Call this weather?

Our dog walk this morning was mainly along Karbethong Rd (as opposed to Karbethong Avenue which is our base).  Lots of Correa reflexa, Epacris impressa andAcacia suaveolens.  Also a fair bit of calling by Superb Lyrebirds: one was obviously displaying close to the road but fled – unfortunately, into the bush rather than out across the road - as we approached.  The sign is true:
There were a few interesting looking fungi beside the road ....

... and much Acacia terminalis in the bush.
The view across the Inlet was rather attenuated because of low cloud and/or the drizzle emanating from same.  In Melbourne the rule of thumb is “Don't like our weather?  No worries, it'll change in 5 minutes.”   I have a suspicion that may not apply in Mallacoota.  In fact it did: it is important to remember that not all change is for the better – by 2pm it was micturating down, and we were very pleased that we had done our “pleasure walk” in the morning.

At some point I remembered to have a look at the chimney, to see Peter's fix of the possum problem from our previous visit.
Much more elegant than the plastic milk crate I had installed!

We drove to Quarry Beach, on the road to Shipwreck Creek, and then took the Coastal walk to Pebbly Beach.  I'm pretty sure this was a Council undertaking as it wasn't canophobic, unlike the approach of a certain State Government organ   The walk started off through a dense stand of Melaleuca
with a few plants (eg Solanum aviculare)
growing where the ground had been disturbed.  It gradually became a more diverse community with Banksias and Eucalypts taking over.

Just before we got to Secret Beach (1.2km) Frances spotted a Bassian Thrush snuffling around: I haven't seen one of those for many years.  It nicked off PDQ but here is a snap of the branch it was sitting on 0.5 seconds before the shutter went.
We also saw a few waterfowl sitting on offshore rocks: from an idiomatic Australian perspective it would be nice to say “they were as lonely as a shag on a rock”
  but in each case at least one other member of the family was present.

As we passed down into Pebbly Beach we finally found some orchids.  Fairley and Moore show these to be “Cobra Greenhoods” giving the Latin as Pterostylis grandiflora.  (They come from NSW so don't believe in the Jones and Clements rejigging of orchid families (but then I have heard that Jones and Clements no longer believe in it either!)  I do believe in Jones and Clements so it's real name is Diplodium grandiflora.
As we left the beach – having decided to walk back along the road for a change of scenery - we found a second orchid species (very close to the site of the great Red-bellied Black Snake episode of 2 years ago).  I think this one was Pterostylis  nutans, but will have to check as we don't have an orchid reference book with us.
Before leaving the beach we noticed the large kelp which had been washed up. One of the wide‑bladed specimens still had some rock attached to its sucker (sorry about the technical term), demonstrating the power of the waves acting on a few square metres of tough plant material. 
A Sooty Oystercatcher (another threatened species) was checking things out.
We found a few other flowers along the way back to Quarry Beach.
Caprobrotus glaucescens (aka pigface)
 Dampiera stricta
 Goodenia sp.
Back at the house I put out some more apple as bowerbird bait and found that a beautiful black male bird came in a few times.  By chance I had just been reading “Australian Bird Names” by Ian Fraser and Jeannie Gray in which they explain that the genus name for these birds (Ptilonorhyncus) means feather-bill so it nice to observe the patch of feathers over the base of the bill!
I decided that another dose of fish and chips was needed (excellent again) and was surprised to find that it wasn't really raining in the town centre but reasonably steady at Karbethong. In the evening the rain really set in, and seemed to go for most of the night.  I will be most interested to see how much we got. The answer to that rhetorical question was 30mm.

Of course with a cool wet night the Swift Moths were out.
Putting up that image has caused me to realise that we saw hardly any insects.  Given that quite a few of them (eg mozzies, sandflies and ticks) are undesirable that was a Good Thing.

Links to all pages
Drive home in the rain.

Comments

Ian Fraser said…
Great series, which I'm following with envy. If you don't have howling gales to accompany your rain (35mm here so far, 70mm in Braidwood, 100mm in Goulburn, 150mm in Nowra) it's not really 'weather'. You've only not seen a Ground Parrot YET by the way. And I've NEVER seen a Chestnut-crowned Honeyeater - well done! (Tawny-crowned, on the other hand...) Looking forward to more.
Flabmeister said…
Ta. I presume "Chestnut-crowned Honeyeater" will now be listed as an 'Other name' in the 2nd edition? Damn. Will fix.

One more episode being crafted now.
Ian Fraser said…
There is precedent - see under Orange-bellied Parrot.
Flabmeister said…
If that precedent is followed do I have to support Hawthorn? Some prices are just too great to contemplate! Go the Swans!

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