Sign up for ‘maccas’
Impressive and informative new Macquarie Perch awareness signage was unveiled yesterday at the Moores Road Reserve, Flowerdale, as part of Native Fish Awareness Week. Gathered together for the ceremonial ‘lifting of the scales’ from the sign were the ‘macca mob’, comprising representatives from groups and agencies involved in the conservation of this threatened species:
Flowerdale Environment Work Engine, Flowerdale Primary School, Strath Creek Landcare Group (King Parrot Creek)
Hollands Creek Demonstration Reach Community Group
Strathbogie Ranges CMN (Hughes Creek)
Fisheries Victoria (DPI)
Arthur Rylah Institute (DSE)
Goulburn Broken CMA
The Taungurong (Daung Wurrung) people
Those present were provided with an update on monitoring and breeding programs, and discussed how best to coordinate recovery actions in the future. The school kids were involved in plenty of fishy activities.
The theme of Native Fish Awareness Week is “Habitat makes fish happen!” highlighting the importance of suitable stream habitat for the survival of native fish.
To read about recent surveying and research into spawning of Macquarie Perch in King Parrot Creek on the DSE website, click HERE. And for a summary of the post-fire recovery actions for the maccas in 2009, click HERE.
From French Island to Flowerdale
In 2004, a number of tagged koalas from French Island were released by DSE officers in Mt.Disappointment State Forest. It was feared that the koalas may not have survived the Black Saturday fires, but several have since turned up in surrounding areas such as Broadford and Flowerdale.
A koala was found recently in Spring Valley Road near Coonans Bridge Reserve, Flowerdale, with a numbered blue tag in its right ear. This was reported to DSE and it was identified as a male from French Island that was released on Spur Road in October 2004. The large Manna Gums along King Parrot Creek would provide good habitat for the koala, but outside the forest it is unfortunately vulnerable to dogs, vehicles etc.
The koala pictured here was actually found along Upper King Parrot Creek Road, Strath Creek in 2007. The blue tag indicates it is also a French Island koala, which means that there was some dispersal from the forest even before the fires.
Goshawk on Junction Hill
This Brown Goshawk was photographed by a remote camera installed on a densely vegetated property at Junction Hill, north of Flowerdale – the same location where a Superb Lyrebird was recorded in August (click HERE to see previous post).
The bird’s prominent brows and robust body and legs would seem to identify it as a goshawk, rather than the similar but finer-bodied Collared Sparrowhawk, which also has a significantly longer middle toe . The streaked head and upper breast, and broad ventral stripes would indicate this is an immature bird.
A Brown Goshawk (possibly the same bird?) was observed flying low over the property 3 days later, during a standard bird survey conducted when retrieving the camera.
A minor problem for a skink?
Possums and gliders
Sugar Glider
Another Focus on Fauna evening is coming up on 11th November at Flowerdale Hall. This will be the final presentation for the year, so be sure to put this date in your diary, and come along to find out more about those creatures that go bump in the night!
Click on the flier below for full details:
Koala at Flowerdale
This Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) turned up unexpectedly at a large Flowerdale grazing property last weekend. The property backs on to the Mt.Disappointment State Forest, and the owners have undertaken considerable revegetation work over the years to improve the connectivity of remnant habitat areas – to the benefit of this koala and other wildlife such as Sugar Gliders and Brush-tailed Phascogales, which have recently been recorded close by.
When disturbed, the koala hurriedly scrambled up a young Blackwood tree (Acacia melanoxylon), as seen here – not its preferred habitat! But there are large old Swamp Gums (Eucalyptus ovata) beside a nearby creek and Long-leaf Box (Eucalyptus goniocalyx) not far away, both species that are commonly used by koalas for food [Lee & Martin, The Koala – a natural history].
Brushtail Possum family at Strath Creek
Two remote cameras set up on a steep burnt slope on a property just west of Strath Creek captured hundreds of night-time images of a family group of Common Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). The video clip below shows the female possum with her young riding on her back. It is noticeable from the lack of eyeshine that the mother has a damaged left eye.
After emerging from the pouch at 4 – 5 months old, a young possum stays close to its mother for another 2 months or more, often getting a ride like this, before becoming independent.
The video may take a few moments to load.
Wallaby fight at Devil’s Glen
The owners of the property featured in a recent post (see Wallaby life near Junction Ridge) have managed to capture this rare video footage of two male Black Wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) engaged in a ding-dong battle close to their house. It’s to be hoped there was no permanent damage to either of the contenders !
Video © Rick Clark
All that’s left of … ?
The Powerful Owls resident at the Junction Hill end of Flowerdale (see previous post HERE ) seem to have voracious appetites, judging from the whitewash and regurgitated pellets found by the landholders on the ground below the owls’ roost sites. The pellet pictured here shows that some prey are consumed whole, including the head!
Can anyone comment on what the skull and bones might belong to ? The scale shown is in centimetres.
Echidna mating season
This photo, taken in early August at a property on Spring Valley Road, Flowerdale, appears to show a female Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) surrounded by three males. During oestrus she may be followed for several days by the males. It is unclear whether she mates with more than one male, but after copulation she has no further contact with the males. She will lay only a single leathery-shelled egg.
Click HERE to see a previous post on echidnas at Flowerdale.
Focus On Fauna 