Ulladulla springs to life.

For many months, since reading Benj Whitworth's postings on the Canberra Ornithologists Group forum about the joys of discovering the plants and birds of Ulladulla, I have wanted to explore the Reserves there. 

My friend Kirsten, who grew up in that area, kindly showed me around several of the Reserves there, yesterday.

There are several excellent Reserves at Ulladulla (on the coast 45 minutes driving time, south from Nowra).

Having done a considerable circuit at the Wildflower Reserve, we adjourned (via the excellent Hayden's Pies) to the South Pacific Heathland Reserve, This is just along Dowling Street, behind the Ex-Servicemen's Club which is on the Pacific Highway, on the southern end of Ulladulla. (see linked map for both Reserve locations)

The first place we visited is known as the Wildflower Reserve. At first it seemed to be a fairly uninviting patch of coastal forest. Kirsten will kill me for that comment. But there were many interesting plants there, especially leaves of Acianthus, Corybas and the related Nemacianthus - all tiny Ground Orchids -   (upon close examination of the forest floor). 
We saw lots of birds, most especially a mixed feeding flock of Silvereyes, Brown Thornbills and Wrens, with Pardalotes and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters in the canopy above, in the Wildflower Reserve.

Kirsten photographing a very thin-leaved Acacia.

It is possibly Acacia elongata (but I am no Acacia expert)

Acacia elongata (possibly)

Click to see the ribbed stems and 3 flowers coming from each leaf axil.
That species (A. elongata) looks right to me.

Compare this image from the Bega Valley area.

Sprays of Comesperma volubile were draped over many shrubs

 This was an unexpected bonus.
Waxlip Orchid - Glossodia major

Glossodia major just opening up.

Believe it or not, this was what I had been hoping to see.

Well, hopefully a fresh flower - but this dried flower is still identifiable

because of the long filamentous tips on the sepals.

It is the Mayfly Orchid, Nemacianthus caudatus

Long filamentous tips on the sepals of Nemacianthius caudatus are still evident.

One of the identifying features, apart from the long sepals,

is the brilliant red underleaf.

Underleaf of Nemacianthus caudatus

But there were hundreds of birds in the South Pacific Heathland Reserve too.

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos.

They love the Casuarinas and Banksias in the Heathland Reserve .

Head of Black Cockatoo seen on top of low Casuarina bushes

New Holland Honeyeaters (3) in Casuarina above Grevillea bush.

And now to some of the more obvious flowers

from the wonderful South Pacific Heathland Reserve.

These Correa reflexa plants were prominent in this Reserve.

The flowers were very fat (I think so anyway).

Possibly Correa reflexa var speciosa?

This is the very pretty (but small) flower of Eucalyptus sieberi

It is known as the Silver-top Ash.

Pimelea linifolia

A young flower head of the NSW Waratah (Telopea speciosissima)

Telopea speciosissima

 The sweet honey-smell of the Wedding Bush 

was almost overwhelming in places where these plants were growing.

Ricinocarpos pinifolius

Further to our finding the large Waxlip Orchid in the first reserve

in a moss bed in the Heathland Reserve we found a colony of

the Small Waxlip Orchid Glossodia minor 

Click on the image to see the diagnostic dark double "calli"

on the labellum.

Here is a loose colony

on a moss bed.

If you expand the image (click)

you will see the flat hairy leaves of these plants.

Glossodia minor in a moss bed

Here is a local favourite at Ulladulla - the rare Grevillea macleayana

It was previously known as Grevillea barklyana subsp. macleayana

It is referred to by PlantNET as the Jervis Bay Grevillea.

It has the classic "Toothbrush Grevillea" flower structure.

 

Grevillea macleayana

Probably my favourite image of Grevillea macleayana. 

It shows why it is so popular with the local Honeyeaters and Wattlebirds.

There is a lrge bead of nectar which has leaked out from the flower.

It shows how rich these plants are in nectar.

A bead of nectar visible in the flower of Grevillea macleayana

Here is one of the surprises of our trip

Lyperanthus suaveolens  - the so-called "Brown Beaks" Orchid.

Close-up of Lyperanthus suaveolens

Full stem of Lyperanthus suaveolens

Pigeonhouse Mountain

Whenever I glimpse this mountain (always in the distance)

I am reminded that it was named by Captain James Cook in 1770.

A symbol of our earliest European conquest (and place naming).

My good friend James, believe it ought be called Nipple Mountain.

I wrote that before I checked for the Aboriginal name.
"Didhol or Dithol" which means 
Woman's Breast on account
of the distinctive shape of the mountain. 
(according to Wikipedia)

Pigeonhouse Mountain in the distant hinterland behind Ulladulla.

Protea "Pink Ice" flowering in my garden

When I moved to Robertson I was aware that the rich red basalt soils here are good for growing Protea plants and their relatives, such as the native Waratahs. The reason I knew this is that the plants I was intending to grow here, Peonies, grow really well in Monbulk, in the Dandenong Ranges (Victoria). Monbulk is famous for its rich red basalt soil - just as is Robertson (in NSW). Monbulk is home to Australia's largest specialist Protea propagation nursery "Proteaflora".

So, naturally, as I was establishing my garden here, I planted some of the members of the Protea tribe - Leucadendrons, Proteas, Banksias and Waratahs, and Grevilleas. This was largely an experiment, to see how they would grow, for some, especially the Grevilleas, are said to be very fussy about soil, preferring poor, low-nutrient soils. But most have done very well indeed. Some have exceeded all expectations, notably the Banksia "Giant Candles" which has had to be beheaded several times already to prevent it outgrowing its roots, and suffering wind damage.

The reason for the "caveat" about the soil is that very few members of the Proteaceae tribe grow here naturally - but members of this tribe of plants are very common just a few kilometres from here on the sandstone plateau below the Robertson range. It seems the reason is that the local rainforest plants survived so well, prior to European settlement and clearing of the land that the native Proteaceae never got a chance to "invade" the basalt. There are only two exceptions to this principle that I know of - a Helicia (of which there is but a single specimen left, apparently), and the tall rainforest tree Stenocarpus salignus.

One of these plants which has done particularly nicely, and grows only at a moderate rate, has turned out to be the popular hybrid Protea "Pink Ice". I bought my specimen Protea "Pink Ice" from Wariapendi Nursery at Colo Vale, NSW (near Mittagong), one of many nursery outlets for"Proteaflora" plants in NSW.

Here are the results:

A bud just starting to develop.
The black marks on the outer sheathing bracts are distinctive
from a related plant, Protea neriifolia, whjich is one of the parent plants to "Pink Ice".Here is the next stage of development of the bud.
It is very elongated overall, and narrow in the tip.
There are many black fibres in the tip of the bud, at this stage.
As the flower opens, the top broadens out.
Suddenly the profile of the flower changes, just as it opens.
It is almost "square cut" at the top, with masses of silvery fibres.
Here is a top view of the flower.
You can see what I mean about the silvery fibres.
This flower has not yet opened fully, but I would have to say that
this is my personal favourite stage of development of the flower.

There is one further stage of development, which is yet to occur. So I will show the fully opened flower shortly (when it opens). The flower becomes chalice-shaped.

Migrating Honeyeaters feeding in the Budawangs.

Last weekend I went in search of the migrating Honeyeaters from the tall wet Eucalypt forests of Canberra's ranges, and the High Country to the south.

As a kid (in the 1960s) I assisted my father, Steve Wilson, and many other volunteers to band migrating Honeyeaters at Pine Island. That is a point on the Murrumbidgee River, south from Canberra where a line of trees follows the River. There are many Grevillea plants which flower at this time of year, along the sandy river banks. So, the Honeyeaters could follow the line of trees, for cover and for resting points, and top up with their favourite high-energy food source along the route. For several years (in autumn and winter), we also banded many Honeyeaters at Tianjara Falls, on the road from Braidwood to Nowra. That stopped after the a huge fire in the mid 1960s burnt out the entire area from behind Marulan, right through the lower reaches of the Shoalhaven to Tomerong, near Jervis Bay.

The odd thing about the migratory route of these birds (Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and White-naped Honeyeaters, and some Silvereyes and stray birds of other species) is that nobody really knew where they were going.

We had assumed (from northern hemisphere models inverted) that southern birds migrate north in winter, but that is a simplistic generalisation. Around Canberra, Max Murn demonstrated that the Honeyeaters went south-east, at least as far along the Murrumbidgee as Angle Crossing. From there they could follow through timbered country to cross to the east behind Captains Flat, and then to Braidwood. But beyond that, where were they going?

Having moved to Robertson, about 6 years ago, I became aware that I was living on a migration route for the same species of birds. And I knew from talking to the late Mrs Crowe, that many of the Honeyeaters migrated past her area at Berrima. Of course, where she was is just on the edge of Sydney Sandstone country, the home of many sweet-nectar producing plants such as the various Banksias and the Lambertia formosa ("Mountain Devil"). So, I knew that there is a wide band of migration tracks for these birds through the Southern Highlands.

Last year I went into the Budawangs for the first time, and ended up at Tianjara Falls. Immediately it was apparent that the Banksias were fully restored, and that the Honeyeaters were there.

So, after Mrs Crowe's death last week, Elizabeth Compston, of the Canberra Ornithologists Group, and I went out to the edge of the Upper Kangaroo Valley, at Mannings Lookout. It is a place where I knew that the Banksia ericifolia would be in flower. Sure enough it was, and there were a few Honeyeaters present, despite the late afternoon timing of our visit.

We decided to plan a trip to Tianjara Falls and the Budawangs, so I could attempt to show Elizabeth that there is a huge area of heath and Banksia country, which is a magnet for the migratory Honeyeaters.

This is very definitely 4WD territory only, as the road had many deep ruts and also long pools of water which needed good clearance and 4WD traction to get through
(Deep Sand + Water = Mud).

I can now confess that it was all a bit hair-raising, really. Two 4WD vehicles with long tow-ropes or winches would have been better preparation for this trip, but we made it successfully. I was quite pleased to know that there were a number of motor cyclists out there, who at least could have helped raise an alarm if we had needed it. But we didn't. My little Daihatsu Feroza short-wheel base 4WD proved it self as trustworthy, and adequate for the task.

Heathland on the Budawang Plateau

And so, on Sunday, Elizabeth and Bill Compston and I met at Tianjara Falls.We went south into the Budawangs, along the Twelve Mile Road. This area is the north-eastern section of the Budawangs. Click to enlarge the map.Technically, the Tianjara Creek is part of the Shoalhaven Valley system, but there is no marked divide between the Clyde Valley to the south and the Shoalhaven system to the north.

Looking South from Mt Tianjara to Pigeonhouse Mtn.
Low heath shrubbery, with Banksias and Hakeas, and some Mallee Eucalypts.
A vast Honeyeater habitat - seldom disturbed by people.

There must be a boundary, obviously, in terms of which way the creeks flow. But in terms of the habitat, it is pretty much of a continuum - low, open heath country interspersed with Stringbark forest on the sides of small hills, where the soil is deep enough to support tree cover.

In patches, there are exposed rock shelves which support nothing more than low heath plants, a mere 30 cm high. This is especially obvious at a point just south of Kangaroo Hill, where two roads meet, from where one can make a round trip, returning to Tianjara Falls via the Tianjara Fire Trail (on the left). Watch out for deeply rutted gutters in the road. The point of this long-winded explanation is that as soon as we left the Nowra-Braidwood Road, not far from Tianjara Falls, we found ourselves in Banksia shrubbery, and there were lots of Honeyeaters seen, flitting across the road, and on occasions, flying down and bathing in puddles in the road. It immediately became obvious that it would be impossible to attempt a census of these birds, as we drove along some 30 Kms of roads and tracks. In some places there were no Honeyeaters, or few. But frequently we would see and hear birds, lots of them, around us.

Where there were isolated trees in the heathland shrubbery, it was common to see small migratory flocks moving along, "leapfrogging" from tree to tree. Mostly these birds were Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. But we did see many Red Wattlebirds as well - sometimes calling from deep cover, obviously in feeding mode. Other times, we saw them flying in their silent groups, typical of migrating Wattlebirds.

In some wet gullies, especially, we saw and heard New Holland Honeyeaters. And in one area of exposed heathland, we heard (and Elizabeth and Bill saw) Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters. Their soft, melodic liquid sounding call was quite distinctive. I had not seen that species for over 30 years, so I was tickled pink to find them (even if I didn't see them clearly).

We also saw several large groups of Silvereyes, in patches of Eucalypt foreast, with Banksia understorey. A few Brush Wattlebirds were seen, but not nearly as many as the Red Wattlebirds. We also saw a solitary Nankeen Kestrel, out over the heathland. Several parties of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. Grey Shrike Thrushes were seen several times. Spinebills were abundant.

In a period of over 3 hours I estimate we saw between five and seven hundred Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, but with such a vast habitat available to these birds, I confidently estimate that there must have been several thousand Honeyeaters in this corner of the Budawangs.

From the Tianjara area, the birds could move east towards the Jervis Bay area, where there is a huge amount of suitable autumn habitat available to them. Alternatively, they can move north, around the rim of the huge Shoalhaven Valley and Kangaroo Valley, all the way to Carrington Falls, while staying within easy reach of suitable habitat. If they do move north to Robertson (and I see them regularly here, passing through), they only have to cross an 8 Km line of unsuitable habitat of Cool Temperate Rainforest, before they find the huge area of suitable habitat in the Woronora Plateau.

Some photos from the NPA walk to "The Grotto"

Here is my favourite shot from the walk to "The Grotto" which I wrote about two days ago. It shows a still pool, with tree ferns growing on the far side, reflected in the water.

Here is an opening flower of the Lambertia formosa. These seven long tubular buds split open, and the four sides of the perianth tube roll backwards, to about one fifth of the length of the flower. That leaves a long style protruding from each flower. As you can see here, the "style" is still covered when the bud is still unopened. These flowers are the brightest flowers in the Sandstone bush around the Southern Highlands at present. The Honeyeaters and the Rosellas and Gang Gang Cockatoos love these flowers which are full of nectar.
This juvenile Eastern Spinebill, was sitting very quietly in a shrub beside the track. Unfortunately my photo was not very clear. But it was unusual enough that I felt it worthwhile showing at small size. The adults have very different markings, with a white throat, black "v" shaped mark on the chest. The white tail feathers (on the outside edge of the tail) are clearly visible. Spinebills (a type of Honeyeater) are very common in this patch of sandstone scrub. Here is a photo of a single flower of Fieldia australis which was growing underneath the waterfall. It superficially resembles a correa flower, but it is not closely related to those plants. It is related to Gloxinias, and African Violets.
Here is a photo of a half-opened Banksia paludosa flower head (inflorescence). There are several points of interest. The most obvious thing is that the individual flowers open from the bottom upwards, sequentially. The brownish "match-heads" are the unopened tepals of the flowers. These flower buds are in pairs, arising from a common point on the stem. The fine points of the brush at the lower part of the flower are the "styles" in the opened flowers. They are all bright yellow, still being fresh with pollen. In this species these "stules" are straight, except for a slight bend near the point. By contrast, the commonest Banksia species in this area, Banksia cunninghamii, (generally referred to as B. spinulosa) has what are referred to as "hairpin" shaped styles. Note the Honey Bee enjoying the rich source of nectar.
This is a Red Spider Ant (Leptomyrmex rufipes) (or else a closely related species). There were several of these ants running around on the Banksia flower, which clearly was producing lots of nectar. You can see that the flower head was in the process of opening - and so the flowers were clearly very fresh. These Ants are distinctive in that they have very long legs, and they hold their black abdomen reversed, held high over their thorax. The red head is distinctive. These ants were moving very quickly, using their long legs to run over the top of the buds of the unopened flowers. Half a dozen of these ants had left the flower by the time I had changed lenses to get a close shot. This ant left the flower before I could get a second (clearer) shot. That is a fast moving ant.While we had lunch down beside the river, below the waterfall, some members of our group found this leech, which climbed onto this piece of wire. The red and yellow markings become much more prominent, if the Leech manages to attach itself to a "victim" and engorges itself.We had all prepared ourselves for Leech attacks, as my colleague Alan had taken home a Leech with him, just a few days previously. Nobody wants to be bitten by a Leech, except a recent shark attack victim.

Appin and Douglas Park visit - birds and Orchids

Further to my post of yesterday, about the deplorable state of the Georges River, let me now give you the good news.

There were Honeyeaters galore in the trees in Caroline's backyard. Her house sits atop the cliffs of the Cataract River Gorge. There are many Gum Trees along this top edge of the gorge, and, many other native trees and plants down below, in the gorge itself, of course.

The first birds I noticed were the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, and Little Wattlebirds, and a family of Superb Fairy Wrens ("Blue Wrens"). We sat on the back deck and had a coffee, and listened to the Striated Pardalotes in the trees (always hard to see, while feeding on Lerps on the Eucalypt leaves.) Eastern Spinebills flipped past us, their noisy wing-beats attracting our attention.

Caroline and I then drove past Appin, and went for a walk to the Georges River. We heard Whipbirds calling in the dense shrubbery, as we approached the river. Once we got there, I noticed some frogs calling (but not many). But it was the birds which I was most conscious of. The Yellow-faces were still around, but there were other Honeyeaters, including the wonderfully bright Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, and the ever-present New Holland Honeyeaters. Those birds love Banksias and Grevilleas, both of which were in flower. I saw a female Golden Whistler, and a Grey Shrike Thrush. Two Black Ducks were swimming fitfully on the river, near some reeds.

The highlight for me was hearing (could I believe my ears?) what I thought sounded like the call of the Peaceful Dove. I have not seen this species in more than 20 years. And when I did, it was in central NSW, near Forbes and Dubbo. Could they be here, on the edge of the Sydney Basin?
Sure enough, after a few minutes of walking along the banks of the Georges River, I saw first one Dove, and then, a pair of them, sitting on a dead shrub across the river.These are lovely birds, with a quiet, non-aggressive nature, and a quiet voice. So much "nicer' than the aggressive New Holland HoneyeatersThis photo is not great, but it is diagnostic. You can just make out the blue eye ring, and the fine markings on the back and neck. Definitely not the introduced Turtle Dove.

As we walked back up to the road, I noticed a grassy glade, which looked promising for Greenhoods. Sure enough, there were many large leaves of a Greenhood in this moist soil. After looking around I found two open flowers of the Blunt Greenhood (Pterostylis curta).

It has a lovely shape from side on. And from the front view you can clearly see the diagnostic twisted labellum (tongue).Back at Caroline's a beautifully marked Pied Butcherbird landed in the tree, while I was on the phone talking to Bernie. I whispered to Caroline that the Butcherbird was here, and straight away she went and got some pieces of bread and put them on the deck railing. Clearly the Butcherbird has got Caroline trained, and it rewarded her by zooming straight in and grabbing a morsel immediately.This snatch and grab movement was so fast I only had a moment to point and shoot. No chance to adjust shutter settings, before the bird was off. But you can see what good plumage it had. Clearly an adult male.

Late in the afternoon, the Noisy Miners had moved in and chased away the other Honeyeaters. But they did not disturb a pair of King Parrots feeding on the Wild Tobacco Plant (Solanum mauritianum).

As a late-afternoon bonus, a family of 8 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flew out of the Gorge, below us, and flew to a neighbouring Pine Tree. The younger members of the group then started their droning noises, while waiting for the adults to feed them. Who would be a parent?

From one end of the Shoalhaven Valley - to the other

Today I went with my friend George on a long-promised voyage back through history, to Sassafras and Tianjara Falls, via the Budawangs area. We were to travel from one end of the Shoalhaven Valley (my backyard - in Robertson) to the other, at Sassafras.

For me, my first contact with the Sassafras district was in early 1960s when my father was an amateur bird-bander with CSIRO Wildlife Division. For several years, we visited the Banksia-rich flora of the Shoalhaven Valley, at Tianjara Falls, in order to band hundreds of Honeyeaters, in the autumn and winter seasons, when the Banksia ericifolia bushes are in flower.

Banksia ericifolia shrub in flower today

We stopped visiting this spot following huge fires which burnt through this area in mid-1960s. The Banksias were killed outright by the fire (as is normal) and then the plants needed to regenerate from seed. Today, one could not see any sign of that particular fire having nearly wiped out the Banksia shrubbery of the area (in the 1960s). Such is the cycle of life.

Years ago, George had work-contacts with this area, including the coastal villages south from Nowra, and as far west as Sassafras. It seems there were more cottages in Sassafras, in those days, but no Nut Tree plantations. He travelled these roads frequently, it seems, but had not been back for many years.

Today we took the "road less-travelled", via Porter's Creek, and the Little Forest Plateau.
Here we were at a wonderful natural lookout-point in a very thin saddle, between the Clyde Valley behind us, and the coastal escarpment. This view looks out over Lake Conjola, with a local sandstone bluff in the foreground. A wonderful contrast between rainforest vegetation immediately below the rocky cliffs where we were, and the coastal plain far below, and dry sandstone rock-shelf vegetation (heathland) immediately across the road, behind us.
Further along we came to this wonderful view of Mt Bushwalker, and Pigeon House Mountain far in the distance. In the foreground was a wonderful area of sandstone plateau with mixed heathland and sedge. Pigeon House is 719 metres high, but because of its isolation, and distinctive shape, appears more prominent than the other hills.
Below is Flat Topped Mountain, far in the distance, in the inaccessible Budawang Ranges. This mountain is deceptively high, at 837 metre above sea level.
Here is a late afternoon photo of Tianjara Falls. At the end of a very dry month of May (and a generally dry autumn), there is very little water going over the falls. However, my memories of these falls include once getting isolated for a weekend by the creek having risen and flooded the (former) low-level crossing. On that particular day, there was a veritable torrent going over this cliff-ledge.I was interested to see the advanced plantations of Nut Trees which are now established at Sassafras. When I lived in Canberra, I lived just around the corner from the (late - and great) Wilf Crane who was one of the persons who helped develop the nut-growing industry at Sassafras. Today, in Robertson, I live just up the road from Wilf's former mentor (from his days in CSIRO and the ANU Forestry School) - Hugh Waring. Small world. Wilf died in an ultra-light aircraft accident, in 1992, when returning to Canberra from visiting the nut plantations at Sassafras. Both Hugh and Wilf made a study of tree growing, with particular emphasis on nutritional requirements of trees. Therefore it is no accident that each had an interest in Sassafras and Robertson - both areas famous for their rich basalt soils.
Sassafras and Robertson are at opposite ends of the Shoalhaven Valley system - I can see the hills of Sassafras and the Budawang Ranges from my back verandah - on a clear day. This is approximately 60 kilometres away, in a direct line. Today the round trip, via Kangaroo Valley, Cambewarra Mountain, Nowra and Sassafras, and back was 250 Km of driving - a full day's trip.

A comment on the roads.
The roads around the Sassafras district, and down to Nowra have been improved greatly since the 1960s. Indeed there is a very large road construction project occurring now, west of Sassafras, at Bulee Gap, above the Endrick River. That patch of road was always a very narrow, steep climb up the back edge of the escarpment up towards the high point at Sassafras. That road develpment has been promised for more than 45 years, that I know of - and probably far longer, as, of course, it was intended to link the two parts of the ACT - Canberra and the port of Jervis Bay - an arrangement entered into in 1912 when the Capital was declared.

It was a great day out - seeing wonderful country, landscapes and birds and wildlife - from one end of the Shoalhaven Valley to the other.