Monday, October 29, 2012

Walk among the Wildflowers.


Stanthorpe is very lucky to have a group of wildflower enthusiasts, the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium.
Each Spring this group conducts a series of wildflower walks in various parts of the Granite Belt.
Today was my first walk with them, and it was in Girraween National Park, along the Mt. Norman section.

Getting to the starting point for the walk was an unknown for many of us, but the group is well organised, and signs were found at every road junction from Wallangarra into the Mt. Norman track.






And along the way, the last section of which was an unsealed road, there were gates to open, and close!

No mistaking this.


Before starting the walk, where to park?
I was almost last to arrive so space along the track was at a premium.    Car parking was an exercise in manoeuvring and tight turns.....the track was narrow, and there were lots of vehicles about.

A bike would have been good idea, from the parking point of view.
After parking (wish there were such things as fold-up cars!), I joined the rest on the walking track.

They were an enthusiastic bunch of Nature and Wildflower lovers, all checking plants and checking classification with one another.
And at various sections one of the group leaders would stop, and point out an interesting plant for us to admire....and attempt to classify!
There were a couple of participants who could rattle off nearly every plant's Latin name.
Very impressive stuff.


We may look a motley crew, but we aren't!

We're really quite a pleasant group, all interested in plants.



One of the group leaders explaining about a plant for us.

...and another leader explains about another wildflower.

Like many other National Parks, Girraween is a wild and beautiful place.
Its colours are predominantly grey, due to the huge granite boulders.

This photo gives you an idea about Girraween...mainly grey, with granite boulders.
But with Spring here, there are splashes of colour amongst the grey.

In this section of the park neither the Flannel Flowers, nor the Wattles were out....but the plants had plenty of buds, just ready to burst.  It was a pity, because the Flannel Flowers, in bloom are glorious, as are the trees of golden Wattle. 

But here are a few of the other plants I saw today. And when I photographed these I was wishing for a you-beaut, technically-up-to-date camera....my shots are not too good, but you will get the general idea (I hope)

I think that this is a Guinea Flower. (Hibbertia)

New England Tea tree (Leptospermum)
The above photograph does not do justice to the Leptospermum, which was a delicate shade of pale pale pink, merging into white.

One of the Boronias (F. Myrtaceae)


And a blue-flowered something...never found out the name of this, but it was a pretty splash of colour.


One of the many heaths in this section of the park (F. Ericaceae)


A Banksia.....Family Proteacae



Beware...a nest of "itchy grubs"

Can you see the small caterpillars crawling over the surface of the nest? If they crawl on your skin you do get very itchy, because their surface hairs are brittle, and pierce your skin, which results in the itch and/or a rash......very very unpleasant.
So such a nest should always be admired  from a safe distance...as you can see in the next photo.

A wise viewing distance!
 (No plant, animal, or person was harmed during the Wildflower Walk...I feel sure that this puts your minds at rest!)

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Our Striated Pardalotes

I seem to be on an avian kick at the moment, don't I?
The Great Northern Bower Bird last blog, and now, back at the farm, I am going to write a little about our Striated Pardalotes.(Pardalotus striatus)


The photo below is of this bird.    Isn't it gorgeous? (I don't think the purists would appreciate me referring to a small bird as "gorgeous" but there it is. That's how I see it.)

You can see the bright yellow markings on its chest and above its eyes.



I think that this is the female...she(?) is smaller than the other one...the male(??)





Here is the pair....male in front of the female.

Pardalotes  are common all over Australia, with different types restricted to various areas. e.g. the Forty Spotted Pardalote is found only in a very small area of Tasmania.   But our Striated Pardalote is one of the more common ones. It is found practically Australia wide.

This pair has nested in the base of one of our pot plants.


The male is perched on the rim of the thyme pot plant.


And beside that pot is the "nest"....it is in the base of the pot beside the thyme. Both pots sit on one of our  tank-stands.



Yes, the birds enter via the rectangular opening at the base of the pot.
Not a very salubrious looking dwelling, is it, but the pardalote rating for housing suitability must rate this well.



There...can you see a Pardalote head peeking out from the pot?
And here is a photo of one of the pair leaving the nest/ pot.





There is no way to see into their nest, so I have no idea how many eggs have been laid, or how many will hatch, but both birds are busy feeding their young.
They seem to take it in turns to get food.....one stays in the nest while the other searches for food.
When the food-carrier returns, the nest bird leaves and the food-carrier enters the nest.
They communicate by song.
 
The series of photos below shows the birds with food in their beaks.
It is difficult to see exactly what is being carried inside to the baby bird/s, but you will see a grub or millipede, and various flying insects.

There on the left-hand pot is a Pardalote with a grub/worm/millipede in its beak.
It looks like a small white butterfly is "dinner"
......and for variety, a yellow-winged insect.
...and another grub



...and this looks like a small grasshopper.



I am deriving a lot of pleasure from watching these two small birds tend their nest.
And of course, I hope to see the new birds in the next few weeks.