Pardalote Holt: February 2021

For those of you who don't live in Australia we have had a wet summer. La Nina has been active and according to the news we've had the soggiest summer in 4-years. Figures have been bandied about but our little corner of SE Queensland has been very damp with some dam filling downpours and steady rain throughout. The effect on the Holt is very visible with green stuff shooting up all over. Unfortunately this has included the invasive weeds and I've been forced to put the backpack on a conduct some spraying. I dislike using poison for a variety of reasons but removing some weeds by hand just isn't feasible due to the need to get the entire root system.

Singapore Daisy

Singapore Daisy is an attractive ground cover and popular with insects but it causes rashes on the dogs skin and will quickly take over if you don't deal with it.

Mother of Millions

Mother of Millions is well named, a fleshy plant that spreads like wildfire and needs to be removed as soon as it appears.

Mistflower

Another attractive groundcover which produces small flowers. It loves the banks of creeks and spreads quickly but care must be taken or the poisons can leech into the water.

On a far more positive note the lush foliage has attracted some of the rainforest birds down from the mountain and Whipbirds have been calling throughout the season. We've also had visits from a pair of Little Shrike-Thrush which is a first for the Holt.

Little Shrike-Thrush

The Little Shrike-Thrush is a busy mid-sized insectivore that hops around in the mid-foliage searching for grubs. It's difficult to capture due to its frenetic activity, but the Whipbird is even harder.

Eastern Whipbird

Whipbirds prefer the lower ground cover and will often search for food under fallen fern fronds and logs. They are a challenge to photograph and I can't say that I've ever managed a decent shot of one.

With the heat and humidity other critters have been abundant.

Golden Orb Spider

Golden orb Spiders have been spinning their massive webs across the forest, trapping flying insects. This is a female with the far smaller (and out of focus) male sitting carefully distant above it. Their webs can stretch for 10m or more and are surprisingly strong and sticky.

Green Tree Snake

Venomous snakes are legendary in Oz but this is the harmless and very beautiful green tree snake. They are about as thick as your thumb and about a metre in length when grown. This one spent a good time slowly meandering around the tree ferns. They have no fangs nor venom and are quite inquisitive so if you don't spook them they'll stop and have a look at you. They feed on frogs, lizards and small mammals.

Palemouth

The dams attract a host of Dragonflies but this Palemouth prefers the mid canopy and shrubs. It's a small dragonfly coming in at around 16mm in length, but a pretty insect with its ochre stripes. Below are a few of the dragonflies more commonly seen skimming the waters of the dam and enjoying the lilies.

Blue Skimmer

Yellow and Black Flutterer

Australian Tiger munching a bug

Almost done!

Mating Billabong Damselflies

And here are the hosting lilies!

Water Snowflakes

Marshwort

Away from the dams the treetops have been noisy at nights as the Koalas have been growling out their mating calls. For a relatively small furry creature they can make surprisingly deep bellowing cries that can carry for a considerable distance.