Rare moth found in Flowerdale collection
There was an exciting sequel to our Moths of Victoria presentation on 27th May. As many of those who attended will be aware, a member of the audience brought along a substantial collection of moths and other invertebrates assembled by his father in Flowerdale some years ago. The valuable collection was generously donated to the Melbourne Museum and delighted the presenter Peter Marriott. Peter’s joy was complete when he discovered in the collection a female of the Tiny Tussock Moth – Oligeria hemicalla – that was not previously recorded in this district, and is probably the only specimen in any collection.
The flightless female is shown at left. Any observations of the moth, and particularly photos of the caterpillar, in the Flowerdale/Strath Creek area would be very welcome.
Wombats top the charts
An interim analysis of our camera results to date shows that, not surprisingly, wombats and kangaroos are the most common species recorded. Out of 66 camera deployments on 21 properties, a total of 11 native mammal species and 12 native birds have been recorded. Charts showing the frequency of occurrence of native animals are shown below.
Tree-cam! So that’s how it’s done.
David & remote camera in a very large, old Yellow Box
Over the last half-year Dave has been developing some serious covert surveillance expertise! He’s often sighted either behind trees, or up in them. In this case it’s a very large, spreading Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora).
Getting the remote-images that provide so much of the enjoyment and value of this blog has become more than a pastime for Dave and has required considerable ingenuity. You can see more pictures about how the cameras are set-up and the various other survey techniques used in this project HERE.
And then there were two.
The Powerful Owl in a previous post, Talk about owls …! on March 29, has again been spotted, this time with a mate to share a meal of Ringtail Possum (whose partly eaten remains are visible below the male on the left). The photo was taken in almost the same spot as the previous observation.
The owners of the Flowerdale property have been recording the location of roost trees (identified by “whitewash” and pellets on the ground), and trying, so far in vain, to find a nest site that the owls may be using. Because of the owl’s size, potential nest hollows are limited to large old trees.
Focus on frogs!
Zoologist Mark Cairns from Healesville Sanctuary will be coming to Flowerdale on 5th August to give a presentation, with a particular focus on frogs. Mark may also cover other aspects of his experiences with wildlife.
Click on the flier for more details.
The owl and the swan…
The owners of a large Strath Creek grazing property were delighted to have a couple of unusual bird visitors this week. This Black Swan spent a day on a dam close to their house before moving on.
A couple of days later they were able to take this magnificent photo of a Barn Owl perched in a eucalypt tree. With the large numbers of mice around at present, the owl should be having a feast !
Wallabies, wombats and possums near Junction Ridge
Our cameras were recently kept busy at a bush property to the north of Flowerdale, which includes a steep gully known as Devil’s Glen. Above the gully the property consists of Red Box forest and a cleared native grass slope. The cameras recorded hundreds of shots of inquisitive Black Wallabies, Common Wombats and both Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail Possums, as well as a Red Fox.
Bobuck up close at Pheasant Creek
A remote camera trained on a fallen log across a small tributary of Pheasant Creek recorded these shots of a Mountain Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus cunninghami), also known as a Bobuck.
The Bobuck has shorter, more rounded ears than the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), and inhabits wetter forest areas. It prefers gullies and, although arboreal, spends much of its time feeding on the ground. Fungi form a significant part of its diet.
Little critters had us guessing!
A remote camera set up on this fallen, but still growing, remnant paddock tree at Allandale Road, Strath Creek, revealed a group of very active small animals that had us guessing as to whether they were the small native marsupial Agile Antechinus (Antechinus agilis) or just the common House Mouse (Mus musculus). Several DSE experts reviewed the pictures and came to the (disappointing) conclusion that the critters were indeed house mice.
View the video clip below, which may take a few moments to load.
Birds get in on the act !
Our recent remote camera deployments in the Falls Road/Allandale Road area of Strath Creek have revealed a range of birds – all common farmland species. These shots from an Allandale Road property show that many birds use fallen logs as perches.
