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More than observers, the Martins are preservers, Through the lens with Eddie

We stand corrected

No sooner had we sent out Issue 46 of MMM, than we received a reply from member Peter Vaughan. He pointed out that we had incorrectly named the lizard on the cover. Our thanks to Peter, whose email is reprinted here …

THE DRAGON LIZARD pictured in the Oct-Nov issue of Munibung Musings is incorrectly labelled a juvenile Bearded Dragon, Pogona barbata. However it is the Jacky Lizard, Amphibolurus muricatus.

Whilst it is not uncommon, it is a lizard I have rarely seen. I have however, sighted them in Glenrock State Recreational Area, as well as in bushland immediately east of Munibung Hill. Consequently they are expected to be found on Munibung Hill.

The Jacky Lizard grows to about 30cm, less than half the size of the Bearded Dragon, and the Jacky Lizard lacks the spines covering parts of the body of the Bearded Dragon. Ecologically, the Jacky Lizard prefers lightly forested country, while the Bearded Dragon prefers more open environments.

The Jacky Lizard often climbs trees, whilst the Bearded Dragon frequently climbs stumps, but it only tends to climb trees when it feels threatened. Other common names for the Jacky Lizard are: blood sucker, stonewalker and tree dragon.

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Through the lens with Eddie
The case of the vine eating visitor.

“THERE’S A GREAT STORY about this photograph. We had a couple of pumpkin vines here, and we couldn’t work out what was eating the vine,” says Eddie Bernard. “They were fairly high off the ground and they had huge pieces out of them.  I was thinking, what sort of animal would be doing that? Then I came out one day and saw a Swamp Wallaby down here. In fact they seem to be quite common in the area. We see them every once in a while hopping up and down in the bush.  It’s good to know they are around.”

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More than observers, the Martins are preservers
Once a year, Birdlife Australia run the Aussie Bird Count event that extends over a one-week period in October. Here is a family that have been doing bird recording every week for forty years.

WE FIND IT EXCITING when we come across a new bird in our backyard or when on a walk at Munibung Hill, so you can imagine the excitement when we were introduced to the Martins – the keepers of records dating back to the 80s.

 In times of a bountiful harvest of produce people become the preservers of the excess supply of fruits and vegetables, to extend the benefits of the bumper harvest. Well, this is something like that but different. 

Margaret and Ernie Martin have been the preservers of a small patch of Munibung Hill going on 40 years. By preserving the habitat, they have been preserving the bird species that live there. It’s a fascinating story. Over the coming months, in future issues of MMM, we will report on the findings of the Martins, starting in this issue with birds observed that are birds of prey.  Margaret writes …

All of our bird sightings have been from our back deck – either yard visitors or in the bush, on the cliff or in the sky with records dating from 1984 to present from Atkin Ave, Speers Point.

  • Sea Eagles (that for several years nested every summer in a large nest at the top of the valley), and are still seen each summer.
  • Kestrels, Black Shouldered Kites, Brown Goshawks, Swamp Harriers were all common in the 1980’s up to the mid 90’s.
  • Grey Goshawk (grey and white phase) is still a reliable visitor.
  • Peregrine Falcon and Australian Hobby were once fairly frequent visitors but are rarely seen now. The Peregrine was here for a day in 2022.
  • Tawny Frogmouths, Indian Koels and Pheasant Coucals have either been seen or heard as well as the spring and summer visitor – the Channel Billed Cuckoo.
  • Boobook Owls were heard in the 80’s and 90’s.

    … From MMM Issue #47 Dec 24 – Jan 25