The Eagle has Landed

Last weekend, a young kangaroo died in open grassland - the reason for its death is unknown but may have been from a snake bite. We were unaware of its death until we noticed Wedge-Tailed Eagles (Aquila audax) feeding on the carrion.

Throughout the week, we took any opportunity to take photographs and movie bytes.

The lighter coloured eagle is a juvenile - and may be from this year, or possibly last years brood.

Juvenile

...and again

The darker individual will be either the mum or dad. To give some dimension to size, the fence post is 1250mm tall, extrapalating, the bird is just over 1000mm from head to tail.

Parent........with fresh meat on the beak

.......about to take flight

We also stitched the following movie from the footage we recorded. You notice that the local Magpies (Gymnorhina spp.) and a Little Raven (Corvus mellori) weren't too happy to have the Wedgies around, continuously hassling them both on the ground and in flight to encourage the eagles to "bugger off".

Once again, a high resolution version is located at :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK1UGWsTTFw

Enjoy!!

Safe in the Pouch

Lots of footage at the moment of mothers and their joeys. Might be a bit same-same, but we don't get sick of being in their midst, watching and observing their behaviour.

One morning we were sitting on the deck watching a small mob as they grazed. We started filming and were surprised when the mum moved towards us.

The mother was quite aware of our presence, but wasn't too fazed.

Early in the sequence, a male starts to court a female. Scratching at the ladies tail encourages her to urinate. He sniffs the urine to see if it's a good time. You can guess the rest.

In the background (easier to observe on the high definition version), their is a large male chasing off other suitors, as he was trying to have his way with one of the ladies.

A high definition version is located at :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL9sjMuKe5E

Enjoy!!

Recent sightings

Here's a snapshot of some of the sightings over the past few months.

Short-Beaked Corella pulling out Onion Grass and eating the bulbs 

Yellow-Tail Black Cockatoo's roosting in the dead branches of a tree

Crested Pigeon perched on a fence post

Local - wondering what we're doing?!?!

.......and another after rain.

Black Wallaby - minding its own business, and hoping we'll do the same.

Eastern Rosella

A pair of Sulphar-Crested Cockatoos - on the roof

Mum n' Joey - snoozing in the morning sun

Wedge-Tail Eagle - flyin' by.

Chestnut Teal family

Weasel Skink - warming up on the front garden wall 

White-Faced Heron - hangin' around the dam, hunting for frogs

.........another Wedge-Tail Eagle fly by

Pacific Heron (left) and White-Faced Heron (right) sharing the dam

Biggish male Kangaroo - grazing one morning

Five (5) White-Faced Heron's

......not good with our ID of insects........Black-Faced Percher Dragonfly (we thinks?)

Australian Kestrel - roosting on a fence post

Grazing in the evening

Hope you enjoyed!!!

Wasp - making a home

During the period between spring and summer, we observe wasps excavating holes in the ground around the home.

We're not sure whether the hole is used for catching prey, or to be used as a nest or nursery for their young, but considering the time of year, it's probably to be used as a nursery.

We know some wasps hunt spiders or caterpillars. Often, their sting only paralyses the prey. They then leave an egg near or inside the paralysed insect so once the wasp larvae emerge from the egg, they have food to eat.

We recorded one such wasp digging it's hole. We think it may be a Spider Wasp but are happy to be corrected.

A hi-res version is located at :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrAwSVXo4B4

Enjoy!!

A Tough Day at the Office

The following footage shows another young joey spending time out of the pouch. Still wonky on it's legs and repeatedly returning to mum and her teat for reassurance.

Typically, whilst others in the mob relax the mother remains standing - if danger approaches, by standing the joey has quick access into the pouch.

During the clip, you might notice a female making contact with a male (left of screen). This is most unusual as it's normally the male that initiates contact. The male pays no attention so the female moves away and lays down herself.

Apologies for the bumpy film.

Noting, a high resolution movie is available at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4AS3Kk9O1w

Enjoy!!

Snakes around the home

This year has been a very good year for snakes - having sighted many more snakes than previous. Notably, it was a very good winter. Consistent rains, extending well into summer with mild weather and no days of sweltering heat (to date at least)............we still have green grass in the paddocks.

Once again,  a Lowland Copper Head Snake (Austrelaps superbus) has taken up residence under the deck. Just like snakes of previous years, the process is essentially the same. Up at 8am, sunning itself for around ½ an hour, before heading off to the dam to hunt.

Warming up in the sunshine

Returning from the dam around 2 hours before sundown, there's another warm up for ½ an hour, before retiring below deck. If a cool change is coming through, the snake will often be home an hour or so before the change.

The Copper Head returns to his abode.

On one occasion, a Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) had a look under the deck. We didn't see it leave but it hasn't been sighted for a few weeks so we assume it has gone elsewhere.

A Tiger Sanke checking out the Copper Head's abode

Just recently, we were recording a Lowland Copper Head as it attempted to shed its skin. It was searching for a suitable location where it could wedge itself between two tufts of grass and by pushing past, shed the outer layer of skin. We often find the skins laying on the ground.

We had been filming for almost 30 minutes - unfortunately, it had been unsuccessful in finding suitable vegetation in which to wedge itself. We had switched off the camera when Janet noticed a Tiger Snake making its way towards the Copper Head we had been filming.

We were unclear how each would behave - were they friends or foe, so we restarted the camera and recorded what happened.

Although both snakes are documented as dangerously venomous, we find the Lowland Copper Heads quite timid, shying away and heading off in another direction when approached.

With the broad flat head and more forward facing eyes, the Tiger Snake is certainly an intimidating sight. A Tiger Snake is more likely to stand it's ground, and on a couple of occasions, we have had them rise up in front of us before slapping their head on the ground - sorta like beating its chest. That generally sends us in the other direction!

More information can be found at :
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Tiger-Snake/
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Copperhead

A mother and her joey

Spring is done, so many mothers are busy tending to the needs of their young - the following footage of a mother kangaroo and her joey was recorded a few days before Christmas.

Based on the wonkiness of the joey's legs, it's probably only the third or fourth time out of the pouch. Typically, the joey stays close to mum and keeps going back for reassurance, sticking it's head in the pouch to suckle on a teat before getting distracted and focusing on other matters............not unlike a human child. As is the way with native wildlife, there's lots of itching and scratching, scratching and itching.

The mum appears to be an experienced mum and will have had a few joeys over the years. She is on the alert, attentive, and seems quite sensitive to the joey's needs.

Have a Happy and Safe Festive Season!!

A Wallaby Joey revisited

Leaving the camera at the usual location, we gleaned a few more hours of footage of amongst other things, a mother wallaby and her joey. This is the wallaby mother with the "pinky" from an earlier posting : Wallaby Flat - a week in the life : Part 1

We've condensed the recorded movie grabs into just on 4 minutes and you'll witness lots of scratching and grooming, the testing of legs, annoying mum, foraging, feeding from mum, and at the end of the footage, returning to the pouch due to the mother wallaby sensing danger.

The wallaby joey is very strong with it's jumping so early in it's development - in contrast, kangaroo joeys can be quite clumsy when initially using their legs to jump, and it takes a little while for the kangaroo joey's to control the power in their hind legs.

When kangaroo mobs graze around the house, we often hear the kangaroo mother's give a clicking sound, which alerts the joeys to return to the pouch. Occasionally, the mother kangaroo will give the joey a reaffirming "hurry up" by tapping them on their back.

In the attached footage, the wallaby mother does a similar action. As there's no audio, we don't know if Wallabies "click" but somehow the joey knew that it was time to get back into the pouch.

Enjoy!!

A little bit of privacy...please

Been a while since our last post.........been busy!!

We recently took the following footage through the shower door - fortunately the reflectance of the glass prevented the roo from seeing in. We don't feed any of the animals that frequent our property, so being a wild animal with little human interaction, had it spotted me it would certainly have taken flight.

We often have roos come to the doors and scratch on the glass so this isn't such an odd occurence - special, but not odd.

Enjoy!!

Happy Trails

We reckon there are three (3) or four (4) different mobs of kangaroos which frequent our property.  It's hard to determine due to the difficulty of recognising one mob from another, but from time to time, a kangaroo or two with distinguishing features facilitates the identification of a particular mob.

The mobs vary in size, and sometimes mobs break up into smaller groups, as they graze or bask in the sun, or hide from the wind or rain. Regathering into the large mob at another time or location.

The mobs tend to follow the same trails as they move about the country, moving from one grazing location to the next. We also use their trails as they often provide a gentler and easier traverse of steep slopes.

The following footage was taken using the motion camera secured to the branch of a fallen tree overhanging one of the trails. The footage provides some perspective of the size of the larger mobs. You'll notice other kangaroos moving in the same direction but through the bush, rather than using the trail.

Enjoy

A wallaby named "Horse"

Since the recording of two (2) female wallabies with joeys (blogged previously), we've been endeavouring to secure more footage - as we were keen to witness the development of the joeys over time.

We've been leaving the camera out at the same location but it seems that a male has taken over the spot the ladies had been frequenting. Over the past few weeks, this particular male keeps popping up in the video bytes. He spends much of the time itching, scratching, and grooming. The rest of the time is spent sunning himself, and generally lazing about.

Sitting with the tail outstretched between the legs is quite a common behaviour, and should be noted, is also exhibited by kangaroos. It looks uncomfortable but allows them to preen and tend to the tail; getting rid of ticks and such like.

During the period he's frequented the site, there's been no evidence of other wallabies, suggesting his presence minimises the occurrence of others - possibly for territorial reasons. It's early days but we'll continue to record and see whether our considerations are validated.

We'll continue to pursue footage of either or both of the joeys' development, but for the moment, we'll have to be satisfied with footage of the male wallaby we've named "Horse".

Boys will be Boys

We find kangaroos to be extremely social animals, and we witness young males staying with their mother for 18 months, and the females can stay for two or three generations - so it is not uncommon the see a female with two young on the go.

There social structure is quite complex and seems much like human behavior in many ways. For example, it's the female which deems which male will be a likely suitor. Similarly, the displays the males put on to attract females are not unlike the interaction witnessed at a local nightclub or singles bar - the men jockeying for position, flexing their muscles, oozing testosterone, in the hope of impressing one of the females. As mentioned in a previous blog, the Alpha male has the best chance to serve.

To develop the techniques and the skills needed for the displays put before the females, male kangaroos start to box as soon as they leave the pouch. Initially, with mum, then with trees and shrubs, and later, with other young males. Continually improving skills and endeavouring to improve their position in the hierarchy, until a time comes that they need to face off against the reigning Alpha male.

The following footage is an example of two (2) young males - probably a couple of years old. These guys are still clumsy on their feet and have a long way to progress..

Enjoy!!

Not seeing the forest for the trees

For various reasons, much of our time is spent out of the gully - the main reason is that most of the works, whether it be weeding or planting, occurs on other areas of the property. In the "modified" areas which were logged or clear felled in the past. The gully in contrast, is essentially remnant so weeding is the only requirement. We also limit access to the gully to minimise disturbance and to avoid phytophthora and other pathogen contamination (http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/plants-and-animals/invasive-species/invasive-diseases-phytophthora-cinnamomi ). 

On a few occasions throughout the year, we do enter the gully - negotiating it's full length from the Swamp Paperbark (Melaleauca ericifolia) and Tea Tree (Leptosprurmum lanigerum) scrub, past the Rough Tree Fern (Cyathea australis) forests and the patch of Mutton-Wood (Rapanea howittiana) and giant Black-Woods (Acacia melanoxylon), through to where the tributory merges with Wallymerong Creek (Main Creek). Our reason for entering the gully on this occasion was to hand-weed "forget-me-nots" and any pasture grasses that may have emerged since our last sorte'. 

The "forget-me-nots" were a real problem when we first purchased the property. In May. we would start at the top/start of the gully, hand-weeding the seedlings. Every weekend and any other spare moment between May and October was spent pulling them out. We would stop in October when the seeds  set - due to the "sticky" feature of the seed, we effectively became vectors. So rather than distribute the seed, we'd leave the gully in October and wait until the following year to re-commence. It took ten (10) years before we completed the full length of the gully in a single year.  

Notably, this year took us only two (2) days to traverse both sides of the gully and complete our "forget-me-not" weeding regime for the year. Next year will be the proverbial "walk in the park".

On the recent sorte'  we took the camera with us to record some images. 

They're attached for your interest. 

Swampy Scrubby area at the head of gully

More a little further down the gully

Lichen and Fungus noted along the way

More of the same but different

The dead Tree Fern Fronds suggest dryness - but it's pretty damp down there

A Tree-Fern Nook

The tributary is sand over basalt

More indicators of dampness

Some the Rough Tree-Ferns are 4~5 metres (12 ~ 15') tall

A bright Orange Fungus

Base of a tree

Spring has Sprung............and the Reptiles have emerged

Just a quick post.

The first day of September was a warm sunny day with a top temperature around 25°C (77°F). The warmth of the day brought out a few of the reptiles.

A rather large Copper-Head - beside the dam

A fat n healthy Blue Tongue Lizard - at the front of the home

Another Copper Head near the rear deck

....and another Blue Tongue

Since last week, the Blue Tongues have been seen basking in the sun at every possible opportunity.  

The snakes on the other hand have not been out again - maybe they've had a quick feed and are having another snooze until the warm weather is a little more consistent.

Voyeuristic Tendencies

As mentioned in a previous blog, our home acts as a hide, so we often find roo's looking through the windows.

The kangaroo's are very inquisitive, so it's not too surprising to have them peering through the windows and with glazing being reflective, they're often more focused on their own reflection than on what's going on inside.

The following photo was taken last Saturday. This young lady has a little pinky in her pouch, with another joey "on the foot", not too far away (not in shot).

After taking a few snaps, we were fortunate enough to also get a wee bit of footage before she ambled away.  

Enjoy!!

A hi-res video can be viewed at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-d6vN7q6M

........................and found the following snaps in our photo archive:

A young fella looking at us, looking back at him - through the kitchen window

Peering out the front door with the camera, careful not to disturb mum with young joey in pouch

Lounging around the deck one sunny morn'.

This fella was way too intimidating to venture outside - taken from the safety of the home

The elusive Arboreal Wallaby : rediscovered?

Our mailbox is located some 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) from our home. We often walk to the box to collect our mail - the journey takes us along the gully and due to the topography, we can peruse and view the other side of the gully as we walk along the roadside. During these walks, we often witness unique and unusual events.

A while back, maybe a year or two ago, Janet and I spotted a Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) standing on a tree that had fallen across the gully. Unusual in itself, to see a wallaby perched on a log, but more so when we noted that the wallaby was some 3 to 4 metres (9 to 12 feet) above the gully floor. We are unsure whether the wallaby was using the tree to get across the gully, or for other means, and at that time, we didn't have a camera with us so were unable to record the event.

Yesterday, on one such walk to collect mail, we once again observed a wallaby perched on a fallen tree. We were heading out, so checked to see if the wallaby was still there on the return trip and sure enough, it was. By the time we got home and grabbed the camera at least an hour had passed since our first sighting.

Fortunately, we were able to get the following shots.

The day was overcast with scattered showers throughout the day. The wind strength was 5~10 kph (3~6 mph) in exposed areas, although the wind was negligible this deep in the gully.

We went to the spot to assess the actual height and observed that the wallaby was about 1.2 metres (4 feet) above the ground, and wallaby scats were found along 4 metres (12 feet) of the tree trunk.

No, they aren't really called Arboreal Wallabies, but it does give some insight into the evolutionary link Wallabies have to the real Tree Kangaroo's found in Northern Queensland and Papua-New Guinea.

More info on the Tree Kangaroo can be found here :

http://www.tree-kangaroo.net/tkInfo.html

or here;

http://www.ozanimals.com/wildlife/Mammal/Kangaroos,Wallabies.html