally very common. Last year,
I saw my first Blue Skimmer on 26 October and that was in the backyard so I
wasn’t even looking for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like with nearly everything – the more you find out, the
more questions arise to be answered. But then isn’t that the fun of it?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-18212146665198799092015-11-11T18:49:00.000+11:002020-08-03T20:17:37.632+10:00Emu Dung Fungus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6vE8WD89ufA/VkLs5_LNrSI/AAAAAAAABxI/2kRHpmrhHkc/s1600/IMG_3345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6vE8WD89ufA/VkLs5_LNrSI/AAAAAAAABxI/2kRHpmrhHkc/s1600/IMG_3345.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a genus of puffball fungus called <i>Pisolithus</i> which includes a number of closely related species. In
Europe it is gastronomically known as the Bohemian truffle, and in the US it is
prosaically called the <span lang="EN">dyemaker's
puffball</span>. But in call-it-like-it-is Australia it is known colloquially
as the horse dung fungus – because that’s pretty much what it looks like. In the
central Australian Pitjantjatjara language it’s apparently called ayinkura, but
I don’t know if or what that might translate to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uULKu1mIQB0/VkLszdIYF2I/AAAAAAAABww/FJQ3nfSf-DY/s1600/26245619-fresh-horse-manure%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uULKu1mIQB0/VkLszdIYF2I/AAAAAAAABww/FJQ3nfSf-DY/s1600/26245619-fresh-horse-manure%255B2%255D.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a pile of horse dung. It is not a group of puffballs (stock photo)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pisolithus is a type of puffball or earth ball fungus, from the family <span class="st1">Sclerodermataceae</span>.
The name <i>Pisolithus</i> means “pea-stone”
(<i>pisum</i> is Latin for pea, and <i>lithos</i> is Greek for stone). It is not a
kind name to those afflicted with a lisp, and is rather difficult to say more
than a few times in quick succession (though I can’t see any reason why you
might want to do so!). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are a number of species of <i>Pisolithus</i>
around the world, and it appears there are several in Australia, with some only
being recently discovered / described. And I’m not certain which species I’m
dealing with in this post, but it may be <i>Pisolithus
arrhizus</i>, or <i>Pisolithus albus</i>, or <i>Pisolithus marmoratus</i>, or <i>Pisolithus tinctorius</i>,
or some similar species…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is another type of fungus called ‘horse dung fungus’ but it is a
very different type of fungus and it gets the name because it <i>grows</i> in horse dung rather than <i>looking</i> like horse dung. It is the <span lang="EN-US">common inky cap mushroom </span><a href="http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0960982211006002/1-s2.0-S0960982211006002-main.pdf?_tid=5f15ac58-6932-11e4-ade1-00000aacb361&acdnat=1415662759_c449636ed9e8ea3ec314b0356e85b7e7"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext;">Coprinopsis cinerea</span></em></a><span lang="EN-US">, and it </span>looks instead like a
fairly typical small pixie-capped type of mushroom. But it has recently been in
the limelight because it produces a novel antibiotic compound with much
potential in the fight against the growing prevalence of antibiotic resistant
bacteria as a result of the overuse of antibiotics (see for example <a href="http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/10189/20141110/horse-dung-fungus-bizarre-help-vs-antibiotic-resistance.htm">http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/10189/20141110/horse-dung-fungus-bizarre-help-vs-antibiotic-resistance.htm</a>).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I digress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a recent bird-banding trip to the Weddin Mountains in central NSW, we
came across a dried out emu turd. It was fairly weathered, starting
to crumble, and exposing a mass of barely digested seeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TfetnXr0cPk/VkLs8k7hSwI/AAAAAAAABxg/OaWUluwqYzU/s1600/IMG_3388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TfetnXr0cPk/VkLs8k7hSwI/AAAAAAAABxg/OaWUluwqYzU/s1600/IMG_3388.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Old, dried and weathered emu dropping at Weddin Mountain National Park, NSW.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other emu dung I have seen, in the wet mountain ranges near Canberra, have been wetter, greener and distinctly peaked from cloacal constrictive forces. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SAoi_o7nqmY/VkLs15OoeDI/AAAAAAAABx0/V90YMTynWSc/s1600/IMG_0257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SAoi_o7nqmY/VkLs15OoeDI/AAAAAAAABx0/V90YMTynWSc/s1600/IMG_0257.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fresh, soft and moist emu droppings at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, ACT.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So there can be some variability in the appearance of emu dung, and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I figure I can be excused for initially mistaking a large round <i>Pisolithus</i> for another emu dropping when
I first rushed past it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it was sufficiently different for me to do a double-take and when I
turned back for a closer look, realised it was a firm immature fungus with a
rather spotted golden brown surface. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zBWZ11wdpnQ/VkLs18kFtUI/AAAAAAAABw8/b_CZWcUdVs4/s1600/IMG_3333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zBWZ11wdpnQ/VkLs18kFtUI/AAAAAAAABw8/b_CZWcUdVs4/s1600/IMG_3333.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Large, firm, immature Pisolithus puffball fungus at Weddin Mountain National Park, NSW.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I whipped out my baby Swiss army knife and
sliced it cleanly in half (or nearly so) and was amazed by the incredible
structure and pattern that was revealed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--cepJZNI-So/VkLs3T7q-cI/AAAAAAAABx4/hZkSXUFBIlI/s1600/IMG_3334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--cepJZNI-So/VkLs3T7q-cI/AAAAAAAABx4/hZkSXUFBIlI/s1600/IMG_3334.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of an immature Pisolithus puffball presents an unexpected display of colour and pattern.</td></tr>
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</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upwuqmBQEdg/VkLs46PgYxI/AAAAAAAABxM/SeUXWTK6low/s1600/IMG_3337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upwuqmBQEdg/VkLs46PgYxI/AAAAAAAABxM/SeUXWTK6low/s1600/IMG_3337.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The pea-sized spore bundles or locuoles supposedly resemble peas!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The pattern results from the variable stages of development of the spore
bundles, or locuoles - it is the appearance of these locuoles that prompted the
name “pea-stone”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was pleasing to find that when we next returned to Weddin Mountains
a month or so later, the half of the puffball that was still rooted (hyphaed?)
to the ground had continued to grow and the cut surface had healed over – so it
still had its chance to puff its spores into the wind when it ripened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dD7U6hiHTt8/VkLs7OVAdrI/AAAAAAAABxc/UEEBDKqF8mY/s1600/IMG_4000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dD7U6hiHTt8/VkLs7OVAdrI/AAAAAAAABxc/UEEBDKqF8mY/s1600/IMG_4000.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The scarred-over cut surface and continued growth of this Pisolithus puffball made me feel less guilty about having inflicted the damage on it in the first place.</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And just to round out this post, below is a photo of another small
clump of <i>Pisolithus</i> that I came
across at the wetlands in West Wyalong, showing the more typical appearance
that elicited the horse dung fungus appellation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bimy1XKqz3M/VkLs-UnJIMI/AAAAAAAABxo/6nwekok4pR4/s1600/IMG_4084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bimy1XKqz3M/VkLs-UnJIMI/AAAAAAAABxo/6nwekok4pR4/s1600/IMG_4084.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A small cluster of Pisolithus puffballs starting to resemble horse dung.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But to me, these things will now always be emu dung fungus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some references:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisolithus_arrhizus">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisolithus_arrhizus</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ayinku%E1%B9%9Fa">https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ayinku%E1%B9%9Fa</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/wonderful-things-the-hidden-beauty-of-the-horse-dung-fungus/">http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/wonderful-things-the-hidden-beauty-of-the-horse-dung-fungus/</a></span>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-9546264024180882002015-09-03T20:41:00.000+10:002015-09-03T20:41:40.312+10:00Beatific Bucolic<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n715YI_Zs6Q/VeggAc-vLUI/AAAAAAAABus/ePRbhEqUkRI/s1600/IMG_4086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n715YI_Zs6Q/VeggAc-vLUI/AAAAAAAABus/ePRbhEqUkRI/s1600/IMG_4086.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last weekend I went bird banding at one of our regular sites near
Grenfell in central NSW. Normally I’d head out there on the Friday evening and
return on the Sunday afternoon, but this time I only had a day available so
left Canberra in the darkness of early Saturday morning and returned that
evening. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I headed north on the Lachlan Valley Way towards Boorowa, I hit a
patch of thick fog, coinciding with the sun rising off to my right. It made for
some stunning visual effects and I stopped to take some photos. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a little further on, having turned onto the Harden Road, the
paddocks were instead bathed in sunshine with the fog restricted to the lower
swales by the Boorowa River. The imagery created was more of placid shallow
water, from which eucalypts emerged and to which a couple of kangaroos came to
drink. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along Henry Lawson Way on the way home again, as the sun sank below the Weddin Range, the long
low rays of a late winter sunset competed with the pale orb of a rising full
moon, creating more impressionistic photo opportunities that I couldn’t ignore.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The western slopes can be beguilingly beautiful in their rustic pastoral
scenery, but the added dimensions of early morning sunshine and fog, sunset
over golden fields of canola, and long shadows across spring green paddocks
dotted with ewes and their lambs against a rising full moon made this trip
quite special.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-11931011666230848902015-08-12T22:44:00.000+10:002015-08-12T22:44:14.049+10:00Countdown to 600 - Top End Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">600 is a landmark number for a
birdwatcher in Australia. Enough to warrant the creation, quite a while ago
now, of the 600 Club. This was apparently the invention of the late John
McKean, an eminent Australian ornithologist and birdwatcher, who was supposedly
the first to see 600 species of Australian birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well before Karen and I headed for
Darwin and Kakadu National Park in the second half of May this year, I knew I
was likely to reach the 600 milestone while there. My Australian List was sitting
on 594 after seeing Broad-billed Sandpiper and White-rumped Sandpiper in
January (see <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/white-rumped-sandpiper-twitch.html">White-rumped Sandpiper Twitch</a></span>),
and I had a target list of some 15 or so birds that I wanted to try for.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr9aTQ1Ia5I/VLzOJ8-o7dI/AAAAAAAABFk/MtDoRKnzcpQ/s1600/BBS%2Band%2BWRS%2Btogether%2B0997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr9aTQ1Ia5I/VLzOJ8-o7dI/AAAAAAAABFk/MtDoRKnzcpQ/s1600/BBS%2Band%2BWRS%2Btogether%2B0997.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broad-billed and White-rumped Sandpiper - the last two birds I'd added to my Australian List (January 2015). </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My target list included some
relatively straightforward species that I just hadn’t picked up on previous
trips to Darwin in 2008 and 2010 (for example, Northern Rosella, Silver-backed
Butcherbird, and Broad-billed Flycatcher); some of the more elusive birds possible
around Darwin (Great-billed Heron, Chestnut Rail, White-breasted Whistler, Buff-sided
Robin, Zitting Cisticola etc); some species that have limited distributions in
places I hadn’t yet visited (e.g. Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon, Black-banded
Fruit Dove, Hooded Parrot, White-throated Grasswren, White-lined Honeyeater,
Sandstone Shrikethrush, and Gouldian Finch); as well as a few other
miscellaneous possibilities (Red-backed and Chestnut-backed Buttonquail,
Eastern Grass Owl, Star Finch, Yellow-rumped Mannikin etc.). Other tempting
species like White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Purple-crowned Fairywren and Yellow
Chat were just beyond our geographical scope and itinerary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I thought that with a target
of 15 or so, even if I only caught up with half of them I should make the 600.
And so it was…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spent the first weekend in
Darwin, catching up with Karen’s family - the underlying reason for the trip to
Darwin was Emily’s (Karen’s niece) wedding. I got my first two new species in
those first couple of days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first was pure chance,
within a few hours of arriving on the Friday afternoon. I had just headed out
from where we were staying at Karen’s sister’s place in the Palmerston suburb
of Gunn, just for a quick look around and re-familiarisation with the local
Darwin birds. I was walking along the Bakewell (adjacent suburb) side of Buscall
Avenue, mentally counting the Straw-necked Ibis grazing on the sports oval (as
one does - there were 19), and noting the interactions of a juvenile
Olive-backed Oriole with two adults, when I was drawn by the soft chattering of
a pair of Northern Rosellas in some flowering eucalypts. Holy crap! I wasn’t
expecting that. And I didn’t have my camera with me. But I had a good 10
minutes watching them from as little as a few metres. Not, perhaps, as
attractive as the Crimson and Eastern Rosellas I’m used to having around at
home in Canberra, but hey – they made a nice couple – and they were a tick. No.
595. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vgVTyvgD7nQ/VcstJ4LP0rI/AAAAAAAABrk/ZFpPYE1z-UU/s1600/595%2BNorthern%2BRosella%2B0991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vgVTyvgD7nQ/VcstJ4LP0rI/AAAAAAAABrk/ZFpPYE1z-UU/s1600/595%2BNorthern%2BRosella%2B0991.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Northern Rosella <i>Platycercus venustus</i> - bird No. 595. <br />This one was photographed at Edith Falls as I didn't have my camera with me <br />when I first saw the birds in Palmerston. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My second new bird, the next
morning, was also in Gunn, down at the local suburban Sanctuary Lakes. These
are a connected set of three large ponds in a fantastic public space that
turned out to be brilliant for dragonflies too (see previous post - <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/top-end-dragonflies.html">Top End Dragonflies</a></span>). But it was the Broad-billed
Flycatcher flitting from lily to lily that gave me my 596<sup>th</sup> bird. I’m
pretty certain I had in fact seen this species previously (at both Fogg Dam and
at the Arnhem Highway crossing of the Adelaide River, in 2008) but neither of
those sightings had been definitive enough to be sure they weren’t female
Leaden Flycatchers. On this bird, the pale lores, the just discernible
graduation to the tail feathers, and the low profile forehead were enough for
me to be convinced it was indeed a Broad-billed. Two days later I saw another bird,
at Fogg Dam, which also showed these characteristics. It was in the exact same
location, maybe even to the tree, I’d seen the ‘possible’ in 2008…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlxOzrYoiwA/VcstKHTdFhI/AAAAAAAABro/mQ2Bp9H5Vmk/s1600/596%2BBroad-billed%2BFlycatcher%2B8280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlxOzrYoiwA/VcstKHTdFhI/AAAAAAAABro/mQ2Bp9H5Vmk/s1600/596%2BBroad-billed%2BFlycatcher%2B8280.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broad-billed Flycatcher <i>Myiagra ruficollis</i> at Sanctuary Lakes in Gunn, Palmerston.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S29JetqCyfs/VcstKCDT8qI/AAAAAAAABrg/HORga6qf3TU/s1600/596%2BBroad-billed%2BFlycatcher%2B9099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S29JetqCyfs/VcstKCDT8qI/AAAAAAAABrg/HORga6qf3TU/s1600/596%2BBroad-billed%2BFlycatcher%2B9099.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broad-billed Flycatcher - Fogg Dam</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early on Monday morning we
headed east towards Kakadu. No. 597 followed soon after, being a Silver-backed
Butcherbird on roadside power lines on the Arnhem Highway, not far out of
Humpty Doo, about 35 km south-east of Darwin. We’d whizzed past initially,
but when Karen called it as possibly a butcherbird I did a fairly rapid U-turn
and went back to check. Fortunately it was still in place, so as soon as I’d
verified everything through binoculars, I snapped off a few record shots of it against
a rather bright sky.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8_aafmVdle0/VcstLGWTQdI/AAAAAAAABrw/vxb_ursLonA/s1600/597%2BSilver-backed%2BButcherbird%2B9050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8_aafmVdle0/VcstLGWTQdI/AAAAAAAABrw/vxb_ursLonA/s1600/597%2BSilver-backed%2BButcherbird%2B9050.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver-backed Butcherbird <i>Cracticus argenteus</i> - near Humpty Doo.</td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the morning of our second day in Kakadu National Park, after staying in Jabiru overnight, we did a scenic flight over the escarpment around the East Alligator River before heading down to Nourlangie. </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a quick look at
Anbangbang Billabong we ascended the short track up the rock to Nawurlandja
lookout for the spectacular views out over the billabong and across to
Nourlangie and the Burrunggui outcrop. It was just past midday and it was hot
in the sun. It was hot in the shade! So Karen headed back to the car where she
ran the engine and air conditioner, while I continued higher up the escarpment
on my quest to find Sandstone Shrikethrush and Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was tough going as the
sandstone terrain is regularly dissected by clefts, fissures and small ravines.
I neither saw nor heard any indication of the presence of my quarry. But on my
way back, after nearly an hour of slogging, in one of the deeper ravines which
supported some dense trees, some of which were fruiting, I came across a group
of about 10 Banded Fruit Doves. They were very shy and kept their distance,
either flying away from me behind the trees, or deftly remaining hidden behind
the thickest foliage. I did manage a few photos of one semi-obscured individual
that seemed to want to check me out almost as much as I did it. So it was one
of those satisfying twitches resulting from an acceptable amount of effort, and
not even the twitch you were expecting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mUszQDMQsW4/VcstNJe1ZKI/AAAAAAAABsA/DGOtg6iqG7s/s1600/598%2BBlack-banded%2BFruit%2BDove%2B9774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mUszQDMQsW4/VcstNJe1ZKI/AAAAAAAABsA/DGOtg6iqG7s/s1600/598%2BBlack-banded%2BFruit%2BDove%2B9774.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A shy but inquisitive Black-banded Fruit Dove <i>Ptilinopus alligator</i> at Nawurlandja - No. 598.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next day, Wednesday, at Yellow
Water billabong, I kept a keen eye out for any Great-billed Herons. But the
guide on the boat said they didn’t usually hang out in the part of the
billabong we could access at that time of year. I did at one point see a
large heron, in flight, in the distant brightness of the early morning sky. It
was probably close to 500 metres away and although the profile looked good I couldn’t
be confident that it was a Great-billed,
nor completely discount the nagging suspicion of the possibility of it being a
silhouetted White-necked Heron. One of those I think it is, I think it is, but
can’t in clear conscience claim the tick situations. Another one for another
time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest surprise on
the Yellow Water cruise was a lone Dusky Moorhen skulking in the shadows of
thick vegetation. Although a common bird for me normally, this one was well
outside its normal range, as the species doesn’t usually occur in the Top End. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CJ57a_gY6Mk/VcstV-AtaDI/AAAAAAAABtM/ROjH4_MOuGs/s1600/Yellow%2BWater%2B9948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CJ57a_gY6Mk/VcstV-AtaDI/AAAAAAAABtM/ROjH4_MOuGs/s1600/Yellow%2BWater%2B9948.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early morning at Yellow Water.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our next key stop was at
Gunlom and Waterfall Creek where I was still hoping for Chestnut-quilled Rock
Pigeon, Sandstone Shrikethrush and White-lined Honeyeater. I held no hope of seeing
White-throated Grasswren. Sadly they have not been recorded in the area where
they used to be seen regularly for several years now, thought to be due to loss
of suitable habitat through inappropriate fire regimes. As I write, there is a group of birdwatchers who have dedicated a full week to trek into the wilds of
the western Arnhemland escarpment with the sole purpose of trying to find
White-throated Grasswrens. Such appear to be the requirements to see this
scarce and localised species nowadays! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Needless to say, I was
again unsuccessful with the pigeon, shrikethrush and honeyeater. But we did see
another couple of Black-banded Fruit Doves. We were about half way up the
escarpment track, i.e. in dry woodland, when Karen pointed out a couple of
pigeons in the bare branches of a dead tree behind us. They were in plain view,
completely unconcerned, and nowhere near a fruiting let alone a fig tree. Quite
a different and, to be honest, slightly unsatisfying experience (except for
Karen) compared to the one I’d had at Nawurlandja a couple of days previously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXn6rOTcaVI/VcstM3amzeI/AAAAAAAABr8/IK3ziCkmTDE/s1600/598%2BBlack-banded%2BFruit%2BDove%2B0487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aXn6rOTcaVI/VcstM3amzeI/AAAAAAAABr8/IK3ziCkmTDE/s400/598%2BBlack-banded%2BFruit%2BDove%2B0487.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black-banded Fruit Doves at Gunlom</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Gunlom, our tight
schedule took us across to Pine Creek, where our mission was to see Hooded
Parrots in the main streets of the town. Apparently they come in fairly
reliably in the late afternoon to a range of known watering points. As it turned
out, the first ones came in a little earlier than expected and come 3:30 pm we
saw a pair fly into the shady foliage of a eucalypt where they settled for a
short while before dropping down to a spitting impact sprinkler. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so it was
that, from the shade and comfort of a picnic table outside the local petrol
station and general store, as the Darwin to Katherine bus came and went, we
watched bird number 599 while slurping our rapidly melting homemade ice creams.
A bit of a gimme, yet surprisingly satisfying. And it left us time to move on
to the local sewage works, as well as a brief stop in at Edith Falls Road,
before making the final leg down to Katherine for the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LjujAX8rgjw/VcstO8KPkTI/AAAAAAAABsU/Ae4URxV_TgI/s1600/599%2BHooded%2BParrot%2B0772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LjujAX8rgjw/VcstO8KPkTI/AAAAAAAABsU/Ae4URxV_TgI/s1600/599%2BHooded%2BParrot%2B0772.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Male Hooded Parrot <i>Psephotellus dissimilis</i> at Pine Creek.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-8p2oIj3VQ/VcstOI20adI/AAAAAAAABsI/GPuhm-98O7U/s1600/599%2BHooded%2BParrot%2B0770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-8p2oIj3VQ/VcstOI20adI/AAAAAAAABsI/GPuhm-98O7U/s1600/599%2BHooded%2BParrot%2B0770.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a female Hooded Parrot playing in the sprinkler at Pine Creek.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before first light next
morning (Friday) we were on our way back to Edith Falls Road where our target
was Gouldian Finch. When we’d stopped in there briefly in the late afternoon of
the previous day, we’d stationed ourselves near a small pool beside a culvert
about 3 km in from the highway. It seemed, to me at least, like a good spot,
though it wasn’t the one normally described in the bird-finding guides. And we
had seen a couple of Peaceful Doves and a quintet of Chestnut-breasted
Mannikins come down to drink just before sunset, so I thought we at least had a
chance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the sun lifted into the
eastern sky we alternated between sitting patiently near the water and wandering
quietly along the roadside. We saw lots of different birds, including Double-barred
Finches and Long-tailed Finches, but no Gouldian Finches. After an hour or so, and
with activity decreasing, we decided to move on to Edith Falls (a really lovely
spot), but agreed to stop again briefly on our way back out in the middle of
the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On this third stop, we’d
only been there a few minutes, and I really wasn’t holding much hope of seeing
them, when a movement in the branches of a eucalypt about 50 metres away on the
other side of the road caught my eye. On swinging up the binoculars for
confirmation, I do believe I let out a suppressed expletive before beckoning to
Karen to get over here quickly! I had my Gouldian Finch. And it was bird number
600! You couldn’t ask for more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1uNX-OIoAjo/VcstP6DdurI/AAAAAAAABsY/n0f6XNubwDY/s1600/600%2BGouldian%2BFinch%2B1196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1uNX-OIoAjo/VcstP6DdurI/AAAAAAAABsY/n0f6XNubwDY/s1600/600%2BGouldian%2BFinch%2B1196.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gouldian Finch <i>Erythrura gouldiae</i> - a very special bird for my 600th. Edith Falls Road, NT.</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br /><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bird flew down to a
small paperbark sapling and was soon joined by another. They fidgeted about in
the sapling for a good five minutes or so, reassuring themselves of their
safety, before darting down to a flattened patch in the tall grass which (as I
later determined) contained a tiny puddle of water. We didn’t see them fly off
again but it was an exquisite moment – exhilaration, relief, joy, satisfaction,
contentment, companionship all rolled into a bundle of emotion that the poor
photographs I got as proof of the reality can’t hope to recall. Wow!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wld9MLlOxPk/VcstQvjUYII/AAAAAAAABsg/iTZbWMddYV8/s1600/600%2BGouldian%2BFinch%2B1198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wld9MLlOxPk/VcstQvjUYII/AAAAAAAABsg/iTZbWMddYV8/s400/600%2BGouldian%2BFinch%2B1198.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gouldian Finch dropping down to a puddle to drink.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a bit of a high, we headed back to
Katherine. We were booked on a sunset and dinner cruise on Katherine Gorge in
Nitmiluk National Park, which would be a very fitting and celebratory end to
the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gorge is gorgeous. Spectacular. Absolutely
stunning. I was vaguely conscious that I should still be keeping an eye out for
rock pigeons, which I did, but the cliffs, their form and colour, the play of
light on them and their reflections, were captivating. So it was with some
surprise, and delight, that as we approached the rocky shoals that separate the
first and second gorges (as they are called from a navigable perspective) I saw
the cryptic grey form of a Great-billed Heron amongst boulders under some
trees. This was completely unexpected, and all the better for it. Later, and further up
the gorge we came across another one. The light was fading rapidly in the
depths of the gorge, so shutter speeds were getting slower and pictures more
blurred. Even the best photos are far from sharp, but some of the effects are
interesting and add to the ethereal quality of the experience.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-95SQlwUoHSI/VcstSBIJCtI/AAAAAAAABso/G-z7aIGSSb0/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-95SQlwUoHSI/VcstSBIJCtI/AAAAAAAABso/G-z7aIGSSb0/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1282.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally - a Great-billed Heron <i>Ardea sumatrana</i>. Katherine Gorge, NT.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1kdGm6q2KCA/VcstTGkfG0I/AAAAAAAABsw/MDOjevWwGow/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1kdGm6q2KCA/VcstTGkfG0I/AAAAAAAABsw/MDOjevWwGow/s400/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1349.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Another Great-billed Heron <i>-</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> Katherine Gorge, NT.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EegwlxLWjZk/VcstUquBhxI/AAAAAAAABs8/GgWDL1JH3L8/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EegwlxLWjZk/VcstUquBhxI/AAAAAAAABs8/GgWDL1JH3L8/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1399.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A vaguely fossilised take on a Great-billed Heron against the cliffs of Katherine Gorge in late afternoon.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26EKUx8rtIE/VcstUTA1JCI/AAAAAAAABtI/muVwtbT_6Zg/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26EKUx8rtIE/VcstUTA1JCI/AAAAAAAABtI/muVwtbT_6Zg/s1600/601%2BGreat-billed%2BHeron%2B1395.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another surreal blurred image of a Great-billed Heron in fading light </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that was it for my new
birds. Back in Darwin for our final weekend (and Emily's wedding) I failed to pick
up Chestnut Rail and White-breasted Whistler, and I never caught up with
Buff-sided Robin. And I have to confess
to being a little disappointed about missing the trio of sandstone specialists.
But I reached my 600 and went one beyond – and I’m very happy with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">595 Northern Rosella Palmerston -12.49204, 130.99532<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">596 Broad-billed Flycatcher Palmerston <span class="cards-reveal-show-lat-lng">-12.48948, 130.99638</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">597 Silver-backed Butcherbird Humpty Doo -12.575, 131.114<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">598 Black-banded Fruit Dove Nawurlandja -12.8594, 132.7941<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">599 Hooded Parrot Pine Creek -13.82220, 131.83472<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">600 Gouldian Finch Edith Falls Road -14.19057, 132.07523<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">601 Great-billed Heron Katherine Gorge -14.31135, 132.44863<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the Australian bird list
has grown over the years, through the combined effects of more birdwatchers,
greater mobility of birdwatchers (especially to Australia’s offshore
territories and dependencies), increases in recording and acceptance of
vagrants particularly through digital photography, and the reassignment of
species through taxonomic revision (i.e. a current trend in ‘splitting’), there
is now need for a 700 Club and even an 800 Club! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tony Palliser maintains a list
of birders who have seen 600 or more birds at his Australian Birders Totals
page at <a href="http://www.tonypalliser.com/totals.html">http://www.tonypalliser.com/totals.html</a> (or
at least a list of those who are interested enough to provide him with their
names and details – I know plenty of birders above the 600 mark not on the
list!). And when you join any of these Clubs, you are entitled to a special
badge to acknowledge the effort it takes to get there (see Andrew Isles’ web
page at <a href="http://andrewisles.com/birding-badges/">http://andrewisles.com/birding-badges/</a> for
further details on the badges available).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 600 Club badge.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while it’s good to finally
reach the 600 milestone – and I now sit at the very bottom of Tony’s list, and
will soon contact Andrew for my badge – given that it has taken me the better
part of 25 years to get to 600, I think it could be quite a while yet before I
achieve 700…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-5907271050999208102015-07-24T12:11:00.000+10:002015-07-26T23:46:10.637+10:00Top End Dragonflies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the second half of May, Karen and I took off for Darwin. The minimum overnight temperatures in Canberra in the days preceding our departure had bottomed out at -6 C and we were very much looking forward to the tropical heat of Darwin: low to mid 30s during the day and overnight dropping to as cold as 20 C!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The underlying reason for the Trip was Karen’s niece’s wedding (thanks Emily!), but we were going to take advantage of the opportunity and finally get to Kakadu National Park. And Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wedding on a Darwin sand bar.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3D-_U8Id8pE/VZu7kdpjIEI/AAAAAAAABjk/_klOg27Bb9Q/s1600/Nourlangie%2B9785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3D-_U8Id8pE/VZu7kdpjIEI/AAAAAAAABjk/_klOg27Bb9Q/s1600/Nourlangie%2B9785.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of the Nourlangie (Burrunggui) Rock outcrop, Kakadu National Park.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dvvUMOcDiqs/VZu7jwOHHXI/AAAAAAAABjo/QaZA0iqeXJw/s1600/Katherine%2BGorge%2B1389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dvvUMOcDiqs/VZu7jwOHHXI/AAAAAAAABjo/QaZA0iqeXJw/s1600/Katherine%2BGorge%2B1389.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunset cruise on Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk National Park.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are lots of stories that could be told, but this post will focus only on the dragonflies I saw on the trip. One of the things about the tropics is that dragonflies are around even in the months of the southern winter. The last dragonflies I saw in Canberra for the season were a few Tau Emeralds, back on 18 April, along Sullivan’s Creek where it ‘flows’ through the Australian National University on its way to Lake Burley Griffin. And that was about a month after most species had disappeared from the local rivers, wetlands and ponds around mid-March. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The northern parts of Australia are very much dominated, in terms of dragonfly fauna, by the very large and cosmopolitan family Libellulidae. And damselflies, the common and obvious ones at least, are predominantly represented by the Coenagrionidae. On this trip I encountered a total of 19 species of dragonflies and damselflies. Of these, four were Coenagrionid damselflies (two of which were new for me), there was the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Australian Tiger from the family Gomphidae (or Lindeniidae by some taxonomies), and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14 were Libellulids of various kinds (including six new). So eight new species for the trip which I didn't think was too bad. </span><br />
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Just to put this into context a bit – although I’ve taken photos of dragonflies that caught my attention in the past, including the stunning Cape York ones described in an earlier post (see <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/cape-dragonflies.html">Cape Dragonflies</a>), it’s only been in the past 12 months or so that I’ve really looked for dragonflies in a more systematic and concerted way. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Slender Skimmer <i>Orthetrum sabina</i> was one of the more common of my new species.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The species I’d already seen, either on a previous trip to Darwin in 2008 for Karen’s other niece’s wedding (Thanks Mel!), in tropical Queensland, or just elsewhere in Australia, were:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eastern Billabongfly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Common Bluetail <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the eight new species from this trip are:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blue Riverdamsel<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On this trip, the first opportunity I had to look for dragonflies was at the Sanctuary Lakes in Gunn, a suburb of Palmerston 20 km south-east of Darwin. These lakes were just down the road from where we were staying with Karen’s sister, Jen, and her husband Steve, so I ended up going there three times over our first weekend. The first visit, on the Friday afternoon not long after we had arrived (no point wasting time!) I was essentially bird watching, and sadly without camera, but did notice several Common Bluetails and Eastern Billabongflies, both species familiar to me and common in Canberra. But over the next two visits (with camera) I also picked up Blue Riverdamsels and Colourful Bluetails (both new as indicated above), a Blue Skimmer and Wandering Percher (again common in Canberra) as well as a Red Arrow which I’d only seen once previously (in Gladstone, Queensland), and several Slender Skimmers and a Pygmy Percher (both new).<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So almost half of all the dragonfly species I saw on this trip, I first saw at these local suburban lagoons.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftaD24uFNpQ/Va-Qn3zRZDI/AAAAAAAABk8/ZzoSX9r1Y7k/s1600/Common%2BBluetail%2B8645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftaD24uFNpQ/Va-Qn3zRZDI/AAAAAAAABk8/ZzoSX9r1Y7k/s400/Common%2BBluetail%2B8645.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A pair of Common Bluetails <i>Ischnura heterosticta</i> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pair of Eastern Billabongflies <i>Austroagrion watsoni</i> mating.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Blue Riverdamsel <i>Pseudagrion microcephalum</i>, the first of my new species.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lfkdc9zILs/Va-PqV4FYxI/AAAAAAAABko/zBvjWV5SlD4/s1600/Colourful%2BBluetail%2B9226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lfkdc9zILs/Va-PqV4FYxI/AAAAAAAABko/zBvjWV5SlD4/s1600/Colourful%2BBluetail%2B9226.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A male Colourful Bluetail <i>Ischnura pruinescens</i> - new species number 2!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Blue Skimmer </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Orthetrum caledonicum</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> on a water lily bud.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wandering Percher </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Diplacodes bipunctata,</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br />also on a water lily bud; obviously very convenient perches.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A male Red Arrow <i>Rhodothemis lieftincki</i>, brilliant in the bright sunlight.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UMx_fDcBCwI/VbFvf5B90hI/AAAAAAAABmM/AwB3eE7p3y8/s1600/a%2BSlender%2BSkimmer%2B8663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UMx_fDcBCwI/VbFvf5B90hI/AAAAAAAABmM/AwB3eE7p3y8/s1600/a%2BSlender%2BSkimmer%2B8663.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite being very common in the right places, this was my first Slender Skimmer <i>Orthetrum sabina</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Slender Skimmer <i>Orthetrum sabina</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And my first Pygmy Percher <i>Nannodiplax rubra</i>,</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before leaving Darwin and heading across to Kakadu, we made a quick visit to Buffalo Creek, at the northern limit of peri-urban Darwin. The purpose of this visit was to try (yet again) to see a fairly large but very elusive bird, a Chestnut Rail <i>Eulabeornis castaneoventris</i>, for which Buffalo Creek has long been a supposedly likely spot. But the tides and the activity of boat and fishing people were against us and I dipped for the fifth time. But I did see the first of several Painted Grasshawks in some roadside vegetation on the way back. Lighting and the angle of the sun can make a difference, but I have the impression that the Top End versions of this species I’ve seen have in general been less intensely coloured than those I've seen in Cape York. <u></u><u></u>I don’t know how valid this assessment might be, or whether it's just artefactual of my limited experience with the species.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Painted Grasshawk <i>Neurothemis stigmatizans</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first stop on the drive across to Kakadu was at Fogg Dam, a beautiful wetland spot, well-known to birdwatchers. And it impressed as much as it had on our first visit there in June 2008. On that earlier trip I had photographed a dragonfly that turned out to be a Red Swampdragon. It remains the only individual of this species I’ve seen.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Red Swampdragon <i>Agrionoptera insignis</i>, at Fogg Dam, about 60 km east of Darwin (June 2008).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along the causeway that divides the lagoon in half, I saw </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a few more Slender Skimmers (now old mates!), a few Graphic Flutterers, and my first </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chalky Percher. There were also </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hundreds of Common Bluetails, mostly paired up in an apparent mating frenzy .</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A female Chalky Percher <i>Diplacodes trivialis</i> on the causeway at Fogg Dam. New species number 5.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of many such branches festooned with mating Common Bluetails <i>Ischnura heterosticta</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found it particularly interesting that there were such large assemblages of mating Common Bluetails. In Canberra, where they are also very common around lakes and dams, I've rarely seen them paired up. Lots of patrolling males, and lots of laying females, but very few seen in tandem or in the wheel formation (see comment in previous post <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/damsels-down-at-local.html">Damsels - down at the local</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another interesting difference was that the male Common Bluetails I saw in the Top End all tended to have the humeral stripe very much reduced relative to those I’m used to in Canberra. Also, some of the females of the mating pairs were as blue as the males. I’ve not seen this in Canberra, where all the females I’ve seen so far have been of the more typical dull brownish colour with at best an orange or greenish tinge to the thorax. Apparently this colour form variation in females is not especially uncommon in some Coenagrionids, including <i>Ischnura</i>. It's been hypothesized that, although this might appear to be disadvantageous if it reduced the likelihood of mating, it might also be advantageous if the male-coloured females were subject to less harassment during egg laying in high population density situations (page 52 of <i>Dragonflies of the World</i> by Jill Silsby, 2001).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The female of this mating pair of Common Bluetails <i>Ischnura heterosticta</i> is of the male or blue colour form.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reduced humeral stripe of Common Bluetail - mating male in Darwin</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Normal humeral stripe of Common Bluetail - mating male in Canberra</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We left Fogg Dam and headed east towards Kakadu, stopping briefly at the Mary River Billabong. It was hot, and getting close to lunch time, so we didn’t stay long, but I did pick up some more Eastern Billabongflies, Colourful Bluetails, a Wandering Percher and my first Australian Tiger for the trip.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Australian Tiger <i>Ictinogomphus australis</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Single individuals of Australian Tiger, Red Arrow and Pygmy Percher were also present at Flying Fox Creek (within Kakadu, now at a small creek crossing where we stopped to have a quick picnic lunch). </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Another Australian Tiger at Flying Fox Creek</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... and getting accustomed to seeing Pygmy Perchers.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first real stop in Kakadu was at Mamukala Wetlands. Here I saw several Graphic Flutterers, a Wandering Percher, and the first Common Glider for the trip.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Graphic Flutterer <i>Rhyothemis graphiptera</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Graphic Flutterer </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Rhyothemis graphiptera</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We finally made it to Jabiru, where we’d be staying overnight, and just before sundown we had a quick look around the lake there. The only dragonflies I saw were Graphic Flutterers and a couple of Scarlet Perchers, but they were interesting for their evening behaviour. The Graphic Flutterers were swarming in clouds of up to 20 or so, and both they and the perchers were alighting on the highest tips of various palm or pandanus fronds. I speculated on whether the flutterers were swarming as a pre-roost behaviour, or whether they might have been following swarms of small midges or other potential food insects, but I really don't know. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Late afternoon Graphic Flutterer</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of an evening swarm of Graphic Flutterers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pre-roosting Graphic Flutterer</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a parked percher amidst the pandanus.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day, after an exhilarating short flight over the western Arnhemland escarpment and East Aligator River, we headed down to Nourlangie. At the nearby Anbangbang Billabong we again encountered a few Graphic Flutterers and a Pygmy Percher. Higher up, a lone Common Glider posed beautifully on the top of a twig on a bush on the rocky escarpment of the Nawurlandja lookout. At Nourlangie itself near the rock art galleries, well away from any obvious water, were a male and female Painted Grasshawk. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Common Glider <i>Tramea loewii</i> at the Nawurlandja lookout.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Another take on the Common Glider </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Tramea loewii</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> at the Nawurlandja lookout.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Painted Grasshawk <i>Neurothemis stigmatizans</i> at Nourlangi.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From there we moved on to the Gagudju Lodge at Cooinda, near the adjacent famous Yellow Water billabong and floodplains. We did the obligatory early morning cruise at Yellow Water, where my focus was on the birdlife. I was desperate to see a Great-billed Heron which are sometimes seen here (I’d not yet managed to see them around Darwin). The only dragonflies I noticed were a few Blue Riverdamsels, including one that had decided the pronounced eyebrow ridge of an Estuarine Crocodile was a far superior perching spot to any of the nearby emergent branches! (This was also the first Estuarine Crocodile, or 'salty', I'd ever seen).<u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a fantastic buffet breakfast back at the Lodge, Karen and I decided to have a fairly relaxed day, so I spent a bit of time later in the morning just wandering about the grounds. There is a small jetty type affair on the Jim Jim creek just near our accommodation which provided access to some woodland and its birds as well as the creek. Here, in between ticking off birds, I photographed another Australian Tiger, but also a couple of other dragonflies that, after returning to the air-conditioned comfort of our room, I determined from the field guide to be Speckled Skimmers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I couldn’t understand why the only photo in the field guide was of a dried museum specimen. It wasn’t until I got home to Canberra and started looking into things that I discovered how unlikely it might have been to have seen this species. It seems (based on the Atlas of Living Australia) that there are only half a dozen or so (museum) records of this species from Australia and that they were not known to occur in Australia until 1968 when John Watson collected a specimen from eastern Arnhemland. (The species was first described by Lieftinck in 1933 based on a New Guinea specimen). And, as far as I can determine, there are no previous photographs of a living individual anywhere. So I’m really chuffed to have seen these dragonflies and to have got the photos. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speckled Skimmer <i>Orthetrum balteatum</i> - possibly the first ever published photo of a live individual in the wild?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speckled Slimmer <i>Orthetrum balteatum</i> - Cooinda, Kakadu National Park.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To this point, all the dragonflies and damselflies I’d come across were associated with lagoons or riverine pools. At Gunlom, in the south west of Kakadu, we were up in the escarpment country with smaller faster-flowing creeks, but even here all the dragonflies I saw were still associated with slower-moving sections of water. I finally came across my first Rosy Skimmer, a female Red Arrow (which looks quite different to the bright red male), and another bright red species which I’m pretty sure is a Red Baron (also new). </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Rosy Skimmer <i>Orthetrum migratum</i> - one I'd been wanting to see and now my 7th new species for the trip.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A female Red Arrow <i>Rhodothemis lieftincki</i> (compare to male in photo above).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ksRy0KAG5to/VbGQarJ3oUI/AAAAAAAABqM/quHA4yx0TM8/s1600/Red%2BBaron%2B0601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ksRy0KAG5to/VbGQarJ3oUI/AAAAAAAABqM/quHA4yx0TM8/s1600/Red%2BBaron%2B0601.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I'm fairly sure this might be a Red Baron, Urothemis aliena. <br />Whatever, it was my 8th and final new species for this trip.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From here on I didn't see so many dragonflies. At Pine Creek I was focused on seeing Hooded Parrots, and at Katherine Gorge it was sunset anyway - stunning for the scenery but not so good for odonates. At Edith Falls we did see more Scarlet and Pygmy Perchers and Eastern Billabongflies. And in Darwin, we were of course finally concentrating on the wedding which was on the final day of our northern sojourn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I did see a Palemouth at the picnic area at the outlet creek from Manton Dam on our way back to Darwin (I'd only seen a couple of these previously, in Gladstone in Jan 2014), and I was surprised to see a Chalky Percher right out on the intertidal rocks at Nightcliff in Darwin - so I'll just finish up with a couple of photos of them as this post has gone on for longer than I expected anyway.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A male Palemouth <i>Brachydiplax denticauda</i>.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was an excellent trip. Not just for the dragonflies either - my next post will be on the new birds I saw...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But seriously, it was a fantastic trip - we finally got to Kakadu and Katherine Gorge, the weather was perfect, and there was lots of catching up with family, including weddings and new generations, which doesn't happen frequently enough. Good reason to return...</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-22826510684907960682015-06-28T20:30:00.000+10:002015-06-29T08:14:56.585+10:00Broulee Interlude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the beginning of May, after the first hard-hitting cold weather of Canberra’s autumn and before we headed off to tropical Darwin for a niece’s wedding, we headed down to Broulee on the NSW south coast for a long weekend. It had been planned for ages, having been booked for a discount price through one of those on-line discount provider set-ups. The timing was a little later than we’d have preferred, but at least it was very far from the madding crowds of summer school holidays. Always a good thing!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather was predominantly cool and quite windy. We did some essentially car-based touristing, including a drive down to the Bodalla cheese factory and café on one of the days, as well as a fair bit of local walking, but we had a mostly quiet relaxed long weekend. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the windy conditions, this pelican thought it was a good idea to try to perch on the power lines down at the Mossy Point jetty.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I tried explaining to it that this is not something that pelicans normally do, or are very good at, it just looked at me as if to say "what would you know!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been to Broulee and adjacent Mossy Point plenty of times previously, but this trip was the first time we’d got around to actually walking right around Broulee Island. Not that it is strictly an island at the moment, being joined to the mainland by a currently well-vegetated tombolo (a tombolo is a sandbar that connects an island to the mainland or to another island).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I first visited Broulee, sometime in the early 1980s, the island was just that, and was accessible by foot only by wading across the shallow sandbar at low tide. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Historically, the tombolo has been breached periodically by high seas. It was</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> intact when the island was first surveyed by Thomas Florance in 1828 and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> remained so until 1873 when a severe storm </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">resulted in the island being cut off from the mainland. Since then, the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">connecting isthmus has repeatedly been breached and reformed. The most recent </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">breaches were in 1966, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1981 and 1988. The vegetation appears to be very well developed at the moment, and the sand quite high, and I suspect it would take a massive storm to break through. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Approaching Broulee Island from the south. The tombolo now creates calm and beautiful beaches on both its southern and northern sides.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view of the south-western corner of Broulee Island as seen from the middle of the tombolo. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rocks at the south-west corner of the island are frequently used as perching sites for various cormorants and other sea birds. The Little Pied Cormorants took off at my approach, but two of the four Great Cormorants hung around long enough for me to get a largely silhouetted shot of them. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great Cormorants <i>Phalacrocorax carbo</i>, back-lit by the afternoon sun.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little further around the rocks a White-faced Heron was fossicking in the rock pools. Other birds we saw along the way included a trio of Sooty Oystercatchers, roosting flocks of Silver Gulls and Crested Terns, and a magnificent adult White-bellied Sea Eagle that soared right over our heads before sweeping up and over the Broulee headland. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A White-faced Heron <i>Egretta novaehollandiae</i> works its way around the rockpools at low tide.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we reached the seaward end of the island, I was surprised to see a single Grey Mangrove. Seemingly fairly old but rather stunted in its growth, it persists on the most exposed easterly extreme of the island, well back from the breakers, at the point where the exposed wave washed rock platform merges with the shingle slope before the vegetation proper begins. It stands alone, sentinel against the elements, with only a tiny patch of Beaded Glasswort (<i>Sarcocornia quinqueflora</i>), another hardy salt-tolerant plant, for company.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mangroves, perhaps not intuitively, are not all related members of a single family of plants, but represent more than a dozen different families. A great example of convergent evolution, where a range of quite different plants have evolved independently to make use of the marginal habitat between land and sea. The Grey Mangrove (<i>Avicennia marina</i>) is, disputedly, a member of either the Acanthaceae or Verbenaceae families, though it is also sometimes included in its own family the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avicenniaceae (which is now generally included under Acanthaceae). E</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ither way, these families are better known for their non-mangrove members.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The flowers of the Grey Mangrove are small and compact, especially compared to the comparatively large and showy flowers of some tropical mangroves. Many mangroves also produce aerial roots - either as arching support roots, or often, and as is the case with the Grey Mangrove, as small peg roots or pneumatophores that project vertically out of the sand or mud and are exposed at low tide. These aerial roots act as snorkels and allow the plant to take up air at low tide.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Grey Mangrove is characterised by many peg roots or pneumatophores which help it breathe. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The NSW NPWS Broulee Island Nature Reserve Plan of Management (see reference at end) states that "<i>The shoreline rock platform has been colonised by a few grey mangrove plants </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(Avicennia marina var australasica)</i>" - I guess that fits with </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the fact that the only ones I saw were this solitary individual and one much smaller plant desperately clinging to existence in the outer rock platform on the northern side of the island. A population of two!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakers on Broulee Island with Burrewarra Point in the background.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d assumed that Broulee Island had always been an isolated off-shore islet with little human history. Not so. The island is in Yuin country and the indigenous Yuin people of the area would no doubt have made use of the island for various purposes. European interest in the island began in 1828 when, as indicated above, Thomas Florance surveyed the area and called the island “Broulhee”, presumably a phonetically-derived version of the Yuin name. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Plan of Management is a great source of information on the island and it says that "<i>As early as 1836, the growing number of </i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">European settlers in the region were using the bay on the northern side of “Broulhee” </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Island, marked on Florance’s map as Ark Harbour, as a place to load and unload goods, </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>stock and people from anchored ships using small boats.</i>" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>In James Larmer’s 1837 survey of Broulee, the island was referred to as East Broulee</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>and contained a village subdivision called “Boat Harbour”. It consisted of a grid of eight</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>streets - Oldrey Crescent, Sibella Terrace, McDonald Street, Huntley Street, East Cliff,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Signal Cliff, Hawdon Street and Fountain Street and 54 separate allotments.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While this development never eventuated, several buildings were constructed on the island including a hotel</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and several outbuildings. The hotel, a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">low shingled weatherboard bungalow near the edge of a cliff was </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">built in 1840-41 by Captain William </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oldrey</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and was leased by Bernard McCauley in 1842 who </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">named it the Erin-Go-Bragh (Ireland Forever). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broulee remained a tiny settlement and the Erin-Go-Bragh Hotel closed in 1844. It was</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">reopened in 1846 as the Union Inn, but it soon failed as well. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By 1851, Broulee had a population of one. Sometime during the 1850s the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hotel was moved to Campbell Street in Moruya, It was </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">demolished in 1978. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>Little occurred at Broulee until 1920 when shellgrit was collected from the northern side</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>of the island for use in cement production in Sydney. After World War II, a motorised</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>barge was used to transport the shellgrit from Broulee Island to a wharf in the Tomaga</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>River from where it was shipped to Sydney. To enable the barge to be loaded at the</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>island, a 50-60 foot long jetty was built together with a light rail track that carried a small</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>dump truck at what had become known as Shellgrit Bay.</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only remains of this European history on Broulee Island are some decaying remnants of the rail track and jetty, a few bricks, and a single grave. <u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O1JS6uFZAe8/VX09aZxBvII/AAAAAAAABh8/gmc4gln59Os/s1600/railway%2Bposts%2B7598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O1JS6uFZAe8/VX09aZxBvII/AAAAAAAABh8/gmc4gln59Os/s1600/railway%2Bposts%2B7598.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two posts of the former jetty and a rusting single rail hint at the past European activities at Shellgrit Bay on Broulee Island.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWVhCmZKeck/VX09Ytf4RSI/AAAAAAAABh0/xQunZz_lSm4/s1600/rail%2B7601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWVhCmZKeck/VX09Ytf4RSI/AAAAAAAABh0/xQunZz_lSm4/s1600/rail%2B7601.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rusting rail track at Shellgrit Bay.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hT8y7n3m5Mw/VX09bTqXkLI/AAAAAAAABiE/5nL4SPxj7e8/s1600/seaweed%2B7613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hT8y7n3m5Mw/VX09bTqXkLI/AAAAAAAABiE/5nL4SPxj7e8/s1600/seaweed%2B7613.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shellgrit Bay on Broulee Island, festooned with washed-up seaweed. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we headed back around the southern edge of Broulee headland after completing our circuit of the island, the wind was whipping the spray off the tops of the waves, lit up by the lowering sun. There were quite a few surfers out enjoying the conditions, as were a bunch of spectators who seemed perfectly comfortable staying out of the water and keeping dry! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a great way to spend an autumn afternoon. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-negaKvPct3g/VX09cP6aH0I/AAAAAAAABiM/_74LU89_54M/s1600/surf%2Bwindy%2B7685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-negaKvPct3g/VX09cP6aH0I/AAAAAAAABiM/_74LU89_54M/s1600/surf%2Bwindy%2B7685.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wind-whipped crests of waves at the southern side of Broulee Headland, or the northern end of Bengello Beach.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surfers made the most of the conditions...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on waves that broke both right and left...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">watched by long-shadowed spectators in the late afternoon sunshine.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>References</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broulee Island Plan of Management: </span><a href="http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/BrouleeIsNRpom.pdf" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/BrouleeIsNRpom.pdf</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mangroves: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Mangrove">https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Mangrove</a></span></div>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-16775063490896479462015-05-29T00:41:00.000+10:002015-06-05T18:19:54.073+10:00Canberra Autumn Mushroom Soup<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that for most people who live in Canberra,
autumn is a favourite season. A time of cooler temperatures; a reprieve from
the often unrelenting heat of a long dry summer, and a change to clear, crisp,
sunny days. A time of softer light, and of course, the turning of the leaves
from summer green through an almost surreal palette of vibrant yellows, reds,
and oranges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGbuL1k7CGw/VWcREiA0YZI/AAAAAAAABcQ/fZzrGq9r5uo/s1600/autumn%2Bglade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGbuL1k7CGw/VWcREiA0YZI/AAAAAAAABcQ/fZzrGq9r5uo/s1600/autumn%2Bglade.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Autumn in Weston Park, Canberra, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YGQYu3Mr9ck/VWcRO0vJ7WI/AAAAAAAABds/ItRvw4h3er8/s1600/leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YGQYu3Mr9ck/VWcRO0vJ7WI/AAAAAAAABds/ItRvw4h3er8/s1600/leaves.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manchurian Pear leaves, 13 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nJVF2FJrPFM/VWcRPXFM3SI/AAAAAAAABd0/oOG00NxxEpo/s1600/maple%2Bleaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nJVF2FJrPFM/VWcRPXFM3SI/AAAAAAAABd0/oOG00NxxEpo/s1600/maple%2Bleaf.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Japanese Maple leaf, 8 May 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lbFzfdpxVGk/VWcRLr2YICI/AAAAAAAABdI/04NynCpM4ao/s1600/fallen%2Boak%2Bleaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lbFzfdpxVGk/VWcRLr2YICI/AAAAAAAABdI/04NynCpM4ao/s1600/fallen%2Boak%2Bleaves.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fallen oak leaves, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for me, while all of this is true, it is also underlain
with the inevitability that the brief tapestry of brilliant autumn colours will
all too soon be replaced with a drear treescape of gaunt grey and brown
skeletons, and more depressingly, the foreboding knowledge of the imminent
onset of Canberra’s cold winter months. I dread the slow dying of summer. And
look keenly to the onset of spring’s re-birth as soon as the winter solstice
passes - somewhat prematurely given the coldest months are still to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just prefer heat to cold!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another less obvious feature of a Canberra autumn is the
sudden appearance of a variety of mushrooms, a flush of fungal exuberance in
the wake of recent rains, in a landscape otherwise in seasonal decline. They
might appear almost anywhere: in the parklands, woodlands and forests, in
patches of lawn, along roadside verges, and almost anywhere garden mulch has
been applied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3dOH-4q2nNw/VWcdxYtVkSI/AAAAAAAABfs/yrr_Q7D9Vrw/s1600/tiny%2Bmushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3dOH-4q2nNw/VWcdxYtVkSI/AAAAAAAABfs/yrr_Q7D9Vrw/s1600/tiny%2Bmushrooms.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tiny unidentified mushrooms pushing through eucalypt mulch in our front garden, 26 April 2015. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I’m interested in mushrooms, I really am not very good
at identifying them. There are a small number of edible ones that I am
sufficiently comfortable not only to identify but even to eat, however these tend to
be non-native species that have been introduced, generally from Europe, and are
well known both historically and gastronomically. These include the standard
field mushroom <i>Agaricus campestris</i><span style="color: red;"> </span>(and a couple of close relatives), the shaggy cap <i>Coprinus comatus</i>, the saffron milk cap
or red pine mushroom <i>Lactarius deliciosus</i>
(the name says it all), and a small caramel-coloured mushroom that springs up
in fairy rings in lawns, <i>Marasmius
oreades</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the first I noticed this year was definitely not one
to eat though - a small cluster of classic ‘toadstools’, the red and white
speckled fly agaric or <i>Amanita muscaria</i>.
These were in a small garden area beside
the footpath along Marcus Clark Street, beside Ian Potter House (once Beauchamp
House) in the middle of Canberra City. And, not surprisingly, they were in the
mulch beneath an oak tree. While not as poisonous as the death cap <i>Amanita phalloides</i>, this mushroom contains
several pharmacological and psychoactive compounds which are definitely not
worth messing around with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1koAdCfG5lA/VWcQ_1wbbKI/AAAAAAAABbg/Ak_mNpM2FKc/s1600/Amanita%2Bmuscaria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1koAdCfG5lA/VWcQ_1wbbKI/AAAAAAAABbg/Ak_mNpM2FKc/s1600/Amanita%2Bmuscaria.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fly agaric <i>Amanita muscaria</i> - the classic red & white 'toadstool' that occurs under oak trees. 17 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fCR7wpQqvJM/VWcRBMdWwpI/AAAAAAAABbw/65Cu2Vc4kts/s1600/Amanita%2Bunderside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fCR7wpQqvJM/VWcRBMdWwpI/AAAAAAAABbw/65Cu2Vc4kts/s1600/Amanita%2Bunderside.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fly agaric has bright white gills underneath.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-idj0UyDDkiI/VWcQ_rrQAcI/AAAAAAAABbc/Vxd1qBgrfzI/s1600/Amanita%2Bslug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-idj0UyDDkiI/VWcQ_rrQAcI/AAAAAAAABbc/Vxd1qBgrfzI/s1600/Amanita%2Bslug.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite being poisonous (to humans), this fly agaric is apparently being enjoyed by a slug.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During a walk through Weston Park, on the other side of the
lake, I came across a few other types of mushroom. The first was possibly some
type of agaric but I’m really not sure. Although I wouldn’t eat them, they
were certainly of great appeal to a range of invertebrates, including several
millipedes, and at least four different types of fly. In fact they were looking pretty fly-blown and ratty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfBTF0qDqF8/VWcRCq0mZ8I/AAAAAAAABcA/yg4-BJWi1TY/s1600/LBG%2Bautumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfBTF0qDqF8/VWcRCq0mZ8I/AAAAAAAABcA/yg4-BJWi1TY/s1600/LBG%2Bautumn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A quiet corner of Lake Burley Griffin in autumn from Weston Park, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AMv2rQPBVQY/VWcZcdTqyaI/AAAAAAAABfY/vm57MgEGR0s/s1600/agaricus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AMv2rQPBVQY/VWcZcdTqyaI/AAAAAAAABfY/vm57MgEGR0s/s1600/agaricus.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some type of agaric? Certainly enjoyed by many small critters, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjtWk1qapZ0/VWcRP-AoOuI/AAAAAAAABd8/IhNfpCGdju4/s1600/millipede.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjtWk1qapZ0/VWcRP-AoOuI/AAAAAAAABd8/IhNfpCGdju4/s1600/millipede.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Millipedes were seen on several of the mushrooms.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One type of fly, of which there were at least half a dozen
individuals, would settle on the cap of the mushroom for a while, then fly a
short distance away and trace out a rapid erratic triangular path on the flat
exposed blade a fallen eucalypt leaf. Only the palest (brightest in the weak sunlight) leaves seemed to be selected. It was quite bizarre to see several of
these flies, in reasonable proximity to the mushrooms and to each other, darting about on their chosen leaves like some sort of animated
Spirograph doodle bugs (remember Spirograph?). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ASzjSKk50wM/VWcRWCcP1zI/AAAAAAAABe4/GhHYmFCmqC0/s1600/triangle%2Bfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ASzjSKk50wM/VWcRWCcP1zI/AAAAAAAABe4/GhHYmFCmqC0/s1600/triangle%2Bfly.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unidentified fly, torn between mushroom and eucalypt leaf. 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lVFFNqxmR4E/VWcRXGmrviI/AAAAAAAABfI/xrDODrnC7nI/s1600/zig-zag%2Bfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lVFFNqxmR4E/VWcRXGmrviI/AAAAAAAABfI/xrDODrnC7nI/s1600/zig-zag%2Bfly.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...and in blurry close-up.</span></td></tr>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were also flies that looked like they were from the family
Dolichopodidae, and possibly Sepsidae, as well as several Heleomyzid flies (I
think) which were probably the most possessive of all about <i>their</i> mushrooms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QsZwRahw79A/VWcRBfblJ2I/AAAAAAAABb0/h7enIo8hb-w/s1600/Dolichopodid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QsZwRahw79A/VWcRBfblJ2I/AAAAAAAABb0/h7enIo8hb-w/s1600/Dolichopodid.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Dolichopodid fly (?) on an agaric mushroom, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9czSdwsOoI/VWcRDB1-QuI/AAAAAAAABcE/bHK0yqBqZSo/s1600/Sepsid%2Bfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9czSdwsOoI/VWcRDB1-QuI/AAAAAAAABcE/bHK0yqBqZSo/s1600/Sepsid%2Bfly.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Possibly a Sepsid fly on an agaric, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p7yOFNnnYG8/VWcRNJQRa0I/AAAAAAAABdU/Hnshp1gDo7E/s1600/fungus%2Bfly%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p7yOFNnnYG8/VWcRNJQRa0I/AAAAAAAABdU/Hnshp1gDo7E/s1600/fungus%2Bfly%2B1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mushroom fly (Heleomyzidae) on an agaric. 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1hM9ehrXmI/VWcRN4eWsSI/AAAAAAAABdg/KODf15u-PIA/s1600/fungus%2Bfly%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1hM9ehrXmI/VWcRN4eWsSI/AAAAAAAABdg/KODf15u-PIA/s1600/fungus%2Bfly%2B2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">These mushroom flies (Heleomyzidae) seemed quite possessive of their mushrooms. 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQpH75P6uSY/VWcQ_NoStDI/AAAAAAAABbY/YZl0c2kJLRY/s1600/2x%2Bfungus%2Bflies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQpH75P6uSY/VWcQ_NoStDI/AAAAAAAABbY/YZl0c2kJLRY/s1600/2x%2Bfungus%2Bflies.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They would battle it out if two of them happened to cross paths atop the mushroom cap. 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Further along, I came across several clusters of a type of bright
yellowish-brown mushroom that appeared only to grow on the cut stumps of pine
trees (probably <i>Pinus radiata</i>, but
there are several other <i>Pinus</i> species
included in the plantings along the lake between Warrina Inlet and Nursery
Bay). No idea what these are, but they’re cute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xJJiAY-tJV0/VWcRT34D-KI/AAAAAAAABeg/8tJRfl5risc/s1600/pine%2Bmushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xJJiAY-tJV0/VWcRT34D-KI/AAAAAAAABeg/8tJRfl5risc/s1600/pine%2Bmushrooms.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unidentified mushrooms on <i>Pinus </i>stump, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sAAelUMEj30/VWcRR20ldUI/AAAAAAAABeQ/SQLJmaVuBvA/s1600/pine%2Bmushrooms%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sAAelUMEj30/VWcRR20ldUI/AAAAAAAABeQ/SQLJmaVuBvA/s1600/pine%2Bmushrooms%2B2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They always grew in tight clusters.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E36u4JN_uU8/VWcRSGo5IuI/AAAAAAAABeU/9qI7fIeNYWc/s1600/pine%2Bmushrooms%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E36u4JN_uU8/VWcRSGo5IuI/AAAAAAAABeU/9qI7fIeNYWc/s1600/pine%2Bmushrooms%2B3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And had the typical gills possessed by most mushrooms.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, in some well kept lawns I came across a band of
<i>Boletus</i> mushrooms, just one small arc
at the circumference of a would-be fairy ring that must have had a diameter of
about 30 metres or more. Fairy rings are produced as the underground mycelium (the
fine thread-like hyphae) of the fungus grow and spread out radially from a
central point, the fruiting bodies (the mushrooms) emerging around the
circumference or part thereof, of the actively growing fungus while the inner
parts progressively die off. The under-surface of the cap of <i>Boletus</i> mushrooms is characterised by having pores rather than the gills
that most mushrooms have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IB203FrLH8U/VWcRHA-1zAI/AAAAAAAABcg/QC8URbXtfmI/s1600/boletus%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IB203FrLH8U/VWcRHA-1zAI/AAAAAAAABcg/QC8URbXtfmI/s1600/boletus%2B1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A species of <i>Boletus</i>, growing as part of a fairy ring in Weston Park, Canberra, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YyCcaTFJSWU/VWcRIsMvQLI/AAAAAAAABco/ADgy_LqOU3w/s1600/boletus%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YyCcaTFJSWU/VWcRIsMvQLI/AAAAAAAABco/ADgy_LqOU3w/s1600/boletus%2B2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Boletus </i>has pores rather than the more usual gills.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D1hzdDYnaqY/VWcRJfgbi6I/AAAAAAAABcw/MsYzlhPTMSM/s1600/boletus%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D1hzdDYnaqY/VWcRJfgbi6I/AAAAAAAABcw/MsYzlhPTMSM/s1600/boletus%2B3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pores of a <i>Boletus </i>mushroom in close-up, 18 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A week or so later, while walking back to the car from work, I
espied a clump of <i>Agaricus</i> mushrooms,
possibly <i>campestris</i>, possibly
something else closely related, from a footbridge over Parkes Way. I
immediately back-tracked and picked them. They definitely weren’t <i>Agaricus xanthodermis</i>, the yellow
stainer, which is similar-looking but slightly poisonous, so I felt
comfortable eating them. That night, I prepared a simple mushroom soup using
the remains of a roast chicken carcass for stock and adding the mushrooms, a
few herbs from the garden, and a dash of cream. I get a real buzz out of making
great food from simple wild produce. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-psshh7rChMw/VWcRMpo8bwI/AAAAAAAABdQ/5zQDLFlRU_8/s1600/field%2Bmushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-psshh7rChMw/VWcRMpo8bwI/AAAAAAAABdQ/5zQDLFlRU_8/s1600/field%2Bmushrooms.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Field mushrooms picked on the way home from work - the basis for a great mushroom soup - 30 April 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eCNFKXnsWUs/VWcRKTOmbmI/AAAAAAAABc8/WUDBezul_XQ/s1600/chopped%2Bmushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eCNFKXnsWUs/VWcRKTOmbmI/AAAAAAAABc8/WUDBezul_XQ/s1600/chopped%2Bmushrooms.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Field mushrooms - chopped and ready for the pot.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-At-t8qHuFQI/VWcRQgfFKbI/AAAAAAAABeI/wepa0l7LJMo/s1600/mushroom%2Bsoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-At-t8qHuFQI/VWcRQgfFKbI/AAAAAAAABeI/wepa0l7LJMo/s1600/mushroom%2Bsoup.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yum!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another week later, in almost the exact same spot and under almost
identical circumstances, I gathered a paper bag full of shaggy caps <i>Coprinus comatus</i> (also known as ink caps, shaggy mane or lawyer’s wig mushroom). These are undoubtedly my favourite wild
mushroom, but you have to get onto processing them quickly because within a
short time of picking, or if left in the field for that matter, they will
essentially dissolve through a process called autolysis to a sticky black
liquid mess. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shaggy caps are absolutely delicious - they have an intense ‘mushroomy’ flavour and are perfect for adding to stews or (if not too advanced) simply sautéing briefly with butter and having as a side on toast with eggs and bacon for breakfast. I recall one time when we were on holiday, coming across some shaggy caps in Kingston SE in South Australia during an early morning walk. It took a little persuasion to get Karen to join me in having them for breakfast that morning, but she’s been a convert ever since. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fenMMvI8YRM/VWcRVX5eaVI/AAAAAAAABew/bfnOAf9_re4/s1600/shaggy%2Bcaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fenMMvI8YRM/VWcRVX5eaVI/AAAAAAAABew/bfnOAf9_re4/s1600/shaggy%2Bcaps.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shaggy caps, or lawyer's wigs, on the chopping block. 7 May 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifjBWfXCSHI/VWcRUXyZdtI/AAAAAAAABek/02QTlA8XIuY/s1600/shaggy%2Bcap%2Bautolysis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifjBWfXCSHI/VWcRUXyZdtI/AAAAAAAABek/02QTlA8XIuY/s1600/shaggy%2Bcap%2Bautolysis.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These shaggy caps are a little more advanced and on the verge of autolysing.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-njmApxwFrLI/VWcRWkJC4yI/AAAAAAAABfA/cyldXrV8ZXA/s1600/split%2Bshaggy%2Bcaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-njmApxwFrLI/VWcRWkJC4yI/AAAAAAAABfA/cyldXrV8ZXA/s1600/split%2Bshaggy%2Bcaps.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shaggy caps sliced down the middle - the cap is only loosely attached to the top of the stalk.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On slicing the mushrooms I noticed what at first I thought were flecks of dirt - but they were moving! A closer look revealed that they were in fact tiny collembolans. Collembola is a class of arthropods, not quite insects but related to them, and referred to as entognathous hexapods (along with two other groups the Protura and Diplura). Even though they are extremely common in soil and vegetative matter, because they are so tiny (these were no more that a millimetre in length) this was the first time I'd ever knowingly noticed collembolans (though I had used similarly 'dirty' mushrooms in the past).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L4eOFVUWfYo/VWcRKnFAUrI/AAAAAAAABc4/TEzpSio1LpU/s1600/collembolans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L4eOFVUWfYo/VWcRKnFAUrI/AAAAAAAABc4/TEzpSio1LpU/s1600/collembolans.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tiny collembolans, only a mm or so in length, infested the inside of the hollow stalk of the shaggy caps.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I wasn't about to let a little additional protein from the collembolans get in the way. On this occasion, with a bit
of a mix of young and not so young specimens, I simply cooked them all up briefly in
a frying pan with a little butter and a splash of water, then froze
them in an ice cube tray, to be used as required through the encroaching cold dark
Canberra winter evenings…</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS. If anyone knows the identity of any of the mushrooms or flies that I don't, or thinks I've misidentified others, please leave a comment. I hate the thought of wrong information being published and perpetuated on the web and will gladly correct any errors I may have made.</span><br />
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-60778673716159118722015-04-26T23:03:00.000+10:002015-05-05T18:46:43.858+10:00Tarago Railway Station<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tarago is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. At the time of the last census (2011) it had a population of 351 - and falling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has a beautiful little railway station. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tarago railway station has an 84 metre platform, with a dock at the down end of the station <br />and a stock siding at the up end.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tarago is on the Goulburn - Braidwood Road. I've never traveled between Goulburn and Braidwood, in either direction. But it is also on an alternative route I sometimes take to the coast, which goes from Canberra, through Bungendore and Tarago before heading across to Oallen Ford, Nerriga and Sassafras and finally heading down the escarpment to Nowra. When passing through Tarago I've often thought I should stop and have a look at the railway station</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like old railway stations for some reason (see an earlier post on derelict <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Girilambone">Girilambone railway station</a> in outback NSW). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A week or so ago I finally got my chance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tarago railway station is in great condition, and has recently been meticulously repainted. It looks stunning. It seems to be shut up most of the time, but there are still three TrainLink Explorer services operating daily between Sydney and Canberra which pass through Tarago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The station was first opened on 3 January 1884 and was the terminus of the line before it was pushed through to Bungendore 14 months later. Tarago has two other old buildings of note: St Josephs Catholic Church, and the Loaded Dog Hotel which dates from 1848. Lunch and lager at the latter was the real reason we were in Tarago on this occasion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The area around Tarago was already occupied by the Ngunnawal people, and well known to other tribes which traversed the area to the coast or the Monaro during bogong moth season, when the first European explorers came to the area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surveyor General James Meehan, with a then young and relatively inexperienced Hamilton Hume as a junior member of the team, was leading part of an 1818 expedition commissioned by Governor Macquarie, when they discovered the nearby Lake Bathurst, an ephemeral lake that at the time happened to be full, with abundant birdlife and lush grasslands. Prospects seemed good and the area was settled during the 1820s, initially at a station called Waterloo Plains, followed by the establishment of two small villages, Lake Bathurst and Tarago. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact the present tiny village of Lake Bathurst, 7 kilometres north of Tarago, was the original Tarago, and the current village of Tarago was initially known as Sherwin's Flats. One story has it that there was a mix up of names </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">when the railway line came through: "</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Apparently, when the maps of a new railway line were being transcribed, the two village names were inadvertently reversed, By the time the mistake was realized, the drafts had already been sent to England for printing and returned. A local railway Inspector decided it was more prudent to change the village names, than to reprint all the maps.</i>" * </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The name Tarago is thought to mean 'country', or possibly 'a place between two bodies of water' in the Ngunnawal language (the other body of water being Lake George, about 20 kilometres to the west). Lake Bathurst, named by Meehan in 1819, and the village, are both named after Earl Bathurst who, at the time, was the British Secretary of State of War and the Colonies</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apart from Sherwin's Flats, Tarago has also been known as Tarago Heights, and the Loaded Dog was previously called the Lake Bathurst Hotel. In its heyday, Tarago was quite a busy centre: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The main street in the village, over its 170 year history has, at various times boasted two produce stores; several bakeries, the Cobb & Co stables; a general store; a Post Office (1883); a 22 room hotel, started and run by J.J.Hush; a lolly/ice cream shop; a butchery and a garage. We also have had the Lake Bathurst Hotel (now the Loaded Dog Hotel), and the railway station and loading dock for the wool trade of the local area." *</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of interesting web sites are worth visiting: - </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.argylecounty.com.au/towns/lakebathurst.html">http://www.argylecounty.com.au/towns/lakebathurst.html</a> and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* <a href="http://www.loadeddoghotel.com/history.html" target="_blank">http://www.loadeddoghotel.com/<wbr></wbr>history.html</a></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The former gives a detailed account of the European settlement of the area and of the current village of Lake Bathurst, the latter includes a great account of the bush ranger history of the area and the significance of the Loaded Dog Hotel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if you are passing through Tarago, I can recommend a brief stop for a beer or a meal and a quick poke around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as this is meant to be a naturalist's blog, let me finish by saying that on the afternoon these photos were taken there were three Common Starlings, a couple of House Sparrows and a Welcome Swallow hanging around the otherwise deserted railway station...</span><br />
<br />Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-56779116457414807382015-04-21T22:46:00.000+10:002015-04-22T08:20:30.744+10:00Spin-lovers - Nephila in Australia<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WARNING! </i></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Graphic images of spiders follow - arachnophobes should not proceed.</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Spin-lovers - <i>Nephila</i> in Australia</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have no trouble visualising my earliest clear recollection of an encounter with a golden orb-weaving spider! It would have been in 1974 or '75, I was probably 15 years old, and it was just down from the Baha'i Temple in Ingleside, northern Sydney. I and a couple of school friends were crashing through the bush on our first ever bout of orienteering, a sport quite new to Australia at the time and just introduced to the Pittwater High School sports options. Pushing our way through the dense and prickly bush, I suddenly recoiled abruptly on impact with a strong and stickily elastic web - my feet continued their forward progress, perhaps slipping on the sandy soil, but the rest of me went backwards and down, and I landed hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must have already been familiar with these spiders and their webs, as I knew exactly what had happened. And had I not been running at full tilt, I'd probably have seen and avoided the web, as they are large, prominent and glow golden-yellow in the sunshine - hence the common name for this group of spiders.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ureqOmjAzBE/VSiQqQSuXII/AAAAAAAABXc/_HcF6xmy1XQ/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2Bsimpsons%2BGap%2BP1180626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ureqOmjAzBE/VSiQqQSuXII/AAAAAAAABXc/_HcF6xmy1XQ/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2Bsimpsons%2BGap%2BP1180626.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A large Australian Emperor dragonfly caught in the web of an <br />Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider, <i>Nephila edulis</i>. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Apart from catching out unwary humans, the webs of these spiders are strong enough to ensnare very large insects and even small birds and bats. The photo above, taken at Simpsons Gap west of Alice Springs in May 2010, was the first I'd taken of an Australian Emperor dragonfly and I was a little put out (and humbled) that a spider had got to it first. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Nephila</i>, the genus that comprises the golden orb-weaving spiders, occurs in three main, essentially tropical regions around the world. There are two species in the Americas, from the southern US to Brazil and Argentina, including <i>Nephila clavipes</i>, one of the best-studied spiders in the world; 6-8 species from Africa, ranging from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula to Madagascar; and there are about 16 species in the Indo-Australasian region, from India and China through to as far east as Tonga and Samoa. Australia (including its dependencies Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands) is home to four species, though only three of these occur on mainland Australia. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Incidentally, the genus name <i>Nephila</i>, is derived from the Greek words <i>nen </i>= to spin, and <i>philos </i>= love - hence 'love to spin' or 'fond of spinning', or as further derived (or corrupted) for the purposes of the title for this post - 'spin-lovers'. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tI_-AdEzGxM/VSiQlw2RCCI/AAAAAAAABWs/YOwZgwl6jNA/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2BBowra%2BIMG_9178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tI_-AdEzGxM/VSiQlw2RCCI/AAAAAAAABWs/YOwZgwl6jNA/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2BBowra%2BIMG_9178.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The spinnerets are clearly visible towards the ventral tip of the abdomen on this <br />Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider (Bowra, Queensland, April 2014).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The three species of <i>Nephila</i> occurring in Australia are:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Nephila pilipes</i> - Giant Golden Orb-weaving Spider, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Nephila plumipes</i> - Humped Golden Orb-weaving Spider</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Nephila edulis</i> - Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Giant Golden Orb-weaving Spider occurs up the east coast of Australia, north from about Bellingen, and across the Top End. It also occurs widely throughout the New Guinea region and as far east as Vanuatu, on </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christmas Island, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and through much of South-East Asia and as far north as China. It is generally found in rainforest or other densely vegetated situations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Compared to the other Australian species, the abdomen of <i>N. pilipes</i> is quite elongated, the sternum is usually entirely black, the palps are bright yellow or reddish, and the yellow patches on the legs are restricted to what look like enamel spots on the underside of the main joints. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggkPYCYCuf0/VSiQsu_h4FI/AAAAAAAABX0/h6xnuszVWFY/s1600/Nephila%2Bpilipes%2BFogg%2BDam%2BP1070173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggkPYCYCuf0/VSiQsu_h4FI/AAAAAAAABX0/h6xnuszVWFY/s1600/Nephila%2Bpilipes%2BFogg%2BDam%2BP1070173.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Giant Golden Orb-weaving Spider <i>Nephila pilipes</i> - <br />this one at Fogg Dam, east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, June 2008.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m0IYmZewSIQ/VSiQtwCc86I/AAAAAAAABX8/u4AO5gqMSOI/s1600/Nephila%2Bpilipes%2BLitchfield%2BP1070219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m0IYmZewSIQ/VSiQtwCc86I/AAAAAAAABX8/u4AO5gqMSOI/s1600/Nephila%2Bpilipes%2BLitchfield%2BP1070219.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Giant Golden Orb-weaving Spider, this one with at least three tiny yellowish males </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in the web around her. Litchfield National Park, south of Darwin, June 2008. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this genus, the males are much smaller that the females, up to an order of magnitude so (in linear dimensions), and they may be as little as 1%-5% of the weight of a fecund adult female. So it's not surprising that spiders of this genus have been the subject of much study, particularly the evolution of sexual size dimorphism and of their reproductive biology and behaviour more generally. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The comparatively tiny males tend to live in the female's web as well - up to about six males per web - a dangerous way to live as they are apt to be subjected to sexual or copulatory cannibalism, a not uncommon trait amongst various groups of spiders. Apparently there is also a fair degree of size variability between males, and they compete for the sexual favours of the female, who is not at all averse to accepting the (careful) advances of multiple males. For the males, there is a play off between being larger (and thereby being more successful in seeing off the smaller males from the centre of the web where mating takes place) and being smaller (and thus less likely to be cannibalised, either before, during or after the event, by the female).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Humped Golden Orb-weaving Spider <i>Nephila plumipes</i> occurs predominantly along the eastern coast of Australia, from Cape York to the southern coast of NSW, but also across the Top End and through many of the Pacific Islands. Particularly in the southern part of the range it is strongly associated with mangrove habitats, but it is also found in other coastal situations and may even be found, usually sporadically or at low density, up to several hundred kilometres inland. They are common on islands, including those of the Great Barrier Reef.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjzlYG8S97M/VSiQuhfgaEI/AAAAAAAABYE/acP8PqqylaY/s1600/Nephila%2Bplumipes%2BCurrarong%2BP1050752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjzlYG8S97M/VSiQuhfgaEI/AAAAAAAABYE/acP8PqqylaY/s1600/Nephila%2Bplumipes%2BCurrarong%2BP1050752.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Humped Golden Orb-weaving Spider <i>Nephila plumipes</i>, Currarong NSW, January 2008.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p6alBPPpIBw/VSiQvWJ3sYI/AAAAAAAABYM/61DWNrvQyEk/s1600/Nephila%2Bplumipes%2BL%2BMusgrave%2BIMG_6042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p6alBPPpIBw/VSiQvWJ3sYI/AAAAAAAABYM/61DWNrvQyEk/s1600/Nephila%2Bplumipes%2BL%2BMusgrave%2BIMG_6042.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Humped Golden Orb-weaving Spider <i>Nephila plumipes</i>, <br /><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Lady%20Musgrave%20Island">Lady Musgrave Island</a>, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, January 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider <i>Nephila edulis</i> is the most widespread and probably most common of the three Australian species. It occurs throughout Australia, including in arid regions, tropical savannas, subtropical and temperate coastal areas, and subalpine habitats. It is the only <i>Nephila</i> species in Tasmania, and also occurs to a lesser degree in New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Guinea and perhaps in Java. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although often very common, it also tends to be more transient, particularly in more arid regions, where populations may be very dense one year and then virtually disappear for several years. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1FyIivmdFjo/VSiQoE3WESI/AAAAAAAABXM/D3DMJ5V2a1U/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2BUriarra%2BP3261865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1FyIivmdFjo/VSiQoE3WESI/AAAAAAAABXM/D3DMJ5V2a1U/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2BUriarra%2BP3261865.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider <i>Nephila edulis</i>, Uriarra Crossing, ACT, March 2005.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-139ZhnpCbm8/VSiQo8rBxyI/AAAAAAAABXU/H905iq10z04/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2BWeddin%2BP3131781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-139ZhnpCbm8/VSiQo8rBxyI/AAAAAAAABXU/H905iq10z04/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2BWeddin%2BP3131781.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Nephila edulis</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">, Weddin Mountain, NSW, March 2005.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSkgruIQXgU/VSiQrqrOCzI/AAAAAAAABXs/llbVmanJEHI/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2Bw%2Bmale%2B6094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pSkgruIQXgU/VSiQrqrOCzI/AAAAAAAABXs/llbVmanJEHI/s1600/Nephila%2Bedulis%2Bw%2Bmale%2B6094.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Nephila edulis</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">, Weddin Mountain, NSW, March 2015. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The tiny male is very close to the female, and presumably approaching in order to mate. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This photo was taken 10 years after the previous one but at the same location - I wonder if it could be a descendant? </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOqSbh4c_Mg/VSiQkq_byLI/AAAAAAAABWc/rHjmWVKttlI/s1600/Nephila%2B(9194).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOqSbh4c_Mg/VSiQkq_byLI/AAAAAAAABWc/rHjmWVKttlI/s1600/Nephila%2B%289194%29.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Nephila edulis</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">, <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/bowra-non-birds.html">Bowra</a>, Queensland, April 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Australian Golden Orb-weaving Spider </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Nephila edulis</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">, Simpsons Gap, NT, May 2010.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Nephila</i> webs characteristically have a line of silk-wrapped food items strung out above the hub, or centre of the web. This is known as a food cache, and is used during food shortages. There may be as many as 15 items in the cache, depending on need and availability of prey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But not all prey is necessarily eaten. While prey items that are eaten tend to be fairly large and frequently include grasshoppers, flies, beetles, butterflies, and even dragonflies; some insects such as vespid wasps and a range of unpalatable insects may be avoided or actually removed from the web. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smaller insects may also be eaten, but it seems there are usually enough to support another type of small spider that also often inhabits the webs as a kleptoparasite. It is a spider from the family Theridiidae (a very diverse family which includes the redback) called <i>Argyrodes</i> and there are species that occur in the webs of virtually all <i>Nephila</i> species worldwide, including these three Australian species. I'll have to keep my eye out as so far I haven't noticed them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a review of the <i>Nephila</i> genus in Australasia done in the mid-2000s by Mark Harvey, Andrew Austin and Mark Adams. The comprehensive paper, <i>The systematics and biology of the spider genus Nephila (Araneae:Nephilidae) in the Australasian region</i>, published in <i>Invertebrate Systematics</i>, is available as a pdf from <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/IS05016.htm">http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/IS05016.htm</a>. It's well worth a look. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-65374612643761601432015-03-31T23:36:00.000+11:002015-04-01T00:11:32.879+11:00Casuarina cones<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--VlA0kAQcn8/VRqCe9L4f3I/AAAAAAAABSo/qMz88mYEPcg/s1600/banner%2B6607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--VlA0kAQcn8/VRqCe9L4f3I/AAAAAAAABSo/qMz88mYEPcg/s1600/banner%2B6607.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Casuarinas are quintessentially Australian to most
Australians. Perhaps not to the same degree as eucalypts and acacias, but they
are certainly a key component of the Australian flora and psyche. From the
whispering river-oaks of inland water courses, to the beach-delimiting she-oaks
of various kinds, to the inland bull-oaks or bulokes of the Murray-Darling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNHwJTmLSg8/VRqCrAxQXQI/AAAAAAAABU0/U38ljzRuQbc/s1600/river%2Boak%2B5400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNHwJTmLSg8/VRqCrAxQXQI/AAAAAAAABU0/U38ljzRuQbc/s1600/river%2Boak%2B5400.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">River oaks, <i>Casuarina cunninhamiana</i>, along the Abercrombie River in central New South Wales.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SCFCe3Bh6TE/VRqCgc5e_CI/AAAAAAAABS0/66i5j5Jsi-g/s1600/beach%2Bcasuarinas%2B5986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SCFCe3Bh6TE/VRqCgc5e_CI/AAAAAAAABS0/66i5j5Jsi-g/s1600/beach%2Bcasuarinas%2B5986.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coastal she-oak, or beach casuarina, <i>Casuarina equisetifolia ssp incana</i> growing on beach sand on Lady Musgrave Island in the Great Barrier Reef (see <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Heron%20Island">Heron & Lady Musgrave Islands</a> post).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Casuarinas belong to the Family Casuarinaceae. For a long
time this family was considered to be </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fairly primitive within the dicotyledonous plants, and was placed </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pretty much out on its own, often being put in its
own Order (major grouping of plants). But more
recent work indicates it actually fits within the Order Fagales, which includes
birches, aspens and hazels (Betulaceae), oaks and beeches (Fagaceae), the
Gondwanan southern beeches (Nothofagaceae), walnuts, pecans and hickory
(Juglandaceae) and a couple of other small related families). Casuarinaceae is thought
to be most closely related to Betulaceae.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This placement might seem odd to the casual observer, (I was
certainly rather surprised when I looked into it) but they are characterised by
having separate male and female flowers, the male flowers often being in the
form of catkins, and are wind-pollinated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9TIhbUBClj0/VRqHqLq3_sI/AAAAAAAABVg/UOp9yGHIB7Y/s1600/birch%2B6890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9TIhbUBClj0/VRqHqLq3_sI/AAAAAAAABVg/UOp9yGHIB7Y/s1600/birch%2B6890.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The silver birch, <i>Betula pendula</i>, doesn't bear any immediate resemblance to casuarinas!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Casuarinaceae are distributed essentially throughout <span lang="EN"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malesia" title="Malesia">Malesia</a>,</span><span lang="EN"> </span>Australia, and into the south-west Pacific, with a few outliers further afield. And there are a lot of introduced
plantings around the globe, particularly in coastal situations. There are considered
to be just under 100 species, with 65 occurring in Australia. Originally, all
species were within the genus <i>Casuarina</i>, but they have recently been split
amongst four genera, the majority in <i>Allocasuarina
</i>(61 species) and <i>Casuarina </i>(17
species). But I doubt any one is likely to start using anything but casuarina
as the common name for most members of the group (the other two genera are <i>Gymnostoma </i>and <i>Ceuthostoma</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apart from the immediately distinctive needle-like foliage
(which isn’t actually foliage but photosynthetic branchlets – the leaves are
reduced to whorls of tiny scale-like teeth), the fruits are also
characteristic, being cone-like, and generally referred to as cones, although
technically they are woody infructescences. While superficially all rather
similar in form, the details of the cones do vary a fair bit. And so finally we
get to what this post is about – basically just a gallery of photos of the
cones of some of the local casuarina species. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>River oak or River she-oak <i>Casuarina cunninghamiana</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of the most common of the casuarinas around Canberra and apart from occurring naturally along the local river courses, it is also planted extensively as a landscape tree.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-awHdfi_6bww/VRqCjkxwogI/AAAAAAAABTk/8KL_br7pqU8/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-awHdfi_6bww/VRqCjkxwogI/AAAAAAAABTk/8KL_br7pqU8/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6322.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Young developing cones with dried off styles of the withered 'flowers' still adhering</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDKHW3fOEsk/VRqCgzz8cPI/AAAAAAAABS8/qkaeWMU0NVA/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDKHW3fOEsk/VRqCgzz8cPI/AAAAAAAABS8/qkaeWMU0NVA/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6265.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The flowers/cones frequently develop as terminal or sub-terminal clusters</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y_SEWF8BaYU/VRqCiODx0KI/AAAAAAAABTI/3d4WUIpk7ks/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y_SEWF8BaYU/VRqCiODx0KI/AAAAAAAABTI/3d4WUIpk7ks/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6288.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early stage cone of <i>Casuarina cunninghamiana</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-baz4d_yzafo/VRqCipiu_4I/AAAAAAAABTU/8Izz40NnjT8/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-baz4d_yzafo/VRqCipiu_4I/AAAAAAAABTU/8Izz40NnjT8/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6304.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Immature cones along a branchlet</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GT0hkvMmKbY/VRqCiCssyTI/AAAAAAAABTM/k66L4OMAwWc/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GT0hkvMmKbY/VRqCiCssyTI/AAAAAAAABTM/k66L4OMAwWc/s1600/cunninghamiana%2B6294.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A tight cluster of mature cones, but mostly not yet opened to release their seeds</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Drooping She-oak <i>Allocasuarina verticillata</i> (prev. <i>C. stricta</i>)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is another species that occurs commonly in Canberra, but is generally more restricted to grassy woodlands and rocky hillsides. In contrast to the cones of <i>C. cunninghamiana</i> which are really quite small, the cones of <i>A. verticillata</i> are large and chunky.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WoTMk4yGyCo/VRqCri6mXRI/AAAAAAAABVA/zYXMrpU23ZQ/s1600/verticillata%2B6574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WoTMk4yGyCo/VRqCri6mXRI/AAAAAAAABVA/zYXMrpU23ZQ/s1600/verticillata%2B6574.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Developing cone of the drooping she-oak <i>Allocasuarina verticillata</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Az9I7V12dZo/VRqCrF5fGGI/AAAAAAAABUw/Nbt3ffmBKi8/s1600/verticillata%2B6563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Az9I7V12dZo/VRqCrF5fGGI/AAAAAAAABUw/Nbt3ffmBKi8/s1600/verticillata%2B6563.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The stalk or peduncle is often quite short, the cone sometimes appearing to grow straight out of the branch</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UVTX09pnbjM/VRqCsmU_pFI/AAAAAAAABVE/H_QV8DYDIxU/s1600/verticillata%2B6581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UVTX09pnbjM/VRqCsmU_pFI/AAAAAAAABVE/H_QV8DYDIxU/s1600/verticillata%2B6581.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mature, partly opened cones of drooping she-oak</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sj_NmowixU4/VRqCsxVyMcI/AAAAAAAABVM/5feHFXSFuQU/s1600/verticillata%2B6582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sj_NmowixU4/VRqCsxVyMcI/AAAAAAAABVM/5feHFXSFuQU/s1600/verticillata%2B6582.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old cones often persist on the tree for years - this one supporting lichen growth</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Black she-oak <i>Allocasuarina littoralis</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the specific name littoralis indicates a coastal distribution, the black she-oak also grows well inland. Nevertheless, the following photos were taken at Narooma on the New South Wales south coast.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Young developing cone of the black she-oak</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o9NtkOXtFQk/VRqCnSgTCOI/AAAAAAAABUQ/hZOvE1aO560/s1600/littoralis%2B4503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o9NtkOXtFQk/VRqCnSgTCOI/AAAAAAAABUQ/hZOvE1aO560/s1600/littoralis%2B4503.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cluster of three developing black she-oak cones in early morning sunlight</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YCUapMD13Dc/VRqCn9HTClI/AAAAAAAABUY/SN4pR88nGl8/s1600/littoralis%2B4508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YCUapMD13Dc/VRqCn9HTClI/AAAAAAAABUY/SN4pR88nGl8/s1600/littoralis%2B4508.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mature cones of black she-oak showing characteristic shape</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Allocasuarina distyla</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some reason, this species doesn't have an accepted common name, despite it having by far the most attractive cones of the four species included in this post. It occurs in Sydney sandstone areas, particularly in heathland associations. These photos were taken at Currarong near Jervis Bay.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIgZkH6DKvg/VRqCjrWaa1I/AAAAAAAABTg/qRNwAInRuws/s1600/distyla%2B4697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIgZkH6DKvg/VRqCjrWaa1I/AAAAAAAABTg/qRNwAInRuws/s1600/distyla%2B4697.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Allocasuarina distyla</i> - flower head developing into a cone</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qaHFC1O8S7s/VRqCmCLiP2I/AAAAAAAABUE/H5SFOb2zUqw/s1600/distyla%2B4706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qaHFC1O8S7s/VRqCmCLiP2I/AAAAAAAABUE/H5SFOb2zUqw/s1600/distyla%2B4706.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cluster of three young developing </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Allocasuarina</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> distyla</i> cones</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dPC0auWOEfA/VRqClqH0WwI/AAAAAAAABT8/Xl-BWSa2SU0/s1600/distyla%2B4704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dPC0auWOEfA/VRqClqH0WwI/AAAAAAAABT8/Xl-BWSa2SU0/s1600/distyla%2B4704.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Developing <i>Allocasuarina distyla</i> cone</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5SOBNxKu_pM/VRqClQFY56I/AAAAAAAABT4/RqdaSnuuMUw/s1600/distyla%2B4701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5SOBNxKu_pM/VRqClQFY56I/AAAAAAAABT4/RqdaSnuuMUw/s1600/distyla%2B4701.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rich colours of a develoiping <i>Allocasuarina distyla</i> cone. <br />The pointed end (due to sterile apical flowers) is fairly characteristic of this species.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VRw4jmaslCg/VRqCkWSzySI/AAAAAAAABTs/pNvPwd_F91M/s1600/distyla%2B4699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VRw4jmaslCg/VRqCkWSzySI/AAAAAAAABTs/pNvPwd_F91M/s1600/distyla%2B4699.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mature but unopened cone of <i>Allocasuarina distyla</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lvspf1dMkWA/VRqCnbHNb3I/AAAAAAAABUU/FA-6-eWX7P8/s1600/distyla%2B4710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lvspf1dMkWA/VRqCnbHNb3I/AAAAAAAABUU/FA-6-eWX7P8/s1600/distyla%2B4710.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Allocasuarina</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> distyla</i> cone fully opened and seeds released</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One final point on leaving – the name casuarina derives from
a Malay word, <i>kasuari</i>, which means
cassowary, in allusion <span lang="EN">to the
supposed similarity between the tree’s foliage and the bird's plumage. And the equisetifolia part of the scientific name of the coastal she-oak <i>Casuarina equisetifolia</i>, comes from the Latin, equisetum, meaning horse hair, this time in reference to the resemblance of the drooping foliage to a horse's tail. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Hmmm!</span></span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dmk9AlJ6p4/VRqCgHcfO1I/AAAAAAAABSw/l5IflP7oT9c/s1600/cassowary%2B0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dmk9AlJ6p4/VRqCgHcfO1I/AAAAAAAABSw/l5IflP7oT9c/s1600/cassowary%2B0061.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See earlier post - <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Southern%20Cassowary">Missy</a> - for the story of this semi-tame cassowary</span></td></tr>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-1724378389390575062015-03-21T13:09:00.001+11:002015-03-21T14:39:40.143+11:00Blue Mountains Tree-top Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HRS-H0JTePk/VQy4mmZPhLI/AAAAAAAABOE/pjLZbOIDAeI/s1600/banner%2BGrose%2Bvalley%2B5721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HRS-H0JTePk/VQy4mmZPhLI/AAAAAAAABOE/pjLZbOIDAeI/s1600/banner%2BGrose%2Bvalley%2B5721.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6:23 am. The eastern sky was barely suffused with soft pink streaks of pre-sunrise when the Sooty Owl made its final bomb-drop call. Even the kookaburras had chortled their first refrain by then, and the Eastern Yellow Robins contributed their double-clicks and single chimes. Not long after, the lyrebirds kicked in with their varied repertoires, probably half a dozen of them up and down the valley. Standing on the tiny balcony in the slightly chill air, I could just make out the silhouettes of a pair of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos float over the treetops below me, their haunting calls echoing back and forth across the gully, accompanied by the faint double-trill of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo somewhere in the distance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such was the dawn chorus on my birthday morning.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMyUkdGDJY8/VQy4vKDbJEI/AAAAAAAABPI/G85FI6gkJfE/s1600/sunrise%2B5482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMyUkdGDJY8/VQy4vKDbJEI/AAAAAAAABPI/G85FI6gkJfE/s1600/sunrise%2B5482.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dawn from the balcony of the tree-house</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were very comfortably ensconced in the most amazing tree-house you could ever wish to stay in. Secluded, and tucked into the steep hillside above the Bowen's Creek valley, a little north of Berambing in the Blue Mountains, about 100 km west of Sydney, the owner/builder has constructed his quirky, whimsical 'folly' around a living tree, about 12 metres above the ground. The slope is such that from the windows on one side of the tree-house you look straight into the tree trunks and rock scars of the Sydney Sandstone bushland, but from the other side you are treated to panoramic views over the immediate tree-tops and down the densely vegetated valley to the peaks of Mount Irvine and Mount Tootie in the distance. It is nothing short of spectacular.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8mls0QiBG4/VQy8m-tF4YI/AAAAAAAABQk/6jUOMyYRhTE/s1600/treehouse%2B5416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8mls0QiBG4/VQy8m-tF4YI/AAAAAAAABQk/6jUOMyYRhTE/s1600/treehouse%2B5416.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tree-house</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x2yzdxnDv7c/VQy4pMCAnWI/AAAAAAAABOY/sXT56y92B6Q/s1600/from%2Bth%2Betreehouse%2B5423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x2yzdxnDv7c/VQy4pMCAnWI/AAAAAAAABOY/sXT56y92B6Q/s1600/from%2Bth%2Betreehouse%2B5423.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view from the back of the tree-house - classic Sydney sandstone bushland.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjuYEWzkMRw/VQy4qku6c3I/AAAAAAAABOg/G51yQvmsY_o/s1600/from%2Bthe%2Btreehouse%2B5427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjuYEWzkMRw/VQy4qku6c3I/AAAAAAAABOg/G51yQvmsY_o/s1600/from%2Bthe%2Btreehouse%2B5427.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the spectacular view down the Bowen valley from the balcony.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tree-house itself is full of the most eccentric touches, all designed to fit with the unspoiled natural setting, but at the same time to titillate the adult-child in us. From the extensive use of natural branches for everything from supporting beams to cupboard handles, to the openly exhibitionist aspect of the 'shower with a view' and the longest 'drop dunny' you're ever likely to come across.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-flDrRUlQfzw/VQy4yvXCPNI/AAAAAAAABPg/I8mrxEaaJ4c/s1600/treehouse%2B5874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-flDrRUlQfzw/VQy4yvXCPNI/AAAAAAAABPg/I8mrxEaaJ4c/s1600/treehouse%2B5874.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is actually a tree growing right through the middle of the tree-house.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIOWIJIiOsE/VQy41GidceI/AAAAAAAABP4/h1KSfjI-X7Q/s1600/treehouse%2Broof%2B5885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIOWIJIiOsE/VQy41GidceI/AAAAAAAABP4/h1KSfjI-X7Q/s1600/treehouse%2Broof%2B5885.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pared branches provide roof support.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yGPo3UUYthM/VQy4348OB4I/AAAAAAAABQI/bDju-8Kec4g/s1600/treehouse%2Bwindow%2B5888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yGPo3UUYthM/VQy4348OB4I/AAAAAAAABQI/bDju-8Kec4g/s1600/treehouse%2Bwindow%2B5888.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bedroom window is very quirkily shaped.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Duy4KQAKxRk/VQy428lkUKI/AAAAAAAABQA/7Yw3Wlu7tjQ/s1600/treehouse%2Bshower%2B5868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Duy4KQAKxRk/VQy428lkUKI/AAAAAAAABQA/7Yw3Wlu7tjQ/s1600/treehouse%2Bshower%2B5868.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shower / spa is definitely not for the prudish.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mLHQd2zP6-s/VQy95ns8PXI/AAAAAAAABQw/nzo7N6qDzD0/s1600/treehouse%2Bdunny%2B5876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mLHQd2zP6-s/VQy95ns8PXI/AAAAAAAABQw/nzo7N6qDzD0/s1600/treehouse%2Bdunny%2B5876.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The long-drop dunny is unique (wait for it ...)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQP7_9NIvqQ/VQy96HKtPsI/AAAAAAAABQ0/JSLbqCFelFQ/s1600/treehouse%2Bdoor%2B5880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQP7_9NIvqQ/VQy96HKtPsI/AAAAAAAABQ0/JSLbqCFelFQ/s1600/treehouse%2Bdoor%2B5880.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the front door says it all<br />(except you definitely have to be a grown-up to be able to afford to stay here.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the attraction of spending the majority of our time in this tree-top haven, we did get out to see some of the other local attractions and the magic that is the Blue Mountains. My rather ambitious plans to visit a range of sites around Blackheath on the Saturday were somewhat curtailed by both time and fitness levels, but we did do the Govett's Leap to Pulpit Rock walk.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pj8QB9ndwOk/VQy4rB_2JEI/AAAAAAAABOo/y3JtFeiM798/s1600/post%2Boffice%2B5548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pj8QB9ndwOk/VQy4rB_2JEI/AAAAAAAABOo/y3JtFeiM798/s1600/post%2Boffice%2B5548.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On our way to Blackheath - the sandstone post office in the quaint and beautiful village of Mount Victoria.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The track from Govett's Leap to Pulpit Rock winds up and down and around the edge of the escarpment, crossing several small creeks that suddenly emerge from the sheer cliff edge as spectacular waterfalls, only to disappear again into the dense forest leading down to the Grose River. The views from the track are absolutely stunning, with one towering outcrop of rock after another receding into the distance and the blue eucalyptus oil haze that gives these mountains their name.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-He0B6kDkEvI/VQy4hlUUo5I/AAAAAAAABNg/jv2CZik5-jU/s1600/Pulpit%2BRock%2Bscenery%2B5575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-He0B6kDkEvI/VQy4hlUUo5I/AAAAAAAABNg/jv2CZik5-jU/s1600/Pulpit%2BRock%2Bscenery%2B5575.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Grose Valley, with our destination, Pulpit Rock, in the middle distance.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXX3Wh3bwTo/VQy4tgE9zyI/AAAAAAAABO4/FslktDsJxWo/s1600/scenery%2B5596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXX3Wh3bwTo/VQy4tgE9zyI/AAAAAAAABO4/FslktDsJxWo/s1600/scenery%2B5596.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Grose Valley is hemmed in on all sides by spectacular sandstone cliffs.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IUp0f02UKMU/VQy46A3o87I/AAAAAAAABQY/fetYYHTG2t0/s1600/waterfall%2B5616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IUp0f02UKMU/VQy46A3o87I/AAAAAAAABQY/fetYYHTG2t0/s1600/waterfall%2B5616.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waterfalls cascade down the escarpment at regular intervals.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VYKrjv_ewaE/VQy4uTWf0BI/AAAAAAAABPA/EK0EaN-nfYU/s1600/scenery%2BPulpit%2BRock%2B5597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VYKrjv_ewaE/VQy4uTWf0BI/AAAAAAAABPA/EK0EaN-nfYU/s1600/scenery%2BPulpit%2BRock%2B5597.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pulpit Rock gradually loomed closer as we made our way along the escarpment.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tOo8NmNvpK8/VQy4mOfOGcI/AAAAAAAABOA/MbGkSGScwvU/s1600/creek%2B5608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tOo8NmNvpK8/VQy4mOfOGcI/AAAAAAAABOA/MbGkSGScwvU/s1600/creek%2B5608.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the creek crossings along the track to Pulpit Rock.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qbFH_hkJhjM/VQy98KiMhrI/AAAAAAAABRI/nXMNtXY7Ytc/s1600/waterfall%2B5614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qbFH_hkJhjM/VQy98KiMhrI/AAAAAAAABRI/nXMNtXY7Ytc/s1600/waterfall%2B5614.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was plenty of wildlife along this track as well, making it necessary to divide my time almost equally between admiring the view; whipping the camera around for a scuttling skink, a darting dragonfly, or a furtive firetail; and actually watching where I was placing my feet so as not to end up somewhere I definitely was not supposed to be. (On Friday 13 March, just 6 days after we did the walk, a 25 year old American tourist slipped from this very track and fell 35 metres, breaking her ankle and several ribs, before finally being rescued by helicopter the following morning!)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eastern Water Skinks (<i>Eulamprus quoyii</i>) were everywhere - and not necessarily close to water.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Copper-tailed Skink (<i>Ctenotus taeniolatus</i>) reminded of my school days at Elanora Heights Primary School.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlfw7l70qOY/VQy4nVeIUVI/AAAAAAAABOQ/0ec_4edsFqc/s1600/flatwing%2B5702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlfw7l70qOY/VQy4nVeIUVI/AAAAAAAABOQ/0ec_4edsFqc/s1600/flatwing%2B5702.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still haven't worked out if this damselfly is a Common or Sydney Flatwing.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Forest Darner (<i>Austroaeschna pulchra</i>) was a new species for me.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Bbrfl3_8HM/VQy4jkdvY5I/AAAAAAAABNw/zruI9Ho-o-g/s1600/Sydney%2BMountain%2BDarner%2B5720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Bbrfl3_8HM/VQy4jkdvY5I/AAAAAAAABNw/zruI9Ho-o-g/s1600/Sydney%2BMountain%2BDarner%2B5720.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As was this Sydney Mountain Darner (<i>Austroaeschna obscura</i>).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Sydney Mountain Darner looking almost fossil-like against the sandstone.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Varied Sword-grass Browns (<i>Tisiphone abeona abeona</i>) were frequently seen fluttering in the shade along the track - and indeed at many of the places we visited.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ckvvvWFWsTQ/VQzFDEACZ3I/AAAAAAAABRY/CWOnzEfHels/s1600/firetail%2B5765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ckvvvWFWsTQ/VQzFDEACZ3I/AAAAAAAABRY/CWOnzEfHels/s1600/firetail%2B5765.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I was very pleasantly surprised by a shy but inquisitive Beautiful Firetail (<i>Stagonopleura bella</i>).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cz0AEbpvz3Q/VQy4ghcm66I/AAAAAAAABNY/o-GhdwM14hg/s1600/Lambertia%2Bformosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cz0AEbpvz3Q/VQy4ghcm66I/AAAAAAAABNY/o-GhdwM14hg/s1600/Lambertia%2Bformosa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Lambertia formosa</i>, or Mountain Devil, were common and were one of Karen's favourites. The common name comes from the shape of the fruit / seed capsule, which to me looks more like a fox's head. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday night, the eve of my birthday, I was treated to a fabulous dinner at an unassuming place in Bilpin called the Apple Bar. Bilpin is renowned for its apples so we started with an incredibly crisp, cold and flavourful Hillbilly apple cider which they had on tap. We shared a huge bowl of Eden black mussels in a perfectly balanced spicy tomato, white wine, basil and garlic broth, with a side of woodfired bread; and finished with woodfired pizza (double-smoked leg ham, wood roasted eggplant, tomato, garlic, Italian Mozzarella and Grana Padano) - yes, I did keepsake a copy of the menu!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mussels alone would have been sufficient, so we took half the pizza and a couple of desserts away for later (the food and service had been so good we couldn't not try the desserts). Although accurate, I think they under-sell themselves with the monicker "woodfired grill and pizza".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday morning itself was a luxurious, un-rushed affair in our tree-top lair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had come up to the Blue Mountains the back way from Canberra. That is, turning north from Goulburn and taking the back roads through Taralga, the Abercrombie River (where we stopped briefly for lunch), Black Springs and Oberon. It was a really nice, relaxed, quiet drive. The last time I had traveled that road, something like 25 years previously, most of it was rough dirt road which made it a rather long trip. Now it is sealed for its entire length. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The old wooden bridge at the Abercrombie River crossing where we'd stopped for lunch on our way up.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we’d be returning to Canberra by the more easterly route, and before we endured the slow tedium of getting through western Sydney, and the constant boredom of the Hume Freeway, we needed some more green time in preparation. The Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens provided this beautifully.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d heard of the Gardens previously but had never been there. They are a perfect blend of collected diversity and recreational parkland with incredible views over the northern Blue Mountains/Wollemi/Yengo wilderness. I particularly liked the conifer section (including the plantings of the local and recently discovered relict Wollemi Pine <span style="color: #222222;"><i>Wollemia nobilis</i></span>) and the rainforest section, which is a natural remnant along the creek, historically known as ‘the jungle’. The gardens added another six species to my bird list for the trip, including Crested Shrike-tit, Large-billed Scrubwren, Rufous Fantail, and an unexpected Red-whiskered Bulbul (an introduced bird, native to Asia, which somehow felt and sounded very natural in this environment). </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Wollemi Pine at the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the many <i>Proteas </i>at the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An everlasting</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plaque commemorating the opening of the Fairfax Walk at "the Jungle" in 1929.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gardens clearly were also a rallying point for what I assume was the Sydney Ferrari club. The famous Bell’s Line of Road, with its almost continuous unraveling of sharp twists and sweeping bends, is a favoured weekend destination for motorcyclists, and apparently sports car owners. And so it was along this magical road with its majestic scenery that, after finishing yesterday's pizza which was just as good cold, we headed home after a perfect weekend. Thank you Karen.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Natural sculpture - intricately weathered sandstone along the Pulpit Rock track.</span></td></tr>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-77689243195065257692015-02-21T13:06:00.000+11:002015-02-21T17:19:25.869+11:00Local 'blueys"<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Rather freakishly, I'd almost completed this post on blue-tongues when I noticed that just the day before a good friend of mine and fellow blogger here in Canberra had posted similarly on these lizards (<a href="http://ianfrasertalkingnaturally.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/bluetongues-australias-favourite-lizards.html">see here</a>). What would be the chances? Oh well - having put the effort in I'll just post mine as well anyway...</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canberra seems to have experienced somewhat of an influx of blue-tongued lizards this year (aka blue-tongues or just 'blueys'). Strictly I suppose it was an increase in numbers following good breeding success and survival, rather than an influx which suggests they'd come from elsewhere. Maybe I could claim I mean an influx to Canberra's suburbs from the various nature reserves that surround and ramify through this "Bush Capital" city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever, there have been a lot more of them around, with lots of reports of them from friends and in the media, and very sadly, several seen squashed on our roads. I don't know the reasons for this increase, other than the likelihood that it is simply the result of several years of good rainfall, leading to easier conditions for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But certainly, it has been wonderful to see them around, particularly as a few have ventured into our garden on occasion, though the preponderance of cats in our neighbourhood means they haven't stayed around for more than a day or two. We've had them show up in previous years, but there have been more this season. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eastern blue-tongue on the paving outside our front door in Canberra (Nov 2011). </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After being disturbed, it did it's huff and bluff routine before disappearing into the azaleas.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It brings back happy childhood memories <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/why-blog.html">as a young kid in Sydney's Northern Beaches suburb of Elanora Heights</a>, when we had wild blueys living in the storm-water drains and rockeries in the backyard, but I also had several of them as pets in a huge 'blue-tongue pit' we'd dug in a corner of the garden. Completely ethically and legally bankrupt by today's standards, these had been caught in bushland as I walked a rather round-about way home from school. I can't recall all their names, but the first was predictably "Bluey", and there was a "Lizzie", as well as Shad and Grunk named after the neanderthalesque couple from a kid's TV show called "It's about Time".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bluey must have been pregnant when I found her, because not much later she gave birth to five incredibly cute miniature replicas, each about 10 cm long (unusual for reptiles, blue-tongues have live young rather than laying eggs). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to feed them on minced meat,egg, snails, banana and dandelions. Even today, when a bluey ventures into the garden and I bother to catch it, I'll give it a bit of banana in gratitude. And despite their huff and puff of disapproval at being picked up, they always hoe into the peace offering. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Canberra blue-tongues are generally much more yellow-brown than the silver-grey of the ones I knew in Sydney.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eastern blue-tongue in the rocks beside the pool at our home in Kambah, Canberra (Oct 2013).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This eastern blue-tongue was at the eastern end of The Coorong in South Australia (Oct 2008).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far, this has all been about the 'eastern blue-tongue', more formally known these days as the Eastern Blue-tongued Skink <i>Tiliqua scincoides</i>. The name clearly indicates it is a skink (i.e. in the reptile Family Scincidae), albeit a very large and robust one compared to most other family members. But this is just one of six species of the genus that occur in Australia, and there are another two in Indonesia/West Irian. A further two of Australia's six also occur in the ACT - <i>T. nigrolutea</i>, the Blotched Blue-tongued Skink, and <i>T. rugosa</i>, the Shingleback (also known variously and regionally as either stumpy-tail or stump-tailed lizard or skink, bobtail, sleepy lizard, and pinecone lizard).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Blotched blue-tongue inhabits the higher ranges of the ACT and is not uncommonly seen basking on roads in the mountains on sunny days. They are much more attractive than the name suggests, with tones of silver-white and pink-orange amongst the dark greys and browns, especially during the breeding season. I reckon some of the patterning is reminiscent of the pattern and colour of the granite outcrops that characterise much of the Brindabellas and high peaks of the ACT. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blotched blue-tongue on the road in Orroral Valley, ACT (Oct 2008).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blotched blue-tongue on Corin Road, ACT (Feb 2015).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This one had much brighter colours than the Orroral Valley one.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When removed from the road and placed amongst the gravel and roadside grasses the camouflaging colour scheme came into its own.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it remained extraordinarily placid throughout, even when picked up.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No blue-tongue is particularly agile or fast on its (relatively tiny) feet. I guess they have little need to evade predators, which they tend to try to deter more with their huff and bluff display, and flashing blue tongue. But honestly, the blotched blue-tongue takes indifference to extremes. I've always been able to walk straight up to them and pick them up off the road (as much to keep them from being a casualty to passing cars as to "commune" with them briefly) without even a flinch on their part. And on release they just sit there, no flurry of escape, just a resumption of apparent lethargy and apathy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Shingleback, on the other hand, is relatively feisty and is restricted to lower elevations. It is at the edge of its extensive (southern and inland eastern Australian) range in the woodlands of Canberra's north-eastern fringes, and is most commonly seen in woodland reserves like Campbell Park and Mulligans Flat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, I couldn't find any photos that I'd taken of Shinglebacks in the ACT so I'll have to use some from further afield. But these highlight the differences in colour and pattern that also occur in this species. In my experience, they seem in general to be darker in the east and lighter and more patterned as you head west. The species is divided into four subspecies but I don't think there is necessarily a strong correlation with overall outward appearance (<i>T. r. aspera</i> is the 'eastern shingleback', <i>rugosa </i>is the 'common shingleback', and there are two geographically restricted subspecies in Western Australia, <i>T. r. konowi</i> on Rottnest Island and <i>T. r. palarra</i> around Shark Bay).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shingleback threatening me as I went to remove it from its risky position in the middle of the road. <br />Allena, central-west NSW, Oct 2014. (<a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/buddigower-banding-unsprung-spring.html">see earlier post</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UoLQqKpi7CA/VOfXFBkLfDI/AAAAAAAABK0/OzB-sBEh6fE/s1600/P1080413%2BHay-Ivanhoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UoLQqKpi7CA/VOfXFBkLfDI/AAAAAAAABK0/OzB-sBEh6fE/s1600/P1080413%2BHay-Ivanhoe.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All-dark Shingleback near Ivanhoe, western NSW (Sep 2008).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They're very charismatic creatures in a dull, sedate kind of way.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This and the following photo are of a pair of Shinglebacks in Kinchega National Park, western NSW (Oct 2008).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The patterning of yellow ventral scales is only slightly different on this one, and the tail is more pointed.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YIRA0G0wHhk/VOfXI5ukKmI/AAAAAAAABLU/SdyWkSy8VsE/s1600/P1080781%2BCoorong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YIRA0G0wHhk/VOfXI5ukKmI/AAAAAAAABLU/SdyWkSy8VsE/s1600/P1080781%2BCoorong.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Shingleback, at the eastern end of The Coorong in South Australia, is more highly patterned, and in this particular sandy situation, is better camouflaged. (Oct 2008).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xzrrlw-yZng/VOfXM7-7S4I/AAAAAAAABMA/MdnVcrEstc8/s1600/shingleback%2B01%2BWA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xzrrlw-yZng/VOfXM7-7S4I/AAAAAAAABMA/MdnVcrEstc8/s1600/shingleback%2B01%2BWA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this Shingleback from near Manypeaks in south-western Western Australia (Sep 2004) shows the slight banding pattern characteristic of the western populations of the species.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always love coming across blue-tongues when out travelling. Great lizards.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-42204235535221808482015-02-15T11:41:00.000+11:002015-02-15T11:41:29.061+11:00Narooma Hermits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first weekend of February, after school had resumed and the crowds at the coast had mostly dispersed, we had a family long weekend at Narooma, on the New South Wales south coast. Narooma is a coastal town of 8,500 people and is situated between </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the surf beaches to the east and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wagonga Inlet which stretches westwards into the hills. The main body of Wagonga Inlet is connected to the ocean by a strongly tidal channel that at low tide has some extensive patches of sand/mud flats which are good for shorebirds. It's a lovely place, in an idyllic location, and I've been there quite a few times. It's also the launching place to go to Montague Island, some 7 km offshore, where I've been several times to participate in shearwater surveys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On this occasion we stayed in a cabin at the caravan park on the ocean beach rather than at the Big 4 on the inlet. Our getting up early on the first morning was rewarded with a truly magnificent sunrise.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunrise over Montague Island, NSW (7 Feb 2015)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yoxEgBRRCIE/VN-_OV2Um7I/AAAAAAAABIE/7EFjG7ZNG5A/s1600/IMG_4362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yoxEgBRRCIE/VN-_OV2Um7I/AAAAAAAABIE/7EFjG7ZNG5A/s1600/IMG_4362.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Glasshouse Rocks sunrise, Narooma, NSW (7 Feb 2015)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could put up 100 more sunrise photos, all different, but this post is about hermit crabs - the biggest I've ever seen. I've seen plenty of hermit crabs in various places, mostly in warmer waters than the NSW south coast, but they have generally been fairly small and I haven't tended to try to photograph them. One exception was a cute little guy James and I found at Woody Head (Bundjalung National Park) near Iluka in northern NSW in 2007...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A hermit crab from Woody Head on the the north coast of NSW, July 2007. <br />Possibly a species of Dardanus, Family Diogenidae?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These Narooma ones, however, were huge. They were exposed at low tide right in the muckiest corner of the Narooma boat harbour, still just catching the late afternoon sunlight, and were within a few metres of the harbour wall. They were quite accessible if you were prepared to jump the two metre drop and squelch about the rocks, and oysters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were at least a dozen or so of them visible in this little muddy corner and I ended up with photos of eight of them. It seems they are Stridulating Hermit Crabs <i>Strigopagurus strigimanus</i>. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#1 Stridulating Hermit Crab <i>Strigopogurus strigimanus</i> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#2 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015<br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#3 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#4 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#5 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#6 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#7 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">#8 Stridulating Hermit Crab </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Strigopogurus strigimanus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> - Narooma NSW, 7 Feb 2015</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't until I was cropping the photos for this post that I realised some of the white spotting on crab #8 was in fact several small goose-barnacles attached to its legs. A variety of marine encrustations on the shells is expected, but I wonder if the crab is aware of these goose-barnacles and what impact they might have if they grow larger. I assume they are out of reach of the crab's powerful nippers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My understanding is that hermit crabs will use whatever shells are available to them that are of appropriate size (and are vacant!). Given the size of these crabs, I'm surprised there are enough large shells to go around. I don't know a lot about shells, but the ones used by these crabs appear to be some species of large spindle or tulip shell (Family Fasciolariidae), possibly <i>Pleuroploca australasia</i>. The hermit crab from Woody Head in the first of these hermit crab photos is using a species of triton from the Family Ranellidae.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Stridulating Hermit Crab #8 has a crop of small goose-barnacles growing on its legs.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stridulating Hermit crabs grow to a length of 130 mm. They eat both plant and animal matter, including shellfish, and are found from shallow coastal waters to depths of 200 m around the southern Australian coast (from Bunbury WA to Sydney NSW). One reference (Edgar,2000) says they are common on shallow Tasmanian Reefs but uncommon in diveable depths around the mainland. I don't think these crabs have read that book! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They're called stridulating hermit crabs because they can produce a noise by flexing and extending parts of their claws, supposedly to scare off predators and deter other crabs from encroaching on their patch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This would presumably explain their scientific name, <i>Strigopogurus strigimanus</i>, which means "furrow-handed furrow-crab" [striga: Latin - ridge, furrow or groove; pogouros: Greek - crab; and manus: Latin - hand], the ridging of the claws enabling the stridulation noise to be made.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are two families of hermit crabs - the Paguridae and the Diogenidae. The latter are also sometimes called the left-handed hermit crabs because the left chela or claw is usually enlarged (rather than the right as in other hermit crabs). The stridualting hermit crab is one of the 430 or so species of Diogenidae worldwide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as I can deduce, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Strigopogurus strigimanus</i> was first collected from Tasmanian waters by someone called Gunn in 1838 while on</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the 'Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus & Terror, under the command of
Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S., during the years 1839
to 1843'. It was described and named several years later (in 1847), </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Adam White,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Pagurus strigimanus,</i> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">based on the specimen by then housed at the British Museum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adam White was an assistant at the Zoology Branch of the Natural History Division of the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">British Museum for 28 years from 1835. He left a prodigious scientific output, including many works on crustacea. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Australian Marine Life - The Plants and Animals of Temperate Waters.</i> Graham J. Edgar, 2000. Reed New Holland, Sydney.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Seashells of South-East Australia</i>. Patty Jansen, 2000. Capricornia Publications, Sydney.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Handbook to Australian Seashells - On Seashores East to West and North to South. Barry Wilson, 2002. Reed New Holland, Sydney.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.biodiversitysnapshots.net.au/bdrs-core/public/speciesInfo.htm?spid=801&mode=fieldguide"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">http://www.biodiversitysnapshots.net.au/bdrs-core/public/speciesInfo.htm?spid=801&mode=fieldguide</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenidae"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenidae</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=367536"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=367536</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/nus/pdf/PUBLICATION/Raffles%20Bulletin%20of%20Zoology/Past%20Volumes/RBZ%2049(1)/49rbz149-166.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/nus/pdf/PUBLICATION/Raffles%20Bulletin%20of%20Zoology/Past%20Volumes/RBZ%2049(1)/49rbz149-166.pdf</span></a></span><br />
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<br />Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-12386128767324120982015-01-28T19:55:00.000+11:002015-01-31T11:58:48.284+11:00Lake Wollumboola Sand Plovers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQsqIfjIMhc/VMih0UlRjMI/AAAAAAAABHo/aK2SsZnzAWE/s1600/Banner%2BIMG_1793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQsqIfjIMhc/VMih0UlRjMI/AAAAAAAABHo/aK2SsZnzAWE/s1600/Banner%2BIMG_1793.jpg" height="195" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following my previous post about my White-rumped Sandpiper twitch to Lake Wollumboola on 13 January, I received an email from Chris Brandis about the sand plovers that have been being reported from Lake Wollumboola. In my original post I included in the list of birds seen a single Lesser Sand Plover (<i>Charadrius mongolus</i>). This identification was no doubt influenced partly by the fact that that is what other people had been reporting from the site, but probably also partly because Lesser Sand Plovers are generally more common on the NSW coast than Greater Sand Plovers (<i>Charadrius lechenaultii</i>), though neither is seen there either particularly regularly or in great numbers. In so doing I committed one of the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">birdwatcher's </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cardinal sins!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers are notoriously difficult to tell apart at times, especially when the two are not present together for comparison. The National Photographic Index of <i>The Shorebirds of Australia</i> has this to say: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In a mixed flock of waders, the Large Sand Plover </i>(sic - an alternative name for the Greater Sand Plover) <i>may be distinguished from other small plovers by its slightly larger size, longer legs and bigger, heavier bill. But when seen alone in its eclipse plumage, as is generally the case in Australia, it resembles the Mongolian plover </i>(sic - an alternative name for the Lesser Sand Plover) <i>and the Double-banded Plover. Considerable experience and expertise is required to distinguish with confidence between the Mongolian and the Large Sand Plover, and there are few features which are infallibly diagnostic. Much reliance must be placed on subjective impressions, and these have been perhaps most succinctly summarised by M. J. Rogers, who said that, to him, the Mongolian Plover is quite a pleasing little bird, while the Large Sand Plover is "an ugly brute, with a body too small for its legs, a head too large for its body and a bill too large for its head"!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So Chris's comments, that he thought he had seen four Greater Sand Plovers, not Lessers, made me go back and look at my photos, none of which I had really paid a great deal of attention to, either in the taking or the subsequent assessment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But looking at them now, it seems likely that the two birds for which I have reasonable photos are both Greater Sand Plovers. A third bird was seen but only shows up as a blurred bird in the distance in my photos, but even it I assume was also a Greater Sand Plover.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[<i>But it seems I was quite wrong in this conclusion - see Postscript at end of this post...</i>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first two photos in the following sequence are of the same bird, and the other seven photos are of another bird (and the final two photos are from Northwest Island in the Great Barrier Reef for comparison). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The stance, long-legged appearance, and long bill of the first bird seems to me to be fairly characteristic for a Greater Sand Plover. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wollumboola bird #1</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #1</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vQ5rbhFzuQ8/VL4_PfvkU8I/AAAAAAAABF4/75ZZaq8TZkM/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(0975).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The perspective of the second bird as it walks away from me makes the distinguishing features less obvious, but its size compared to the Red-necked Stint in the photos is also supportive of a Greater Sand Plover ID.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGn0S6ncvEc/VL4_PYv2w9I/AAAAAAAABF8/pi_YJjbrs2g/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1787).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aVfNvLCVp6c/VL4_QPZkhkI/AAAAAAAABGA/TDM_jF4j-PI/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1788).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a4njrsN415U/VL4_RSUMO5I/AAAAAAAABGQ/uLUbVLvHhkA/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1790).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a4njrsN415U/VL4_RSUMO5I/AAAAAAAABGQ/uLUbVLvHhkA/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1790).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uU0-2qQgNPY/VL4_SMPIWXI/AAAAAAAABGU/ZLobaU2Yq68/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1791).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The size and shape of the bill in the second bird is more equivocal.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6WDkZec0Wg/VL4_TA162dI/AAAAAAAABGg/3pkXl-wLthE/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1793).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtswbrteqIs/VL4_UWBXjxI/AAAAAAAABGs/TyoUShpqjhE/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1794).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the largely whitish rump and tail edges of the bird in blurred flight is more suggestive of a Greater Sand Plover - a L</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">esser Sand Plover would show only narrow white edges. What these photos unfortunately don't show is any evidence of toe extension beyond the tail.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O2zIhItS0l8/VL4_UTlh4lI/AAAAAAAABGo/WCRZmIxOGCM/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1796).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2 in flight</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMKVp8sPvfo/VL4_U7xhbhI/AAAAAAAABG0/428fNHHbADs/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1798).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMKVp8sPvfo/VL4_U7xhbhI/AAAAAAAABG0/428fNHHbADs/s1600/sand%2Bplover%2B(1798).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wollumboola bird #2 in flight</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For comparison, the next photo is of a Lesser Sand Plover taken in January 2014 on Northwest Island in the Capricornia Cays of the Great Barrier Reef (see earlier post from March 2014 <a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Northwest%20Island">http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Northwest%20Island</a> ). The bird is much "tidier-looking" and has a distinctively smaller bill.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5gIi8nEIBE/VMiXaneELGI/AAAAAAAABHQ/EVxFWR5f-VI/s1600/Lesser%2BSandplover%2B(4522).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N5gIi8nEIBE/VMiXaneELGI/AAAAAAAABHQ/EVxFWR5f-VI/s1600/Lesser%2BSandplover%2B(4522).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Northwest Island Lesser Sand Plover</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the next photo, also from the earlier Northwest Island post, includes both several Lesser (lower left) and a Greater (upper right) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sand Plovers</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> together - the difference becomes fairly clear-cut.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--8s92gYjagw/VMiXg5eJNMI/AAAAAAAABHY/gNJW6DH2IoA/s1600/Waders%2B(incl.%2BGreater%2BSandplover)%2B4532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--8s92gYjagw/VMiXg5eJNMI/AAAAAAAABHY/gNJW6DH2IoA/s1600/Waders%2B(incl.%2BGreater%2BSandplover)%2B4532.jpg" height="421" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Northwest Island waders, including Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So on balance, I'm concluding that the three sand plovers I saw at Lake Wollumboola that day were all Greater Sand Plovers (I've updated my earlier post to this effect). I'd like to hear from anyone who thinks I might have it wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There may well have been Lesser Sand Plovers at Lake Wollumboola as well, but if so, I don't think I saw them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Postscript (31 January 2015)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well,
after quite a bit of email traffic on Birding-aus over the past couple of days,
both public and private, the consensus is very clearly that the two birds I
photographed at Lake Wollumboola are both Lesser Sand Plovers. Bird #1 came “close”
but was still universally considered a Lesser. I asked some of the respondents for
additional tips as to why and can summarise as follows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To a
large degree it is the “jizz” of the bird, particularly around the overall
proportions and shape of the head, legs and body, but especially, the bill
length seems to be key. None of this was new to me, and these are all features
identified in the field guides to look for, but clearly I just don’t have the
experience with these birds to ‘get it’ just yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of
the comments included:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“I find
it's immediately a 'jizz' thing. Greaters just look so long-legged they look
awkward. The tibia is very long which elevates the body way up off the knees.
They look as if they're about to topple forwards. The bill is important too. A
Greater has a bill that is much longer and thicker than a Lesser and if stuck
onto the side of the head of the bird (ouch) would probably reach behind the
eye.”</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“The bills of your
birds look very much on the short side for Greater, and also relatively
bulbous- and blunt-tipped which is better for Lesser. Similarly, the overall
shape and proportions are much 'nicer', whereas Greaters tend to look more
gangly with oversized heads and bills. That said, there is significant
variation in both species, and birds with more intermediate features can be
extremely challenging to assign to species”</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it
seems there will be some individuals, at either end of a scale, that will fit
neatly into clear-cut ‘identifiability’ as one or the other. My photo above of the Lesser
Sand Plover from Northwest Island is one of these. But I suspect a large number
of birds, if not the majority, will fall instead within the range of ‘confusability’
for a large number, if not the majority, of people. I take some comfort from
the statement in the <i>NPIAW – The Shorebirds
of Australia</i> which states that, “<i>Identification is therefore far from easy,
even for experts, especially as individual birds may be at different stages of their
moult</i>”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s probably
worth keeping in mind the maxim that: “if there’s any doubt, then it’s a Lesser”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, as
foreshadowed in my initial email to Birding-aus, I have ended up slightly embarrassed
(and my credibility as a wader watcher and birdwatcher more generally must be
well and truly shot!), but it has been worth it for the feedback it triggered and
the better understanding I now have. Thanks to all. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS: It seems there have also been Greater Sand Plovers at Lake Wollumboola, but I didn't see them!</span></div>
Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-69023083538724572432015-01-19T21:16:00.000+11:002015-01-31T12:08:28.723+11:00White-rumped Sandpiper twitch<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yijS-fknMa0/VLy6dQHauVI/AAAAAAAABE4/-S5OMXbnsoY/s1600/Wollumboola%2Bwaders%2B-%2Bbanner%2B0963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yijS-fknMa0/VLy6dQHauVI/AAAAAAAABE4/-S5OMXbnsoY/s1600/Wollumboola%2Bwaders%2B-%2Bbanner%2B0963.jpg" height="192" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Last Tuesday
I took the day off work and went down to the New South Wales south coast to
twitch a wader – a White-rumped Sandpiper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I don’t
consider myself a twitcher as such. Yes, I’ve left work previously, in the
middle of the day, to go to see a bird well out of its more usual
range that had showed up at one of Canberra’s wetlands, or woodlands, or even
suburban roadside trees. A Crimson Chat, Swift Parrots, Little Egrets, Purple-crowned
Lorikeets, a Wood Sandpiper, a Pacific Emerald Dove and Red-necked Avocets amongst
many others spring readily to mind. But I haven’t until now gone beyond the ACT
or more than 50 km or so specifically to see an itinerant or wayward bird. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I didn’t go
for the Grey-headed Lapwing of Burren Junction in 2006, I didn’t try for the Forest
Wagtail that spent the winter of 2013 in Alice Springs, and I haven’t travelled
the 670 odd kilometres to Lake Tutchewop in north-western Victoria to see the
Long-billed Dowitcher that may still be there as I type.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But I did go
to Lake Wollumboola, 200 km from Canberra, to see the White-rumped Sandpiper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5GuTxShlwS0/VLy5y1nyH2I/AAAAAAAABDQ/AXrcLGSMTXk/s1600/Lake%2BWollumboola%2B2012%2B5656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5GuTxShlwS0/VLy5y1nyH2I/AAAAAAAABDQ/AXrcLGSMTXk/s1600/Lake%2BWollumboola%2B2012%2B5656.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lake Wollumboola can be a great spot for wader watchers, and hosts a Little Tern breeding colony most years.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">This is how the lake looked in April 2011 after it had been open to the sea for several months. The lake is normally isolated from the sea by a sand berm about 100 m across, at which times the lake waters are slightly above sea level and become brackish. The lake has been open to the sea 21 times between 1969 and 2013. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was first aware of the sandpiper’s existence when it was reported from Shoalhaven Heads on Monday 5 January by Nigel and Carla Jackett. By the following day it had relocated to Lake Wollumboola, ten kilometres further south, a site I know well from many visits as it is not far from Currarong where I have spent many weekends at my sister’s holiday house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I vaguely
considered going for the White-rumped Sandpiper, but work and other issues took
precedence and I let it pass. That is until I received an email from a friend
and fellow member of the Canberra Ornithologist’s Group on the Monday afternoon
seeking interest from a fourth person to accompany her, Sandra and Jean (just to
fill the car) on a trip planned for the next day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Within a
couple of hours I had cleared it with my boss, got in touch with Sue to claim
that final seat, found out a bunch of information about the bird itself, got
verification from a couple of other Canberra birdos that they had seen the
sandpiper earlier in the day, so it was still there – oh, and phoned Karen (my
partner) to let her know I’d be going!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UWRatE1e7BQ/VLy6d6suPEI/AAAAAAAABE8/q16TmIdR57g/s1600/L%2BWollumboola%2B1784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UWRatE1e7BQ/VLy6d6suPEI/AAAAAAAABE8/q16TmIdR57g/s1600/L%2BWollumboola%2B1784.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wader-preferred part of Lake Wollumboola as it was in January 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When we
arrived at the lake, the waders were all aggregated in the usual spot where
low, sparsely vegetated sand hillocks and sandbars currently provide some protection and
security along the shallow margins of the brackish lake waters. And it took us
only a few minutes of scanning the many waders present – mainly Red-necked
Stints, Red-capped Plovers, and Red Knots, with just a couple of Sharp-tailed
Sandpipers, a Lesser Sand Plover and a single Bar-tailed Godwit (there had been 42</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> sharpies
and 18 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">godwits when
I was last at the lake, three </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">months previously) – to locate a couple of Broad-billed Sandpipers. This was the
other key species we were after (both Sue and I had tried for Broad-billed
Sandpiper at Tuross Heads several years previously without success). Five
minutes in and all four of us had a lifer!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rstbyNyvMtU/VLy5uOTGNcI/AAAAAAAABCw/t0kwM3hLL0o/s1600/Broad-bills%2B0820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rstbyNyvMtU/VLy5uOTGNcI/AAAAAAAABCw/t0kwM3hLL0o/s1600/Broad-bills%2B0820.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two Broad-billed Sandpipers we saw within 5 minutes of arriving.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And it was
probably only another ten minutes at most before we located the White-rumped
Sandpiper, feeding essentially by itself, but amongst the various other waders.
Having found the object of our quest so quickly and easily, we settled down for
a longish stint (sorry!) of relaxed wader watching.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMkF2-n3CiQ/VLzAOJrF2CI/AAAAAAAABFQ/c1qv2FP5zpY/s1600/WRS%2B1%2B0963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMkF2-n3CiQ/VLzAOJrF2CI/AAAAAAAABFQ/c1qv2FP5zpY/s1600/WRS%2B1%2B0963.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first view of the White-rumped Sandpiper across the small embayment.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Just to be
clear, White-rumped Sandpipers (<i>Calidris fuscicollis</i>) breed in northern Alaska and northern Canada and
usually migrate down through eastern and central USA to the Caribbean and on to
Argentina for the northern winter / southern summer. They are not often seen in
Australia, there being only a handful of records. It has been claimed that this
bird was the most ‘twitchable’ White-rumped Sandpiper for at least 20 years!
And it is very definitely being twitched by a large number of people (at least
by Australian standards...) Somehow,
this bird must have either got its compass directions wrong, or perhaps got
caught up with a bunch of co-migrating Red-necked Stints and ended up on
Australia’s sunny beaches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
White-rumped Sandpiper was undoubtedly the least wary of the waders there, and,
if you stood quietly, would approach to within about 3-4 metres as it worked
its way methodically back and forth along the shoreline. Conditions weren’t
brilliant for photography (light overcast with strong glare both from above and
from the water’s surface) but at least there was no stark shadowing. The
following are just a few of the several hundreds of photos I took that morning
of these two new (for me) species. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2zQA3pexzJ4/VLy5vCAJorI/AAAAAAAABC4/S6iS8HH6e9U/s1600/Broad-bills%2Band%2Bknots%2B1149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2zQA3pexzJ4/VLy5vCAJorI/AAAAAAAABC4/S6iS8HH6e9U/s1600/Broad-bills%2Band%2Bknots%2B1149.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Red Knots and two Broad-billed Sandpipers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3WDHxrzQJY/VLy5r9HnajI/AAAAAAAABCg/DQlgIEysgIA/s1600/Broad-billed%2Bplus%2B1226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3WDHxrzQJY/VLy5r9HnajI/AAAAAAAABCg/DQlgIEysgIA/s1600/Broad-billed%2Bplus%2B1226.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broad-billed Sandpiper (centre) with female Red-capped Plover (behind) and Red Knot for size comparison.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTPeD9lm2PQ/VLy5q_NunVI/AAAAAAAABCU/D7TC-HjyodA/s1600/Broad-billed%2B1596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTPeD9lm2PQ/VLy5q_NunVI/AAAAAAAABCU/D7TC-HjyodA/s1600/Broad-billed%2B1596.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Characteristic profile, with long droop-tipped bill, of a Broad-billed Sandpiper.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KdIcnpg23ZA/VLy5tO6nWmI/AAAAAAAABCo/uGKhjbcGLb0/s1600/Broad-billed%2Bwith%2Bworm%2B1652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KdIcnpg23ZA/VLy5tO6nWmI/AAAAAAAABCo/uGKhjbcGLb0/s1600/Broad-billed%2Bwith%2Bworm%2B1652.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The waders seemed to have no problem finding plenty of food in the form of small marine worms.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2KwfUHVtJU/VLy5qBf4aJI/AAAAAAAABCQ/xzu4rt2pRa0/s1600/Bload-billed%2Bflight%2B1183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2KwfUHVtJU/VLy5qBf4aJI/AAAAAAAABCQ/xzu4rt2pRa0/s1600/Bload-billed%2Bflight%2B1183.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broad-billed Sandpiper in flight.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SBFYNobnkss/VLy5_-QUL4I/AAAAAAAABEY/XyTwaeIUmG4/s1600/WRS%2Bwith%2Bknot%2B1329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SBFYNobnkss/VLy5_-QUL4I/AAAAAAAABEY/XyTwaeIUmG4/s1600/WRS%2Bwith%2Bknot%2B1329.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lake Wollumboola White-rumped Sandpiper (with Red Knot behind).</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jYBn2BEpMeU/VLy58vS_AoI/AAAAAAAABEI/90ut6HYbato/s1600/WRS%2Btypical%2Bpose%2B1636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jYBn2BEpMeU/VLy58vS_AoI/AAAAAAAABEI/90ut6HYbato/s1600/WRS%2Btypical%2Bpose%2B1636.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The White-rumped Sandpiper typically foraged at the sandy-muddy water's edge...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2ExTAUENoI/VLy512JhWxI/AAAAAAAABDg/UdR8BDfjTGo/s1600/WRS%2Bfeeding%2B1318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2ExTAUENoI/VLy512JhWxI/AAAAAAAABDg/UdR8BDfjTGo/s1600/WRS%2Bfeeding%2B1318.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...in a continuous scan and probe method...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwmtiMulHRA/VLy6AUtdJ2I/AAAAAAAABEc/KKSqiqBzi6E/s1600/WRS%2Bwith%2Bworm%2B1325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwmtiMulHRA/VLy6AUtdJ2I/AAAAAAAABEc/KKSqiqBzi6E/s1600/WRS%2Bwith%2Bworm%2B1325.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...to locate small marine worms...</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uCyv1p0ZGKI/VLy6CkF81CI/AAAAAAAABEo/V21oSH8LnQs/s1600/WRS%2Bwith%2Bworm%2Bcloseup%2B1325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uCyv1p0ZGKI/VLy6CkF81CI/AAAAAAAABEo/V21oSH8LnQs/s1600/WRS%2Bwith%2Bworm%2Bcloseup%2B1325.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...which it ate with relish.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asQh9J9uxFU/VLy57oBAm0I/AAAAAAAABEA/7OQQV4ZFPCs/s1600/WRS%2Bon%2Bsand%2B1731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asQh9J9uxFU/VLy57oBAm0I/AAAAAAAABEA/7OQQV4ZFPCs/s1600/WRS%2Bon%2Bsand%2B1731.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it also spent some time foraging over the sand further from the water's edge<br />(although the mud was just a centimeter or two beneath the sand!).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eheZzV2yQFE/VLy5467NV0I/AAAAAAAABDw/VGl2bOUTMpQ/s1600/WRS%2Bin%2Bflight%2B1770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eheZzV2yQFE/VLy5467NV0I/AAAAAAAABDw/VGl2bOUTMpQ/s1600/WRS%2Bin%2Bflight%2B1770.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White-rumped Sandpiper in flight - showing... white rump.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr9aTQ1Ia5I/VLzOJ8-o7dI/AAAAAAAABFg/9l9A3CC_kgk/s1600/BBS%2Band%2BWRS%2Btogether%2B0997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr9aTQ1Ia5I/VLzOJ8-o7dI/AAAAAAAABFg/9l9A3CC_kgk/s1600/BBS%2Band%2BWRS%2Btogether%2B0997.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broad-billed Sandpiper and White-rumped Sandpiper together. Two lifers for me (numbers 593 and 594 for my Australian List) in the one photo - wader watchers' bliss!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The third
most exciting find for me were the three or four White-winged Terns (the first
I’ve seen in NSW) that were preening on the sandbars amongst the more usual
Little Terns. Other terns present were a couple of hundred Greater Crested
Terns, the odd Fairy Tern, and a brief fly-by from a pair of Caspian Terns – all
usual suspects for the site (at least in summer). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rWjY-l_S8ms/VLy6Cz3T1JI/AAAAAAAABEs/OdWQ9u9Seg4/s1600/WWT%2B1400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rWjY-l_S8ms/VLy6Cz3T1JI/AAAAAAAABEs/OdWQ9u9Seg4/s1600/WWT%2B1400.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White-winged Terns behind Little Terns - Lake Wollumboola, NSW.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCtRHj2WjyQ/VLy5v6W81YI/AAAAAAAABDE/SoJRB88HCnE/s1600/Fairy%2BTern%2B1417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCtRHj2WjyQ/VLy5v6W81YI/AAAAAAAABDE/SoJRB88HCnE/s1600/Fairy%2BTern%2B1417.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a single Fairy Tern amongst the Littles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[It seems this bird is likely a Little Tern x Fairy Tern hybrid - see postscript below]</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-naPMgoyw6ZQ/VLy5vMcFhLI/AAAAAAAABC8/ax4XyyJjjRg/s1600/Crested%2BTerns%2B1813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-naPMgoyw6ZQ/VLy5vMcFhLI/AAAAAAAABC8/ax4XyyJjjRg/s1600/Crested%2BTerns%2B1813.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greater Crested Tern with dependent young.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Fm0gWK-1YA/VLy5zOdP8HI/AAAAAAAABDU/z33Yo84osFE/s1600/Red%2BKnots%2B1825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Fm0gWK-1YA/VLy5zOdP8HI/AAAAAAAABDU/z33Yo84osFE/s1600/Red%2BKnots%2B1825.jpg" height="272" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A small group of Red Knots - the one on the right with a trace of red, whether residual or developing who knows.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Following is
a list of the birds we saw at Lake Wollumboola that morning. This doesn’t
include any we saw at the car park and picnic area at the northern end of the
lake, but does include what we saw on the lake or in the fringing vegetation as
seen from our wader watching spot. Some numbers are fairly rough estimates as
our focus was very largely on the two target sandpipers! And for anyone
interested, there is a nifty little pamphlet about Lake Wollumboola and its
birds at: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.wollumboola.org.au/Birds%20of%20Lake%20Wollumboola.pdf" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">http://www.wollumboola.org.au/Birds%20of%20Lake%20Wollumboola.pdf</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Black
Swan >2,000<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Chestnut
Teal 4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Great Egret</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> 10 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">White-faced Heron</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> 1 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Australian
Pelican 54<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Little Pied Cormorant 4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Little Black Cormorant ~200</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Great Cormorant 4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Swamp Harrier</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">White-bellied Sea-Eagle</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Eurasian
Coot</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">>5,000</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Australian Pied Oystercatcher</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">White-headed Stilt 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Red-capped Plover</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> ~30</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Lesser Sand Plover</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> 3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sharp-tailed
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Caspian Tern</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> 2</span></div>
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Crested Tern ~130<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tern ~40<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">White-winged
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Australian Magpie</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Magpie-lark 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Silvereye</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Red-browed
Finch 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HNb7OXwTl9o/VLy55eQVrcI/AAAAAAAABD0/vXOd77u-7mk/s1600/WRS%2Bfinal%2B1777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HNb7OXwTl9o/VLy55eQVrcI/AAAAAAAABD0/vXOd77u-7mk/s1600/WRS%2Bfinal%2B1777.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White-rumped Sandpiper at Lake Wollumboola, 13 January 2015.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It
was a great day – much better than being at work!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Postscript (28 January 2015)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an email exchange with Dimitris Bertzeletos, he provided convincing arguments that the bird I identified above as a Fairy Tern was in fact a Fairy Tern x Little Tern hybrid. His comments included: </span><br />
Fairy Tern reaches the north eastern parts of breeding range around Turross Estuary with the odd bird turning up at Lake Wollumbulla and hybridization is regular as there are few Fairies around. The facial pattern does indeed look good for Fairy, but the amount of a black on the beak (Australian Fairies shouldn't show any in breeding plumage, and even in non breeding condition it is too extensive and clear cut imo) as well as the grey tones on the wings point towards Little influence.<br />
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-54058102038209674212014-11-30T23:09:00.001+11:002014-12-12T07:32:47.578+11:00Yellow-billed Kingfisher - Portraits and Profiles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSEikYTeQGo/VHcJyGoFLWI/AAAAAAAABAk/LMSzmVSEuMk/s1600/Gordon%2BCreek%2Bcamp%2BPB220214.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSEikYTeQGo/VHcJyGoFLWI/AAAAAAAABAk/LMSzmVSEuMk/s1600/Gordon%2BCreek%2Bcamp%2BPB220214.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve twice been to Iron Range National Park (now Kutini-Payamu National Park) on bird banding trips. The first was in late November 2005 – the banner photo above shows our campsite at Gordon Creek. The second trip was at the same time of year but six years later, in 2011. The timing is very deliberate – intended to coincide with the very end of the dry season, so after most migrants have returned to the area if they’re going to, but hopefully also before the wet begins. If you’re still there after the first big rains you could be stuck there for quite a while as the river crossings become impassable. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not that this timing has any relevance to the bird featured in this blog post. The Yellow-billed Kingfisher is resident in the area, inhabiting rainforest edges, tropical scrubs and woodland edges. It is a beautiful bird, not uncommon, and fairly frequently heard, but often difficult to actually see. This, together with its restricted range, makes it one of the key target species for birdwatchers venturing to the far north of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GEeLvjBDGA/VHcKDyADWfI/AAAAAAAABBc/k9owDTidQ2A/s1600/male%2Bin%2Btree%2B(8145).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GEeLvjBDGA/VHcKDyADWfI/AAAAAAAABBc/k9owDTidQ2A/s1600/male%2Bin%2Btree%2B(8145).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When seen, the Yellow-billed Kingfisher is most often glimpsed in the depths of the rainforest vegetation.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mostly they’ll keep to themselves, well hidden in the dense foliage of the lower to middle canopy. Even when nesting they have been described as non-aggressive and liable to desert the nest if disturbed (Reader's Digest 1976), but other evidence suggests they can be fairly pugnacious and won’t hesitate to make their discontent known if riled. David Hollands in his book <em><i>Kingfishers</i></em><i> & Kookaburras : </i><em><i>Jewels</i></em><i> of the Australian Bush</i> (1999) relates eloquently and evocatively (as he does) some of his experiences trying to photograph nesting yellow-bills at Iron Range, and at 'Silver Plains' at the southern limit of the species’ distribution. <span style="color: #1f497d;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While banding along Portland Road in Iron Range National Park in 2011, we had a pair of Yellow-billed Kingfishers regularly taunting us with their calls, which are notoriously ventriloquial. Their call is a pleasant whistled usually descending trill, somewhat similar to that of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. (And sometimes likened to a postman’s whistle – but I’ve never actually experienced the blowing of a postal worker’s whistle; well, maybe in an old movie I guess.) The birds were obviously fairly close, but proved proverbially difficult to locate. Eventually we did find the birds, in the canopy almost directly above us. They may well have ventriloquial calls, but I think they were also moving about a little ‘cause I really don’t think they were looking down haughtily at us for all of the time we were hearing them!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDEw9WuIi8M/VHcJ4DAAKRI/AAAAAAAABAs/pKi9qPVr9ok/s1600/female%2Bin%2Btree%2B(8145).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDEw9WuIi8M/VHcJ4DAAKRI/AAAAAAAABAs/pKi9qPVr9ok/s1600/female%2Bin%2Btree%2B(8145).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Yellow-billed Kingfisher in the trees above our banding site at Iron Range NP.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-I7m4B2SJE/VHcKCwwSJOI/AAAAAAAABBM/P5HvDU-OJB0/s1600/male%2Band%2Bfemale%2Bin%2Btree%2B(8177).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k-I7m4B2SJE/VHcKCwwSJOI/AAAAAAAABBM/P5HvDU-OJB0/s1600/male%2Band%2Bfemale%2Bin%2Btree%2B(8177).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later, the male joined her and they both watched us quietly as we watched them rather more excitedly.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellow-billed Kingfishers are about 20 cm in length. The male has a bright orange head, the female's is not quite so bright and has a dark patch on top of the crown. Both have dark spots either side of the nape. They feed mainly on insects, earthworms and small lizards. The nest is excavated in an arboreal termite nest, usually 3-15 metres above the ground.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are also called Saw-billed Kingfishers because of the serrated edge to the upper bill (see photos below), and in New Guinea, where two of the three subspecies occur, they are also known as Lowland or Lesser Yellow-billed Kingfishers to distinguish them from their congener, the Mountain Kingfisher.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Australian race, which occurs from the northern tip of Cape York to Princess Charlotte Bay, is known scientifically as <i>Syma torotoro flavirostris</i>. Syma is the name of a 'sea nymph' from Greek mythology (there is an ongoing theme of sea-based mythological personages and animals in kingfisher taxonomy for reasons which are best left alone here but well worth looking into if you have the time and inclination - Google, or try <i>Australian Bird Names - a complete guide</i> by Ian Fraser and Jeannie Gray, CSIRO Publishing, 2013 - it's a great read!). The specific epithet, <i>torotoro</i>, is from the local name for the bird in West Papua. René Lesson, the French ornithologist who named the species in 1827, claimed it was in reference to the birds' call. I must hear things differently! The subspecies name <i>flavirostris</i> means yellow-billed (surprise, surprise), and was given by John Gould in 1850 when he named the species <i>Halcyon flavirostris</i>, not realising that Lesson had already done the honours with the New Guinea birds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were lucky enough to see Yellow-billed Kingfishers on both trips to the Cape, and band both a female and a male in 2005, providing perfect opportunities to photograph the birds in the hand. I'll let the photos speak for themselves...<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkEIDc0Vevw/VHcJ4SvpFJI/AAAAAAAABA0/TDMsPtTDhcg/s1600/female%2Bprofile%2BPB220193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkEIDc0Vevw/VHcJ4SvpFJI/AAAAAAAABA0/TDMsPtTDhcg/s1600/female%2Bprofile%2BPB220193.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro, Iron Range NP, Nov 2005.<br />Note the dark patch on the crown, which only the female has.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T7XD38s9SxM/VHcKEo4kAKI/AAAAAAAABBg/47f6bj4UDDs/s1600/male%2Bprofile%2BPB240318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T7XD38s9SxM/VHcKEo4kAKI/AAAAAAAABBg/47f6bj4UDDs/s1600/male%2Bprofile%2BPB240318.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Male Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro, Iron Range NP, Nov 2005.<br />The serrated edge to the upper bill provides the alternative name of Saw-billed Kingfisher.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kAQJ_Hpa2Ks/VHcJ5vRvLCI/AAAAAAAABBE/O8BsBPAI3pA/s1600/female%2Btop%2Bof%2Bhead%2BPB220195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kAQJ_Hpa2Ks/VHcJ5vRvLCI/AAAAAAAABBE/O8BsBPAI3pA/s1600/female%2Btop%2Bof%2Bhead%2BPB220195.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro, Iron Range NP, Nov 2005.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The twin nape spots are larger in females and sometimes join up forming a short collar.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouO0mKhReIM/VHcKFLzZ8RI/AAAAAAAABBo/R3rlONZ6Kto/s1600/male%2Btop%2Bof%2Bhead%2BPB240319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouO0mKhReIM/VHcKFLzZ8RI/AAAAAAAABBo/R3rlONZ6Kto/s1600/male%2Btop%2Bof%2Bhead%2BPB240319.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Male Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro, Iron Range NP, Nov 2005.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The males head plumage is brighter with no dark patch on the crown.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MiQwnBd3aGc/VHcJ4XoWItI/AAAAAAAABAw/3fMEmLoB558/s1600/female%2Bportrait%2BPB220206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MiQwnBd3aGc/VHcJ4XoWItI/AAAAAAAABAw/3fMEmLoB558/s1600/female%2Bportrait%2BPB220206.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro, Iron Range NP, Nov 2005.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C9XZJl0GnUY/VHcKDMgnWhI/AAAAAAAABBQ/bFPNQ6dCl1E/s1600/male%2Bportrait%2BPB240320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C9XZJl0GnUY/VHcKDMgnWhI/AAAAAAAABBQ/bFPNQ6dCl1E/s1600/male%2Bportrait%2BPB240320.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Male Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro, Iron Range NP, Nov 2005.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'll never see eyes as beautiful as this on any other bird! I just wonder how they stop the mascara running in the humidity!</span><br />
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-92116382953473795952014-11-14T08:23:00.003+11:002014-11-26T22:04:00.512+11:00Damsels – down at the local<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In my blog
post of 13 September, I showcased some fairly flashy Cape York dragonflies (<span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/cape-dragonflies.html">http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/cape-dragonflies.html</a>
</span>). But you certainly don’t need to go to such far-flung places to see
such diversity. Last weekend I saw two different dragonflies and a damselfly
around the pool in my back yard! This is a salt-chlorine swimming pool, not a quiet
reedy backyard pond, but it still manages to attract a surprising range of
insects, spiders, lizards and birds (subject for another post sometime?).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On this
occasion, there was a Blue Skimmer <i>Orthetrum
caledonicum</i> (which will pose nicely for the camera), a Tau Emerald <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Hemicordulia
tau</span></i></span> (which are forever zipping about and are a real challenge
for the 400 mm lens autofocusing), and a Common Flatwing <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Austroargiolestes
icteromelas</span></i></span> (which would have sat quietly were it not for the
Tau chasing it away into the gloom of the surrounding shrubberies, never to be
seen again). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The first two
are very common dragonflies in Canberra (and throughout Australia for that
matter), but it was the first time I’d ever seen a Common Flatwing (which is a
damselfly). I had previously seen just one other flatwing – a Sydney Flatwing <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Austroargiolestes</span></i></span><i> isabellae </i>– beside Jinden Creek in the
upper Shoalhaven Valley in January 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8dmwRBt8og8/VGRzNdlgY1I/AAAAAAAAA-A/Mam8PX2SGgc/s1600/Blue%2BSkimmer%2BOrthetrum%2Bcaledonicum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8dmwRBt8og8/VGRzNdlgY1I/AAAAAAAAA-A/Mam8PX2SGgc/s1600/Blue%2BSkimmer%2BOrthetrum%2Bcaledonicum.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Blue Skimmer <i>Orthetrum caledonicum</i> (Libellulidae) <br />on the edge of my backyard swimming pool.</span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EbQyF9_07lE/VGRzQu5m5TI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/KKLlm86oSSk/s1600/Tau%2BEmerald%2BHemicordulia%2Btau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EbQyF9_07lE/VGRzQu5m5TI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/KKLlm86oSSk/s1600/Tau%2BEmerald%2BHemicordulia%2Btau.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tau Emeralds <i>Hemicordulia tau</i> (Hemicorduliidae) are usually seen in flight - this one over my backyard pool - rather than perched. Note the legs are well tucked up against the body.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wFEk6NbrE0/VGRzQwPLJqI/AAAAAAAAA-c/D6VwWxNNyqI/s1600/Tau%2BEmerald%2BHemicordulia%2Btau%2C%2BWeddin%2BMtn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8wFEk6NbrE0/VGRzQwPLJqI/AAAAAAAAA-c/D6VwWxNNyqI/s1600/Tau%2BEmerald%2BHemicordulia%2Btau%2C%2BWeddin%2BMtn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But this Tau Emerald <i>Hemicordilia tau</i> was perched and was the brightest I've seen <br />(perhaps newly emerged?). This was at Wedden Mountain National Park in central NSW.</span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ERKrhZC1HNM/VGRzNDSuYkI/AAAAAAAAA98/0Y4mqUUFNO0/s1600/Common%2BFlatwing%2BAustroargiolestes%2Bicteromelas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ERKrhZC1HNM/VGRzNDSuYkI/AAAAAAAAA98/0Y4mqUUFNO0/s1600/Common%2BFlatwing%2BAustroargiolestes%2Bicteromelas.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Common Flatwing <i>Austroargiolestes icteromelas</i> (Megapodagrionidae) <br />beside the pool briefly before being seen off by a Tau Emerald.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-daFLrgV46SU/VGRzO-fGIjI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Wl6Wjn7iOtY/s1600/Sydney%2BFlatwing%2BAustroargiolestes%2Bisabellae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-daFLrgV46SU/VGRzO-fGIjI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Wl6Wjn7iOtY/s1600/Sydney%2BFlatwing%2BAustroargiolestes%2Bisabellae.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Sydney Flatwing <i>Austroargiolestes isabellae</i> (Megapodagrionidae) <br />at Jinden Creek in the upper Shoalhaven Valley, NSW.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Both Saturday
and Sunday of last weekend were warm, sunny, and not particularly windy, so my
camera took me down to the dam at the local golf course, no more than a 400-metre
walk from home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Here there were
the odd Blue Skimmer and Tau Emerald constantly patrolling the edges of the
dam, but the fringing reeds and grasses, particularly in one secluded corner,
were alive with small damselflies. The most common was probably the appropriately
named Common Bluetail <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Ischnura heterosticta</span></i></span>, but there were
almost as many Red and Blue Damsels <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Xanthagrion erythroneurum</span></i></span>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The male
Common Bluetails are quite stand out, their double-ended electric blue forms
drifting about amongst the vegetation, intermittently settling on selected
prominent perches. But there were many more females of the species about,
probably something like four or more females to every male; they were less
obvious in their drab colours, but very obvious in their intent to populate the
dam with as many offspring as possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uV2UPFAGMkQ/VGRzMsaV_3I/AAAAAAAAA94/xaQCuEeNoWA/s1600/Common%2BBluetail%2BIschnura%2Bheterosticta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uV2UPFAGMkQ/VGRzMsaV_3I/AAAAAAAAA94/xaQCuEeNoWA/s1600/Common%2BBluetail%2BIschnura%2Bheterosticta.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A male Common Bluetail <i>Ischnura heterosticta</i> (Coenagrionidae)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4tZiLT3FsA/VGUcmleQ9JI/AAAAAAAAA_k/wslpsreC6ds/s1600/Common%2BBluetail%2Bfemale%2Blaying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4tZiLT3FsA/VGUcmleQ9JI/AAAAAAAAA_k/wslpsreC6ds/s1600/Common%2BBluetail%2Bfemale%2Blaying.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A female Common Bluetail </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ischnura heterosticta</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Coenagrionidae)<br />busy laying eggs along a decaying reed stem.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The male Red
and Blue Damsels (is that an oxymoron, or just contemporary?) are even more
striking. Interestingly, the males of this species outnumbered the females
about two to one, and most were paired off, cruising the reed patch in tandem.
In fact I never saw an un-paired female. When flying about like this, it’s hard
to see who is taking the lead, but when the female starts laying eggs she is definitely
the one in control. She’ll work her way down an emergent reed or twig and start
laying a sequence of eggs along the submerged substrate. The male obligingly
follows, but there was one occasion I witnessed where he had no physical support
and was forced to remain airborne while she layed. This made me recall a trip
to a friend’s place near Albury back in 2010 where I watched a laying female work her way
further and further down a waterlogged twig until both she and the super-positioned
male were submerged to a depth of about 10 cm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l5Du64nTaqM/VGUcr553T5I/AAAAAAAAA_s/m90iW0oLUU8/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsel%2Bmale%2Bon%2Bleaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l5Du64nTaqM/VGUcr553T5I/AAAAAAAAA_s/m90iW0oLUU8/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsel%2Bmale%2Bon%2Bleaf.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A male Red and Blue Damsel <i>Xanthagrion erythroneurum</i> (Coenagrionidae)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-038pc0ZjVdw/VGUcsQYtK8I/AAAAAAAAA_4/A0MZSJySgLA/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsels%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-038pc0ZjVdw/VGUcsQYtK8I/AAAAAAAAA_4/A0MZSJySgLA/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsels%2B2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mated pair of Red and Blue Damsels </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xanthagrion erythroneurum</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Coenagrionidae)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7b3lgxNWAOo/VGUgtgQIYlI/AAAAAAAABAQ/PNbFP168y9E/s1600/IMG_5607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7b3lgxNWAOo/VGUgtgQIYlI/AAAAAAAABAQ/PNbFP168y9E/s1600/IMG_5607.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mated pair of Red and Blue Damsels </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xanthagrion erythroneurum</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Coenagrionidae) <br />briefly in the 'wheel' position. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n00QBV4Fa3U/VGUcsvXu-6I/AAAAAAAAA_0/qyVjSKgED8o/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsels%2Blaying%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n00QBV4Fa3U/VGUcsvXu-6I/AAAAAAAAA_0/qyVjSKgED8o/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsels%2Blaying%2B1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pair of Red and Blue Damsels </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xanthagrion erythroneurum</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Coenagrionidae) <br />- they stay in tandem while the female lays her eggs.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJ05hoNopXY/VGUctcnU_nI/AAAAAAAABAA/yNV801OBMMg/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJ05hoNopXY/VGUctcnU_nI/AAAAAAAABAA/yNV801OBMMg/s1600/Red%2Band%2BBlue%2BDamsels.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But sometimes the male has nowhere to perch while she's busy at it!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Somewhat
surprisingly, I never saw a single paired-up duo of Common Bluetails. Rather,
if a male did show interest in a settled female, either quietly perched or
actively laying on a bit of decaying reed, she would cut short his prospective
attentions by dissuading him with a brief gossamer fluttering
of her wings. Perhaps they don't stay together long in the tandem formation, or maybe they had been paired up earlier in the day and I just missed it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So I was
briefly excited when I did see a tandem pair, the male of which was topped and
tailed in blue. But on looking at the photos it turned out that this was in fact a
pair of Eastern Billabongflies <i>Austroagrion
watsoni</i>, the only ones I saw there that day. Indeed the only ones I’ve ever
seen!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j7qmK3tigvE/VGR5oFFCOlI/AAAAAAAAA-4/PQUBeWW__Ys/s1600/Eastern%2BBillabongfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j7qmK3tigvE/VGR5oFFCOlI/AAAAAAAAA-4/PQUBeWW__Ys/s1600/Eastern%2BBillabongfly.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mating pair of Eastern Billabongflies <i>Austroagrion watsoni</i> (Coenagrionidae) in the 'wheel' position</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After the
Common Bluetails and Red and Blue Damsels, the Blue Ringtails <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Austrolestes
annulosus</span></i></span> were next most common. These seemed to be a bit
more “off by themselves” and I never saw a paired couplet – or even a female as far as I know - and they were very obviously different, much bluer overall when ‘lit upon
the end of a reed stem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iR62QnFYZzU/VGSYe6J_GGI/AAAAAAAAA_U/SkxQKQbASFc/s1600/BluRingtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iR62QnFYZzU/VGSYe6J_GGI/AAAAAAAAA_U/SkxQKQbASFc/s1600/BluRingtail.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Blue Ringtail <i>Austrolestes annulosus</i> (Lestidae)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There was another
species I was expecting to see - the Aurora Bluetail <span class="st"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Ischnura aurora</span></i></span>.
Three years previously, again in November and at exactly the same spot, I had
first encountered this species when there were several individuals amongst the many
Common Bluetails. They are a very small and delicate damselfly with a very
attractive colour scheme in orange, green and blue. I spent quite a while on
the lookout for these and eventually saw just the one, just briefly – hence the
poor quality of the single photo I got. [I also saw these at Bowra in April
this year – see Bowra non birds post - <span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/bowra-non-birds.html">http://hdpphd.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/bowra-non-birds.html</a>
</span>.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z6Ieot8FIJs/VGSXV04vP9I/AAAAAAAAA_I/qf0oO7UigwU/s1600/Aurora%2BBluetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z6Ieot8FIJs/VGSXV04vP9I/AAAAAAAAA_I/qf0oO7UigwU/s1600/Aurora%2BBluetail.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A male Aurora Bluetail <i>Ischnura aurora</i> (Coenagrionidae)<br />surprisingly, the only one I saw at the dam that day.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’m left
wondering what conditions produced the abundance of Red and Blue Damsels this
year (yet none that I saw in 2011) but so few Aurora Bluetails. And what will
happen as this season progresses? It is still early after all, with the whole
of summer yet to come…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Family Lestidae<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These
damselflies are medium to large. The three non-endemic Australian genera
include the Dusky Spreadwing, ten ringtails, and three reedlings. The <b>Blue Ringtail</b> occurs in ponds, riverine
pools and lakes across much of the southern half of Australia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Family Megapodagrionidae<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This is a
family of small to very large damselflies which, uncharacteristically for
damselfies, hold their wings spread out from the body when at rest. The 22
Australian species of Megapodagrionidae belong to five genera, of which four
appear to be endemic, from eastern, northern, and south-western Australia. The <b>Common Flatwing</b> occurs in eastern
Australia, frequenting rivers, streams and pools. The <b>Sydney Flatwing</b> is restricted to south-eastern New South Wales
where it is associated with streams and boggy seepages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Family Coenagrionidae<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
Coenagrionidae has a world-wide distribution, with 13 genera occurring in
Australia, of which two are endemic. Coenagrionid damselflies are often brightly coloured,
with reds, blues and blacks predominating. The <b>Red and Blue Damsel</b> has an Australia-wide distribution and extends
to New Zealand, New Caledonia and Fiji. It inhabits still or slow-moving water
bodies. The <b>Eastern Billabongfly</b>
occurs across much of eastern and northern Australia and is also in New
Caledonia, frequenting both still and flowing waters. The <b>Aurora and Common Bluetails</b> are both inhabitants of sluggish or
still waters and both have Australia-wide distributions, the former also
occurring from India to the central Pacific, the latter from eastern Indonesia
to the Pacific. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Family Hemicorduliidae<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This is a widespread
family (including Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific) of small to medium
dragonflies, usually black or dark metallic with yellowish markings. The <b>Tau Emerald</b> is a common vagrant/nomadic
species occurring across much of Australia except Cape York and Kimberley
regions. They occur in a wide range of water bodies including rivers, lakes,
pools, ponds and swamps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Family Libellulidae</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This is a
large cosmopolitan family of ‘typical’ dragonflies. The <b>Blue Skimmer</b> is very common and occurs near a wide range of still
and flowing waters Australia-wide, extending to Indonesia, New Guinea, and New
Caledonia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-31378404754132108022014-10-28T21:59:00.001+11:002014-10-28T22:26:03.897+11:00Pretty Beach Rocks<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 23.25pt 0.0001pt 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">On the NSW South Coast,
just south of Kioloa, there is a little place tucked away in the northern
reaches of the Murramarang National Park called Pretty Beach. And it is. One of
the features of the place that I love is the sculpturing of the rocks along the
northern headland. The sandstone there seems particularly prone to honeycomb
weathering, and here it takes on some intriguing forms that are really cool. So
you can interpret this blog post’s title as Pretty Beach rocks, pretty beach
rocks, or Pretty Beach rocks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I’ve camped in and
explored the area several times in the past, especially when my son was about 8
years old, and have some very fond memories. But perhaps another large part of
the reason I love the area is that it is within the Sydney Basin, albeit towards
the southern edge, so has the typical geology and floral ecology of the
sandstone landscapes that I grew up with as a kid in northern Sydney. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6wqgnH1Mt8A/VE9r2NQln4I/AAAAAAAAA6w/Fe20tJcPgM4/s1600/James%2Bin%2Bspeedboat%2BPA080227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6wqgnH1Mt8A/VE9r2NQln4I/AAAAAAAAA6w/Fe20tJcPgM4/s1600/James%2Bin%2Bspeedboat%2BPA080227.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">James in his speed boat at Pretty Beach, October 2004.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James at Pretty Beach, October 2004.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Sydney Basin
stretches from South Durras in the south to Newcastle in the north, reaches
west to Lithgow, Mudgee and north-west of Muswellbrook, and east to the edge of
the continental shelf some 30 odd kilometres offshore. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The
total land area of the Basin is about 44,000 square kilometres (plus a further
5,000 square kilometres offshore). The bit I’m referring to in this blog post
occupies about 300 square metres, just 0.0000006% or 6 billionths of the Basin.
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Sydney Basin is
defined geologically by the sedimentary sequences of Permian and Triassic
sandstones, coal seams and shales that were laid down some 290-200 million
years ago. The earlier Permian Sandstones derive mainly from marine sediments,
the later deposits from freshwater alluvial fan and fluvial deposits. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Uplifting of the area during the middle Triassic
about 230 million years ago raised the whole basin, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">the eroded outer edges of which now manifest as impressive
landforms such as the massive sandstone cliffs and escarpments, hidden valleys,
and plateaux of places like the Blue Mountains, Capertee Valley, Morton
National Park etc. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">At Pretty Beach, the
sandstone is from the early Permian and is derived from marine sediments, so
fossil shells are often seen in the rocks. I recall going on an excursion to
Kioloa back in 1979 during my first year of university, on which we made a
brief visit to some fossil beds at Merry Beach, just around the headland from
Pretty Beach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_hHNpaqfdA/VE9r4GSDZCI/AAAAAAAAA7E/CKVPK7kcX14/s1600/Pretty%2BBeach%2Bnorthern%2Bheadland%2BPA080180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_hHNpaqfdA/VE9r4GSDZCI/AAAAAAAAA7E/CKVPK7kcX14/s1600/Pretty%2BBeach%2Bnorthern%2Bheadland%2BPA080180.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The strata in the sandstone are evident in the cliff faces. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOzkR9DDT4/VE9r97sTV3I/AAAAAAAAA78/LUV7NWECses/s1600/honeycombed%2Bboulder%2BPA080193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSOzkR9DDT4/VE9r97sTV3I/AAAAAAAAA78/LUV7NWECses/s1600/honeycombed%2Bboulder%2BPA080193.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both the rock platforms and the massive fallen boulders are subject to honeycomb weathering.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ac_uIygcH8Q/VE9r_UaHIDI/AAAAAAAAA8E/TagH91jfANs/s1600/honeycombed%2Blandscape%2BPA080204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ac_uIygcH8Q/VE9r_UaHIDI/AAAAAAAAA8E/TagH91jfANs/s1600/honeycombed%2Blandscape%2BPA080204.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rock platform at Pretty Beach showing honeycomb weathering of the soft sandstone.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tvDWqJA9pPM/VE9r5crdpAI/AAAAAAAAA7M/zmSwKv62WMQ/s1600/fossil%2Bscallops%2BPA080182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tvDWqJA9pPM/VE9r5crdpAI/AAAAAAAAA7M/zmSwKv62WMQ/s1600/fossil%2Bscallops%2BPA080182.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fossilised scallop shells exposed in a slab of Permian sandstone fallen from higher up the cliff.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The next set of photos just gives an impression of the diversity of forms the honeycomb weathering can take. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And weirdly, for some reason pitting is sometimes concentrated along cracks in the sandstone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And the play of light made depressions look like raised nodules.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And probably best of all are the miniature 'volcanic' landscapes - I've no idea how or why these develop quite like this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Eventually the sandstone is eroded to small grains of sand, producing the stunning golden beaches for which the Sydney region is famous. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And being a birdo, I can't possibly leave this post without including at least one bird!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdBJ2EvfPno/VE9sFQPbZJI/AAAAAAAAA9U/__SW_iJnS9Q/s1600/reef%2Bheron%2BPA090302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdBJ2EvfPno/VE9sFQPbZJI/AAAAAAAAA9U/__SW_iJnS9Q/s1600/reef%2Bheron%2BPA090302.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eastern Reef Egret (or Pacific Reef Heron) flying past O'Hara Island at Pretty Beach, NSW.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It's been a few years now since I last visited Pretty Beach - time to go again, I think. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">P.S.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">For anyone interested, there is some good information, particularly about the geological and geomorphological aspects of the Sydney Basin, but also a little about the ecology, at these sites:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/bioregions/SydneyBasin-Landform.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/bioregions/SydneyBasin-Landform.htm</span></a></span></span><br />
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-47721018448426020512014-10-12T13:36:00.000+11:002014-11-19T21:26:45.875+11:00Buddigower Banding - an unsprung Spring?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The weather was
unseasonably warm and the bush very dry. The last time I had been out there
banding, exactly four years prior, the place had been awash with wildflowers
and everything seemed fresh and vibrant. This time it all seemed a little
tired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Buddigower Nature
Reserve is in central New South Wales, just 7 km further along a dirt road from
the Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve (12 km south of West Wyalong) where we have a
regular bird banding site. We generally only get to Buddigower about every
three years, and this time the gap had been four. Apart from the core group of
eight banders, there were also five COG members (COG = Canberra Ornithologists Group)
along for the ride on this Labour Day long weekend (3-6 October).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I’d been in Melbourne for
work on the Friday so couldn’t get out to Buddigower until later on the
Saturday afternoon. But this did mean we were travelling in daylight and along the way we stopped for a couple of reptiles on the road to ensure they didn't become road-kill.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iTzEk1MjknQ/VDm9KK3HZ9I/AAAAAAAAA3U/M1R7xUxFh_s/s1600/Shingleback%2B(3545).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iTzEk1MjknQ/VDm9KK3HZ9I/AAAAAAAAA3U/M1R7xUxFh_s/s1600/Shingleback%2B(3545).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Shingleback Lizard <i>Tiliqua rugosa</i> (Scincidae)<br />was persuaded to remove itself from the middle of the road.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69yjfvJI8pg/VDm9LjsR-4I/AAAAAAAAA3c/oKXWmo1iaT4/s1600/Sand%2BGoanna%2B(3593).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69yjfvJI8pg/VDm9LjsR-4I/AAAAAAAAA3c/oKXWmo1iaT4/s1600/Sand%2BGoanna%2B(3593).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a beautiful Sand Monitor (or Gould's Goanna) <i>Varanus gouldii </i>(Varanidae) welcomed us to Buddigower</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">while always keeping a close eye on us. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">When we arrived at Buddigower, Karen and I set to to get a few nets up before dusk, in the same area we had
banded those four years previously, then went about the business of setting up camp. It seems
Mark and his crew, who had set up on the Friday afternoon, hadn’t
done so well, with less than 20 birds banded for the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The dryness may well be
the first sign of the predicted el Niño cycle. Whatever the case, there wasn’t
much flowering; certainly not the main woodland eucalypt species, nor the
widespread understorey of cassinia bushes. But there were several acacias still
in flower. And a few isolated cassia bushes, as well as a scattering of
Calytrix, Thysanotus, and some everlastings, added
splashes of colour (mainly yellow) to the otherwise fairly muted landscape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r9tyHTQvE1E/VDm9PW1nALI/AAAAAAAAA3s/QASH1E6-yuo/s1600/Wattle%2B(3637).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r9tyHTQvE1E/VDm9PW1nALI/AAAAAAAAA3s/QASH1E6-yuo/s1600/Wattle%2B(3637).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Currawang <i>Acacia doratoxylon</i> (Fabaceae-Mimosaceae)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0y2nFQWYR4/VDm9d-9qzwI/AAAAAAAAA5M/lPbGbveHcQY/s1600/wattle%2B2%2B(3836).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0y2nFQWYR4/VDm9d-9qzwI/AAAAAAAAA5M/lPbGbveHcQY/s1600/wattle%2B2%2B(3836).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Streaked Wattle <i>Acacia lineata</i> (Fabaceae-Mimosaceae)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XufAJipskqU/VDm8z_OHmMI/AAAAAAAAA2E/gv7U5eB0EkY/s1600/Cassia%2B(3737).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XufAJipskqU/VDm8z_OHmMI/AAAAAAAAA2E/gv7U5eB0EkY/s1600/Cassia%2B(3737).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A cassia (probably <i>Cassia nemophila</i>) (Fabaceae-Caesalpiniaceae). In the early morning the surrounding bushland was redolent with the scent from these bushes, smelling like freshly prepared garam masala!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oNNthzPOfyc/VDm8x3lN4kI/AAAAAAAAA18/Cj2aVkYp9SI/s1600/Calytrix%2B(3620).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oNNthzPOfyc/VDm8x3lN4kI/AAAAAAAAA18/Cj2aVkYp9SI/s1600/Calytrix%2B(3620).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Common Fringe-myrtle <i>Calytrix tetragona</i> (Myrtaceae)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uvKhswS-QIU/VDm9JUNe6AI/AAAAAAAAA3M/tr261pL840s/s1600/Thysanotus%2B(3625).jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twining Fringe-lily <i>Thysanotus patersonii</i> (Anthericaceae)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSJscOSBSnU/VDm9TcOQZ0I/AAAAAAAAA4I/I56j4UkJTek/s1600/everlasting%2B(3614).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zSJscOSBSnU/VDm9TcOQZ0I/AAAAAAAAA4I/I56j4UkJTek/s1600/everlasting%2B(3614).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A 'Yellow Buttons' everlasting (<i>Chrysocephalum </i>sp. either <i>apiculatum </i>or <i>semipapposum</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">There were certainly
birds about. They were quite vocal, and fairly active, but mostly they kept to
the canopy so we had little success at the nets. At our site, Karen and I
managed just 23 birds for the weekend: 7 White-browed Babblers, several
Eastern Yellow Robins (including a presumed family party of mum, dad, and a
stripe-headed juvenile in the first net on the first round), 3 White-eared Honeyeaters, a couple of
Red-capped Robins, a Variegated Fairy-wren, a very obstreperous kookaburra
(with its mate egging it on from the sidelines), a trio of Grey Fantails and
a Willie Wagtail. The juvenile robin, as well as a few birds with brood patches, were the only signs that some birds at least were breeding. The Rufous Whistlers, Weebills, Inland Thornbills, Western
Gerygones, Jacky Winters, Grey Shrike Thrush and Mistletoebirds were constant
and welcome vocal companions but all stayed resolutely away from the nets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BBO-ZAzWJzs/VDm9RNDtk7I/AAAAAAAAA38/-y5v9WZLgmg/s1600/babbler%2B(3842).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BBO-ZAzWJzs/VDm9RNDtk7I/AAAAAAAAA38/-y5v9WZLgmg/s1600/babbler%2B(3842).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White-browed Babbler <i>Pomatostomus superciliosus</i> (Pomatostomidae)<br />one of the seven caught was a re-trap from the 2010 trip.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qxNzi3bdz0s/VDm9BzibeII/AAAAAAAAA20/CVfOWdzkNbE/s1600/Red-capped%2BRobin%2B(3741).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qxNzi3bdz0s/VDm9BzibeII/AAAAAAAAA20/CVfOWdzkNbE/s1600/Red-capped%2BRobin%2B(3741).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Male Red-capped Robin <i>Petroica goodenovii</i> (Petroicidae)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tUnuA5ZNL4A/VDnDZQhVemI/AAAAAAAAA6E/dAM5Kru1kvM/s1600/Inland%2BThornbill%2B3747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tUnuA5ZNL4A/VDnDZQhVemI/AAAAAAAAA6E/dAM5Kru1kvM/s1600/Inland%2BThornbill%2B3747.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This little Inland Thornbill <i>Acanthiza apicalis</i> (Acanthizidae) came to investigate why the Red-capped Robin was making such a fuss while he was being photographed immediately prior to release.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The middle of the day was
hot. 36 degrees hot! More than the predicted 32, which would have been bad
enough, and well above the long-term average for October (about 24ºC). The
birds quietened down, but the mad-dog non-Englishman (me, in this case)
continued his vain pursuit of them - in vain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The insects, however,
seemed to be enjoying the conditions. Several butterflies (Meadow Argus,
Australian Painted Lady, Caper White, and a tiny grass blue) were around in
small numbers. One Meadow Argus had taken a liking to, indeed laid claim to, a
three square metre patch of track and was flushed each and every time I passed
to check the net. Grasshoppers of several species gave me some great
opportunities to play with my new macro lens, as did several robber flies, and
the occasional dragonfly hummed by (possibly an emerald or emperor?) or perched
on exposed twigs (Wandering Percher). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F6UK9NZbjaU/VDm9Vd5hYwI/AAAAAAAAA4U/P_eKuHLCyus/s1600/grasshopper%2B(3604).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F6UK9NZbjaU/VDm9Vd5hYwI/AAAAAAAAA4U/P_eKuHLCyus/s1600/grasshopper%2B(3604).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Australian Plague Locust <i>Chortoicetes terminifera</i> - brown form.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BnhOkNB33TA/VDm9WUKXhfI/AAAAAAAAA4g/aRmVocU23gE/s1600/grasshopper%2BA%2B(3783).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BnhOkNB33TA/VDm9WUKXhfI/AAAAAAAAA4g/aRmVocU23gE/s1600/grasshopper%2BA%2B(3783).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Australian Plague Locust <i>Chortoicetes terminifera</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- green form.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7uc4TrrtNgE/VDm9ZVFDgTI/AAAAAAAAA4s/vYjMX_Oqptk/s1600/grasshopper%2BB%2B(3654).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7uc4TrrtNgE/VDm9ZVFDgTI/AAAAAAAAA4s/vYjMX_Oqptk/s1600/grasshopper%2BB%2B(3654).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grasshopper 'type B' - red & grey form.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_0LlmJCNbyo/VDm9alRuVKI/AAAAAAAAA44/IENL-wIGuq8/s1600/grasshopper%2BB%2B(3801).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_0LlmJCNbyo/VDm9alRuVKI/AAAAAAAAA44/IENL-wIGuq8/s1600/grasshopper%2BB%2B(3801).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grasshopper 'type B' - orange form.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-btYyTaCIgik/VDm9c7KjpwI/AAAAAAAAA5E/FC4bfUwtDSk/s1600/grasshopper%2BB.1%2B(3813).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-btYyTaCIgik/VDm9c7KjpwI/AAAAAAAAA5E/FC4bfUwtDSk/s1600/grasshopper%2BB.1%2B(3813).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'type B' grasshoppers would wave their front legs about<br />in what looked like some kind of semaphoric signalling </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ujARCyOCUp0/VDm9aN9Ke2I/AAAAAAAAA40/D28JxEV4_Mc/s1600/grasshopper%2BB%2B(3813).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ujARCyOCUp0/VDm9aN9Ke2I/AAAAAAAAA40/D28JxEV4_Mc/s1600/grasshopper%2BB%2B(3813).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and had gnarly 'old man' faces.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gcJWOEUgJk0/VDm8wFeFs9I/AAAAAAAAA10/0caEIBJ4oVg/s1600/Asilid%2B1%2B(3610).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gcJWOEUgJk0/VDm8wFeFs9I/AAAAAAAAA10/0caEIBJ4oVg/s1600/Asilid%2B1%2B(3610).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Robber fly 'type A' - male</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKgjF13vHK4/VDm9Nf9VvOI/AAAAAAAAA3k/GwvZYKGIu-Q/s1600/asilid%2BA%2B(3683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKgjF13vHK4/VDm9Nf9VvOI/AAAAAAAAA3k/GwvZYKGIu-Q/s1600/asilid%2BA%2B(3683).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Robber fly 'type A' - female. <br />The dense cluster of bristles in front of the face is called a mystax; <br />it helps to protect the fly against the struggles of any incalcitrant insect prey.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9jqZFTkgPR0/VDm9PZ5uyzI/AAAAAAAAA3w/3vAlb5ra78w/s1600/asilid%2BB%2B(4013).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9jqZFTkgPR0/VDm9PZ5uyzI/AAAAAAAAA3w/3vAlb5ra78w/s1600/asilid%2BB%2B(4013).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first I thought this was a weird-looking robber fly (Asilidae) but on looking it up determined that it is in fact a species of <i>Apiocera</i>, from the family Apioceridae - closely related to Asilidae but one I've never come across before. Woo-hoo!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">With evening, the
temperature dropped slightly and the spiders came out to prowl, their eye-shine,
reflecting back from the ground in front of our head-lamps, as bright as the
stars above. More scope for a bit of macro experimentation. While I focussed on
the larger spiders for photography, it was evident there were very many young
spiders about, clearly following a major recent hatching event. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BRsNesinqbY/VDm9iTBRDsI/AAAAAAAAA5U/NFED1Wdz2nY/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B(3868).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BRsNesinqbY/VDm9iTBRDsI/AAAAAAAAA5U/NFED1Wdz2nY/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B(3868).jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A wolf spider on the prowl.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zF0altoaq7c/VDm9jQu4A6I/AAAAAAAAA5c/tpssY-2yhME/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zF0altoaq7c/VDm9jQu4A6I/AAAAAAAAA5c/tpssY-2yhME/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3867.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ain't she beautiful!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-onwhAji5erU/VDm9jrh45XI/AAAAAAAAA5g/I0PqWHLPvu4/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-onwhAji5erU/VDm9jrh45XI/AAAAAAAAA5g/I0PqWHLPvu4/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3890.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another wolf spider hiding in its burrow - this one has very dark chelicerae compared to the first one.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xw2Chh67Dw0/VDm9nBOm_FI/AAAAAAAAA5s/MqPwprCJdqg/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xw2Chh67Dw0/VDm9nBOm_FI/AAAAAAAAA5s/MqPwprCJdqg/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3891.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I managed to induce it out of its burrow by scratching the ground with a small twig...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_hKWdSGDAs/VDm9n05BitI/AAAAAAAAA50/JGPTTJQqrqY/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_hKWdSGDAs/VDm9n05BitI/AAAAAAAAA50/JGPTTJQqrqY/s1600/wolf%2Bspider%2B3901.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and got a great face on photo before it scuttled back down its hole. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Another night-time
discovery provided, for me, the highlight of the trip. There had been a Spotted
Nightjar calling sporadically the previous two evenings, but on Sunday night a
brief bout of spotlighting by some of the group located a nightjar nesting on
the ground not far from camp (thanks Kathy), while its mate continued to call
in its distinctive and eerie way as it swept over the tree-tops or the more
distant paddocks. I’d just settled down for a well needed sleep when alerted to
the find, but I threw off the sheet and was pulling on jeans in an instant for
this opportunity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nbs6VDypM64/VDm87WYcp-I/AAAAAAAAA2c/S0_YjZYPc0o/s1600/Nightjar%2B1%2B(3921).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nbs6VDypM64/VDm87WYcp-I/AAAAAAAAA2c/S0_YjZYPc0o/s1600/Nightjar%2B1%2B(3921).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spotted Nightjar <i>Eurostopodus argus</i> (Caprimulgidae) on its nest at night.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-05cPxR499Y4/VDm9ENgaV0I/AAAAAAAAA28/l_rO-kEl1Dg/s1600/Nightjar%2Begg%2B(3924).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-05cPxR499Y4/VDm9ENgaV0I/AAAAAAAAA28/l_rO-kEl1Dg/s1600/Nightjar%2Begg%2B(3924).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spotted Nightjars lay a single, pale green, speckled egg, <br />the 'nest' being a simple scrape in the leaf litter.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23MgnpfZvYE/VDm8_V87cNI/AAAAAAAAA2s/qKbJJlvlhl4/s1600/Nightjar%2Bcamouflage%2B(3941).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23MgnpfZvYE/VDm8_V87cNI/AAAAAAAAA2s/qKbJJlvlhl4/s1600/Nightjar%2Bcamouflage%2B(3941).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next morning, the Spotted Nightjar's camouflage in the dappled sunlight was exquisite. Just as well I knew exactly where the nest was.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dq_pxu6PpbU/VDm89yWR5eI/AAAAAAAAA2k/95plcWybsmI/s1600/Nightjar%2Bday%2B(3932).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dq_pxu6PpbU/VDm89yWR5eI/AAAAAAAAA2k/95plcWybsmI/s1600/Nightjar%2Bday%2B(3932).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spotted Nightjar </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eurostopodus argus</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Caprimulgidae) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on its nest - what a great bird</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">So while the bird banding
could have been better, and spring breeding </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">isn't perhaps in fullest swing, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">the trip was undeniably a success. </span></div>
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Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1806044253858317897.post-34646915876259215582014-10-07T23:26:00.000+11:002014-10-08T17:59:52.828+11:00Macro Magic - First day's play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fsq96nFogx0/VDPSe9vZFEI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/40o0rArc30o/s1600/daffodil%2B(2191).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fsq96nFogx0/VDPSe9vZFEI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/40o0rArc30o/s1600/daffodil%2B(2191).jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just recently acquired a new macro lens (Canon EF 100 mm 1:2.8 L). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So on the first day, I went out for a play. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Didn't need to go far, no need for the car,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">just out to the garden, to see what was there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following is just a self-indulgent gallery of some of those first pictures. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The flowers were easy targets to begin with.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BgaOwwD6Cw/VDPMpWXgtPI/AAAAAAAAA1A/BWsxeM-s520/s1600/Tritelia%2B(2473).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BgaOwwD6Cw/VDPMpWXgtPI/AAAAAAAAA1A/BWsxeM-s520/s1600/Tritelia%2B(2473).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tritelia</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d2gJ6mEA8YM/VDPMeaTnedI/AAAAAAAAA0M/cxZPvdbrD-A/s1600/Grape%2Bhyacinth%2B(2206).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d2gJ6mEA8YM/VDPMeaTnedI/AAAAAAAAA0M/cxZPvdbrD-A/s1600/Grape%2Bhyacinth%2B(2206).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grape Hyacinth </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8mWmGrKZx1o/VDPMidArpOI/AAAAAAAAA0w/GVdhF73zQ8s/s1600/gazania%2B(2216).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8mWmGrKZx1o/VDPMidArpOI/AAAAAAAAA0w/GVdhF73zQ8s/s1600/gazania%2B(2216).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gazania</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OuXoYawAHpk/VDPMeP0y_1I/AAAAAAAAA0I/3Q9IciTkvwQ/s1600/Dutch%2BIris%2B(2869).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OuXoYawAHpk/VDPMeP0y_1I/AAAAAAAAA0I/3Q9IciTkvwQ/s1600/Dutch%2BIris%2B(2869).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dutch Iris</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--U4_pSpJ_3U/VDPMjBXuiRI/AAAAAAAAA04/rMoDruUlO4Q/s1600/gum%2Bblossom%2B(2708).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--U4_pSpJ_3U/VDPMjBXuiRI/AAAAAAAAA04/rMoDruUlO4Q/s1600/gum%2Bblossom%2B(2708).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eucalypt blossom and buds</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But with the flowers come the pollinators. The first hoverflies (family Syrphidae) are the harbingers of spring for me, and are the first sure sign that the warmer weather has finally arrived after the long cold Canberra winter. But other flies, mainly calliphorids I think, were also getting amongst it, and it was amazing to see just how much pollen they were picking up and spreading around. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f1WtVahnZV8/VDPMPHaer9I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/Uyw950CKzRk/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2504).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f1WtVahnZV8/VDPMPHaer9I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/Uyw950CKzRk/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2504).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To a prospecting hoverfly, the protruding stamens of a cluster of viburnum flowers must look like a forest of food.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7fkk76yIntM/VDPMTdziA4I/AAAAAAAAAy0/hajWpmAhdbk/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2614).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7fkk76yIntM/VDPMTdziA4I/AAAAAAAAAy0/hajWpmAhdbk/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2614).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hoverfly at Chinese broccoli flower</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C2vlfegOqaU/VDPMRAuHllI/AAAAAAAAAyc/OT5JiDst_VE/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2604).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C2vlfegOqaU/VDPMRAuHllI/AAAAAAAAAyc/OT5JiDst_VE/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2604).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and again</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyXmHFUPKNs/VDPMR_SPnnI/AAAAAAAAAyk/l6qrMXmEqfw/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2604z).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyXmHFUPKNs/VDPMR_SPnnI/AAAAAAAAAyk/l6qrMXmEqfw/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2604z).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">closer...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NhHSRJ8PpTY/VDPMTPj1kKI/AAAAAAAAAyw/kGJYATZpkHc/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2604z2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NhHSRJ8PpTY/VDPMTPj1kKI/AAAAAAAAAyw/kGJYATZpkHc/s1600/23bF%2Bhoverfly%2C%2BSyrphidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2604z2).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... and closer.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lw9b6zJvtYs/VDPMUQQ5d6I/AAAAAAAAAzA/a0PRBBraLtI/s1600/23bP4(Q)%2BCalliphoridae(Q)%2C%2BGleneagles%2BCT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2553).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lw9b6zJvtYs/VDPMUQQ5d6I/AAAAAAAAAzA/a0PRBBraLtI/s1600/23bP4(Q)%2BCalliphoridae(Q)%2C%2BGleneagles%2BCT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2553).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flies are often said to be continuously 'washing their hands' - I think perhaps they're actually rubbing them with glee.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12-7EgBx7pA/VDPMWV66BoI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/raX4BFjOh5Q/s1600/23bP4(Q)%2BCalliphoridae(Q)%2C%2BGleneagles%2BCT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2648).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12-7EgBx7pA/VDPMWV66BoI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/raX4BFjOh5Q/s1600/23bP4(Q)%2BCalliphoridae(Q)%2C%2BGleneagles%2BCT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2648).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A stunning golden-bummed calliphorid fly</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3roUsLHQ23Q/VDPMVvQ2MvI/AAAAAAAAAzI/z8sp76-qtuY/s1600/23bP4(Q)%2BCalliphoridae(Q)%2C%2BGleneagles%2BCT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2644).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3roUsLHQ23Q/VDPMVvQ2MvI/AAAAAAAAAzI/z8sp76-qtuY/s1600/23bP4(Q)%2BCalliphoridae(Q)%2C%2BGleneagles%2BCT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2644).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and again.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0QubExcb_vc/VDPMgxpSl9I/AAAAAAAAA0g/8Tl4WK6WppM/s1600/fly%2Bwith%2Bpollen%2B(2309).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0QubExcb_vc/VDPMgxpSl9I/AAAAAAAAA0g/8Tl4WK6WppM/s1600/fly%2Bwith%2Bpollen%2B(2309).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This fly is carrying a massive load of pollen, but not from the viburnum it's currently on.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEFQo_QZgZg/VDPMheci8mI/AAAAAAAAA0k/T_DZnrVPT40/s1600/fly%2Bwith%2Bpollen%2B(2371).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEFQo_QZgZg/VDPMheci8mI/AAAAAAAAA0k/T_DZnrVPT40/s1600/fly%2Bwith%2Bpollen%2B(2371).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whereas this fly does appear to be spreading viburnum pollen.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bees are of course better known generally as pollinators, and they too were very active on this day, particularly in the viburnum, the grevilleas, and the rosemary. Until looking at these photos I hadn't realised that even the humble rosemary flower is exquisitely structured to ensure the bee comes into contact with the over-arching stigma. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NBXdDLPH-Kw/VDPMXqI-DiI/AAAAAAAAAzY/_kXyyL3zRHg/s1600/26bN7%2BHoneybee%2BApis%2Bmelifera%2C%2BApidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2575).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NBXdDLPH-Kw/VDPMXqI-DiI/AAAAAAAAAzY/_kXyyL3zRHg/s1600/26bN7%2BHoneybee%2BApis%2Bmelifera%2C%2BApidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2575).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honey bee at grevillea flower</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAKYw5Jgq-4/VDPMcfSQvUI/AAAAAAAAA0A/OQRicVewJFQ/s1600/Bee%2Bat%2Brosemary%2B(2417).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAKYw5Jgq-4/VDPMcfSQvUI/AAAAAAAAA0A/OQRicVewJFQ/s1600/Bee%2Bat%2Brosemary%2B(2417).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The style of the rosemary flower arches over so the stigma contacts the bee's head or thorax to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">increase the chances of pollination.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDEpvzZsdMo/VDPMfeQSUrI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/yFoE4nA8kas/s1600/beetle%2Bdwarfed%2Bby%2Bbee%2B(2427).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDEpvzZsdMo/VDPMfeQSUrI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/yFoE4nA8kas/s1600/beetle%2Bdwarfed%2Bby%2Bbee%2B(2427).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hadn't even realised this tiny beetle (about 2-3 mm long) was there until later looking at the photos.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And everywhere I looked there was something different to focus my new toy on.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECIv9WSgwlo/VDPMMNNYIEI/AAAAAAAAAx8/5qSk3B1sXAs/s1600/15a(Q)%2Bscale%2C%2BANU%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2712).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECIv9WSgwlo/VDPMMNNYIEI/AAAAAAAAAx8/5qSk3B1sXAs/s1600/15a(Q)%2Bscale%2C%2BANU%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2712).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scale on a eucalypt leaf suddenly looked like miniature rock oysters</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-96TPrn9Gevc/VDPMZDvnZzI/AAAAAAAAAzo/ev8vXhtX6xA/s1600/26bO1g%2BSugar%2BAnt%2BCamponotus%2Bconsobrinus%2C%2BFormicidae-Formicinae%2C%2BANU%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2687).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-96TPrn9Gevc/VDPMZDvnZzI/AAAAAAAAAzo/ev8vXhtX6xA/s1600/26bO1g%2BSugar%2BAnt%2BCamponotus%2Bconsobrinus%2C%2BFormicidae-Formicinae%2C%2BANU%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2687).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">common sugar ants took on individual personalities</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YZ0z2p1Jquc/VDTgINNzC8I/AAAAAAAAA1g/GwKKQ3FO1Do/s1600/25dC1%2Bcase-moth%2C%2BPsychidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2634).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YZ0z2p1Jquc/VDTgINNzC8I/AAAAAAAAA1g/GwKKQ3FO1Do/s1600/25dC1%2Bcase-moth%2C%2BPsychidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2634).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a case moth caterpillar hung discretely in the callistemon</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKxRyBu_LD8/VDPMLWHu1JI/AAAAAAAAAx4/h_dSco8974Y/s1600/10aB(Q)%2Bnymph%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2860).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKxRyBu_LD8/VDPMLWHu1JI/AAAAAAAAAx4/h_dSco8974Y/s1600/10aB(Q)%2Bnymph%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2860).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and a tiny early instar katydid very nearly avoided detection.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with such an abundance of insect life, the tiny jumping spiders (family Salticidae) presumably make a killing...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h_WRemqdUUo/VDPMayI8EtI/AAAAAAAAAzw/fvFXIqi8A7w/s1600/4C%2Bjumping%2Bspider%2C%2BSalticidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2627).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h_WRemqdUUo/VDPMayI8EtI/AAAAAAAAAzw/fvFXIqi8A7w/s1600/4C%2Bjumping%2Bspider%2C%2BSalticidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(2627).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping spider (type A)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6yEo73c3WQ/VDPMbZHWnII/AAAAAAAAAz0/3OyfRnvrfUw/s1600/4C%2Bjumping%2Bspider%2C%2BSalticidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(3270).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6yEo73c3WQ/VDPMbZHWnII/AAAAAAAAAz0/3OyfRnvrfUw/s1600/4C%2Bjumping%2Bspider%2C%2BSalticidae%2C%2BGleneagles%2BACT%2C%2BSep%2B2014%2B(3270).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping spider (type B)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to have a lot of fun with this new lens!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Harvey Perkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15415639670778923118noreply@blogger.com4