Bushwalk Australia

Outside my kitchen window...


on the back step...


on the prowl...


and in the kitchen

I had lamb in my kitchen the other day too

Cesjacks near Jagungal to Thredbo and back, 9 days.
4 yellow-bellied black snakes, three wedge-tail eagles, two adult wild pigs with 12 piglets, sundry Galaxia in creeks, two DOE (or similar) parties (near Kosci), one feral chopper, two hares.

Cheers

Echidna trying to hide in the grass and numerous Koalas.

Chambers Gully area, Cleland conservation park, SA.

Michael

Australian fur seal, Penguin Island, Bruny Island

I was just checking out the rocks near the lighthouse on Bruny Island and suprised this fella sleeping. He quickly bounded down into the surf after seeing me though

Walking from the carpark up towards Mother Cummings, not the main track across the creek but the smaller one between the 2 trees to the right of the sign, right at the top of the main ascent where it levels out in the forest, there was a European Wasp nest right in the middle of the track, it was a hole in the ground, the opening was about the size of a big toe and it was right beside a nice little clump of moss and fungus. I didn't know what the hole was for, and I had got down on my knees about to get up close and personal with the fungus and my macro lens, when a wasp arrived home.
I got out of there like lightning, being very familiar with this story.

Is there a proper way of dealing with finds such as this? What's the best way to report such a find to the authorities concerned? For that matter, who are the authorities concerned? There's no log book to sign in for this walk so I am not sure it would come under the domain of Parks.

I was tempted to find a big rock and cover up the hole, but I really didn't want to annoy them. I was thinking, maybe a plastic sheet over the hole and seal up the edges, then a pinhole into their nest and spray a whole can of mortein through a tube. But, no plastic sheet, no tube, and funny enough, no mortein.
And I don't know whether they have a back door.

I did see two pink robins on the walk though, first time I had seen two pink ones together.

Boiling water. Works for ants, works for just about any bugs.
Probably get rid of a few humans too, come to think of it . . .

Back on topic, Good Friday, apart from the usual myriads of birds, bugs and brumbies, I did see something at Cowombat Flat I haven't seen in the wild for at least twenty years - a dingo. Very well fed dingo, too.

On the Overland Track last week about 0ne kilometre past Kitchen Hut we came across this platypus only one metre from the boardwalk - was not the least concerned about us and swam up and under the board walk where we were standing - a unique sight!

Boy that sounds like a pretty special experience.

ff

I just walked around Moreton Island and came across a dead turtle. Does that count?

Just about stood on this one at Bluestone Bay yesterday.


Gerry

What a remarkable coincidence. I nearly stepped on a ringtail possum who was sitting in the middle of the driveway when I came back from my evening stroll today.

That there is an Adder. It was a small one, and I was able to delay it's departure long enough to get the photo. I saw 2 more later in the trip which were a lot bigger (still small by Aussie standards) and quite wary of humans - they left in a hurry. Apparently venomous, but relatively low toxicity compared to our locals.

photohiker wrote:That there is an Adder. It was a small one, and I was able to delay it's departure long enough to get the photo. I saw 2 more later in the trip which were a lot bigger (still small by Aussie standards) and quite wary of humans - they left in a hurry. Apparently venomous, but relatively low toxicity compared to our locals.

Wow, that is a beautiful looking creature - glad I'm looking at it in a photo though and not in front of me.

Some great pics there, specially some of those beautiful snakes! Nothing to exciting to add except that last weekend when i was walking in Sundown National Park on the border of QLD & NSW I came across a herd of wild deer...! Not sure who was more suprised but in the end I suppose its yet another feral pest (the pigs and the goat are already a severe problem round those parts).

photohiker wrote:[

That there is an Adder. It was a small one, and I was able to delay it's departure long enough to get the photo. I saw 2 more later in the trip which were a lot bigger (still small by Aussie standards) and quite wary of humans - they left in a hurry. Apparently venomous, but relatively low toxicity compared to our locals.

G'day photohiker,
Where did you come across the Adder I used to see a few in Scotland when I was young .

Corvus,

Glen Feshie, around NN887890. The others I saw were in Glen Lee.

Nice One Tasallan, Ive seen one near artist pool, worder where yours came from? Perhaps heading somewhere?
Ive followed them up creeks while they feed, facinating!
I had one come out and walk between the tripod legs at Liffey Falls, jaw dropped... I followed it for 20/30mins.
Nice photo you have there!

photohiker wrote:Corvus,

Glen Feshie, around NN887890. The others I saw were in Glen Lee.

In the Lovely Cairngorams I was last there 50 years ago.

Not exactly a bushwalk, but I followed a young echidna down the drive on Sunday arvo. Dug in when the dogs came running up, but the horses didn't seem to worry him/her.

Saw this creature at Wineglass bay last weekend. She had a joey and was very friendly. I can see why people are tempted to feed them and no I didn't. She was happy to sniff my hands. Maybe the policy should be to shoo them away rather than allow contact. I certainly wouldn't be doing this to a Tiger snake though! Be interested in others thoughts on this.
Cheers
AB

Feeding kangaroos is a bit of a problem - probably most dramatically seen at Zumstein's in the Grampians, Vic.
My wife remembers the hoards of kangaroos that would line up for regular bread distribution there when she was a child.
Rangers now advise that refined bread sticks to the top of their mouths and rots - eventually killing them.

But the other downside is that now at Zumsteins there are now small areas with high fences - this is for people to eat their lunch in while keeping the roos out - because the local kangaroos can get very aggressive in trying to get food off you. Think of a 6 foot roo tackling a little 2 year old for its sandwich to get the picture of what can occur - and did I mention that an angry roo use their hind feet to attack - which are capable of ripping out your stomach.

Hi eggs,
When I was a teenager, I have seen an actual incident where someone tried to grab a Great Forester, one of the few large roos that we have left in the NE corner of Tassie. He was lucky to walk away with a badly gouged stomach!
Food envy can seriously alter the mindset of many animals; particularly if a pattern develops around people, locations and times. It even happens with my pet dog, who occasionally gets cranky if he doesn't get want he wants. Just recently, we introduced him to a small serving of dry food at breakfast as something different. Previously he only had one serving of food a day. Now he expects the food and will hover around making a nuisance of himself until he gets it. We have set the pattern and his mind is geared around it.

At Lake Eildon a couple of weeks back we had several kangas around (National park). I heard them hopping about early in the morning - about 5:30 or so. On the way back to the cars we were honked at by a Sambar deer hind (female). The hind had a youngster at foot and they skiddaddled fairly quickly. Great to see ! Regards, CV

Deer are only great to see when they're dead, skinned, gutted and butchered out. The vermin are spreading all over the High Country since the fires.

Not exactly a bush walk, but fishing the Campbells River solo just above the inflow into Ben Chifley Dam last Saturday (Hot). I had to cross a few metres of tussock to get to the water so used my fly rod (still packed in its bag) to lift the tussock before me to find a snake curled up right where I was going to walk. I Picked a different and somewhat clearer path after that. Heard loads of frogs continuously all day and saw several long neck tortoise together, looking very chummy. I stayed on clear ground or in the water after that snake encounter. On leaving the stream I had to cross the zone again so picked a rocky area with little cover and looking very carefully to make each step safe, I was surprised to discover yet another snake, head just 2 feet from my leg. I froze a sec or 2 considering the likelyhood of stepping on another if I bolted. It decided the issue by striking at my leg, flared neck and the whole works. I did a little 2 step while keeping an eye on it. It seemed to turn a bit as if to give chase but took off down hill much to my relief. The 1st one was more a gray colour and the latter one glistening red brown with a dark head not that colour means much with our snakes. Both looked dangerous to me and nice to know my reflexes are still pretty sharp if not the eye sight. I have seen many snakes while fishing and always just let them be and they have obliged in kind but this is was just too close.

Today, I'm just watching the snow fall around my home and drinking lots of hot chockolate.


Regards,
Ken

This afternoon a lace monitor and a wallaby, as well as numerous birds. The first two creatures bolted at my (probably noisy) arrival. Although I'm unsure if goannas actually have ears, as such?

Snakes are always fun eh sailfish. I'm glad our Tassie snakes are generally a bit more tolerant than that.
ff

Watch out for the Mountain Goats...
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/hiker-gored-to-death-by-goat/story-e6frfku0-1225939964888