Lucy's uncle Mike had put us in contact with a student who is passionate about the Dandenongs and knows them intimately. We met up with Alex Maisey for an afternoon in the forest. Alex has been studying lyrebirds for the past 12 years and we headed off to check on some nests. Up a very muddy little stream Alex pointed out a nest in the top of a tree fern - a scraggly pile of branches with a hole in the side.
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| We're not sure we would have spotted this nest! |
Unfortunately the single egg had been robbed from the nest, so we headed on to another site where we were collecting photos from a remote sensor camera set up on a lyrebird display mound. It was exciting to put the memory card into the laptop and see short videos of male lyrebirds maintaining the mound, debating territory and one male impressing a female with his elaborate dancing and tail fan shaking. We also saw images of wallabies, wombats and the invasive red fox. These foxes were introduced to hunt about a century ago and now pose a major threat to many small mammals and birds that live and nest near the ground. Extensive fox baiting has allowed the endangered lyrebird population to start recovering over the past decade.
Back in the main Sherbrooke forest we headed off the path to look for more lyrebirds and to admire the forest from the best vantage points.
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| A Lyrebird nest in the fork of a tree. |
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| Mommy lyrebird on her egg. |
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| The forest is majestic! |
We were both in our element with Geoff being surrounded by big trees and Lucy to have someone to answer all her questions on the ecology of the forest, forest succession, fire, and anything else related to the local environment. Alex was long suffering and continued his fascinating narrative as we zigzagged through the forest looking at stands of slender tree ferns, very big Mountain Ash trees, flowering orchids, river cascades, climax cool rainforest, etc. It was really nice to chat with someone who knew the forest so intimately and to see the things you miss on the main path. Thanks Alex!
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| "What would you like to know about ferns?" Alex patiently answers Lucy's questions. |
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| Explanation on how a lyrebird makes his display mound. |
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| A small grove of slender ferns in amongst the Mountain Ash's. |
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| Fern Lace |
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| The Mountain Ash trees just go up and up!!! |
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| An epiphytic orchid on a Sassafras tree. |
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| Lucy in her element |
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| This ancient gum tree had lots of interesting nodules which Geoff took to with gusto. Climbing trees is one of his favourite passtimes.... |
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