azure kingfisher

Platypus Update

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There has been a lot of activity with the Platypus in the past week.

The female near my hide has been emerging from her den most mornings and again late in the afternoon. She comes out for two or three dives and then retreats. She doesn’t travel far and before she comes out there is a lot of stirring of the water as she is probably rearranging the plug of earth she has at the entrance of her den. I think she is mainly just getting wet to keep the moisture in the nest as the eggs and young Puggles need to be kept moist. She probably feeds a little on her outings, but at this stage she is probably relying on the reserves in her tail to supply the rich milk she exudes from her belly for the Puggles to grow.

Platypus having a scratch. Platypus vary in colour but most have lighter colour underneath. Photo: Ed Frazer

The real activity has been from two males. I noticed the female going towards the den and there was quite a commotion not far away. Two Platypus were fighting near the edge of the creek and water was splashing everywhere. It went on for only a few minutes and then one swam along the surface at high speed up the creek. A few seconds later the other followed. It was very unusual to see three Platypus at the same time as they are usually very solitary animals. While I am pretty sure the female now has hatched her eggs, it appears the males are still searching out mates. Unlike the females the males swim very quickly in large hops of about 30 metres, mostly on the surface with a long bow wave. The females make several dives about 45 seconds apart with a stream of bubbles showing where they are feeding. The dives travel only a few metres and they are easy to trace with their bubble stream.

All up I think we have 5 Platypus in the two large pools along our property and it will be interesting to see how many are sighted in the MCCG Platypus Survey in September. The males cover a kilometre or two of the creek and use several dens in different places so there is no guarantee they will be around our area in the survey.

Azure Kingfishers digging out a nesting tunnel. Photo: Ed Frazer

Two Azure Kingfishers have been taking turns at digging out a nesting hole directly opposite my main hide. They do check out several possibilities, but this pair look serious about this hole behind a group of roots sticking out of the bank.

For more information on previous annual Platypus Surveys click here

Text and photos by Ed Frazer.

Platypus on the move

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It looks like a bumper year in Platypus activity in Gold and Moggill Creeks this year.

After several years of poor rainfall and little flushing out of the creeks, more consistent water flow has restored the aquatic habitat and the animals appear to be responding.

Platypus Photo: Ed Frazer

Ed Frazer has been monitoring part of Gold Creek that includes two large stretches about 400 metres long and 8 metres wide that were the local swimming holes in past years.

There have consistently been three breeding females in these ponds that have regularly been monitored in the annual Platypus Survey carried out each September. He suspects that they didn’t breed last year because of the poor condition of the creek.

“There has been a lot of activity up to mid-July with mating season starting” Ed said. “I regularly see the females feeding as late as 8am as they build up their condition for the egg laying and raising their two young. The good water conditions have resulted in a plenty of food, especially the Dragonfly larvae which I think is a major part of their food in our area.”

The females tend to move around the snags in the creek where there has been a considerable build-up of rotting down leaf matter where the insects feed. Luckily we haven’t had a strong flood in the creek that cleaned out this habitat as often has happened after a period of drought in the past. The females sighted had thick tails a sign of good condition for raising their young.

“The male Platypus behaviour is quite different at this time of year. I see them travelling through at impressive speed, sometimes on the surface, but often in shallow dives coming up for air every 45 seconds at a distance of about 30 metres. They are looking for mates at this time of year”.

By July 17 sightings suddenly ceased and Ed thinks that early egg laying had started and the females were in their dens incubating the eggs that take about 10 days to hatch.

In August the activity will slow down while the young are small and the females are using their reserves built up in the tails to supply food for the small puggles. 

By September the young will be more demanding and the females will be out more in the early morning and before dusk to keep up their food. This is when the MCCG Platypus survey is held while the activity is at its height.

There is plenty of other activity in the creek to watch while waiting for the Platypus to put in an appearance. There are a number of Striated Pardalotes building their tunnels in the banks of the creek this year as the soil is nicely moist from the recent rains. They are lining their nesting chambers with feathers and trying to out-compete their neighbours with their distinctive three note call.

Azure Kingfisher Photo: Ed Frazer

The beautiful Azure Kingfishers are flying rapidly along the length of the pools stopping to perch on overhanging branches ready to strike on any fish near the surface. Their activity seems to be co-ordinated with the Platypus as they appear to be taking advantage of the fish disturbed by the strenuous stirring up of the fish on the bottom of the creek. They too will start building their nesting chambers in the banks of the creek and they should have a good chance of raising 4 young with the ideal conditions this year. There is also a beautiful Grey Goshawk that patrols along about 2km of the creek looking for prey just under the overhanging trees.

Grey Goshawk Photo: Ed Frazer

There are a lot of good photo opportunities around the local creeks and MCCG holds its annual Photography Competition in October each year, so a good turnout should be expected after two lean years of near drought.

 

Words and all photos by Ed Frazer

Plant up the dams and creek sides.

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The Moggill Creek Catchment is not well off for water to supply the district’s wildlife. Apart from the Gold Creek Dam and Gold and Moggill creeks there is little other permanent water. Even then the upper parts of Moggill Creek have dried out in recent droughts. The non- permanent creeks dry out rather quickly as most have porous, rocky bases in the upper reaches.

Little Pied Cormorant, Great Egret and Royal Spoonbill attracted to a well planted farm dam.  Photo: Ed Frazer

There were a few farm dams left over from the dairy and fruit farms in past times and recently a few dams have been built on private acreage. Unfortunately sites are often difficult and many have leaking problems and their water holding capacity is small. To make the most of what is available to encourage the wildlife and especially the small birds, reptiles and mammals that are dependant on reliable water sources, we need to improve the habitat around those existing water sources.

Dams with clear areas around their shores are only attract a range of aggressive birds such as Magpies, Butcherbirds, Magpie Larks, Ibis and Kookaburras. The same is true of the creeks where they have been cleared of overhanging vegetation. Ideally creeks should be planted with overhanging trees such as Sandpaper Figs, Mellalucas and creek Lillipillies. The trees should be reinforced with extensive plantings of shrubs, and patches of sedges, grasses and Lomandra.

Farm dams need similar treatment, but only the high side of the dam and where the water comes in need to be planted. Wattles make a useful planting higher on the banks and Grevilleas also do well around dams. Planting in the dams should include some broad-leaved plants for the frogs as well as sedges. Be careful with water lilies particularly if the dam is shallow.  Avoid Hardy waterlilies and use Tropical Waterlilies and Night Bloomers as they don’t spread and choke out the dam.

If you establish a good habitat around the dam or creek side you will be rewarded by a large range of beautiful birds such as Azure Kingfishers and a wide range of water birds, small mammals such as echidnas and water dragons. A well plated dam or creek side with a good tree canopy will go a long way to keeping out invasive water weeds. It will also contribute to making the creek a more suitable habitat for Platypus.

Azure Kingfisher taking advantage of a perch on a dead flower stalk over a farm dam.  Photo: Ed Frazer