A WALK AT WOONDUM NATIONAL PARK

Woondum National Park / Covid 19. This park is in the local area of Gympie and open for all normal activities.With Mothar Mountain as a back drop, Boulder and Woondum creeks feeding off the slopes, forming their junction at the popular " Rock Pools" swimming and day use area. Hearing our State leader give the OK for locals to use these types of places for their physical and mental well being pursuits. That was all I needed to load the cameras, on with the walking shoes and out to one of my favoured  locations. I will share a few of my photos.  

Arriving  7.30 am under bright skies and a heavy overnight dew, the scene was fresh and glistening. Being the only person in the carpark the "safe distancing sign" was of little significance. 

Moss was very fresh after the recent rain showers 

                                                                                                                         

                          

 Cordyline rubra 

    My target along this section of the creek walk is the early flowering terrestrial orchid   ------- Chiloglottis sylvestris ----- common name  being" Wasp Orchid ". The ground hugging twin basal leaves appear in Autumn and in very large colonies . Hundreds of plants which will only send up a few single stem flowers. Flower 20mm long 5mm wide on a 40mm stem , quite small.  The male Thynnine Wasp mistakes the maroon section of the labellum as a female of their species, settles and then tries to fly away. In the process the orchid gets polinated. Hence the common name, Wasp Orchid.

Close-up of Wasp orchid flower.

     

Cluster of basal leaves , ferns and five small Wasp Orchids.

Basket Fern ------ often seen on moist rocky outcrops ---- not this one.

                                             

Coral Fungus ------- Clavarioid fungi family

Flatstem Wattle ----Acacia companata  ------ higher and drier location up Hill Rd.

Flatstem Wattle ----  lovely display among the eucalyptus trees.

The Soldiers Crest and its close relation Green Fan Orchid has flowers 1.5mm in dia. and numbering up to 300 in total ------ as shown in the above macro photo. 

Soldiers Crest ---- a clumping epiphytic orchid ------ moist sheltered position higher up Hill Rd.---- multiple flowers

This Cymbidium madidum ---- about one metre  off the ground ----- the large flattened pseudobulbs visible ----- good photo opportunity in about November  ---- common name "giant boat-lip orchid "

This small white flowering bush was in company with the yellow wattle

The Hyacinth orchid has a very close relationship with root born fungi of  Eucalyptus trees, the tree shown as a back drop for this photo. This orchid specimen was over knee high with 20 flowers and buds along its stem. The Blotched Hyacinth Orchid  ( Dipodium variegatum) is the most common in our area. I have only spotted this species on two occasions at Mothar Mountain. One identification point is the blotches are present on the flower petals and stalk.

 Blotched Hyacinth Orchid ( Dipodium variegatum) has a high association with ground fungi of the eucalyptus species ----- plenty of leaf litter ----- moist conditions ----- summer warmth.----- spasmodic flowering.

Blotched Hyacinth Orchid ------ flowers opens progressively up the main stem ------ leafless orchid standing about 60cm.

Shore birds at Maaroom and more

Recently I self-isolated and went to the Maroom wader site. High tide was aprox: 11am and I arrived at 10am. It looked like it was going to rain, but it only sprinkled for 1 minute before clearing. There was a large mob of grey kangaroos in the picnic reserve. Nobody about so I set up my chair to wait near the tidal inlet to the northern end of the reserve.

 There were about 20 Pied Oyster catchers in front of me

Oyster Catchers

and, to the right, facing Fraser Island, was a large group of shore birds which looked to be settling down for a camp facing into the wind. 

Luckily, a juvenile White Bellied Sea Eagle flew over with 7 or 8 Eastern Curlew's surrounding it.

White-bellied Sea-eagle and Eastern Curlews 

This flushed the waders to do a quick circuit and return.

Waders in flight

To my left were about ten Red Capped Plovers skittling about on the mud flats

Red-capped plovers

I took photos of all the waders but because they were sleeping, it was hard to identify them.  There were mainly Bar-tailed Godwits with many in breeding plumage.

Bar-tailed Godwits

Caspian terns

                                         
                                           
There was also a group of approximately twelve Caspian Terns as well as many Great Knots and Red Knots.

Great Knots and Red Knnots

Some Red Knots inbreeding plumage

As a result of the high tide being late and quite a low tide, in comparison to recent ones, the birds stayed on the eastern beach.
 A Great Egret put in an appearance. A Mangrove Honey-eater searched for food in the low mangroves along the edge of the sand.  An Eastern Curlew surveyed the water's edge.

Great Egret

                                                       
                                                           

Mangrove Honeyeater

                                                           

Eastern Curlew

There were two pairs of Masked Lapwing Plovers and the noisiest couple had one chick, which they defended  vigorously.

Masked Lapwing

By 1pm, the tide was going out.  Everything was quiet so a trip to to Marybough seemed like a good idea.   Here I was in luck and recorded two butterflies, a Bordered Rustic and a Large Purple Line-Blue.
                                                               

Bordered Rustic

Large Purple Line-Blue

                                                   
On the return home via Marroom , I soon realized that the birds had dispersed out onto the mud flats.  As I turned to leave, a pair of Beach Stone-curlew's arrived. The perfect photo opportunity!

Beach Stone-Curlew

 A very satisfying finish to the day.

Contributor:  Cameron  Whiley