Ulladulla: Millards Ck, Narawallee- Matron porter, Inlet. Lewins, variegated FW, WBSE, rufous w, satin, whip, yellow r, P Oysterc

Ulladulla: Millards Creek Reserve.

9:30- 11. 8/4/11. No clouds.

The Creek which runs into the Harbour is called Millards Creek. It passes the visitors centre, with a good path running beside it. Ive been going to Ulladulla all my life and seen the tall trees to the West and always wondered. So Yesterday I followed it.

Birds: 3 lewins honeyeaters, 1 rufous whistler, up the top- in a 360 degree view there were 7 satin bowerbirds, 3 butcherbirds, king parrots, striated thornbills (3), 2 whipbirds, 3 golden whistlers, 1 yellow robin,  2 kookaburras . peewees, wagtails, many scrubrwens, b thornbills, etc.

1 blackbird. 5 spotted doves upstream.

Millards creek was quite a shock, dividing the town, and borded by houses and suburbia. It is a wet/rainforest type oasis in the town, and well utilised by people. Im not sure if the locals realise how good it is. Initially walking in, there are some really tall trees, but weedy understory, plus lots of bracken. but few birds. After ~ 200m, it starts to get better, wet Eucalypt forest, more native understory, in the middle you are getting rainforest under/midstory (tree ferns, lilly pillies) and by the top, you are getting rainforest trees amongst the Eucalypts including lilly pillies, coachwood, black wattles.

 

Narrawallee- Matron Porter reserve.

1:30- 2:30.

Borders Narawallee Beach. Coastal scrub. Mainly Banksias and Eucalypts, with Lomandra understory. Flowers, Banksia integrifolia, serrata (few), and Correa alba bush (white flowers).

Birds: 16 species

Highlight- a group of 5 Variegated fairy wrens with 1 male in full breeding plumage. I couldnt see them and I dont like 'pishing' but I gave it a go and the male came darting out and scolded me. 2 groups of superb blue wrens in grassier areas. 4 silvereyes kept feeding on the grass, even after being disturbed multiple times, they returned to the grass. Strange, maybe some insects or some minerals were important. 7 little wattlebirds, 1 satin B, golden whistler, ~ 5 spinebills, new holland. 20 YFH flew through heading NW.

 

Narrawallee Inlet

2:30- 2:50 Low tide: 20 min 2 ha search.

Birds: 10 species

2 pied oystercatchers. 1 white bellied sea eagle, little wattlebirds, 4 striated thornbills.

After doing a bird survey I walked onto the Headland, right at the tip, I almost hit a big Orb weaving spiders web, which was facing NW. I looked up and saw 19 separate orb weaver webs, seperate, but in a loose 'colony'. Like sheets hanging on a washing line. The spider had a brown abdomen, brown legs with yellow joints, thorax was white with brown blotches. Walking back there were dozens of these 'colonies', with the core web size varying from ~30cm to 120cm across, most being around 50cm diameter. Ive met plenty of people afraid of spiders, this would be their ultimate nightmare, heh heh.

 

 

Benj Whitworth