Night and Day

Boyd's Forest Dragon. Relevant to end of owl story.

Barking owls are well named. Their call is like that of a small dog. the female has a high pitched two syllable call but the first is a diphthong. the males voice is lower pitched. She usually initiates dueting and can be very insistent. I once saw one fly to an unresponsive male, lean into his face and bark an invitation at him. He got the idea eventually. Maybe this is a bird I should have adopted as my totem in my youth?

This pair was photographed along Petersen Creek in Yungaburra. they have been using this site regularly for a while now. During the evening they can be seen in the Hoop Pine tree opposite the pub. From here they hunt the large moths which come to the lights of the village.

Barking Owls do not always bark. They also have a most beautiful soft churing sound which they use when waking in the evening and before going to sleep during the day. When disturbed during the day they seem to use this soft call to reassure their mate. As well as this they can scream! It is a most worrying sound which will cause the hairs to rise on the back of your neck.

Recently I had the most marvelous experience with a pair of Lesser Sooty Owls. My guests and I left a Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo to track down some noisy owls. Turns out it was only one noisy owl. As we headed in her direction I heard the very soft sound of a bomb dropping to our left. There was a male with a large freshly killed Boyd's Forest Dragon. A beautiful bird with a stunning reptile, newly molted to show its pinks, greens and blue-grey colours, with its yellow dewlap extended. The owl had the dragon by the skull. The female flew in and spread her wings in a wonderful soft pattern of curves and continued to make such harsh sounds.

The visual and auditory experiences were in conflict.

He disappeared, almost, into a dense tree and she followed. After a minute of much screaming and hissing she flew out with the dragon and he flew off quietly. When I made the falling bomb call she was quiet for 3 to 5 minutes before starting up again. Sometimes we see sleeping Green Ringtails in the trees along Petersen Creek. They love eating fig leaves.

Lumhotz's Tree-kangaroos

Petersen Creek in Yungaburra has become a well known Platypus viewing site but now its reputation for tree-kangaroos is soaring.

A week ago I went along the creek looking for the Barking Owls which often hang out there. I was disappointed in my quest but very happy to find five Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroos. The big male was in too difficult a position to photograph but the two females with joeys at heel sat nicely for me.

If you come across tree-roos please do not approach so closely that they jump or slide to the ground. This is what they do when they are upset and then on the ground the can fall prey to feral and domestic dogs.

The Curtain Figtree, Yungaburra

Famous FigtreeWhen overseas I can often let people know where I am from, by reference to this tree.
Most people who visit the Atherton Tablelands call in to see this strangler fig. Bring your fish-eye lense if you have one!

The fig fell over after it had killed its host but before it was strong enough to support itself. The result of its being caught by another tree and continuing to produce these aerial roots is the famous curtain. The roots are still growing and more are being added each year. The red tips indicate that this is new growth which has been prompted by recent good rains.


Ficus virens is a deciduous tree which grows from northern New South Wales to Asia. The leafless period is brief and below you can see that new leaves are starting to show in the dawn light. SunriseThe new leaves of figs are wrapped in sheathing stipules which in most species drop to the forest floor as the leaf opens. As the new growth is rapid, a shower of these pink stipules falls onto the path below as in this picture. In a few days the fig is approaching its former glory.

Petersen Creek Walk, Yungaburra

In clear winter sunshine we went for an afternoon walk along Petersen Creek in Yungaburra. The path here is maintained by a group of volunteers from the village.





Rainbow Bee-eaters flock to our area in large numbers during the winter. As they fly out from their perches in pursuit of bees and wasps their wings flash bronze or orange depending on the light.







One distant view of a Platypus was all we got but at that time of day more than we expected.

This is a great spot for Platypus which are often seen in the early morning or late afternoon.

Did you know that Platypus have electro-sensors in their bills to detect the nerves firing the muscles of their prey. this enables them to hunt in total darkness.






Despite it being the middle of winter there is plenty of new growth in trees and shrubs along the creek. The Grey Bollywoods, Noelitsia dealbata, produce pendant flushes of white new leaves which age to pink and then bronze before standing out into their normal position and turning darker greens as they age.







Laughing Kookaburras do sit in gum trees but don't eat gum nuts as one of my guests recently sang to me in their version of the children's song. They eat snakes, lizards and large insects. These birds are resident in Yungaburra but in winter are sometimes joined by the more colourful Blue-winged Kookaburras. As well as the more extensive and brighter blue, they have blue rumps. The males also have blue tails while those of the females are orange and black.

Not so many butterflies are flying at the moment but there are some hanging around waiting for warmer weather. These larvae are of the Orchard Swallowtail and Ulysses Butterflies.