Away from our patch

Last week we happened to be in Ingham for a couple of days  so naturally we managed to visit the Tyto wetlands, in fact I spent quite a while there while Allen was attending a Wet Tropics Community Reference Panel.

And I did have the pleasure of meeting Tyto Tony and sharing some time with him on ‘his patch’.   He has recently mentioned Wandering Whistling ducks on the lagoons and there were lots about with ducklings of a variety of ages, plus several young Jacana, Intermediate Egret, Coots  AND a Little Bittern.   Then there were the bush birds to enjoy, particularly those gorgeous Crimson finches, Red-backed Fairy Wren and a delightful view of a white-browed Robin singing in the afternoon sun as Allen and I enjoyed a walk through the vegetation near the lagoon.  I’m not going to list every bird we saw and I’ll leave photos of Tyto to Tony as he does it so well but we had great fun and it was good to see that the birds are managing in spite of the evident cycone damage.

The Little Bronze-Cuckoo that landed in this tree decided not to stay ……….

On our way home we decided to call in to Josephine Falls – the walk to the falls has, like so much of this coastal area, been affected by Cyclone Yasi.  There were still some birds about and lots of butterflies – maybe lower down and more visible due to the lack of canopy.

There was also this wonderful Dragonfly – an Ochre-tipped Darner (Austroaeschna weiskei)  not one we had seen before and it very politely posed for some time to allow us several photos!

And then of course there were the falls – the fabulously clear water of Josephine Creek gushing over large Granite boulders many kilometres from its source near the summit of Bartle Frere.  The top pool is well fenced with warnings of restricted access due to numerous accidents.

On a really hot day the bottom pool would be very inviting …… but from previous experience at Mossman Gorge I know how cold that clear mountain water can be even if it is in the tropics!   The spray rising from the falls was refreshing enough for me.