Outing Report - Flinders Plum Reserve, September 2017

Report adapted from the October Newsletter.

The birdos all wanted a sighting 
of the White-eared Monarch

The Flinders Plum or Shiny-leaved Condoo (Planchonella eerwah) was presumed extinct for a large part of last century until its rediscovery at Ivory's Knob, southwest of Ipswich in 1980.

  
The Flinders Peak Conservation Estate has a major part of the population of these endangered trees.
 
Saturday was a beautiful spring day: warm with clear skies. Eighteen Fassifern Field Naturalists and four visitors gathered at the car park prepared to enjoy this easy return walk of 3.5 km along Sandy Creek.

We didn’t get very far before the birds took our attention in the flowering Bottlebrushes. As to be expected Scarlet and Brown Honeyeaters were in abundance along with other honeyeater species and nectar feeding birds. It was a slow walk along a very dry creek bed looking at trees, plants, flowers, insects and anything else that drew our attention, most noticeable were the majestic Hoop Pines dotted along the creek side, so glad these didn’t get logged in the early days. Silky Oaks were flowering, another haven for nectar feeding birds. Keith pointed out various trees along the way with special reference to the Small-leaved Tuckeroo and its tiny flowers.

A great find was the White-eared Monarch, not a bird often seen, and for some members this was a new sighting for them. The bird was very obliging and stayed still long enough for us to get good views as it flitted around the trees by the track. 

We finished our trip with lunch at the picnic grounds, which by the way, is surrounded by the Flinders Plum Tree. A good ending to a delightful outing. 

Species Lists 

Birds: 

Bar-shouldered Dove, Wonga Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Goshawk, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Australian King-Parrot, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Variegated Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, White-throated Gerygone, Brown Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Lewin's Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Eastern Whipbird, Varied Triller, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow, Leaden Flycatcher, White-eared Monarch, Eastern Yellow Robin, Tawny Grassbird, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Double-barred Finch, Red-browed Finch.

Butterflies: 

Clearwing Swallowtail, Common Grass-yellow, Scarlet Jezebel, Wanderer, Lesser Wanderer, Meadow Argus, Glasswing.

Mammals: 

Red-necked Wallaby.

Other Invertebrates: 

Variable Ladybird (Coelophora inaequalis), Meat Ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) and nest, Wasp - no common name (Ropalidia socialistica), Yellow Brown Paper Wasp (Ropalidia romandi), Spider Wasp (Pompilidae family).

Plants of Interest: 

Hairy Birds Eye (Alectryon tomentosus), Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), Broad-leaved Apple (Angophora subvelutina), Small-leaved Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis parvifolia), Deciduous Fig (Ficus superba var. henneana), Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta), Native Frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum), Foambark (Jagera pseudorhus), Swamp Box (Lophostemon suaveolens), White Cedar (Melia azedarach), Emu Apple (Owenia acidula), Shiny-leaved Condoo or Flinder’s Plum (Planchonella eerwah), Brush Teak (Toechima tenax).