Nature – Page 18 – Paluma – our village in the mist

Courtship in the Canopy Continues………

Update on Riflebird Courtship at Paluma

In a previous post (5 November 2018) I reported on the frenetic courtship activity of the Victoria’s Riflebird at Paluma during the height of the breeding season for these birds. I noted that many of the juvenile male birds were practising their skills at displaying for females.

While the young males continue to compete for the attention of females, the adult male birds are also displaying with all the finesse that maturity brings. I captured the elaborate courtship display of one adult male bird who managed to win over his female companion. The courtship ritual and display lasted for almost 10 minutes and was a sight to behold.

The adult male arrives and sits on his perch, scanning the forest canopy and calling in a loud raucous voice.

2. A female bird arrives and sits in a nearby tree. He is instantly alert and almost appears to take a bow in her direction.

3. He leaves his perch and flies into the nearby canopy to join her, sitting next to her on a branch. He puffs-up his whole body, raises his wings and the performance begins.

4. He displays frantically over and over with raised flapping wings until he has her full attention. She was looking quite disinterested for a time as the photographs show!.

5. Finally he has her full attention and they copulate. No photographs included here, privacy please!

6. He then flies back to his original perch and turns to display again, raising his wings in the direction of the female who is still sitting in the canopy.

What an amazing and remarkable bird and a truly memorable 10 minutes of my life! Right place at the right time. Or, just another day in the paradise called Paluma.

Article & Photographs by Michele Bird (no pun intended).

Rainforest Tree of the Month, November 2018 – Sloanea australis

Easy to overlook amongst the many trees in the rainforest, the Sloanea australis nevertheless draws attention when its fragrant, creamy white flowers bloom in September and October.

Worldwide, there are about 120 species of Sloanea –named for British scientist and collector Hans Sloan, who lived 1660 to 1753. Four species are endemic to Australia with three of these growing in tropical rainforests in Queensland. Sloanea australis is distributed between the Windsor Tableland and Paluma. Several of these trees may be seen on Mount Spec Road near the Sensory Trail at Paluma Environmental Education Centre where they grow among the stand of forest trees bordering the school property.

The tree grows to 30 meters and may be buttressed. Bark is grey/brown, very lightly textured. The obovate, simple leaves are a glossy green with wavy margins and clearly defined veins. Flowers are dainty with 4 to 6 creamy white slightly fleshy petals, about 6 to 12 mm long. They grow, usually in a short raceme from the leaf axils. They are modest little flowers and easily lost amid all the dense green foliage.

The fruit is more easily detected, its red-coated seeds immediately attracting attention. Ripening around February/March, the fruit is a brown or orange, very bristly, three-valved capsule which splits to reveal three shiny black seeds, encased in a red aril, (or fleshy growth). Already tiny fruit can be seen; not yet much bigger than match-heads, their spiky skins are un-mistakable. The seeds are eaten by many bird species.

Sloanea australis is known by several common names: Maidens Blush, Blush Alder and Blush Carbeen. These names are derived from the colour of the tree’s heartwood which is a blushing pink.

Without flowers or fruit to guide you, it may be difficult to locate one of these trees but have a go! At least, in Spring or Summer, when you come across the flowers or fruit, you may remember to which tree they belong.

Text and photos by Colwyn Campbell

Rifle Bird Courtship at Paluma

The breeding season for the Victoria’s Rifle Bird is between September and January. Courtship behaviour and displaying by juvenile male birds is in full swing at Paluma during the peak of the breeding season in early November. The elaborate courtship rituals are something to see!

Over several days, numerous young male birds have been sighted on ‘perches’ high in the rainforest canopy, carrying out their elaborate dance displays to attract the females. At one location on a suitable tree stump I observed three birds displaying in quick succession, one after the other on the same perch. The displays were accompanied by the distinctive raucous, raspy calls which were quickly answered by other birds throughout the nearby forest. The distinctive clapping sound made by the male birds rapidly alternating their wings during displaying was also heard from the surrounding rainforest.

Cliff and Dawn Frith have spent many years studying the courtship display and mating habits of rifle birds. Much of their research was based at Paluma. They describe the courtship display as typically having three discrete components:

Calling – usually associated with the opening of the beak and exposure of the inside of the bright yellow mouth.

2. Circular wings and gape display

3. Alternate wing clap – this involves the rapid, alternating ‘clapping’ of the wings whereby the female is ’embraced’ within the male birds wings. The tempo of the wing clapping increases until copulation.

Just describing the remarkable courtship behaviour of the male rifle bird does not do it justice. The video below captures a short sequence of the typical display.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird. Video by Michele Bird & Jamie Oliver.

Platypus on the Village Weir

The Village Weir is a wonderful place to sit and contemplate nature, especially during a misty morning. You can even catch up on your emails while waiting for a platypus to appear.

Following the sighting of a platypus on the Village Weir in late September there have been 4 other confirmed sightings and it would seem that this individual has taken up residence (hopefully for the long term) in the weir.

Sightings have been primarily in the early morning (6-7am) and it appears to prefer the left side bank (looking up from the weir wall).

A list of all recent sightings can be found here. If you happen to see our new aquatic resident please contact Jamie Oliver with details so he can add this to the sightings record.

The video below shows the Platypus swimming across the weir from right to left early in the morning on October 28, 2018.

video by Juanita Poletto

Jungle Huntsman Spider

Jungle Huntsman (Heteropoda jugulans)

One of the many benefits of residing in the village of Paluma is that we are living close to nature. Encounters with the local wildlife are common for those of us living with the rainforest and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area literally at our back door. On my house verandah there are numerous spiders, of varying sizes and species, happy to cohabit with me. My favourite spider is a rather large, hairy-legged huntsman that I call ‘Harry’.

‘Harry the Huntsman’ lives in the kindling box by the back door. He takes refuge in the kindling box by day, but by night he stalks the verandah and house walls looking for prey. His favourite past time is to sit by the back door at night and jump towards me when I least expect it.

‘Harry’ is a Jungle Huntsman which are fast moving rainforest spiders (don’t I know it!). They are long-legged and mostly grey to brown in colour. They can grow to a body length of 30mm (Harry is approaching this size). Jungle Huntsman feed on a range of invertebrates including moths, crickets, cockroaches, flies and other spiders. Jungle Huntsman are covered in fine sensory hairs which are very sensitive to air movement. This helps them to detect the movement of prey and also the approach of predators.

These spiders lay eggs which are encased in a flat white silk egg sac. The female spider stays with the egg sac until the spiderlings hatch. The eggs hatch in 30 to 60 days (depending on the temperature) and several hundred spiderlings can emerge from one egg sac. (If ‘Harry’ is actually a ‘Harriet’ then I may have many more Jungle Huntsman on the verandah in the future).

Jungle Huntsman grow by shedding their exoskeleton, or moulting. The life span of most Huntsman species is 2 to 3 years. These spiders are non-venomous. Their predators include birds, geckoes and large wasps.

Text & Photo by Michele Bird

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Dendrobium Orchid

Dendrobium Species (King Orchid or Oak Orchid)

There is a spectacular orchid blooming at Paluma at present and it can be seen clinging to trees in many village gardens and high up in the canopy in rainforest trees surrounding the village. Most locals refer to it by a common name, the King Orchid. This beautiful orchid has thick green leathery leaves and showy flowers which are produced in long racemes on long stems. Each stem can have over 100 small flowers which range in colour from white to creamy yellow. The flowers have a sweet fragrance and usually appear from September to October.

As amateur botanists we have tried in vain to identify this orchid to species level. We suggest that it might be a variety of Dendrobium speciosum which grows over a vast area of Australia from Gippsland in Victoria to Cooktown in North Queensland. Dendrobium speciosum is described as a very variable orchid, forming a species complex. It can be found across a range of habitats in eastern Australia including rainforest and open forest, from sea level to mountain tops.

On the other hand, this orchid might well be Dendrobium jonesii. This species has a remarkably similar flower to D. speciosum and although it can grow at sea level, it tends to occur most commonly in upland rainforest in the moist mountain ranges. It is described as being locally abundant in tropical Queensland from Mount Elliot near Townsville to Cape York Peninsula.

If anyone can enlighten us as to the species of this beautiful Paluma orchid we would welcome your feedback.

Whatever the species, it is a special orchid and very worthy of our admiration wherever it grows – in local gardens or high in the rainforest canopy. The flowers tend to be short-lived only lasting a week or so. Make sure you check out this orchid before flowering ends, otherwise you will have to wait until next year!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird & Colwyn Campbell.

A Walk on the Wild Side – Amethystine Python

Taking a walk through the village of Paluma and surrounds often leads to encounters with the local wildlife. Last Sunday (21 October) during a stroll through the village on a beautiful sunny morning, we were lucky enough to come across a superb Amethystine Python (Morelia amethistina).

From a distance, we noticed what appeared to be a rather large tree branch extending onto Mt Spec Road at the eastern end of the cutting. Before long it became obvious that the ‘large branch’ was moving and that it was a snake that had settled quite comfortably on the road for a spot of sun baking. This sizeable snake extended across the entire width of the road and more. Fearing a vehicle might soon come along, we swiftly encouraged the snake to move off the road and it ascended a nearby tree. It was not too pleased about being disturbed from its lazy Sunday morning warm-up!

The Amethystine Python, or Scrub Python as it is also known, is Australia’s longest snake. The specimen we saw was about 3 metres in length, and probably quite a young snake. Specimens have been recorded at over 8.5 metres in length. These snakes are slender, graceful creatures with stunning markings of fawn to olive-brown, with variegated zig-zag patterning in dark-brown to black. These pythons live in tropical open forest, rainforest and mangrove habitats. They are usually nocturnal, but can sometimes be found during the day, basking in the sun in a forest clearing, or as we found, on the road.

Amethystine pythons are non-venomous and their prey usually includes small birds and mammals, but can include larger animals such as agile wallabies.

After settling in the tree, this very handsome python was happy to pose for a few photographs.

Text & Photos by Colwyn Campbell & Michele Bird

Rainforest Tree of the Month, October 2018 – Alphitonia petriei

Pink Ash – Alphitonia petriei

Around the world there are 20 species of this distinctive tree, mostly in tropical Asia, while in Australia there are seven or eight species, found in eastern northern Australia. Alphitonias are known by several popular names which can cause some confusion in identifying a particular species. Pink Almond, White-leaf, White Ash, Soap Tree, Sarsaparilla, Red Ash, Red Almond, Foam-bark and Pink Ash are those names most commonly used.

Alphitonia petriei is a pioneer species which grows rapidly on the edge of the forest or in a gap where sunlight can reach. Trees can grow to a height of 40 meters and sometimes look grotesque with gnarled and twisted limbs and branches which reach out impossible distances laterally from the trunk. At present trees around Paluma are particularly eye-catching as most are densely covered in white flowers, often with a tiered effect and, from a distance, appear like snow-laden Christmas trees.

The flowers which grow in dense panicles at the ends of branchlets and between leaves are white, cream or pale green. They have five petals, only 1.5 mm long which envelop the stamens. Flowering is usually from September through to March. Pollination is by beetles. Butterflies are also attracted to Alphitonia. The fruit is produced from February to July; globular, dark capsules, which ripen to reveal three orange to red seeds surrounded by a powdery flesh. Many birds, including King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas, feast on these while fallen fruit is eaten by cassowaries.

Leaves of the Alphitonia are simple, lanceolate and can be 65 to 180 mm long. The upper surface is glabrous and a dull grey-green in colour while the undersurface is whitish and slightly hairy. In some species of Alphitonia, notably A. excelsa, the leaves when rubbed in water will produce a soapy froth, hence the popular name Soap Tree. This species is more commonly found at a lower altitude than that of Paluma.

The bark on the trunk and limbs of this tree is grey, flaky, almost tessellated and if torn gives off a liniment-like odour. This is a distinctive feature of the tree. The strong liniment smell of broken twigs and leaves is methyl salicylate, produced in the cambial layers of the limbs. Some people liken the smell to sarsaparilla, hence another popular name for this tree. Rainforest Aborigines used the Alphitonia petriei medicinally, probably as a liniment.

Alphitonia petriei is one of the many rainforest trees that contain bio-active chemicals which could potentially produce valuable medicinal drugs. In his book ‘Plants of Tropical North Queensland’, John Beasley says that “research at Paluma found that more than half the trees tested showed marked bioactivity.”

There are many of these interesting trees growing in and around Paluma. Particularly good specimens may be seen outside No 62 Mount Spec Road and at the corner of the western entry to Lennox Crescent from Mount Spec Road.

Text and photos by Colwyn Campbell

Platypus sighted on Village Weir

While Platypus are apparently regularly seen by some residents on the creeks behind Hussey Road, reports of these elusive but iconic Australian animals in the pond above the weir near the village green are pretty rare. Last month (September 14) there was a confirmed sighting in the middle of the weir pond by Eridani Mulder. I went down to the weir twice during the subsequent week (once at dawn and once at dusk) and searched quietly for about 30 minutes without any luck, but I encourage others to do the same and post any further sightings to this message. It would be great if we could determine if we now have a resident Platypus on the weir! It would also provide a strong argument in support of our proposal to the city council for the construction of a nature walk and viewing platform around the weir.

Jamie Oliver

Paluma Range Road – Fire to Flourish

Most Paluma residents will tell you that they never tire of driving the Paluma Range Road. While the road often invokes fear and trepidation for new visitors and tourists, you will very often hear the locals talking animatedly about their observations and encounters along the road, whether it be with native fauna and flora, other road-users, fallen trees, floods and fire. Some long-time residents know the road culvert by culvert – from top to bottom.

Driving the Range Road in the warmer months of the year and during the wet season is always special. Very often there is water cascading down the rock faces adjacent to the road and beautiful waterfalls at the creek crossings. Sometimes the water is even streaming down the middle of the road! If you are lucky you might encounter reptiles such as large pythons, water dragons and freshwater turtles during your drive. In certain months of the year, it is possible to spot migratory bird species such as the paradise kingfisher in particular locations along the road.

Being on the Range Road in the dry season is just as remarkable. With the recent prolonged dry spell in the region, just a few short weeks ago an intense bushfire ravaged the terrain on the lower slopes and foothills of the Paluma Range. Following the fire it was difficult to spot any greenery in the bush and hardly a blade of grass was left intact. It was hard to imagine how the bush would recover from such a devastating blaze.

Less than one month later and the bush is regenerating with a vengeance. Driving the Range Road at the present time is an absolute joy. There are green shoots and new growth everywhere as the bush springs back to life. It is well known that the Australian bush needs fire for regeneration and there are many species of native plants reliant on regular firing regimes to promote new growth and for seed germination. The resilience of the bush and its adaptability to fire is well evident on the Paluma Range at the present time.

Among the many plants springing back to life are Eucalypts of various species, cycads (probably Cycas media) and grass trees (Xanthorrhoea sp.). The cycads are especially beautiful with their new, soft grey-green foliage unfurling from blackened stumps. Understory plants such as pandanus palms (Pandanus sp.), wombat berry (Eustrephus latifolius) and flax lily (Dianella sp.) are rampant with new growth on the charred, hard-baked clay soils and amongst the granitic outcrops.

Flax lily and wombat berry emerge from charred ground

Next time you drive the Range Road make sure you look for the ever-advancing tinges of green as the woodland forest springs back to life. This is ‘mother nature’ at her very best.

Cycad regrowth sprouts from burnt stumps

Text & Photos by Michele Bird