Bush Bites

Water rats

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This article and accompanying photos were kindly provided by Ed Frazer (August 2017), who has lived in the district for 45 years and is well known for his award-winning photos of birds on his Brookfield property.

I regularly get photos of the native Water Rat with my infra-red triggered cameras around our Gold Creek boundary.


The Water Rat is about 1kg and 30cm long and has thick water repellent fur. It is our largest rodent and has taken the place that otters occupy in other countries. It and the Platypus are our only Amphibious mammals.It is a voracious feeder on aquatic insects, lizards and snails and feeds almost entirely through the night.


In the 1940’s a beautiful fur coat was made from 100 water rat pelts, but it is now a protected species. 


Going by the numbers I see in my cameras, they are quite plentiful in the Moggill Creek Catchment.


Where did the Bullies go? – Ed Frazer

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When we started building on our property in Brookfield in 1973, I remember flocks of 50 to 100 “Bullies” wheeling over the lower paddocks, changing direction in unison. It was a wonderful sight!

“Bullies” was the local name for what we now call Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. The name is derived from a group of similar sized seedeaters from Europe: the Bullfinches.

A “Bullie” (Chestnut-breasted Mannikin)

Over the years we have had fluctuations in the numbers and species of finches. Early on it was “Bullies” and “Double-bars” that dominated. In recent years it has been “Red-brows”.

Last year our slashing contractor had a major tractor breakdown. Our grassed areas weren’t mowed and the grasses seeded and hayed off during the winter. For the first time in about 30 years I saw a flock of about 30 “Bullies” wheeling around in a dense flock and settling on the dry seeded grass.

We also had a resurgence of “Double-bars” too, close to the numbers I remember years ago.

Double-barred finches

Finches can breed up rapidly as they have up to six young each nesting, and can breed up to three times a year if conditions are good.

I have concluded that each finch species has a preference for different stages of the grass seed. I think the “Red-brows’ like the green and semi-ripe seed and take it live off the grasses.

A Red-browed finch

The “Bullies’ seem to like the mature seed still on the stalk and the “Double-bars” prefer the dry seed which they eat off the ground. There is cross-over and each will take any type of seed in scarce times, but their numbers seems to be related to the availability of these stages of ripeness of the seed.

This year I have again allowed the grasses to ripen their seed fully and I am watching to see if my theory is correct.

You can learn more about Bullies in Jim Butler’s Feather Fascination January 2017

All photos courtesy of Ed Frazer.

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Bites and stings

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This article and accompanying photos were kindly provided by Ed Frazer (August 2017), who has lived in the district for 45 years and is well known for his award-winning photos of birds on his Brookfield property.

Working in the bush has its hazards and biting creatures are one of the most painful and frequent! We have quite a few that you might encounter in the Moggill Creek Catchment.


Which is the worst? Well they have all had a go at me and this is my list rating from one to ten. What is your experience?


1. Midges:   Don’t really sting, but they certainly itch!
2. Bees:   Sting doesn’t last, but a problem if you are allergic
3. Hairy caterpillar:   Hurt and cause a rash that hangs around 
4. Scorpions:   The ones with the small pincers are the worst
5. Large paper wasp:   Sting is severe but doesn’t last long unless a lot get you
6. Jumping spider:   Bite is not the problem – the toxin rots the flesh from some bites
7. Small paper wasp:    Hurt more than the bigger ones and last longer too
8. Assassin bugs:   Really hurt and last a long time and the flesh around the sting rots
9. Bull ants:   One you’ll remember for a very long time …
10. Bullrout (in the creeks):  This one is a lifer – you’ll never forget it !!!

Hints and tips

Clothing

Wearing suitable clothing and using insect repellent helps avoid trouble.

Treatment

Ice, hot packs, vinegar, calamine lotion – nothing really works for me, but it can help distract you from the pain.

Anaphylactic reaction

Can be a serious problem for a small number of people. Get an ambulance – don’t muck around. 
Carry an Epipen if you know you may have a problem.

Ropalida romandi. I haven’t been stung by this little Yellow Paper Wasp and don’t care to!
 It swarms and chases intruders and stings multiple times with a very nasty sting.
Usually it is high in a tree, but can be attached to the walls of a house.
The entrance is at the bottom of the nest.