Birding/Outdoor Tip for the Day

[Nathanael Coyne <>]

Also, I'll take New Zealand's normal / east coast sandflies (Austrosimulium australense) over west coast sandflies (Austrosimulium ungulatum) … takes weeks to get over the bites from the west coast fellas … or rather females. Dozens and dozens of nasty little half-itchy half-painful fluid pustules.

Nathanael Coyne

On 13 December 2014 at 14:56, Charles Buer <> wrote:

Margaret McJannett here using Charles Buer's email.

Jack Jumpers versus Bull Ants - I'd opt for a Bull Ant any day. My first experience was while sitting on the ground watching a Riflebird, I leant back for a better view and was suddenly attacked on my bum by goodness knows how many Jack Jumpers. It took a long time for my bum to recover!! Next bite by one Jack Jumper at Nangar NP took 4 panadols, and as many hours before the pain & the swelling subsided (not on my bum this time, but on my foot!). So now when I see Jack Jumpers I jump out of their way. 

Margaret
Sent from my iPad

On 13 Dec 2014, at 2:24 pm, Ken Black <m("optusnet.com.au","kennethblack");" target="_blank">> wrote:

Definitely recommend a good pair of gaiters if in bullant ( or snake) territory. ;)

Ken Black

On 13 Dec 2014, at 2:00 pm, "Mark Clayton" <m("bigpond.com","chollop7");" target="_blank">> wrote:

One thing that I always do, and I advise any overseas birders with me, is to always check where you are standing if you stop when out birding. The last time I managed to get zapped by a bull ant in the bush was near the Victorian border south of Eden in about 1977. However I did get stung through my jeans while pulling weeds in what passes for a garden at home in October this year. The nest was under a rock and I must have created enough of a disturbance for about 4 of the beasties to come charging at me (if you could call bull ants lumbering at you a charge). Unfortunately for me, and ultimately the bull ant, I didn’t see number 5 until it was too late and I was stung on the back of my thigh. The results of the sting lasted about 2 weeks and did get slightly infected from all my scratching.

 

Many of the walking trails in Tidbinbilla nature Reserve are regular places to find bull ants and their smaller, but just as painful cousins, the jumping ants. Any pile of small stones, especially if there is a hole or two in it, could be a potential nest so be wary. The Koala enclosure is a good spot for jumping ants.

 

A timely warning from Matthew.

 

Mark

 

From: Matthew Willis [m("gmail.com","matt.j.willis");" target="_blank">]
Sent: Saturday, 13 December 2014 1:36 PM
To: CanberraBirds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Birding/Outdoor Tip for the Day

 

My birding/outdoor photography tip for the day:

 

If you are at Campbell Park and decide to spend five minutes standing in the one place photographing cicadas - try and make sure you are not standing in the middle of a bull ant colony at the time. 

 

The moment at which you realise 3 or 4 of them have crawled under your shirt and a similar number are on their way up your leg is not a nice one. Luckily, either the bites are not as painful as I remember from my childhood, or I was lucky (the big itchy and moderately painful lumps that remain a few hours later are not ideal, though).

 

Still, saw some lovely birds and it was all worth it :-)

 

Matthew