Linda and Roger's Bunhybee Grasslands - Animals

This is a page within Roger and Linda's Bunhybee Grasslands Web-Site.
Bunhybee Grasslands is a 49 hectare / 120 acre conservation property 35km south of Braidwood, in southern N.S.W.
You can follow through the internal links, or you may find it easier to use the Site-Map.

Information about Animals

This page contains information about animals that are known to be on the property, under the following headings:

Mammals

Species Lists: Wikipedia: Australia generally and NSW

We've seen Eastern Grey Kangaroos, often in 2008-10, but less so since then, never in large numbers, usually up close to the forest. They would seem to graze mainly the upper slopes – at least during the reasonable conditions that held in 2008 and into early 2009. In autumn 2009, they had been grazing the microlaena in the two patches in the NW corner and below the forest fence-line 100m south of the NW corner. Now that we realise how bushy and even high Microlaena grows, we also realise how much they nibble it down.

We've once seen what we'd loosely describe as a red-backed small kangaroo or wallaby in the forest beside the road, 2km north of Bunhybee (1 Mar 2010).

There are Wombats on the property. There's plenty of evidence in the form of paths, gaps under the bottom strands of fences, and holes in and adjacent to the property. Several new burrows have appeared in various parts of the property, including near Peppermint corner in late 2008, on the central block in 2010, in the dam wall in 2012, and above Gate Gully in 2013 and 2014.

You generally don't see them during the daytime. Two exceptions have been one in summer 2010, and another in very early spring on 2014:

20 Feb 2010 Wombat ...	... Sick? Injured? Visibly breathing	... He'd started to dig in, but had stopped	It was a 29 degree day, and he was exposed. He was clearly playing possum, as the space was vacant 8 days later!

20 Aug 2014 ...	... flooded out of his main holes ...	... and not yet finished his new one ...	... but also sunning himself

Monotreme

Reference info: Wikipedia

We've seen a very healthy echida 7 or 8 times in c.70 visits in 2008-18, usually on the main ridge (which we now commonly refer to as Echidna Ridge), but also on the South Block and below the dam.

Lark and Echidna, Sep 2008	Echidna, Sep 2008	Echidna, 11 Nov 2009 (Martin Butterfield)	Echidna – 13 Nov 2010
Echidna – 22 Oct 2012 In the East of South Block	Yet again (no photo), ridge-e-didge, on 9 Nov 2016	10 Dec 2017, Brünig wary NW of North Block

Reptiles

Recognition Sites: Australian Museum (Sydney)

Snakes

Recognition Sites: What Snake is That?

• Red-Bellied Black, on the rocks in the water-line near Parlour Grasslands (2008), and another 4-footer near the gate (1 Mar 2010)
• White-Lipped snake, Drysdalia coronoides, harmless (to people that is), c. 40cm, impossible to get a photo because it was so well-hidden in the tussock grasses

Lizards

• Blue-Tongue Lizard, under the snow-gums (2 photos below)
• A small dragon (photo below)
• Skinks, small, a couple of times

Shinglebacks are sometimes seen in the area, but unfortunately usually when they haven't made it across the road in time.

Blue-Tongue Lizard, Nov 2008	Lizard, Nov 2009	Dragon, Nov 2009

Turtles

Recognition Sites: ANGFA (Qld)

• Long-Necked Turtles, once, in the main dam (prob. Chelodina longicollis)

Frogs

Recognition Sites: Amphibian Research Centre

• At least two different kinds (based on their calls), in both main creek-lines, each time after rain
• Rainer recognised the sound of the Eastern Common Froglet, Crinia signifera, on 22 October 2012

25 Sep 2013 Frog froth ...	... in the dam ...	... after wet conditions

Birds

Species Lists: Wikipedia

~ Resident / Sedentary:

• Grey Fantail (often, in the snow gums along the road)
• Eurasian Skylark, usually (around the ridge-area), singly, except in spring, when in pairs
• Richard's / Australian Pipit, usually (in the open grass-areas)
• Dusky Wood-Swallow, 2012-13, mostly at the NW corner of the southern block (Wombat Creeklet)

~ Migratory:

• Yellow-Faced Honeyeaters (migrating both ways along tree-lines, at opposite ends of winter, in large groups, and very reliably)
• Wattlebirds, presumably juvenile, in flocks of 20, 60 and once even 100, heading north along the snow-gums and east along Hart's Road – late April and mid-May 2009; and back again on 9 Sep 2009
• Latham's / Australian / Japanese Snipe, once in late spring (in the kunzea. When disturbed , it flew low, down to the main waterline)

~ Occasional, in the open, and in the snow-gums along the road:

• Raptors:
  • Nankeen Kestrel pair (or whatever we're supposed to call them now) once in late spring, and a lone one on 9 May 09 and 13 Nov 10
  • Black-Shouldered Kite, once in mid-summer
  • Wedge-Tailed Eagle, in mid-summer, low, with clear markings and alone, so presumably newly mature; again on 9 May 09, and we found a large feather the same day; and again on 6 Sep 09, yet again alone, with clear markings (is his partner on the nest in early spring?); and again in Nov 10; and again in Nov 12 flying away from the dead wattle near the eastern fence south of Echidna Ridge
  • a Swamp Harrier / Whistling Kite / Little Eagle?, high and calling, on 13 Sep 2013
• Large Birds:
  • Magpies
  • Australian Ravens, occasional, incl. chasing the eagle on 9 Sep 09
  • Little Raven (9 Nov 09)
  • White-Faced Heron, in 2009 and again, in the southern waterline, in Nov 2012
  • Choughs, a family of about 10 (in the snow-gums beside the road, 10 Feb 2010)
  • Kookaburra (in the snow-gums beside the road, 10 Feb 2010)
  • Yellow-Tailed Cockatoos (flying from Deua to Tallaganda?, 28 Feb 2010; and 2 flying the other way, 5 Apr 2010) – and many times since, sightings maybe one in three visits, as many as 20 at a time
  • Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  • [Red-Tailed Cockatoos were seen near the Tallaganda Pass on 1 Mar 2010]
  • Poss. Wonga or Topknot Pigeon (or maybe Channel-Billed Cuckoo) at northern edge on 15 Sep 2018
• Medium-Sized Birds:
  • Lark
  • Eastern Rosellas
  • Crimson Rosella
  • Gang-gangs, Mar 2013, 2 families, each of a male, female and juvenile
  • Crested Pigeons, 8 of them once in early spring (at the small dam and in the snowgums along the road)
  • Red Wattlebird
  • Noisy Friarbird, late summer (heard only)
  • Black-Faced Cuckoo-Shrike, a pair
  • Grey Shrike-Thrush, on two separate occasions in autumn 2009, heard again Nov 10, seen Mar 2013
  • Galah
  • Quail (28 Dec 2010, 2 Jan 2013), eastern edge of middle block
  • Golden Whistler (28 Dec 2010), western edge near the gate
  • Olive-backed Oriole (9 Dec 2017), Picnic Corner
• Small Birds:
  • Welcome Swallows over the main dam, late afternoon, late summer; and 9 Sep 09
  • Willie Wagtail, along the road
  • Diamond Firetails, once in early spring (in the snowgums along the road)
  • Yellow-Rumped Thornbills, in the centre-block snow gums, Mar 2013
  • Thornbills, probably buff-rumped (a group, low between trees and bushes, no yellow tail), on two separate occasions in autumn 2009
  • ?White-Winged Triller (black cap and cheek white-streaked eye, dark above, light below), autumn 2009, and again 11 Nov 09

~ Additional sounds heard in the top corner, coming out of the Bunhybee Peak forest:

• White-Throated Tree-Creeper (usually heard only)
• Satin Bower-Bird
• Striated Thornbill
• Yellow-Rumped Thornbill
• Spotted Pardalote
• Striated Pardalote
• Rufous Whistler
• other non-identified calls

See also the following Lists, below:

• Martin Butterfield's, on 11 November 2009
• Rainer Rehwinkel's, on 22 October 2012

Wedge-tailed eagle, Sep 2009	... closer-up ...	... and again

On 7 September 2013, Yellow-Faced Honeyeaters were migrating back to the mountains, with many flocks of about a hundred coming southwards along the road, and fewer groups SW across the ridge. The following were more easily photographed:

Yellow-Tailed ...	... Black Cockatoos ...	... Very Early Spring ...	... from the Deuas westwards towards the Tallaganda
25 Sep 2013 The resident Lark His favourite rocks are bare on top	9 Nov 2016 Kooka!	1 Oct 2017 The resident Lark	9 Dec 2017 Olive-Backed Oriole

Insects

Recognition Sites: CSIRO Entomology

Authoritative Reference: Farrow R. (2016) 'Insects of South-Eastern Australia' CSIRO Publishing, 2016

When you look closely, there are a lot of them.

Dragonflies, commonly over the main dam and the small dam

Recognition Sites: CSIRO Entomology

Dragonfly, Nov 2008

Moths and Butterflies

Recognition Sites: CSIRO's Australian Moths Online and Don Herbison-Evans' Butterflies and Moths

Emperor Gum moth, Nov 2009 ...	... Opodiphthera eucalypti	5 Apr 2010 Pasture Day Moth, Apina callisto ...	Brown, Heteronympha sp.
13 Nov 2010 – Don Herbison-Evans says prob. Pollanisus viridipulverulenta (Jan 2013)	30 Jan 2016, Shouldered brown male, Heteronympha penelope TBC ...	... nope, not a Painted Lady	19 Sep 2020 ... Yellow Admiral on Epacris

Grasshoppers (& katydids, we're told!)

Recognition Sites: DAFF, CSIRO Entomology

We've been told that there could be 20 species of grasshoppers on a property like this, but all our untrained eyes have seen so far is:

• a moderate numbers of small grasshoppers, yellow-winged in flight, in late summer
• a single grasshopper, green-winged in flight, in Mar 2013
• a single large green grasshopper (photo below), in late summer
• a single small brown grasshopper (photo below), in November 2009

Green Grasshopper Feb 2009 Acrida conica	Brown Grasshopper Nov 2009 Phaulacridium vittatum	Green Grasshopper Jan 2014 Polichne parvicauda
Yellow-winged Locust Gastrimargus musicus Jan 2016	Both brown and green, caught in the grill Feb 2016

Beetles and Bugs

Recognition Sites: CSIRO Entomology: 'True Bugs' and Beetles

Apr 2009 – A Bug (we thought) Eucalypt Weevil, Gonipterus sp.	Sep 2009 – a water-running bug, pond, southern waterline Shore fly, Ephydridae	Nov 2009 – Luminous Golden and Green Beetles ...	... Diphucephala sp
30 Dec 2009 – Christmas beetle Anoplognathus montanus on Banksia marginata	20 Feb 2010 – A Bug		28 Dec 2010 – Spotted flower beetle, Neorrhina punctata on the Leptosperm ...
... Ecnolagria grandis during the seed-harvest ...	... Plant Bug Miridae with spider	20 Mar 2011 – Monophlebulus sp on A. melanoxyon	2 January 2013 – Iridescent Beetle Chalcopteroides
8 Jan 2014 ...	... Green Christmas Beetle ...	... Xylonichus eucalypti

Whose Handiwork?

20 Feb 2010 Snow Gum ...	... eaten by what? ...	...

Don Herbison-Evans suggests Christmas Beetles (Jan 2013).
And Roger Farrow confirmed Christmas Beetles Anoplognathus sp (Sep 2021).

Caterpillars

Recognition Sites: Don Herbison-Evans

28 Dec 2010 ...	... Caterpillars, Noctuidae ...	... from the harvest of the Kangaroo Grass	... and another

Mantis

Mar 2013 – Archimantis latistyla ...	... found in the southern swamp, relocated to a dry area where the camera was ...	... and showing the green eye

Wasp (but looks like an ant)

Wingless female wasp ...	... Diamma bicolor ...	... with a nasty sting, says Roger Farrow

Arachnids

Recognition Sites: Ed Nieuw, Wikipedia, Qld

From time to time:

• a striped grass spider, modest size
• a white-abdomened spider, small
• a vividly green spider, similar to the white-abdomened?
• a red-and-yellow spider, small, in a web, stretched between Kunzea
• a big brown bruiser, possibly a trap-door, body 4cm long, poss. Misgolas rapax (Sydney brown trap door)

Holes consistent with:

• wolf (most likely), but possibly mouse and/or funnel-web spiders
• a trap-door spider (now looking likely)

9 May 09 – Trap-door spider's hole, near fence, near NE corner	3 Mar 2010 – Spider	28 Dec 2010 – during the Kangaroo Grass harvest ...	... and another
12 December 2012 St Andrews in a Vanilla Lily
2 January 2013 Poss. Brown Trap-Door ...	... disturbed while digging out a thistle	14 January 2015 Green Spider ...	... ?Neosparassus ZZ572 Green huntsman spider
30 Jan 2016 Tan and Black	2cm long	in Leptosperm	The seeds, very similar of course

Ferals

Species Lists: Wikipedia

• Fox (dead)
• Pigs – mum, dad and four piglets; plus plenty of evidence in the form of scratchings

Examples of Pig-Damage

Nov 2008 (late spring) ...	... perhaps 1 year old ...	... in recovery mode ...	... fairly healthy, unassisted	Apr 2009 – 1-2 years old? E of the house-site

Here is a variety of pig-damage, shot in Nov 2012, in the process of repairing itself pretty effectively. After 2-1/2 wet years following a 9-year drought. the Schoenus apogon was particularly vigorous:

Martin Butterfield's Bird List on 11 November 2009

• Wedge-tailed Eagle
• Nankeen Kestrel
• Galah
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Crimson Rosella
• Eastern Rosella
• Laughing Kookaburra
• White-throated Treecreeper
• Satin Bowerbird
• Striated Thornbill
• Yellow-rumped Thornbill
• Spotted Pardalote
• Striated Pardalote
• Yellow-faced Honeyeater
• White-naped Honeyeater
• Noisy Friarbird
• White-winged Triller
• Rufous Whistler
• Australian Magpie
• Grey Fantail
• Willie Wagtail
• Little Raven
• Eurasian Skylark
• Australasian Pipit

Rainer Rehwinkel's Bird List on 22 October 2012

• Wedge-tailed Eagle
• Grey Fantail
• Australian Magpie
• White-throated Treecreeper
• Australian Raven
• Laughing Kookaburra
• Nankeen Kestrel
• Striated Pardalote
• White-eared Honeyeater
• Olive-backed Oriole
• Grey Butcherbird
• Golden Whistler
• Red Wattlebird
• White-winged Chough

This is a page within the Bunhybee Grasslands Web-Site, home-page here, and site-map here
Contact: Linda or Roger
Created: 2 October 2008; Last Amended: 19 September 2021