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SOFAR FIELD TRIPS
SOFAR EXCURSION CALENDAR
Date |
Venue |
Meeting place & time |
Leader/s |
Contact No. |
Saturday 25/8/01 |
Dudley Lagoon |
Awaba Center Dudley @ 6:00pm |
Robert Wood Rodney Wright |
49526483 |
Saturday 22/9/01 |
Kooragang Island |
McDonalds car park Hexham 6:30pm |
Robert Wood |
49526483 |
Saturday 20/9/01 |
Nelsons Bay Area |
Anna Bay @ 6:30pm |
Greg Little |
49662169 |
Saturday 03/11/01 |
Finnan Park, near Grahamstown Dam |
McDonalds at Raymond Terrace @ 6:30pm |
Rod Wright |
49524753 |
Sat / Sun 24/11/01 |
Wattagans Basin Camping Area Weekend Camp |
Basin Camp Camping Area @ 5:00pm |
Robert Wood |
49526483 |
Saturday 01/12/01 |
Mount Sugarloaf |
Sugarloaf Lookout Car park @ 5:00pm Tea | Greg Little | 49662169 |
Sat / Sun15/12/01 |
Yengo National Park Finchley Camp Area Weekend Camp |
Wollombi Pub |
Greg Little |
49662169 |
Saturday 19/01/02 |
New Sandgate GGBF Site |
McDonalds car park Hexham @ 7:30pm |
Robert Wood | 49526483 |
Saturday 02/02/02 |
Watagans Ridge Road |
Cooranbong Fire Station @ 5:00pm |
Rod Wright |
49662169 |
Saturday 23/02/02 |
Barrington Tops Frying Pan Creek Weekend Camp |
Frying Pan Creek Camping Area @ 5:00pm |
Greg Little |
49662169 |
Saturday 21/3/02 |
Green Point Walk Belmont |
Valentine end 7:00pm for walk, or 6:00 for BBQ tea |
Robin Hewitt |
49594224 |
Saturday 21/04/02 |
The Australian Reptile Park |
10:00am Outside the Park |
Robert Wood |
49526483 |
Saturday 23/06/02 |
Mount Sugarloaf |
Sugarloaf Lookout Car park @ 5:00pm Tea |
Greg Little |
49662169 |
By Maree Burgoyne
We stationed ourselves at Finchley Camp Area (located in the NP about ½ hour drive from Wollombi), on a ridge top next to some very special Aboriginal engravings. We explored some ponds and rocky ridges and, with the help of Greg Little’s powerful 100watt light by night, we found possums, micro-bats, a Yellow-bellied Glider, and a Bandicoot that made a noise like a squeaky toy.
Frogs identified were:
Limnodynastes dumerilii (Banjo Frog, Eastern Pobblebonk)
Litoria dentata (Bleating Tree Frog, Keferstein’s Tree Frog)
Litoria fallax (Green Reed Frog, Dwarf Tree Frog)
Litoria latopalmata (Broad-palmed Frog)
Litoria peronii (Peron’s Tree Frog)
Uperoleia sp.
We had to be careful not to step on the frogs - which were busy calling and doing lots of ‘interacting’ all around the ponds.Several times
we witnessed a pair of male Broad-palmed Frogs ‘fighting’ (it looked more like a game of ‘leap-frog’ to me!)
Reptiles identified were:
(after extensive searching!)
| diemensis (Mountain Dragon) | Egernia whitii (White’s Skink) | |
| Lamphropholis sp. (Skink) | Leiolopisma platynotum (Red-Throated Skink) | |
| Pogona barbata (Bearded Dragon) | Goanna | |
| (unfortunately, no snakes!) |
Birds:
Gan Gan Cockatoos passed through our camp morning and evening. Greg Little identified many species from calls, and by sightings.
These included:
|
Lyre Bird |
White-eared Honeyeater | Superb Blue Wren |
| Yellow-tufted Honeater | Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Rock Warbler |
| Grey Thrush | White-throated Warbler | Cicada Bird |
| White-throated Treecreeper | Eastern Spinebill | Spotted Pardalote |
| Yellow Robin Spotted | Whip Bird | Boobook Owl |
| Quail Thrush | Bellbird | Tawny Frogmouth |
| Fantailed Cuckoo |
Other fascinations included a most unusual animal that looked like a giant cockroach with yellow patches along its sides and yellow feelers. This creature was found above ground level in the branches of small trees.
Wildflowers:
| Caleana major (Flying Duck Orchid) | Dampiera stricta |
| Dipodium punctatum (Hyacinth Orchid) | Exocarpos strictus (Pale Ballart) |
| Grevillea acanthifolia | Helichrysum sp. (Paper Daisies) |
| Jacksonia scoparia (Yellow Dogwood) | Scaevola ramosissima(Purple Fan-flower) |
| Pultenaea sp (A very showy unidentified red/orange pea-flowered ground cover) | |
The expertise of Greg and Tim helped to make us all a great team and the patience of little Matthew was commendable as he hunted
unceasingly. In addition to this, the ‘Jungle Juice’ I obtained from Wollombi tasted great, and I’m sure everyone agreed that the
weekend was most enjoyable.
SOFAR weekend camp, Telegherry / Problem Creek /Jerusalem Falls Area
By Rod Wright
Frogs:
Litoria fallax (Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog)
Litoria latopalmata (Broad-palmed Frog)
Litoria peronii (Peron’s Tree Frog)
Litoria phyllochroa (Leaf Green Tree Frog)
Litoria lesueri (Lesuer’s Frog)
Limnodynastes peronii (Striped Mash Frog)
Lechriodus fletcheri (Flecther Frog)
Uperoleia laevigata (Smooth Toadlet)
Reptiles:
Pogona barbata (Bearded Dragon)
Hoplocephalus stephensii (Stephens’ Banded snake)
Cacophis squamulosus (Golden crown snake)
Moreilia Splotia (Diamond/Carpet Python)
Birds:
Ptilonorhynchus violacus (Satin Bower Bird)
Calyptorhynchus funereus (Black Cockatoo)
Cacatus galertia (Sulphur Crested Cockatoo)
Manorina melanophyrys (Bellbird)
Malurus cyaneus (Superb Blue Wren)
Menura novaehollandiae (Lyre Bird)
Podargus strigoides (Tawny Frogmouth)
Mammals:
Thylogale stigmatica (Red-Legged Pademelon)
Petaurus australis (Greater Glider)
Macropus gigantues (Eastern Grey kangaroo)
All species recorded from calls and sightings many more were identified, but not recorded here. In addition Glow worms, Beatles
and big Gudgeons . This weekend expedition was enjoyed by Tim Sawyer (who just loves playing with snakes) & family, Greg
(get out of it Mathew) Little & family, Brad Mc pherson, Robert wood and a visiting herpetologist from South Australia Darren Boswell.
We all had a magnificent weekend of adventure and discovery.
If you are interested in coming to our field trips contact our coordinator: Greg Little.