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.
