Nature Notes for December 2009

Wandering through the natural environment involves “observing” what can be seen at many levels. For example at ground level, a bull ant nest had been freshly dug over and disturbed. This looked to be the work of an echidna and it was surprising how deep the animal had dug into the ant nest.. But even more interesting was that there were four different bull ant nests which had been dug up in a 50 metre distance. There was a natural opportunity to study the structure of the bull ants nest, but this had to be done in short bursts as the ants were very active.Hot weather stimulates increased activity at meat ant nests. Their surfaces swarm with ants with minimal disturbance and the tracks radiating from the nest also carry thousands of ants on the move.Saltbush in our area is very healthy at present, plants seem to be growing strongly and have healthy foliage. This seems to be the case with at least four of the common varieties Ruby, Nodding, Saloop and Old Man Saltbush.A few sand goannas have been sighted. A young goanna was observed basking on a rock for some time, and an older and larger one demonstrated how it digs under fences.Mistletoe birds have been sighted this month. Mistletoe will soon be flowering and the bird will have an important role in spreading the seed. Different bird calls have been noted this month , which in turn stimulates the observer to track down the bird making the call. Recent identifications include Black faced cuckoo shrike, Rufous Whistler , Western Gerygone and a very active group of brown headed honeyeaters. The dominant bird sounds in many areas has been the incessant feeding demand calls of young galahs.Dead standing timber is an important nesting site for many species of wildlife. A crack in the side of an old dead tree revealed a possum was asleep inside.The increase in rainfall this month has stimulated the regeneration of wattle plantsRemember when you are observing you can see much of interest at ground level, up to eye level, then look up to see what is of interest above. You will be amazed at all the interesting things you can take note of in just a short walk outside.

Wedderburn Conservation Management Network “Observers”