1.12.25
Minnippi
The first day of summer and it was a bit more pleasant – less humid and not quite as bloody hot. A pretty quiet day overall bird-wise, but the butterflies and other flying insects were more active and, like all good birders, when the birds go quiet, focus on all the other flying stuff.
Bird-wise I did have a pair of Brown Quail fly off from the cut through – always a nice bird at Minnippi – and a calling Spotless Crake along the cement track, other than that it was much as expected.
Butterfly-wise mostly the usual plus a single Purple Crow Euploea tulliolus which was my first for the season.
Purple Crow Euploea tulliolus
Other Insects included a couple of moths – Lydia Lichen Moth Asura Lydia and Two-spots Tiger Moth Asota plagiata. I’d had the former on this site before, but the latter was a site tick.
Two-spots Tiger Moth Asota plagiata
As I walked back up along the Airfield fence I noticed 6 Eastern Cattle Egrets that had appeared from nowhere – the grass was being cut and somehow they had arrived to, I assume, search for disturbed or damaged insects. Normally they are never on the ground at Minnippi but this is the second time I have seen them appear from nowhere when the grass is being cut.
(I know, it just shows how little I have to think about!)
One of my main reasons for going to Minnippi again – apart from its being Monday…. Was to collect the two trail cameras I had left on the Airfield track 7 days ago. I was keen to see what had been captured. I had mounted one near the beginning of the track or ‘lake’ end and the second approximately two thirds along the track, after the ‘open’ area.
There were some issues with the newer of the two cameras – I need to try again, having adjusted the settings – but both cameras recorded a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes (once each) passing along the track. The one furthest down the track also recorded a Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor along with three separate dog walkers. It seemed, too, that something landed on that camera at night – I suspect a Tawny Frogmouth used it as a perch but it was impossible to see anything identifiable.
