If you’ve been following Ed Frazer’s reports about the platypus families he’s tracking in Gold Creek, you may be interested in these photos of the platypus mother in the Goldmont reach.

Ed took these shot from a distance of about 3m at about 4.30am one morning last week when it was still dark.

The platypus mum fed in the small pool outside the den for about 10 minutes before going in to feed her babies.

Unfortunately Ed missed out on photographing her entering the den as it was too dark to get the long lens to focus in time.

We’re sure you’ll agree that they are remarkable photos!

All photos are copyright of Ed Frazer

It’s November 2020 and we are pleased to bring you a second installment about Ed Frazer’s platypus family sightings.

Well, perhaps not so pleased, because it seems the drought is making life difficult for this platypus mum.

Here is the latest of Ed’s reports, regarding the second platypus family he is monitoring:

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The female platypus with the den in the Goldmont reach of Gold Creek is having a difficult time. The creek is rather shallow in this reach and it is drying out rapidly. 

The pool outside the den is slightly deeper than most of the rest, but clearly the pool is not big enough to continue to support a family of platypus unless it rains soon.

 Platypus den in the Goldmont reach

I haven’t seen the platypus mother for several days but I know she is still active at night because of the clues she leaves.

As she enters her den she leaves a wet mark on the log where I have previously seen her climbing up.

 Print on a log left by the platypus entering her den

She also leaves paths through the weed patch that is rapidly drying out. The insect larvae she feeds on such as caddis fly, dragonfly and midges will also be concentrating in the damp weeds as the water level goes down.

It will probably be easier for her to get food for a while as the water goes down with all the creatures retreating to the small area of water left.

But it won’t take long before that supply is exhausted as she and the babies which are due out any day will have to compete with others feeding in the same reduced area.

There is a large eel, a short-necked turtle, lots of fish and wading birds including a beautiful Intermediate Egret in full breeding plumage.

 

Unfortunately the opportunist “Dump Chooks” (Sacred Ibis) have found the spot too. One came first about a week ago and it has now brought its mates. There are usually six poking around in the shallows.

Hopefully it will rain soon and all will be well, but I think it will be touch and go for this family.

She may be able to lead her young about 200 metres down to the Adavale reach where the first family are in a much deeper part of Gold Creek, but there are several dry parts sections that may be difficult for the young platypus to negotiate. 

Perhaps they could release some water from the Gold Creek Reservoir to help the Platypus and other wildlife in the creek if it doesn’t rain soon?

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Do you know anyone who can help with Ed’s suggestion regarding a water release?

Photos are copyright of Ed Frazer

We are privileged to live in an area which is so abundant in wildlife.

Each morning Ed Frazer checks out the activities of two platypus families living in Gold Creek. Their daily activities are fascinating and Ed has agreed to keep us posted from time to time with what these playful families are up to.

One of the females has two babies. Ed spotted them recently and noted that the young spent a lot of time almost out of the water, feeding under masses of dead leaves at the water’s edge.

Here is a great shot of one of the babies. Note it’s colouring. It’s much lighter than the mum who is practically black when she’s wet. Her babies are about half her size. You can clearly see the baby’s bill in the photo, which is very clean with no signs of wear.

The babies often play around near the den, diving and surfacing every 20 seconds or so and not staying on top for very long. This makes them very difficult to photograph! They swim in and out of the den frequently.

During one of Ed’s watches, one of the babies became a bit adventurous and swam about 50 metres up the pool, but the mum followed it quickly and they both made their way back!

Their burrow is only about 3 metres from Ed’s viewing point but unfortunately he can’t watch them going in and out because it’s on the opposite side of the creek and his view is somewhat obscured.

The shot below shows the den of the second platypus family. It is at the far right edge of the photo and Ed has watched the female enter a few times. She has a neighbour. There is a very large water dragon who lives the other end.

The water level is down about 300mm in the photo. The log is mostly under water when the creek is flowing. The dirty water is due to the platypus stirring up the mud when feeding.

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Some interesting platypus facts: There’s a common misconception that the term for a baby platypus is “Puggle“. In fact, baby platypus do not have an identifying name: they are simply baby platypus!

The platypus is a species of primitive egg-laying mammals called monotremes. The female platypus burrows into the riverbank to lay one or two eggs. She keeps them between her rump and her tail to keep them warm.

After about 10 days, the eggs hatch and the little, bean-sized babies will nurse for three to four months. It is around the time of weaning that baby platypuses can swim on their own.

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Keep an eye out for more news about the antics Ed’s platypus families!

Photos are copyright of Ed Frazer