Letter from Ruth
Lechte writing from Nairana National Park, Queensland
(south of Charter’s Towers)
Ruth Lechte
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Here we are (WISENET members Ruth
Lechte & Diane Goodwillie) spending April as volunteer caretakers at the Park,
on the development road between Clermont and Charters Towers in Central
Queensland. The Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service purchased the property in
2003 to protect one of few remaining areas of brigalow belt vegetation:
blackwood, gidgee (Acacia cambadgei) and brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) – 87% of
these ecosystems have been cleared in the last 70 years. The introduction of
exotic pasture grass, especially buffel (Cenchrus ciliaris) has reduced the
floristic diversity, and the invasive weed parthenium is a threat. And toads are
everywhere, nightly hauls of 30 or more are disposed of humanly. The area
contains some of the rarest and most highly endangered species in the world. The
White Footed Rabbit-rat, Darling Downs Hopping-mouse, Western Quoll and Paradise
Parrot are all gone. Others are vulnerable or already extinct in some areas: the
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Stripe-faced Dunnart, Bilby, Plains Rat, Bridled
Nailtail Wallaby, Red Goshawk, Eastern Star Finch and the Regent Honeyeater.
The expected 2004/5 wet season rains
did not eventuate, and dry conditions prevail. But there are several dams in the
Park, which was once a cattle station, so the bird life is plentiful and varied.
It is all very different from my 4 decades resident in Fiji, a tropical natural
world of reefs, lagoons and jungles. Very few Fiji birds are found here, but
they’re certainly easier to see than in thick forest or at sea between islands.
In April 2004 we were volunteer
caretakers at the Epping National Park (scientific) north west of Emerald,
Queensland, the last hold out of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. After a
catastrophic dingo attack which reduced the population by 10%, the Park was
fenced, and now holds around 90-100 animals. Their pooh is a cube (how do they
manage that?) and they dig the most enormous burrow systems which can easily be
crawled into – if you don’t mind sharing with snakes, lizards, rabbits, frogs,
swamp wallabies and more. This doesn’t seem to faze the wombats – they are very
hefty creatures, much larger than the well known common wombat, and behave like
furry bulldozers – presumably most other creatures get out of the way.
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Our duties at Epping were to patrol the dingo fence, sweep roads and list animal tracks (snakes, frogs, lizards, feral cats, kangaroos, bettongs and others) thankfully, no dingoes. A fence is not a problem for cats and while they do not trouble the wombats, other creatures suffer. There was buffelgrass to slash with the tractor, solar generators to keep operational, water to pump into the head tanks, and letters to carve on the road signposts (Diane’s job – resulting in serious tick attacks).
Here at Nairana we are responsible for general upkeep, checking gates, etc. My
working-life title, in many international locations, was “energy, environment &
appropriate technology” with women’s and community organisations - and in a
sense, one is still doing that here. As bird watchers, both locations have been
a joy – our Australian bird lists are reaching some respectability. The dams
host many water and wading birds, and the sparse type of upper storey plants
give good viewing. There are some drawbacks. At dusk the very gregarious apostle
birds take a long while to get to bed in the trees around the house, they all
talk at once for about half an hour, and again at first light, “yak, yak, yak….”
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The nights are dark at present, and
the stars so bright there is good starlight. Tawny frogmouths and small bats
rush about on the hunt. The frogs croak in the pipes amplifying the sound.
Beware when walking around the house at night, green frogs are unmindful of
imminent danger, being more interested in catching moths.
And the dingoes howl.
At Epping we listed 116 bird species
out of a possible 176 (depending which guide is the reference) some of which
were a little surprising, probably as a result of birds moving around during the
drought. Here at Nairana after a week the list is about 80, only a very small
part of the 19,700 hectare property having been traversed so far. Noticeable is
the large numbers of raptors, always hard to identify (especially by us - new to
the task). But it means there must be ample prey food – probably reptiles and
birds. Very few plants except a few wattles are flowering, so spring may be
better for viewing some birds. Grasshoppers and locusts provide food for hungry
butcher birds, kookaburra, willie wagtails and kingfishers. Some males are
discarding their breeding plumage prior to winter, both the red backed and
variegated fairy wrens are a tatty mess!
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The difficulty with Australian birds is that many have very small ranges, this requires considerable travelling if one is determined to (try and) see them. The Eungella honeyeater for example (in the ranges west of Mackay) has a miniscule range – in 2002 we saw it! Birding is 20% skill and 80% luck. It is possible to help the skill level, so in February we went with Go Bush tours (highly qualified science people as guides) to the “Kakadu in the Wet” adventure. It wasn’t very “wet”, but the birds were fascinating, as were the ecosystems generally – boating through melaleuca forests has to be different!
Leichardt, in the mid 19th century,
on his south/north expedition, had sketched a brilliant red and blue
grasshopper. As it was not seen for decades, it was presumed either extinct, or
a figment of the explorer’s imagination (too much privation will do it every
time!). Of course, no-one thought to ask the local people, and when they did,
Aborigines guided them directly to the bushes on which the Leichardt grasshopper
rested. And it does rest, just sits there looking smug while photographers
record it – the brilliant blue and orange colours are the sort of thing small
children would draw (before adults told them not to be silly).
Birds, being generally non
cooperative
also decide to migrate someplace else at the time their area is visited. Various
wet tropics north Queensland species depart for Papua New Guinea in the
Australian autumn. So on we went to Kuranda/Daintree in the wet tropics to catch
up with the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Now, there’s a spectacular bird!
With orange breast, iridescent blue back and long dangling white tail, it was
very happy to be watched and photographed. Several other bird “firsts” were
recorded, rewarding the outlay involved.
With environmental stresses being
what they are, birding can also be sad (or make one VERY angry, usually my
reaction). We met a partly tame male cassowary with four half grown chicks and
were told that after a year of caring, he will send them off to fend for
themselves. Except they cannot, because a truncated habitat does not leave
enough of the sort of space a male needs. So all four may not survive.
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At the Women in Science Conference at the end of 2002, we met Professor Gisella Kaplan and Professor Lesley Rogers of the University of New England, Armidale. (thanks to WISENET for that) – they are planning a Fiji visit for magpie studies. Gisella has written a fascinating book about the magpie - highly recommended (there are various sub species, which fact had escaped this so-called birder). The magpie was introduced to Fiji in the late 1800s and again in 1916, to control the stick insect in coconut plantations. I remember being very surprised soon after arrival in Fiji, to see them on the island of Taveuni. Gisella will, among other things, study changes in their vocalisation after 100 years of residence in Fiji. It has been a great pleasure to be able to link them with the various friends and experts we have worked with for so long in Fiji.
There are various opportunities for environmental management volunteering, all of which are increasingly important as more and more endangered ecosystems need help and parks and wildlife authorities languish for lack of resources. Each State will have its own needs and agencies, and there are national groups such as Birds Australia and Nature Conservancy managing more and more properties without enough staff. Out here in the bush we do not have our fi les with the details, but can communicate with anyone interested when we return home. Personally, it is a wonderful opportunity to continue one’s life work in retirement.
Ruth E. Lechte 8 Kanooka Avenue,
Peregian
Beach South. Qld 4573
Phone/fax (617) 07 5446 2542
ruth.lechte@pacific.net.au
