On Saturday evening, myself and David Koffel decided to see what was out and
about in the evening in the recently heavily burnt Royal National Park (on
the southern outskirts of the Sydney metropolitan area). We did briefly
check while having dinner to see if the Little Bittern was still at the
Audley weir but it did not show itself (maybe it has moved off by now to
find its mate). We looked around in the evening between Audley and Wattle
Forest (near the northern end of the Royal NP). The only nocturnal birds
noticed that evening, was a Tawny Frogmouth accidentally disturbed from its
perch in one of the picnic areas and a few Owlet Nightjars heard. Mammals
present included a few Common Brushtail Possums and Black Wallabies (the
later feeding in the burnt areas), a Sugar Glider (heard), small
insectivorous bats and two Russa Deer (perhaps waiting to be removed!). A
Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus) was walking about inside a
rock cave beside Wattle Flat and there were 2 Eastern Water Dragons
(Physignathus l. lesueurii), with one of the latter seen resting upright on
a Eucalyptus trunk in during the night. Along the Hacking River, both Dwarf
Green Tree Frogs (Litoria fallax) and Leaf Green Tree Frogs (Litoria
phyllochroa) were abundant, and from under the leaf litter in the middle of
a recently burnt area, 2 Red-crowned Toadlets (Pseudophryne australis) were
heard (and responded to my imitations).
Has anybody out there been spotlighting in any of the burnt areas?
Edwin Vella
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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