A non birding drive
2007 Victorian trip report #10
When we travel I generally keep a keen eye out for the birds we can see as we travel along. When I am driving I have to be doubly attentive of course. When my wife is driving I can relax and take in the bird life and the scenery as we go. Unless I need to navigate.
Over recent days I have written about our visit to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens south east of Melbourne, Victoria.
We were about 40 minutes later than planned setting off to our next destination. We were heading towards our friends’ home in Gisborne about an hour north of
I didn’t get much birding done on that leg of the trip, even though I was not driving. It was a combination of having to navigate, fading light, heavy rain and watching out for all the idiots on the road. Despite all the hazards of driving on unfamiliar roads we did arrive safely, though at one point my wife found out that the brakes worked very well. Three lanes of traffic travelling at 100kph in the dark on a wet road coming to a screeching halt does nothing for the nerves. But the brakes worked. And no idiot ran into the back of us.
Beautiful birds, leaping lizards and slithering snakes
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic gardens Victoria
The sign above was one of several that greeted us as we drove into through the entrance to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens south east of Melbourne. Fair enough – after all, this is the lizards’ home and we are the visitors. It distresses me when driving our country roads here in Australia when I see dead lizards on the road. It seems to happen far too often. Add to that the huge death toll that accounts for thousands of birds, kangaroos, wombats, echidnas and other animals and you have a sickening statistic.
Some of these deaths are unavoidable; some people would not even be aware that they ran over a lizard or hit a small bird, for example. What is far worse, of course, are those people with twisted minds and no care for our environment who deliberately kill our wildlife for the sheer thrill of it. Perhaps what we need is some nasty kangaroos with the talent to drive a vehicle in order to even up the score a little.
A little more disconcerting was the sign below. We did not see any snakes but it was good to have the warning. Some years ago I experienced a Tiger Snake (very poisonous) slither over my shoe. It is not an experience I am in a hurry to repeat. This is their home and I will always attempt to give them the freedom to enjoy their territory unhindered.
And the birds?
You will have to scroll back through the posts over the last few days to read about them, and to enjoy the photos of birds I posted.
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic gardens Victoria
Wallabies, wildflowers and other wonders
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
2007 Victorian trip report #8
During our walk in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens in Victoria we came across a solitary Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor. It was being rather secretive and shy, and wouldn’t come out of the bushes and fully show us his beautiful markings. We had seen this species of wallaby before in this, and other, locations.
This medium sized wallaby is found along the entire east coast of Australia and in southern Victoria. It can also be found in the extreme south east corner of South Australia. It has a wide range of preferred habitats, including forest, woodland, scrub, heathland and even tropical rainforests in the more northern parts of its range.
Swamp Wallaby in Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
Alternative names: Black Wallaby, Black-tailed Wallaby
An interesting fact I gleaned from one of my field guides to the mammals of Australia is that this species is more diurnal than most macropods, and that it tends to be solitary and shy. Yep – that’s what we found.
While trying to sneak up on this shy wallaby to get a better shot, I had to be very disciplined and ignore the birds flitting around, all trying to distract me.
The photo below was taken nearby.
Tall Greenhood orchid in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
Birds, bandicoots and other signs of wildlife
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
2007 Victorian trip report #7
During our short visit earlier this year to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens near Melbourne our primary objective was to look at the native plants and wildflowers. I was also on the lookout for any birds we saw, taking photos wherever possible. We were a little disappointed with the range of plants in flower but still found enough to be of interest. Likewise the bird life, although a little quiet, was still quite good.
As an added bonus we saw some animals as well. We were amused by the sign shown in the photo above as we drove through the entrance gates and on towards the picnic grounds. It brought back memories of a visit to this area many years ago when the gardens were first being established. On one of our walks that day we came across a Southern Brown Bandicoot wandering along the path. This was the first time we had seen this mammal in the wild. We were so excited that we forgot to take any photos of this interesting creature hopping around our feet. I didn’t make the same mistake this time. I actually had to be careful I didn’t drive over the critter as we left the picnic grounds. Lovely.
Southern Brown Bandicoot, Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
Dusky Woodswallow at the nest
Dusky Woodswallow at nest
2007 Victorian trip report #6
On our return to the picnic area of the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens we saw several Dusky Woodswallows. I tried to get a good photo of one of them, but in the fading light it was not easy.
As we entered the picnic area we saw one of them fly to a nest in a very exposed spot. Because this was out in the open a little more, this gave me a better opportunity to get a photo.
Dusky Woodswallow at nest