turtle frogs waiting for the winter rains

I recently found this wonderful video about Turtle Frogs (Myobatrachus gouldii).  These frogs are one of our beautiful iconic species, relatively common on the Swan Coastal Plain in good quality banksia woodland around Perth.  They're not something most people would see though, because these unusual amphibians spend a lot of their lives in sand burrows.  Unusual, because they are brown, they eat termites, and they hatch from eggs as tiny frogs rather than tadpoles.

The video outlines research conducted by Nicola Mitchell with The University of Western Australia, and is titled "The Sex Life of the Turtle Frog". 



It's amazing to think that there are frogs sitting patiently in their little burrows, and have been waiting since late spring for the winter rains... Who would have thought that there would be so much going on under our bushwalking feet?

Carnaby's Cockatoo stars in documentary

Next week, the ABC is screening a new documentary about Carnaby's Cockatoo. Here are the details (courtesy of the ABC, and the many people who forwarded emails about it to me!)

The Wild Ones: On a Wing and a Prayer

"On a Wing and a Prayer follows the incredible life cycle of the Carnaby's Cockatoo through the engaging story of one small cockatoo family. Capturing a remarkable, never before filmed journey of life and hope for one of Australia's most loved but critically endangered birds. This film has been made by Perth-based company Seadog International. 

"Only found in the south-west of Western Australia a tiny pocket of birds remains and these are permanently under threat. Some are still being smuggled for private collections. Others are illegally shot. Together with land clearing, loss of native food habitat and injury from man-made structures, the Carnaby's cockatoo is plummeting towards extinction.

"Species recovery is an uphill struggle. While it is thought they pair for life, the birds are lucky if they raise one chick a season. The odds are against them and hope for their future lies in the hands of the local community, and one man in particular, DEC Senior Wildlife Investigator Rich Dawson.

"This year Rick is determined to protect one small family of Carnaby's cockatoos at a 'high risk' nesting site. With their species numbers halved over the last forty years, it is vital for the survival of their kind that they breed and Rick will do whatever it takes to make it happen."

For more information, please check out the ABC website - The Wild Ones: On a Wing and A Prayer.

This documentary will be telecast on Tuesday 13 March on ABC-TV1 at 8.30pm. 

If you miss the telecast, you can still watch the documentary as it will be available for about two weeks on ABC iview - http://www.abc.net.au/tv/iview


 

Clean Up Australia Day 2012

Congratulations to the wonderful volunteers across Australia who participated in the annual Clean Up Australia Day, and collected an absolute mountain of litter - over 16,000 tonnes from more than 7000 sites!  


I am sad to say that, as much as our neighbourhood needs to again have the litter hauled out of our local parks and green spaces, the Ellenbrook Bushland Group did not participate in Clean Up Australia Day on March 4th.  After our clean up efforts over the last three years, I have decided that March is too dangerously hot during the day to be picking up rubbish.  I am wary of the risk of heatstroke or hyperthermia, particularly in the retirees and very young who make up the majority of our volunteers.  And I couldn't face asking volunteers to start earlier, to avoid the heat, on their precious Sunday morning, in the middle of a long weekend.  So I didn't....

For those of you not familiar with Perth, here is a snapshot from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au) showing the weather forecasts for major cities for tomorrow (Tuesday 6th March).   Is this typical for this time of the year?  It is for Perth. 

from the Bureau of Meteorology - compare those temperatures!

We will probably organise some local clean up activities later in the year, when the weather is cooler. September and October is a much more pleasant time to be working outdoors, particularly in areas where rubbish seems to collect; along retaining walls and fences, and in shrubs along pathways and roadsides, where shade is scarce or non-existent.  

Have a look at previous diary entries to see what we've done in the past during those months, such as the Big Spring Clean Up and our Wildflower Photography Safari.  Stay cool!