Seasonal Newsletter February 2005
Alan's Wildlife Tours
What has happened to the wet season. This report should be full of stories of
torrential downpours and the like but the few tourists who have been visiting
enjoyed great sunny weather, warm days and cool nights.
On Friday, 11/02/05, my guests and I witnessed a behaviour I have not seen
before. Two male Green Ringtails, Pseudocheirus archeri, were chasing each
other around the trees in the western part of Yungaburra State Forest. They
would bump into each other, grapple briefly and then take off again. Sometimes
one leading and sometimes the other. For those of you who know Stewart, he was
one of them. All this happened silently. So far this is normal behaviour for
Greens when there is a female in oestrus around. At other times they are the
most slothful of possums.
Then came the behaviour which was new to me. One animal was hanging by both
hind feet from a small branch, the other hung from one foot and took hold of
the first one's hind knee. The were front to front, with their backs arched
away from each other and slapping with their forepaws. I think one glancing
blow to the head was struck but mostly they missed and occasionally hits the
other's leg or foot. This lasted about five seconds before the chase resumed.
After about 20 seconds they repeated the behaviour but our view was largely
blocked. They next time they hung by their tails and actually seemed to grapple
with all eight limbs but again we did not have a clear view. Soon we had a
perfect view. The leading individual initiated the hanging after it turned to
face its pursuer. They struck at each other and the leading animal dropped from
the branch. The two males where hanging from the vine with the tails 8-10 cm
apart. Each had the other's left hind leg held in their right. (So much for
them being left footed!) Again the backs were arched away from each other and
they slapped without seeming to get a blow home. This lasted about four
seconds. The first possum to hang was the first to come upright , became the
pursuer for about two metres and then turned and fled with the other hot on its
heels. The whole of what I have reported above lasted less than three minutes.
However we had heard them crashing around for at least two minutes before we
found them and for about 30 seconds after we lost sight of them.
The presence of a Calamus tangle and guests who had not yet seen a
tree-kangaroo discouraged me from ascertaining that there was indeed a female
in the vicinity.
Talking of tree-roos, Dorothy is back! She had not been seen since September
with her young at heel. It seems that she has a small pouch young. No sign of a
young at heel which could mean that she has raised neither of her first two
offspring to independence. Of course after all that time I am not 100% that it
is Dorothy but it is in her territory, looks like her and was prepared to move
around in the open and eat while we had the spotlight on her from twenty metres
away. Not the behaviour of an animal you are spotlighting for the first time!
Jill has taken to using that part of her range which was occupied by her male
offspring, Jack. John, her current at heel young is growing well. He is still
pale for males of this population so the black paws and tail make quite a
contrast. They have both been seen feeding on the exotic Turbina vines.
Unfortunately the vine thickets sometimes make it difficult to get clear views.
Sightings of Platypus are regular in the village and always excite people
seeing them for the first time. The Agile Wallabies come out to graze along the
Petersen Creek walk in the early morning and late evening.
There have been a few sightings of waders on the Tablelands, including Little
Curlew at Kaban and near the Curtain Figtree. However with most of the waters
slowly rising there is a lack of muddy foreshore. On the Cairns Esplanade some
of the waders are moulting into their northern summer plumage. This is well
advanced in Black-tailed Godwits, Great Knot and Golden Plovers..Although only
a few of the Great Knot have the red on their wings, all that I saw were darkly
spotted on breast and flank A few of the Lesser Sand-Plovers have red breast
bands while the Curlew Sandpipers are just starting to show red through on the
breast. In March they will be at their most beautiful as the red forms a
filigree lace bib. Later it will become a solid block of colour. I could not
find any of the Broad-billed Sandpipers on my excursions to the Esplanade but
that does not mean they are not around. Large numbers of Little Terns have
replaced The Bull-billed Terns for the moment.
Varied Honeyeaters were feeding nestlings in trees of the Esplanade in mid
February. This probably represents a second brood. Scruffy looking young
Helmeted Friar-birds making a poor imitation of the adult call have misled some
into believing they have found Silver-crowned. Metallic Starlings are still
nesting in the large Kauri tree opposite the entrance to Lake Barrine. Young
birds will join in nest building soon after they fledge but I do not think they
breed at this stage. Under the colonies one can pick up all kinds of small
seeds and numerous bird lice.
Blue-faced Parrot-Finches have been seen along the escarpment country to the
east of here. At this time of year they are to be found feeding on grass seeds
at the edge of the rainforest and in gaps. They like to have trees and bushes
nearby in which to escape.
The Tooth-billed Bowerbirds have been calling as we approach the end of the
month. This is most unusual as they stopped calling at their stages about a
month ago and normally remain silent during the rest of the year. All the birds
I have found were high in the trees with no sign of a stage. The usual ploy of
the males of this species is to make a stage of upturned leaves on the forest
floor. First he will clear an area between one and two square metres of all the
fallen leaves. Fresh leaves are picked with a white or grey bloom on the
underside and placed there, upside down to make his stage. He then sits above
the stage and calls. He is a great mimic. If he is lucky enough to attract a
female he plays coy, hiding behind a sapling and then jumping out like a
begging youngster. The female does all the nest building and raising of the
chicks.
Dollarbirds have still been seen this month but it wont be long before they
head north after breeding here. I think that the Channel-billed Cuckoos and
adult Koels have flown off already. A few young Koels are still around and I
have seen three Oriental Cuckoos in the last week.
While visiting a garden which I planted about twenty years ago I was able to
point out a cluster of Cairns Hamadryad butterflies, Tellervo zoilus. What I
did not realise at the time is that this was a lek. Males of this 4.5 cm black
and white butterfly gather to show off to potential mates. Lava of this species
feed on Parsonsia vines and it is assumed that they hold the toxins from the
vine in fat cells through to the adult stage. This may provide some measure of
protection from predation for themselves and other small black and whites like
the Common Plane. It has been a good year for Helena Browns but I have only
seen one female Danaid Eggfly. Last year they were numerous.
On a drainage impeded slope of Hallorans Hill I saw some insects with
apparently two pairs of wings and two filaments from the abdomen. They had
black bodies, transparent wings and hovered like Mayflies. I do not know what
they were and was hard pressed to capture one in a way that would not kill it.
We have had a number of beautiful lacewings flying of late. Some have
diaphanous wings without any pattern while others are most delicately coloured
and patterned. Such beautiful little predators.
In the rainforest there are many ripe fruits dropping at this time of year.
While some are edible it is best not to try them as many are very nasty. Acid
Drop fruit are sweet and acidic little chains of orange nodules, five
centimetres long. The purple fruit of White Beech make a vivid splash on the
forest floor. River Cherry fruit can be anything from crimson through pink to
white but most are red. A rather drab fruiting body is of special interest.
Bowenia sectabilis is a cycad. The cones of female plants start to emerge above
the leaf litter in January and by the end of March will be splitting to reveal
two seeds per scale. Imagine a grey-green pine cone the size and shape of a
large man's fist and you will be close to the mark. The male cones were evident
in November. While some cycads are wind pollinated it is little heat seeking
beetles which visit the male and female plants of Bowenia, spreading the pollen
in the process. Butchers used to used the toxic green fronds to decorate their
displays. The dark glossy green fronds of the "everlasting fern" would contrast
with the colour of the meat, making it appear more fresh. It is only toxic if
eaten.
The Bumpy Satinash, Syzygium cormiflorum, which flowers from bumps on its trunk
is now in bud. The first flowers should be open in early April. These flowers
are visited by many animals but of great interest is the Long-tailed
Pygmy-Possum. In flower are Silver Quandong, Candle Nut and Ivory Curl Flower.
The small growing, small fruited form of the latter which is favoured as a
street tree comes from the rainforests near Yungaburra.
Regards,
Alan Gillanders
Alan's Wildlife Tours
2 Mather Road
Yungaburra 4884
Australia
Phone (07) 4095 3784
Int + 61 7 4095 3784
www.alanswildlifetours.com.au
On the beautiful Atherton Tablelands
145* 33' 25"E 17* 16' 40"S
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