Our Wildlife

I've been threatening to do a post on our local wildlife for a while and tonight we were lucky enough to have a tawny frogmouth (a type of morepork) contemplate our garden from the safety of one of our casurinas.

Even before moving we have been delighted with the variety of wildlife that exists in the heart of Sydney both above and below the harbour.  In the latter case, the local waters are partially protected and one of our regular submarine sightings from the marina's pontoon are small rays.  Recently the boys and I spotted some older boys in a dinghy trying to land what we think might have been a small wobbegong shark (generally fairly harmless, though apparently the only species of shark that can reach round to bite its own tail).  Manly is also home to a colony of little penguins, which we sometimes hear and occasionally see while sailing.  Not to mention the odd sighting of dolphins and the odd whale.

Pelicans also make their home around the marina (though we haven't yet seen one with Marlin and Dory in its mouth) while we see shags and cormorants fishing at our local beach.  

In our garden, a clan of kookaburras are our regular companions, with up to three of them studying our activities in case we turn up some grubs or small lizards.  They are impressive creatures, though we'd prefer them to postpone their dawn cacophony beyond 4:30am.

Also present amongst less welcome bird life such as mynas and magpies is the bright plumage of rainbow lorikeets.  For some reason, however, there seem to be fewer sulphur crested cockatoos than we saw around Fairlight.

One day we were astonished to see a bush turkey strutting around the garden.

Mammals include possums (who can currently gain easy access to our roof space and unfortunately enjoy nibbling on the rat bait we've set out), bats and the odd sighting of something about rat sized that we think is a small marsupial.

The reptile population is extensive but none of our new neighbours has ever reported seeing a snake in the vicinity, which is comforting.  Water dragons, geckos and other varieties of lizard are regulars, particularly seen sunning themselves on the rocks above the waterfall, which drops a good 10m to the head of North Harbour below.

We can hear the waterfall from our verandah (and after heavy rain from our bedroom).  The stream is essentially a storm water conduit sourced in a hanging bog at the top of the hill and it swells dramatically and very rapidly during wet weather from a trickle to a torrent.

From the bottom of the falls - Charlie and Jamie on the rock

The foot bridge

From the foot bridge looking upstream.  Our place is to the left (not visible).

Entymologically speaking there is no shortage of life in our house and garden, and while some of it is undoubtedly highly poisonous, most of the spiders and millipedes and so on are of a shy and retiring nature.  However, we do need to keep the boys alert to the dangers.