July: What A 'Turtlely' Awesome Month On Fraser Island

As July rolled in, it was obvious that Queensland’s winter was well and truly upon us.

While the nights were brisk, they were well worth braving to experience the amazing nocturnal wildlife here on Fraser Island.

As is the case throughout winter, Squirrel Gliders made appearances on most nights. This month however we were lucky enough to be graced with rarer sightings of Sugar Gliders and even a Feather-tail Glider!

The cool night air did not slow down life in the trees with frequent sightings including several Micro Bat species and three species of Flying Fox - the Grey Headed, Black and the Little Red. Fantastic stuff and our resort guests loved it!

An abundance of animals of a smaller scale appeared throughout the month, with a variety of spiders including the Golden Orb Weavers and Net-casting Spiders. The wonderful array of arachnids was commonly sighted on the roadside and amongst the Wallum - to the accompaniment of chirps from our wetland Rocket frogs.

Notable sightings for the month included a Tawny Frogmouth (pictured) and a rare sighting of Grassland Melomys in the Wallum. A single Green Sea Turtle was spotted off the Jetty – signalling spring is not far off. We’re pleased to report greater numbers were also seen towards the end of the month – a clear sign that things are getting warmer.

The ocean provided a variety of marine life including the usual Stingrays; however a greater number of Gudgeons, Garfish, Bream, Whiting and Flathead have been spotted, which indicates the change in the weather. Long Finned Eels and a Moon Snail topped off the memorable marine sightings for July.

Look forward to chatting critters next month.
Cheers Ranger Kat.

Moving Through July With A Spring In Our Step

Hi-De-Ho from Fraser Island

Very little rainfall was recorded for the whole of July… and the beautiful clear mornings that we experienced this month provided perfect conditions for our feathered friends and twitchers alike.

Our resident Buff-banded Rail made appearances on several mornings around the resort’s lakes. We also spotted a newcomer to our shores in the shape of a Dusky Moorhen (pictured), which was seen gliding through reflective waters of our mirror lakes in search of its morning meal.

Throughout the Wallum, White-cheeked Honeyeaters were out in force. As usual, these handsome birds put on a great show for guests by chasing each other through the vegetation or hanging upside down on the Casuarina branches.

Noisy Friarbirds were also entertaining to watch as they stripped soft bark off our Paperbark trees and flew - with mouths full - to construct their new nest. Blue-faced Honeyeaters also had nesting in mind. Pairs of these striking birds were spotted flying overhead with various twigs and vines in tow.

Down by the beach, our gorgeous Welcome Swallows could be seen busily collecting sand and mud in their beaks. Each year these little birds set about the laborious task of building their precariously-perched mud nests under the resort’s jetty. And we’re there to keep an eye on their progress.

The delight of the month though was a flock of Galahs that we spotted one morning down at the beach. These beautiful birds are rarely seen around the resort and were quite a welcome surprise in July.

Can’t wait to see what August brings…until next time…