KRM Branch 24 October 2021

The October field outing was to Yanchep National Park and a small group met near the Visitor’s Centre on a beautiful warm morning. We were pleased to have Jolanda join us on our walk and she reminded us that it was the Great Southern Bio-Blitz weekend so all of our sightings could be added to this project through iNaturalist.

Our first sightings for the day came at the toilet block next to the car park where Daniel Heald found two Yellow Admiral Butterflies that had just emerged from their chrysalis and were hanging from the eaves until their wings hardened. We decided that we would explore the area around the lake first. As we headed off the trunk of an old Tuart delivered up a number of insect sightings including a Red Tiger Assassin Bug (Havinthus rufovarius). At the lake’s edge, Purple Swamp Hens were foraging while a White-faced Heron hunted in the shallows on the grassy islet a short distance out from the main shore line. A chorus of frogs sang out from the lake and a recording of the calls submitted to the FrogID app would later confirm our preliminary identification that the calls were coming from Rattling Froglets (Crinia glauerti). Vegetation around the lake included the beautiful Cut-leaf Hibbertia (Hibbertia cuneiformis), Shining Fan-flower (Scaevola nitida), Slender Myoporum (Myoporum caprarioides) and Yellow Tail-flower (Anthocercis littorea), the last named being especially prominent in areas burnt in last summer’s fire. Water birds spotted included Wood Ducks, Pacific Black Ducks, Grey Teal, and Australian Shelduck. A pair of Whistling Kites was seen soaring over the lake and a lone Pelican flew past. Woodland birds included Ravens, Little Corellas, Galahs, Red Wattlebirds, Splendid Fairy-wrens, Silvereye, Grey Fantail, Magpie Lark, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, and Striated Pardalotes.

Other invertebrates spotted included a small beetle that is an Ant Mimicry (Blackburniella intricata) and Common Bandwing Grasshoppers (Pycnosticus seriatus).

After a short break for morning tea, we made our way to one of the heath trails off Yanchep Beach Road. As expected we found a different variety of flora along this trail and although the area had also been subject to the bushfire some of the plants were doing very well. Along the track Conostylis sp. was found in very thick clumps and Fragrant Waitzia (Waitzia suaveolens) and Stylidium sp. were in flower. Common Mignonettes (Microtis media subsp. media) were the only orchids found.

After walking up the trail for a while we came upon an area where the Smokebush (Conospermum stoechadis) looked spectacular against a backdrop of grass trees and other shrubs. The Hairy Yellow Pea (Gompholobium tomentosum), Prince of Wales Feather Flower (Ptilotus polystachius) and a vividly coloured Snakebush (Hemiandra glabra) were also flowering in this area.

Too soon it was time to turn around and head back to the cars. Along the way, we noticed several large Cryptocheilus sp., Spider Wasps, hawking around looking for prey, an Ancita sp., Longicorn Beetle, plus some small Orb-weaver Spiders. Back at the cars, we reflected that we were glad that we had explored some of the heath trail, and with hindsight, we could have devoted more time to this area of the park and less at the lake. It had been a great outing, with a total of 20 bird species sighted and around 50 sightings uploaded to the Great Southern Bio-Blitz.

Colin Prickett