Outing Report - Pine Tree Creek Scrub, 15 September 2018

A walk up along a forested gully at Black Rock in September was just a delight. The creek had some water in it even though the rest of the area looked dry. Apparently, the creek never goes dry, and this supports an interesting forest.

Pine Tree Creek

Everwhere was so dry

However there were some lovely waterholes all along the creek bed

The waterholes had plenty of aquatic life including the Slender Yabby (Cherax dispar). Unidentified species also found were shrimp, water boatmen, whirligigs, and skaters.

Slender Yabby (Cherax dispar)

Hunting dragonflies at the dam on the creek

We came to a patch of Dry Vine Scrub with some notable species - Peanut Tree with some old and new fruit pods, a very tall White Tamarind, and a Hairy Bird’s Eye with a few red fruits and a beetle in large numbers, mating on the ground under the tree. 

Soapberry Bug (Leptocoris rufomarginatus or Leptocoris tagalicus) under a Hairy Alectryon (Alectryon tomentosus) or Hairy Bird's Eye tree. Can you find the mating pair in the centre of the photo?

A beautiful Platycerium specimen surviving the drought

A Tick Orchid (Dockrillia linguiformis) in full flower 

A young Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) after which the creek is named

Species list. Pine Tree Creek, Black Rock Rd, Coochin, Qld, 15 September 2018
Birds: Australian Wood Duck, Bar-shouldered Dove, Straw-necked Ibis, Spotted Harrier, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Masked Lapwing, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Australian King-Parrot, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Weebill, White-throated Gerygone, Striated Pardalote, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Scarlet Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Little Friarbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Olive-backed Oriole, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Leaden Flycatcher, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Mistletoebird.

Mammals: Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Dingo/Feral Dog (scats only).

Butterflies: Orchard Swallowtail, Lemon Migrant, Yellow Migrant, Common Albatross, Wanderer, Lesser Wanderer, Common Crow, Evening Brown.

Dragonflies: Blue Skimmer, Common Glider, Wandering Percher.

Other Invertebrates: Soapberry Bug (Leptocoris rufomarginatus or Leptocoris tagalicus) on and under Hairy Alectryon (Alectryon tomentosus) tree. Slender Yabby (Cherax dispar). Shrimps - unknown species. Different types of water beetles and bugs; skaters, boatmen and whirligigs. Mud Dauber and Potter wasps – nests of several different species.

Amphibians: Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (calling from a little side gully filled with sedges.)

Reptiles: Lace Monitor (dead), Garden Skink
.
Some of the plants noticed on the way: Maidenhair (Adiantum sp.), Hairy Alectryon or Hairy Birds Eye (Alectryon tomentosus), Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), Slender Tick -trefoil (Desmodium gunnii), Tick Orchid (Dockrillia linguiformis), White Tamarind (Elattostachys xylocarpa), Bats Wing Coral Tree (Erythrina numerosa), Blue Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis), Rock Fig (Ficus macrophylla), Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus), Red Kamala (Mallotus philippensis), Snowwood (Pararchidendron pruinosum), Elkhorn (Platycerium bifurcatum), Billy Buttons (Pycnosorus globosus), Peanut Tree (Sterculia quadrifida).