Forester Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis)

A small video showing a mob of Forester Kangaroos  (Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis) at Narawntapu National Park in Tasmania. I counted over 80 kangaroos in the Springlawn area on Monday.

The Forester is the Tasmanian subspecies of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo. (Skippy the bush kangaroo was a female Eastern Grey) Males can weigh over 60kg and when standing upright can be 2m tall. (over 6 feet) This makes them the worlds second largest marsupial after the Red Kangaroo.

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Wildlife Watching at Narawntapu National Park

On Monday we enjoyed a day  out at Narawntapu National Park. The highlight of the day for me came just as we were leaving. There is a small ephemeral body of water that comes quite close to the road. We stopped to make a final scan, with binoculars, across the water and surrounding field.  Sure enough there were several species I had not already seen that day. Great egret, Australasian pipit, Flame robin, White-fronted chat, and two Black-fronted dotterels. The dotterels were foraging along the edge of the water and gradually making there way around to where we were parked. I've been trying to get a reasonable photo of these birds for a long time so this was my big chance. I was quite happy with the results:

 

 

Black-fronted dotterels

Other highlights included seeing 74 Forester Kangaroos; the most I have ever seen there. There were the usual Bennett's wallabies, and Tasmanian pademelons. We only spotted one Wombat. Some years ago I remember counting over 80 wombats within just a couple of kilometres but, sadly, the population has been decimated by mange. Five mammal species in all if I include the European rabbit.  All but the rabbit can be seen in the following video.

There were not a lot of birds present at the hide apart from four rather entertaining Musk ducks. One just wanted to spin around in circles on the water while trying to doze.

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A Wet but Pleasant Day at Narawntapu

Earlier this month we went with friends to Narawntapu National Park having virtually guaranteed they would get a good view of a wombat. Upon arrival it was dull, overcast and the place seemed to be devoid of life bar a couple of ravens flying overhead.

We took a walk to the lagoon bird hide and along the way we did spot a few Pademelons. We also found some nice fungi. The shot below is a little over exposed as I had not yet figured out how to reduce the flash intensity on the new camera and did not have the manual with me.

Fungus along the track to the hide
(ID Suggestions welcome)

Half way to the hide, the heavens opened up and we got a good drenching. From the hide itself there was not a lot to be seen. Even the ducks were taking shelter. However, we did get good views of some Hoary-headed grebes which were feeding just in front of us. According to the Birddata site they are fairly common around here but I rarely see them. A lull in the rain allowed for a couple of photographhs. Indeed, these are the first photos I've managed to get of them.

Hoary-headed Grebe - Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Breeding plumage

Hoary-headed Grebe - Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Non breeding plumage

On the far side of the lagoon there was a mob of Forester Kangaroos but too distant to get a photo. We returned to the main picnic area and enjoyed a good BBQ lunch and some shelter from the continuing showers. Finally I spotted a couple of wombats through the binoculars. We started walking up the Springlawn track in the hope of a better view but after only 100 metres or so we were called back. A wombat had made an appearance. It was a little wet like the rest of us but at least it allowed me to shoot a few photographs.

A rather wet Wombat - Vombatus ursinus

Wombat close up - Vombatus ursinus

A Bennet's Walaby also made a brief appearance before returning to the shelter of the scrub.

Bennet's Wallaby - Macropus rufogriseus
The little streaks in the photo are rain drops.

So despite the rain it wasn't a bad day out. We only seen 12 species of bird. The best sighting was the Dusky Woodswallows. There were only about 5 within the park but along the roadside outside the park there were 100's of them busily feeding. No doubt they were preparing to migrate to a sunnier climate.

Birds seen during visit:

1. Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
2. Australasian Shoveler [sp] (Anas rhynchotis)
3. Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea)
4. Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus)
5. White-faced Heron [sp] (Egretta novaehollandiae)
6. Little Pied Cormorant [sp] (Microcarbo melanoleucos)
7. Tasmanian Nativehen (Tribonyx mortierii)
8. Masked Lapwing [sp] (Vanellus miles)
9. Brown Thornbill [sp] (Acanthiza pusilla)
10. Grey Butcherbird [sp] (Cracticus torquatus)
11. Dusky Woodswallow [sp] (Artamus cyanopterus)
12. Forest Raven (Corvus tasmanicus tasmanicus)

Narawntapu Marsupials

Yesterday we took an overseas visitor to Narawntapu National Park. She was quite impressed with the local wildlife, particularly the close encounters with the wombats.

(Click to enlarge photos)

Wombat Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis

This is a Tasmanian subspecies of the Common Wombat. There is also another subspecies, Vombatus ursinus ursinus, which is found on Flinders Island.

Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus)

This is the Tasmanian subspecies of the mainland Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus banksianus). Bennetts wallabies are a little smaller and have longer fur.

Tasmanian Pademelon (Thylogale billardierii)

This species is extinct on the mainland.

Forester Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis )

The Forester kangaroos were keeping their distance as usual. These are the Tasmanian subspecies of the mainland "Eastern Grey" kangaroo and are listed as a threatened Species. There was a mob of 10 at the western end of the Springlawn area.

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Musk Ducks - a-splishin' and a splashin'

Biziura lobata

We took advantage of yesterdays public holiday to visit Narawntapu National Park. While most of the time was spent enjoying a BBQ and the beach we still managed to see 30 species of bird (see list below), as well as the usual kangaroos, pademelons, and wombats. A little outside the park area, we also saw an echidna. While there, we payed a visit to the lagoon bird hide. The lagoon itself is looking healthy with the water level the highest I've seen in in my limited three years of visiting this site.

The highlight for the day was having 3 male Musk ducks displaying right in front of the hide. So close in fact that I had to wait for them to move further out so I could focus on them with my camera. We also spotted one female.

(Click on images to enlarge)

Musk Duck (Male)

Splish Splash, I was takin' a bath
Long about a saturday night, yeah

Musk Duck (Female)

Rub-a-dub, just relaxin' in the tub
Thinkin' everything was alright

Male displaying
Yes, I was a-splishin' and a splashin'
I was a-rollin' and a-strollin'
Yeah, I was a-movin' and a-groovin'...woo!

Male displaying

We was a-reelin' with the feelin'..ha!
We was a-rollin' and a-strollin'
Movin with the groovin'
Splish splash, yeah!

Male

Male - Detail of lobe

Below is a list of all 30 birds species seen at Narawntapu for the day:

1. Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
2. Australian Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides)
3. Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea)
4. Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
5. White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
6. Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
7. Australasian Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo novaehollandiae)
8. Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
9. Tasmanian Nativehen (Tribonyx mortierii)
10. Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
11. Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)
12. Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)
13. Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
14. Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus)
15. Swift Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
16. Brush Bronzewing (Phaps elegans)
17. Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)
18. Blue-winged Parrot (Neophema chrysostoma)
19. Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)
20. Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)
21. Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)
22. Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
23. Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)
24. Satin Flycatcher (Myiagra cyanoleuca)
25. Forest Raven (Corvus tasmanicus tasmanicus)
26. Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
27. Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)
28. Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
29. Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)
30. Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella)

* Song Lyrics above from Bobby Darin's, Spish Splash

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Slime Moulds

What can I tell you about Slime Moulds? Well they are slimy .....and they look mouldy :-) That's close to the sum of my knowledge of the subject although they are indeed fascinating life forms. For a long time they were considered a form of fungi but these days they are placed in the Kingdom Protista or Protozoa.

Apparently the largest slime moulds can cover an area of up to thirty square meters. That's reminiscent of that old Steve McQueen classic, "The Blob". Even scarier is the thought that they can plot a course through a maze in order to get to a food source. (Ref) Don't forget, if you are searching on the Net for further information, that the Americans use the spelling 'mold'.

Here are a couple of Tasmanian Slime Moulds. If and when I identify them I will edit this post to include there names. The first three photos below are of a Slime Mould I found at Romaine Park the other day. It was growing on the sawn end of a large old Eucalytpus log.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Slime Mould - Romaine Park

Slime Mould - Romaine Park

Slime Mould Detail - Romaine Park

The next photo was taken at Narawntapu National Park. I'm not even sure if this one is actually a slime mould or not. Maybe someone can shed some light. It was growing at the base of a large tree stump.

Slime Mould ? - Narawntapu National Park

.....and just for a bit of fun, here are the lyrics from the opening theme song of "The Blob", and a you tube video so you can sing along:

Beware of the blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the blob

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Clematis in Bloom

.....Clematis microphylla

While at the Narawntapu National Park on Friday there were clematis plants in full bloom all through the scrub behind Bakers Beach. I've included a few shots below. It is Clematis microphylla and it has the most unimaginative common name ever - Short Leaved Clematis.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Clematis microphylla - Short Leaved Clematis

Clematis belong to the familiy Ranunculaceae. There are 5 native species of Clematis in Tasmania plus one introduction. They are:

• C. aristata
• C. clitoroides
• C. decipiens
• C. gentianoides
• C. microphylla
• C. vitalba (Introduced)

....and for today, that's your bloomin' lot

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Narawntapu Marsupials

.....Wildlife watching at its easiest

The Narawntapu National park (Formerly Asbestos Range National Park) is located on the north coast between Port Sorrel and the Tamar. The park was declared in 1976. Some have referred to it as the "Serengeti of Tasmania". A bit of an exaggeration? Well maybe, but the area is certainly host to a great variety of wildlife, much of which can be seen at close quarters. There are 20 species of mammal in the park. Of these there are four marsupials which are very easy to find. They are:

• Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis - Forester Kangaroo
• Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus - Bennetts Wallaby
• Thylogale billardierii - Tasmanian Pademelon
• Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis - Common Wombat

The Forester Kangaroo (Tasmanian subspecies of the Eastern Grey) was reintroduced to the area in 1975. While I often see these around the Springlawn area, they are more timid than the other macropods as can be seen from my photo.

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis - Forester Kangaroos - keeping their distance

Bennets Wallaby (also known as the Red-Necked Wallaby) is the most approachable. The ones around the picnic area will often come begging for food. Please don't oblige them as processed foods can cause health problems for them such as "Lumpy Jaw".

Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus - Bennetts Wallaby

The Tasmanian Pademelon, (now extinct on the mainland) is also easy to see. Take the short walk from the picnic area to the bird hide and you will see many of them in the undergrowth. They are not always easy to photograph as they are often in the shadows. In fact I've taken better shots of them in my own backyard at night than I have done in the park in broad daylight.

Thylogale billardierii - Tasmanian Pademelon (Second Photo from last August)

The other easily found marsupial is the Common Wombat. These are also found grazing during the day and if you move slowly, some will allow you to get incredibly close. I was impressed last year when I counted 19 wombats across the Springlawn area. However, the author of "Where to Watch Wildlife in Tasmania" talks of seeing 93 wombats from a good vantage point overlooking the area.

Vombatus ursinus tasmaniensis - Wombats (third photo is from last August)

The Springlawn area was once agricultural land. You can see this from the aerial view below. In some of the photos above the grass looks like it has been mown but the area is in fact a giant marsupial lawn, grazed on day and night. There is a lot of competition for food here which is why many of these normally nocturnal animals are found feeding during the day. The wallabies also feed on the leaves of plants such as the Coast Wattle. On one occasion I saw a Pademelon about 1.5 m up a tree feeding. The trunk of the tree was inclined at about 45 degrees which would have made it a little easier to climb. Apparently this is not unusual at this site.

View Larger Map

Arial View of Springlawn Area

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Tasmanian Scrubwren

.....Sericornis humilis

Well today was extremely dull and wet (typical for a public holiday). In spite of this we took a drive out to Narawntapu National Park and, surprisingly, we managed to stay relatively dry. The low light however, was terrible for photography. Such a shame too as I saw my first Tasmanian Scrubwren. At one stage this bird was sitting right in the open almost at my feet. I stepped away slowly as there was no way my lens was going to focus at that distance. Unfortunately the bird went back in to the scrub but I still managed a few blurry shots.

Oh... and a milestone has been reached. My 100th post!

Note: Narawntapu National Park was formerly known as Asbestos Range National Park.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Sericornis humilis - Tasmanian Scrubwren

Sericornis humilis - Tasmanian Scrubwren

Sericornis humilis - Tasmanian Scrubwren

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