Hello Michael
Aren¹t those little mice terrific one of the joys of the desert.
As for ants imagine a cool night between Alice Springs and Kings Canyon.
The moon is full. My daughter, then two, and I are sleeping on a tarp
beside the car. About 4 am I awake to a rustling. By moonlight I see that
we are surrounded, by countless millions of ants all heading for, it seemed,
our water container.
So, to answer your question, ants do not necessarily sleep at night!
Denise
on 9/8/11 12:48 PM, michael wood at wrote:
> Hello Mark.
>
> I guess that's one of the reasons I did ask. I am a very light sleeper and I
> can imagine it would be a horrid night/s having to deal with all the rodent
> foot traffic. The expectation alone is probably enough to keep me wired and
> awake. In saying that, it doesn't sound as though it is as bad as I imagined.
>
> It's great this rodent boom "is" taking place, and I assume has been for quite
> some time now. Nothing terribly much tends to phase me when I am out, but
> rats......? Well, we'll be finding out soon enough.
>
> Last year I stayed at Montecollina Bore for the night and the most wonderful
> spectacle kept me entertained for hours. A group of about ten Spinifex Hopping
> Mouse, maybe even Sandy Inland Mouse (I'm not sure now which one -probably the
> latter), were feeding on the seeds that had collected in the mud beneath my
> wheel arches as I readied myself for sleep right next to the vehicle. I had my
> head torch on them and they didn't seem to mind a bit, continuing on with
> their acrobatics. I was concerned they might actually find their way up into
> the engine and not find a way out. At other times, just as I was about to get
> to sleep, one would run headlong over my swag. It was fantastic. I could hear
> their footsteps. It was a great night, though! It still warms the heart to
> think of those "little guys".
>
> As for ants, Denise, I don't know about you but I seem to have a very special
> talent for finding ant nests and standing amongst them unawares whilst they
> crawl up my legs. At least I think they sleep during the night?
>
> Regards,
> Michael
>
>
> Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2011 03:23:25 +0100
> From:
> Subject: re:Rats in the corner country
> To:
> CC:
>
> Hi Michael,
> I have recently returned form Old Andado & Mac Clarke Reserve (on the other
> side of the Simpson Desert form where you plan to go) where the native rodent
> boom is in full swing. I camped for two nights and had no issues, although
> anyone who is a light sleeper might find the squeaking, sniffing and
> scrabbling noises a bit annoying. The odd one bounces over your swag and while
> the Long-haired Rats are mostly shy they are surprisingly heavy and give you a
> thump when they jump on your belly in the night! I resorted to getting into a
> bug dome at 2am after the second rat bounced on me. Present at the site were
> Long Haired Rats, Plains Mouse, Sandy Inland Mouse in huge numbers, and a few
> cheeky feral House Mice. These days I 'tick' all Aussie terrestrial
> vertebrates- not just birds- so I was as much there to see the Plains Mouse as
> the Letterwing Kites. Some people are a bit squeamish about rodents but these
> beasts are a key component of arid-zone ecological systems and the chance to
> see a major irruption event like this only comes along every decade or less so
> I'd say go for it! The rodents are the sole reason the Letterwing Kites and
> all the other predators out there are booming so its just all part of the
> experience.
> I have a few pictures of the animals I saw (all wild spotlighting shots- no
> captive) over at Wildiaries: http://aussiebirding.wildiaries.com/trips/10682
>
> Cheers
> Mark Carter
> 0447358045
> http:www.desertlife.com.au
>
>
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