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Natters under the Moreton Bay Fig
Ficus macrophylla |
Adapted from our newsletterOur field trip in May was to a little valley at the top end of Franklinvale Creek, tucked into the high hills of the Little Liverpool Range at Mt Mort. Over 20 members turned up quite excited about the trip in. It is a pretty drive with views to mountains all around. Mt Beau Brummel is the highest peak around, and one looks straight at it along Grey’s Plains Road. The smaller Grey’s Mountain is the next highest feature at the far end of Grey’s Creek.
A lovely sunny morning saw us walking over farm tracks and crossing small streams to see what we could see. The creeks and ridges are well vegetated and likely to have stacks of birds and creatures. Finding them was the tricky part. It was rather cold so all the birds decided to sleep-in. Getting them out of bed was a real chore. But we managed to make a decent list.
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Golden Orb-weaver
Trichonephila edulis |
Our Club emblem – Crested Hawk or Pacific Baza – made an appearance. A few butterflies were out surprisingly – the usual culprits plus a Tailed Emperor, and a few spiders.
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Garden Orb-weaver
Eriophora transmarina |
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| Dome Tent Spider Cyrtophora moluccensis |
The property is owned by Qld Trust For Nature to manage as an environmental reserve and a sustainable cattle property. Thanks to Georgie for showing us around. As the clouds gathered, we all scattered back to our homes and a nice warm fire.
More about Aroona Station
introduced species = *
Fauna
Reptiles: Dragons; Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata. Garden Skink Lampropholis delicata (under Moreton Bay Fig Ficus macrophylla at the homestead.)
Arachnids: Dome Tent Spider Cyrtophora moluccensis, Garden Orb Weaver Eriophora transmarina, Golden Orb-Weaver Trichonephila eduli (grey and brown banded legs), Bearded-legs Uloborid Uloborus barbipes.
Birds: Brown Quail, Common Bronzewing, Peaceful Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, White-necked Heron, Pacific Baza, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Masked Lapwing, Rainbow Lorikeet, Pale-headed Rosella, Pheasant Coucal, Laughing Kookaburra, Fairy-wren sp., White-browed Scrubwren, Weebill, White-throated Gerygone, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Scarlet Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Eastern Whipbird, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Australasian Figbird, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Pied Currawong, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Rose Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Mistletoebird, Double-barred Finch.
Butterflies: Small Grass-yellow Eurema smilax, Scarlet Jezebel Delias argenthona, *Monarch Danaus plexippus, Lesser Wanderer Danaus petilia, Common Crow Euploea core, Tailed Emperor Charaxes sempronius, Meadow Argus Junonia villida, White-banded Plane Phaedyma sheperdi.
Other Invertebrates: Ants; Southern Meat Ant Iridomyrmex purpureus - many, Dragonflies; Wandering Percher Diplacodes bipunctata.
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