Fabulous dry-country nature

Recent soaking rain in and around the Pilliga Forests of semi-arid northwestern NSW has prompted nature to reproduce, with fungi fruiting, birds nest-building, and native vegetation bursting into bloom. I had a fabulous time exploring.

Many of the avifauna species of the northwest are not exclusively dry-country birds. The Australian Owlet-nightjar can be found Australia wide, but it's always exciting to catch sight of one of these nocturnal hunters at it's daytime roost.

We were driving along a deserted unsealed road at a snail's pace observing whatever nature took our attention. I noticed a round grey shape in a hollow entrance about 7 metres up a grand old River Red Gum, so we backed up to investigate, just in case it was a creature instead of a 'lump' or 'bump' as most grey round things turn out to be.

And how exciting to find it was a sleepy owlet-nightjar sunning itself. It was only my third sighting of the Australian owlet-nightjar, and Grahame's second.

With binoculars, I checked out the details of this quite un-bird-like bird. It was fluffed up into a ball, with slits for eyes, and barely distinguishable beak. Comically, it opened one eye slightly, and slowly backed into the shadows of the horizontal hollow. But it must have been cold indoors, as he shuffled out almost immediately, venturing a little further out so that he was awash with warm winter sunshine. And there he perched, snoozing, oblivious to the thrill he was providing us.

I left Grahame to capture some images of the sleeping bird, while I wandered off in search of fungi.

With one eye opening slightly to investigate the slamming car door, the cute little owlet-nightjar momentarily disappeared into the shadows. . . . .

. . . . .only to reappear, and doze in the winter sun.
What a delightful encounter!

And I did find fungi - fascinating fungi. Mycenastrum corium doesn't appear to have a common name; it's a hard-skinned puffball that occurs in semi-arid country. When I saw the many-lobed star-like structure amongst the dry native leaf litter, I knew exactly what it was, though not by name. It was a new sighting for me, and I was ecstatic.

After I photographed it from every angle, I wandered off, satisfied, but hoping I could find more - which I did. All manner of oddly shaped fruit bodies scattered, unattached to the soil - just sitting there. I have posted info and more photos of Mycenastrum corium on my fungi blog.

My hand gives some size comparison to the fungus Mycenastrum corium, laying on a bed of eucalypt leaves and twigs.

I stopped to watch shiny little skinks dart in and out of strewn branches, hunting for an insect meal, I suppose. No photos unfortunately, they're just too quick for me. Birdsong was everywhere.

Back at our vehicle, Grahame was sitting watching a female Hooded Robin go about nest-building duties. And what an amazing nest it was - a very shallow circular construction made of grasses and spiders' webs, sitting on a thick piece of bark jutting out from the trunk of a River Red Gum.

Every now and then she'd wriggle her body down onto the nest to form a depression for her precious eggs to rest in when the time came to lay. Mr Hooded Robin wasn't working today, but he wasn't far away - perhaps the presence of intruders meant he was on lookout duty.

Hooded Robins occupy a wide range of Eucalypt woodlands, Acacia shrublands and open forests. In semi-arid western NSW, they favour open woodlands of Belah, Rosewood, Mulga and Cypress. They are listed as a Vulnerable Species in NSW, so it was a special privilege to be able to observe breeding behaviour.

The female Hooded Robin perched on the edge of the protruding bark where she has began to build a nest. . . . .

. . . . .and sitting after forming a depression in the nesting material with her body - note she has the remains of collected spiders' webs on her bill.

A great find the following day was a beautiful little dragon lizard. I haven't been able to identify it, so if any readers can assist with identification, I'd be very grateful. I guess it was about 17 to 20cm from snout to tip of tail - [I've had someone identify the lizard as a Nobbi Dragon, Amphibolurus nobbi - thank you].

As it is with most lizards in leaf litter, I didn't see it until it moved. It was scurrying about amongst fallen twigs by Etoo Creek north east of Baradine. When it caught my eye, I was so tempted to get down on the ground to try to get a half decent image, but I knew very well that it'd dart off in a flash. So I stood stock still and managed to shoot off a couple of frames before it disappeared.

Nobbi Dragon (Amphibolurus nobbi) of
the Pilliga Forests, NW NSW

After my lizard encounter, I wandered off with a smile on my face. Footprints of numerous unseen creatures criss-crossed the dry sandy creek bed, and a barely audible rustle in the tall, swaying reeds indicated the presence of one such hidden bird or animal.

White-browed Babblers hopped around crazily in the Cypress. Cheery sounds from Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters ensured I was still smiling when I returned to the car. The dry, scrubby woodlands of the Pilliga are full of treats and surprises - I even found flowering ground orchids.