August Outing Details - Dingo Mountain Parkland and the Police Paddock, 7 August 2022

We would like to respectfully acknowledge the Jarowair', Garumga, and Dalla people, Traditional Custodians, of the Crows Nest area on which our outing will take place, and pay our respects to Elders both past, present and future.  

Dingo Mountain Parkland

Time: 7.30 am for birders, 9.30 am at Crows Nest for others (both at the T-junction). 

Where: Crows Nest at the T-junction of Albert and Jones Streets and 3 Mile Road.  Carpooling in a small number of high clearance 4WDs is essential. Independent vehicular travel within Dingo Mountain Parkland is not possible. Other cars can be left at Jones Road.

Description: Dingo Mountain Parkland preserves a large area of a unique ecosystem type which occurs only on sandstone near Crows Nest. Click here for more information.

The Police Paddock is across Crows Nest Creek from Dingo Mountain and has interesting but different flora to that found in the Parkland.

Activities: Steve Plant will be our guide. An excellent botanist with comprehensive knowledge of local natural history. He will initially take us to the picnic area in the Parkland. Here you can stay and wander close by or join his guided tour of the special features of this area which includes a diverse array of native flora, birds and sandstone ledges and outcrops. This is where we will have morning tea.

Afterwards we will travel by car to the Police Paddock where Steve will lead another guided tour and we will have lunch.

Facilities: Toilets and shelters at the picnic area.

What to Bring: Members and visitors will need to bring a folding chair, morning tea and lunch. Hats and a warm jacket are advised. 

Photo: from the website https://www.crowsnest.qld.au/ 

Outing Report - 10 July 2022, Lockyer Wetlands

We would like to respectfully acknowledge the Yuggera Ugarapul people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which our outing took place, and pay our respects to Elders both past, present and future.  

Being swamped by the dairy herd
at Pagel's Rd, Lockrose.

 This outing was a drive through the Lockyer wetlands. Our first stop was at Pagels Road, Lockrose; a farm dam seen from the Brightview Road which normally would be bypassed. At the moment it is alive with birds. Though we also found dairy cows.

                  

The dairy herd from the dead tree in above pic.
The Natters cars are under the trees in the distance.

Then it was only a short drive to our morning tea stop at Jensens Swamp Environmental Reserve where we were greeted by calls of the Rainbow Bee-eaters. There were so many bush birds taking advantage of the good conditions. We wandered around the tracks and over forty bird species were recorded plus two Koalas and an Emerald-spotted Tree Frog. 

                 

Galahs at Pagels Rd

The next stop was Atkinson Dam. There wasn't much wildlife about but the Natters had a lovely,  uninterrupted  view of the dam from the lunch spot. Later, some of us had a good sighting of a high flying White-bellied Sea Eagle while others just lazed in the sunshine. 

               

The birdos in the group were looking forward to Seven Mile Lagoon as some good birds had turned up here recently. We weren't disappointed as we saw a Hoary-headed Grebe which is not a common bird for this area. 

                  

Most of the group went onto Lake Clarendon, another attractive spot. But then it was time to call it a day. Everyone agreed it had been a very memorable outing. 

Emerald-spotted Tree Frog
at Jensens Swamp

Yellow colouration on
Emerald-spotted Tree Frog at Jensens Swamp

Little Egret at Jensens Swamp

Red Tiger Assassin Bug Havinthus rufovarius

Natters enjoying their lunch at Atkinson Dam

Seven Mile Lagoon
with Mt Tarampa in the background.

       The route; starting on the right at Pagels Road 

and going anti-clockwise to Lake Clarendon

Photos: T. Allen, L. Beaton, J. Gundry, G. Walter

Species Lists for Lockyer Wetlands – 10 July 2022

_{* = introduced species}

Amphibians & Reptiles (3 species): Emerald-spotted Tree Frog Litoria peroni, Cane Toad Rhinella marina (roadkill), Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher pulcher.

Birds (77 species): Plumed Whistling Duck, Black Swan, Australian Wood Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck, Hardhead, Australasian Grebe, Hoary-headed Grebe, *Rock Dove, Crested Pigeon, Australian Darter, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Australian Pelican, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, *Cattle Egret, White-faced Heron, Little Egret, Straw-necked Ibis, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Whistling Kite, Black Kite, Brown Goshawk, Laughing Kookaburra, Nankeen Kestrel, Brown Falcon, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Stilt, Masked Lapwing, Cockatiel, Galah, Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Red-rumped Parrot, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Pale-headed Rosella, Rainbow Bee-eater, Superb Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren, Weebill, White-throated Gerygone, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Striated Pardalote, Lewin's Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Brown Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Striped Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Grey-crowned Babbler, Varied Sittella, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, White-winged Chough, Magpie-lark, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Fairy Martin, *Common Starling, *Common Myna, Mistletoebird, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin. 

Mammals (4 species): Short-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus (road kill), Koala Phascolarctos cinereus, Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus (road kill), European Hare Lepus europaeus (road kill).

Download separate species lists.

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