Report on Outing: Sunday 9 August 2020

 

Leopard Ash Park (Dougal Johnston)

Sunday the 09 August was a cool windy morning. A good group collected in Charmaine Court and assembled behind the "vine scrub" out of the wind for an introduction to the remnant dry rainforest park. We then walked through the small walking track in the middle of the forest from south to north.

There is a large variety of vines, creepers, epiphytic orchids, fungus and lichen intertwined with the trees.
There are many Flindersia collina (Leopard Ash) and Geijera salicifolia var latifolia (Broad leaf Scrub Wilga).
Of note was a large Flindersia xanthoxyla (Long Jack). The birds and insects were mostly trying to hide from the wind. Morning tea at Hampton, was a bit windy. The visit to the Motleys spring and waterfall on the head-waters of Gomaren Creek followed.

Bird List (compiled by Tricia Allen)

Despite a very cold, windy and mostly cloudy morning at Leopard Ash Park, members noted a reasonable number of bird species. The following list is as they were reported.

Currawong, Double barred finch, Brown honeyeater, Crested pigeon, Lewin's honeyeater, Yellow faced honeyeater, Rainbow lorikeet, Torresian crow, Superb fairy wren, Magpie-lark, Australian magpie, Brown thornbill, Yellow thornbill, Grey shrike-thrush, Golden whistler, Spotted turtle-dove. 

Jan Veacock noted several Fork-tailed kites on route to the site. 

Praying Mantis at Leopard Ash Park  (photo: Michael McGoldrick) 

The group then travelled to Motley's property east of Haden, where, despite sunnier weather, there were few birds. However we were delighted to see a Wood Duck escorting six to eight newly hatched ducklings on their first outing. A small flock of Wood ducks flew off as we arrived, but otherwise the only birds sighted were Welcome Swallow and Masked Lapwings. (Tricia Allen). 

Headwaters of Gomaren Creek on Motleys' property (photo: Linda Mangubhai)

Plant List for Leopard Ash Park:

Exotic species		Vines
Common Name	Scientific Name	Common Name	Scientific Name
Maderia Vine Corky Passionfruit Vine Moth vine Asparagus (climbing) Basket Asparagus   Chinese elm Broad leafed privet Lantana Tree pear Box thorn Green Panic grass African Love Grass	Anredera cordifolia Passiflora suberosa Araujia sericifera Asparagus africanus Asparagus aethiopicus cv. Sprengeri Celtis sinensis Ligustrum lucidum Lantana camara Opuntia tomentosa Lycium ferocissimum Megathyrsus maximus Eragrastis curvula	Slender Grape vine Scrambling Lily Native Jasmine Monkey Rope vine Bower vine Wonga vine Barbed wire vine Wombat berry vine	Cayratia clematidea Geitonoplesium cymosum Jasminium simplicifolium Parsonia straminea Pandora jasminoides Pandorea pandoreana Smilax australis Eustrephus latifolius
		Epiphytes	Ground cover
		Rock felt fern Mistletoe	Bamboo Grass Aneilema acuminatum Stinging nettle Einadia hastata (red-berry saltbush)

Coffee bush Red ash Chainfruit Python tree Currant bush Bush caper berry Scrambling bumble-bush Silver croton Native holly Square stemmed broom Diamond-leaf pittosporum Hickory wattle Leopard ash Scrub whitewood Orange boxwood Sweet Susie Yellow wood Blunt-leaved coondoo

Breynia oblongifolia Alphitonia excelsa Alyxia ruscifolia Gossia bidwillii Carissa ovata Capparis arborea Capparis sarmentosa Croton insularis Alchornea ilicifolia Teucrum junceum Pittosporum rhombifolium Acacia implexa Flindersia collina Atalaya salicifolia Denhamia sp. Psydrax odorata Flindersia xanthoxyla Planchonella sp.

Narrow-leaf Red Olive-plum   Narrow-leaf orange thorn Box-leaf Canthium Black plum Bitterbark Hard Quandong Blind your eye tree Sandalwood Small-leaved canthium Blueberry ash Hairy Birdseye Scrub Boonaree Narrow-leaved orange bark Whalebone tree Eastern Cottonbush Broad-leaf Scrub Wilga

Elaeodendron australis var. integrifolium Pittosporum viscidum Psydrax buxifolium Diospyros sp. Alstonia constricta Elaeocarpus obovatus Excoecaria dallachyana Santalum lanceolatum Everistia vacciniifolia Elaeocarpus reticulatus Alectryon tomentosus Alectryon diversifolius Denhamia silvestris Streblus brunonianus Maireana microphylla Geijera salicifolia var. latifolia