Hi there bird lovers - "stone the crows," what a start to the year it has been.The changeable weather didn’t dampen spirits of our guests and has worked to compact the tracks, making for some good four-wheel-driving on Fraser Island. We’re also pleased to reports that the sun has been shining on Fraser, Dingo mums are teaching their pups to hunt, the waterways are alive with Threadfish Salmon and Catfish and our island amphibians are enjoying being in the spotlight.
Down on the beach the usual shorebirds could be seen eagerly going about their business, searching the intertidal environment for their morning meal. Eastern Curlews with their long, perfectly-equipped beaks probed for tasty worms and crustaceans deep within the sand. White Faced Herons (pictured) and Striated Herons were also spotted along the western beach this month - these graceful and intelligent birds could be seen silently stalking their fish prey... and our early morning bird walkers lapped it all up.
Within the resort grounds a flowering Pink Doughwood was easily the highlight of the month’s bird walks as a collection of exceptionally beautiful birds came to feed on its nectar. Scarlet Honeyeaters flitted from flower to flower - the male’s vibrant red feathers even more stunning when illuminated by the morning sunlight. These creatures were a photographer's dream as they went about their morning unconcerned with the inquisitive twitchers below. Dusky Honeyeaters and Lewin’s Honeyeaters were also regular visitors to the buffet!
Also worth noting were some of the weird and wonderful avian calls that filled the morning air around the resort this month. Resident Noisy Friar Birds sat high in the paperbarks busily preening, whilst occasionally stopping to ring in the morning with their peculiar chortle. The infamous Laughing Kookaburra's taunting cackle turned heads as the cheeky birds went about chasing each other or taking a cooling dip in the fresh water creeks and lakes throughout the Wallum Scrub. And of course who could forget the Eastern Whipbird’s quintessentially Australian sound of the male calling out to his mate.
What a month! This is Ranger Kat signing off til the end of Feb.
