Wildlife in the Greg Duggan Nature Reserve
Western Grey Kangaroo
Kangaroos
The wildlife in the Greg Duggan Nature Reserve in Peterborough, South Australia is quite diverse. Over recent weeks I have been sharing some of the wildflowers I photographed there in September last year. Despite being only 10 acres in size, the fauna is also quite interesting as well. When I visited a small mob of Western Grey Kangaroos was grazing contentedly on the grasses thriving in the park. The female in the photo below looks decidedly like there is a joey in her pouch.
Introduced Mammals
While I didn’t see any other mammals on this visit apart from several rabbits there are sure to be also a few other introduced mammals in this reserve and nearby, including:
- Red Fox (common)
- Brown Hare (common)
- House Mouse (common)
- Black Rat
- Feral House Cat (widespread)
- Goat (present in large numbers further north in the Flinders Ranges)
- Fallow Deer (small feral populations in nearby Jamestown area)
Native Mammals
- Western Grey Kangaroo (common)
- Echidna (probably present in this area)
- Several Bat species (common)
- Brushtail Possum (possibly present)
Reptiles:
I am no expert in this field but there are many species of reptiles in the wildlife of this area, including:
- Snakes – the common species would be Brown Snakes, but there must be others
- Lizards – many species including Blue-tongues, Stumpy-tailed, geckos, skinks and so on
Western Grey Kangaroo – with a joey in the pouch?
Insects:
Again, I am no expert in this field but I have casually observed a variety of
- butterflies (see photo below – I haven’t been able to identify this one)
- moths
- grasshoppers
- many kinds of beetles, bugs and native cockroaches, to name only a few.
Butterfly or moth? (Hard to see – it is right in the middle of the photo just above the two flowers)
Birds:
This is one area of wildlife where I do have a great deal of knowledge in this area. In all, there are probably well over 150 different species of birds in the region – say, within a 20km radius. Included in this list are a few waterbirds (present in dams and a wetland area near the caravan park), eagles, hawks, pigeons, many species of honeyeaters, chats, babblers, parrots, thornbills, magpies, ravens, woodswallows, finches and the list goes on.
I have included only two photos today (see below). Of special note is the Apostlebird, an uncommon species in South Australia. The township of Peterborough has several large family groups of this species and is one of only a handful of places in the state where they can be reliably seen. The are very common in the eastern states, however.
Mallee Ringneck parrot
Apostlebird
Walking the Riesling Trail, Clare, South Australia
Riesling Trail, Clare, South Australia
This series of posts is somewhat overdue. During Easter in April of this year we stayed for a week with family in Clare in the mid north of South Australia. On each day of our stay we went for a half hour walk along the Riesling Trail.
The Riesling Trail is a 27 kilometre walking and cycling trail through the Clare wine region area. It runs from the small town of Auburn in the south through the Clare Valley and ends just north of Clare township. It passes through vineyards and farming country, with many fine restaurants and wineries within easy reach of the trail.
The Riesling Trail is very easy walking and cycling, for it used to be the railway line through this area. The sleepers and rails are no longer there and have been replaced by smooth gravel.
On our first walk we tried to ignore the cold, damp conditions. I was delighted to get a good photo of a beautiful butterfly as well as some very interesting fungi.
For more details of the Riesling Trail, click here.
Along the Riesling Trail, Clare, South Australia
Vanessa kershawi, Australian Painted Lady
Fungi along the Riesling Trail, Clare, South Australia
2008 Road Trip: Unexpected Christmas visitors
Blue Tongue Lizard
On our 2008 Road Trip to Sydney our main objective was to reach Sydney in time for Christmas. This was so we could spend Christmas and New year with our son and daughter in law who live in Artarmon, just a few train stops north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This time our daughter came along too, so it was also a family reunion.
We had a great Christmas lunch and were joined by our daughter in law’s relatives; it was good to see all of them again too. L’s parents only live a half hour drive from us, but we rarely get to see them, so it was good that they could fly over from Adelaide for the festivities. As usual I ate too much for lunch. And dinner.
In the afternoon we were relaxing out on the back lawn. The more energetic ones played a few games; the rest of us chatted and snoozed during the balmy afternoon.
During our post lunch siesta we were visited by a beautiful butterfly. It was a Dainty Swallowtail Papilio anactus and is shown in the photo below. They are quite common in the Sydney area.
Most people drifted indoors late in the afternoon, but my son and I stayed outside chatting. We, too, rarely get together these days, except on the phone. When everything was quiet the resident Blue Tongue Lizard came out to see what all the fuss had been about.
Dainty Swallowtail Papilio anactus