Wildlife

Birds are probably the most obvious indicator that we are regaining some balance to our ecosystem. As habitat is restored we have listed ‘new bird’ sightings but it is also gratifying to see that the numbers of resident birds have greatly increased in the last few years. 

A great diversity of locally native trees, shrubs and climbers provide fruit and flowers while a variety of host plants attract many butterflies as well as a healthy population of other insects which provide food for the birds.

 Most of our resident mammals are nocturnal, therefore not obvious to the day visitor although Swamp Wallabies are occasionally sighted on winter mornings. Sometimes we have small camps of Spectacled Fruit Bats and occasionally we will find one spending the day in one of our fruit trees. We welcome Spectacled Fruit Bats and enjoy hearing and seeing them feed, especially on the native trees we have planted. With such extensive clearing in the North Queensland tropical lowlands combined with intolerance from many fruit farmers these ecologically vital creatures have now become a vulnerable species and are in need of our help.

Eastern Tube-nosed Bats also enjoy feeding on fruit, especially native figs while the food of Blossom Bats is, as you would expect from their common name, pollen and nectar.

Striped Possums also enjoy a feed of nectar and fruit as well as insects that they find under bark and in rotting logs. Rotting logs, especially situated near termite mounds provide a good food source for many different  Skink species.

 

As the sun disappears over the surrounding rainforest clad mountains the Northern Brown Bandicoots come out to dig for burrowing arthropods. The bandicoots breed prolifically and inhabit the property in large numbers providing an excellent food source for our resident Pythons.

Tree Snakes, Freshwater Keelbacks, Macleays Water Snakes, Red-bellied Black Snakes, Pythons, Lace Monitors, Major Skinks and other smaller Skink species all inhabit the property.

We do not keep cats or dogs on the property and we discourage visiting strays so that our native animals may live in peace