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This week have been spotlighting with Lorne Johnson
in 2 different locations close to Sydney with some interesting finds as
follows:
Bobbin Head (Sphinx track) (Thursday - 11th Jan)
(about 20km north-west of Sydney CBD) - pair of Powerful
Owls heard calling quite early and just before dusk, Soon after heard a
White-throated Nightjar or two and some Owlet
Nightjars. We also found an Eastern Blind Snake (Rampphotyphlops
nigrescens) feeding on ants, a Wood Gecko (Diplodactylus vittatus), disturbed
some wallabies/pademelons and heard a number of bats.
Katandra Reserve at Erina (Saturday - 13th
Jan) (about 70 km north of Sydney CBD) - whilst looking primarily for
marsupials and frogs we were delighted to see a Sooty Owl
hunting for rats near the Seymour Pond. One took off from the ground as
we approached and landed in a horizontal branch providing us with excellent
views with a nice sized rat in its talons. We also saw another Sooty Owl fly
from tree to tree, presumably trying to get one of the Sugar Gliders
which were calling in the area. The Sooty's were calling during the 3
hours we were there mainly giving their screaming calls but also the odd
falling bomb and trilling calls. We also saw a Tawny Frogmouth
and heard a Boobook Owl.
Around the pond we also bumped into a
Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus), Brown Antechinus, some
unidentified rat (similar to what the Sooty Owl caught), atleast 4 species
of Frog - Dwarf Green Tree Frog (Litoria fallax), Leaf Green Tree Frog (Litoria
phyllochroa) and Peron's Tree Frog (Litoria peronii) aswell as Striped Marsh
Frog (Lymnodynastes peronii), Grey-headed Flying Fox, microbats, wallabies,
spiders, crickets, slugs, beetles etc.
For those interested at Ourimbah (nearby), we also
heard what was most certain to be Green-thighed Frogs (Litoria
brevipalmata)after taping them calling and identified by an identification
tape.
Edwin
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