Friday, August 10, 2007

Diadem Leaf Nosed Bat


Nightwalk Sightings Summary June/July 07 for Mason’s Tours

The Weather has been very cool the last couple of months with temperatures as low as 8 Celsius being recorded. This has made all the guides freeze, not to mention the wildlife!

Snake sightings have of course dropped off substantially, with very few snake sightings recoded at all.
The Boyd’s Forest Dragons have been quiet with few seen. Eastern Water Dragon have been around on rainy nights, but even these have been scarce.
Frog sightings have also declined as it gets colder, but we are still seeing Lace Lids regularly and also Stoney Creek Frogs when it rains. There have also been some very good White Lipped Green Tree Frog sightings despite the cold. Most Frogs are much less active until it warms up, but fortunately some still come out to feed.
There have been good Striped Possum sightings, with one sighting having the possum only a couple of metres away. It was a young possum, and didn’t seem to scared of us at all! There are still lots of dead trees around after the 99 cyclone, and this means there are many larvae to be found, which Stripey Possums love.
Croc sightings have been average, the Crocs are also less active when the nights are cold. The same three crocs are still in Myall Creek, and we have seen two in a night on occasion. Cape Trib Horserides have also reported seeing crocs on the bank of Myall Creek during the day.
Many native rats have been seen in these months, representing all the common species. In particular there are lots of Melomys about, and we usually find these by listening for the chewing sound as they use their sharp teeth to open seeds. The Quandongs have just finished fruiting and the Melomys love these seeds.
We have also been seeing Bandicoots regularly, and there seems to still be a healthy population of Northern Brown Bandcoots in the valley.
The cool weather has also resulted in good sightings of sleeping birds, with up to five species seen some nights. These include Spectacled Monarchs, Honeyeaters, Noisy Pittas, Scrubhens, and Silvereyes.
Glowing Fungi has also been present most of the time when wet but hard to find when it is drier.
The good thing about all the cool weather is that when it warms up there are going to be a lot of hungry reptiles around and we expect a sharp improvement in sightings then.
Hope to see you on a Nightwalk in August!!!

Thursday, August 09, 2007


Mason's Tours add Aboriginal content

Cape Tribulation’s long established tour operator, Mason’s Tours, have joined with Wujal Wujal’s indigenous family businesses Walker Family Tours to offer an Aboriginal guided walk at Bloomfield Falls. Lawrence Mason said the Walkers would conduct their 30 minute walk and talk to the falls on both half and full day 4WD tours operated by Masons.

“The Bloomfield Falls, after which Wujal Wujal is named, is a place of great significance to the area’s traditional owners. The Walker women explain their connection to the land and bring guests inside a living culture in a very unique way. We are extremely happy to be working with the Walker family and believe this gives us the opportunity to now offer the best possible experience to our visitors,” said Lawrence Mason.

The Walker Family Tours section of the 4WD tour will include a morning or afternoon tea. The Bloomfield Falls is a pristine, 40 metre waterfall surounded by lush, World Heritge-listed rainforest. Mason’s Tours operate from Cape Tribulation or Cow Bay, and have just added a third 4WD vehicle to their fleet to cope with the demand during the 2007 peak season.
Cape Tribulation’s long established tour operator, Mason’s Tours, have joined with Wujal Wujal’s indigenous family businesses Walker Family Tours to offer an Aboriginal guided walk at Bloomfield Falls. Lawrence Mason said the Walkers would conduct their 30 minute walk and talk to the falls on both half and full day 4WD tours operated by Masons.

“The Bloomfield Falls, after which Wujal Wujal is named, is a place of great significance to the area’s traditional owners. The Walker women explain their connection to the land and bring guests inside a living culture in a very unique way. We are extremely happy to be working with the Walker family and believe this gives us the opportunity to now offer the best possible experience to our visitors,” said Lawrence Mason.

The Walker Family Tours section of the 4WD tour will include a morning or afternoon tea. The Bloomfield Falls is a pristine, 40 metre waterfall surounded by lush, World Heritge-listed rainforest. Mason’s Tours operate from Cape Tribulation or Cow Bay, and have just added a third 4WD vehicle to their fleet to cope with the demand during the 2007 peak season.
Cape Tribulation’s long established tour operator, Mason’s Tours, have joined with Wujal Wujal’s indigenous family businesses Walker Family Tours to offer an Aboriginal guided walk at Bloomfield Falls. Lawrence Mason said the Walkers would conduct their 30 minute walk and talk to the falls on both half and full day 4WD tours operated by Masons.

“The Bloomfield Falls, after which Wujal Wujal is named, is a place of great significance to the area’s traditional owners. The Walker women explain their connection to the land and bring guests inside a living culture in a very unique way. We are extremely happy to be working with the Walker family and believe this gives us the opportunity to now offer the best possible experience to our visitors,” said Lawrence Mason.

The Walker Family Tours section of the 4WD tour will include a morning or afternoon tea. The Bloomfield Falls is a pristine, 40 metre waterfall surounded by lush, World Heritge-listed rainforest. Mason’s Tours operate from Cape Tribulation or Cow Bay, and have just added a third 4WD vehicle to their fleet to cope with the demand during the 2007 peak season.