Wild BNE

A female flatback turtle, covering her nest chamber with sand on Mon Repos Beach. I kicked off the start of this summer with a short break up at Bargara, where I had a fantastic time! I’ll get to all the interesting animals and plants I saw in a minute, but first, let me just say how much I liked the actual region. Bundaberg struck me as a city with the perfect mix of old and new; lovely heritage buildings and structures and a laid-back attitude are complemented by the modern conveniences of good roads, internet access and seven-days-a-week shopping. And while I can see new suburbs popping up here and there, the region isn’t suffering the same intense overcrowding that Brisbane is at present. I loved it!  And now back to the wildlife! Here are some of the creatures and places that will be living in my heart for much longer than my holiday lasted.  Sea turtles If there’s one animal that Bundaberg's Coral Coast is particularly famous for, it’s the loggerhead turtle (Carett

Morans Creek, O'Reilly. On a cool and overcast morning last Friday, I headed down to Lamington National Park and walked two tracks in the Green Mountains section near O’Reilly’s.

LEFT: decorated anemone, RIGHT: green anemone. Last Wednesday I went searching for sea anemones on a rocky shoreline south of Coolum Beach, and found five different species in the rock pools there.

Double-barred finches (Taeniopygia bichenovii). Oxley Creek Common is regarded as one of Brisbane’s premier birdwatching locations, with over 200 species recorded at the site. On Saturday 22nd September, I am offering to host a walk for a group of people who would like to spend the afternoon at this beautiful reserve, exploring the wetlands, farm margins and wooded areas for as many fascinating birds, animals and plants as we can find. The pace will be leisurely and along a flat gravel path, but the total distance walked may be as much as five kilometres.

Grey mangroves at the edge of Cassim Island. I love mangroves. I find them to be fascinating examples of adaptation, and admire the way they shape and influence entire coastlines and ecosystems.  Salt crystals on a yellow mangrove leaf. Here in South-east Queensland, we have seven species of them (eight, if you count a species of fern), so I also appreciate how beginner-friendly they are when it comes to plant identification, as there are not too many to sort through. Unfortunately, despite their immense environmental and economic value , mangroves are sadly not championed by the general public in the same way that rainforests, coral reefs and other ecosystems are. Governments and developers use this to their advantage, feeling comfortable in destroying coastal wetlands for the sake of marinas, canal estates and the like. A situation just like this is currently playing out in Cleveland, where a proposed development threatens Toondah Harbour and surrounds . Swamp tiger

Cockatiel, Gatton.  A visit out to Gatton last Wednesday brought into sharp relief how badly drought-stricken our inland communities currently are. Below average rainfall and warm daily temperatures are baking rural regions of NSW and Queensland even through the winter, with some farmers describing it as “the worst drought in living memory.”

Last Wednesday, I visited Moggill Conservation Park in Brisbane’s western suburbs for the very first time, and conducted a plant survey up on one of the hills there.

Tommy roundhead, Collingwood Park. A search for reptiles out in degraded bushland near Ipswich proved fruitful last week, with a variety of interesting animals found.

White-throated nightjar, Cedar Creek. A foray into Plunkett Regional Park last Saturday night resulted in many excellent wildlife sightings, the highlight being white-throated nightjars (Eurostopodus mystacalis) .

Photo by Trina McLellan; For more of Trina's photography and environmental work, visit Nature Watch - Albany Creek . After 48 hours of torrential rain, I was relieved to be woken by sunlight last Sunday morning, the day of a Wild BNE meet-up that I had been planning for weeks! Seven dedicated wildlife fans came out to join me at North Lakes, where we explored a small lagoon and an adjacent environmental park for an hour-and-a-half.

Dragonflies like the chalky percher  (Diplacodes trivialis)  abound at this location.  Thanks to Narelle Power for the ID. Wombat berry (Eustrephus latifolius). One thing I really believe in when it comes to wildlife and nature is that it isn’t necessary to jump in the car and drive somewhere remote and pristine to connect with it. Some really beautiful and fascinating animals and plants live right here in the suburbs with us, and for this year’s first Wild BNE meet-up, I’m going to host a walk in one of these places: North Lakes!