Too Much Water

Thurday Oct 13

The Lockyer Valley is an enormous, agriculturally utilised, plain which supplies most of Brisbane's vegetables. The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus is their agricultural arm and covers a very big area too.

Martina took us straight there, in much less time than we remembered, we left at 5.40 and arrived at 6.15 !! The College has a wildlife area, Galletley Lakes, and two bird hides. We never can find our way straight there, the campus is a maze of roads. Plenty of time to admire the horses and their foals, the cow milking parlour and the myriad Magpie Geese (big bombers, imagine the poo) before anyone was up, apart from a mower man.

Far fewer birds on the lakes than any previous time, small variety too. A few of the favourite Pink-eared Ducks - too far away to photo - a couple of Grey Teal, hundreds of Plumed Whistling Ducks, a pair of Superb Fairy-Wrens and a sweetly singing Brown Honeyeater. Yes, it looks just as boring as it sounds but sings beautifully.

Apex Lakes, in the middle of Gatton for a scenic breakfast overlooking the water, just past the 'no motorised vehicles past this point', on the grass so that we could see better. The lakes aren't that big and, have large treed  islands where several species of Cormorant, Spoonbills and Egrets nest. Purple Swamphens are everywhere, one wanted to share Pam's breakfast.

A splendid Eastern Great Egret paraded in front of us enabling us to admire its green lores breeding plumage.

Pacific Black Ducks are rather attractive close to.

Pacific Black Ducks

Lake Clarendon was chocca, water where we've previously parked. Both Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbills swept the lakeside, dozens of Australasian and a few Great Crested Grebes fished nearby, Whiskered Terns patrolled the verges, a lone Gull-billed Tern roosted on the grass and several pairs of regal and graceful Black Swans sailed by.

Lovely....until I got out of the car and  all  but the Swans  disappeared to the far corners. Silly woman.

Lake Atkinson was also absolutely full. In previous visits we've laughed at the ' launch your boats from here only' signs as there was a 10 foot drop from the ramp to the dried bed. Very few birds, we didn't stay long.
En route, a rough grassy field produced our first Tawny Grassbird of the trip, perched on barbed wire very briefly. This lovely butterfly refused to show both its wings open....

Species to be discovered

Seven Mile Lagoon is a feeder lake for Atkinson and rather difficult to find. Easy to-day. we just followed instructions - despite several of our routes taking us on gravel roads, these were mostly good. The water is usually teeming with wildfowl. You guessed it, not to-day. A few Stilts. a flock of about 50 unidentified waders flying about and a few of the usual cornmorants and ducks. The waders landed relatively nearby and the scope came out....as a Brown Falcon swooped in and everything disappeared in all directions.

We'd eaten lunch watching a conservation man planting trees to loud music from his car radio. We never saw any actual trees, only the stakes and plastic sleeves which he shoved into what looked like mounds of mulch. Earlier sleeves contained trees which did not reach the top.
Several roadside stops on the way back to the Warrego Highway.
An Eastern Water Dragon stared us out from the road itself, we had to swerve so that I could take this photo- not cropped at all from my window. 

Another for a group of four Grey-headed Babblers fossicking roadside accompanied by a few Common Mynahs - an introduced species which we've seen on several continents.

Grey-crowned Babblers

Common (Indian) Mynah

Another was to view the lovely flowers of a Gum tree sp. (Wrong - thank you Anne Newman. It's a Grevillea Robusta/Silky Oak)
A Blue-faced Honeyeater flitted from blossom to blossom. It's said that there is a species of Gum in flower every month of the year. Hence the 60+ species of Honeyeater flound in this country.


Blue-cheeked Honeyeater in Silky Oak

We'd had enough by now, home by 2 after a speedy journey, to find puddles on the road. We'd had cloud but sun too with humidity, definitely not a hint of rain. Sara had had a deluge in Fortitude Valley where she works.

After a shower and hairwash, we relaxed whilst Mike got a Chicken Schnitzel and salad tea. Sara has threatened me with another instalment of Beauty and the Geek to-night (don't ask, Aus TV is rubbish). I shall not be late to bed, very tired after some disturbed nights.