Does the Rain Ever Stop?

Getting all packed up and ready to go.  This will be my last post.  It has been fun blogging with you and all of your questions have been fantastic.  I loved seeing all of you on the Skype.  I wanted you to hear one last thing.  It is the sound of the currawong.  It was such a lovely sound.  Here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUXI9vgl-Q

And here is his picture.  You probably would have never identified this bird.  Not the greatest picture!

I Finally Got a Close Up!

This bird laughed at me the entire time I was at Cape Otway and he made me laugh every time I heard him.  I think he
was laughing at me because every time I tried to take his picture he would fly away.  This guy was just sitting here waiting for a handout.  He wasn't interested in what the other birds were eating (seeds) because he is a type of kingfisher.  I hope you know that it is a kookaburra.

One Even Landed on My Head!

I didn't even have food and he landed on my shoulder.  I love birds, but really.  What kind of bird is this?

Birds!

We stopped to get a snack and these birds, that were so evasive in the wild, posed for pictures for us.  They are very tame here, because everyone feeds them.  Can you name these birds? 

Radio Tracking With My Team!

There were six people on my team, plus a scientist named Dr. Desley Whisson and an earthwatch coordinator.  This is Annie who lives in Santa Cruz and is an ex Aussie and Kirsty, our Australian Earthwatch coordinator.  Kirsty is only 27 years old, but boy

is she tough!  I shared a cabin with Kirsty, Annie, and Jim (Annie's husband).  It was fun to be with two Aussies.  They taught me so much about Australia!

My Boots!

I wanted to show you the heavy boots that we had to wear.  We also had to wear water proof pants and jackets because it was so wet.  You might notice that I also have on gaiters.  That is to protect my legs from venomous snake bites and prickly moses ( a type of plants that really cuts you up).  I forgot to wear my gloves one day when we were doing bush bashing and boy did I get my hands cut up with that stuff.

Up a Tree!

You can never have too many pictures of koalas!  You notice that they have put metal collars around the trees to prevent the koalas from going up the tree and eating the leaves.  They get very frustrated when they can't get up their favorite tree.

A Koala Bellowing!

Well kids, I couldn't ever record a male koala bellowing, but I found a link for you.  The male is bellowing because he is looking for a mate.  It's really kind of a funny sound!   They sound like pigs!  Read the article, it tells more about their bellows!

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/brutish-koala-bellows-attract-mates-not-ward-off-rivals.htm

Name That Bird!

Upper School This Is For You

Here are some things I want you to think about...

1.  You have a koala population in the early 1900s that almost becomes extinct because there are no laws to protect wildlife. 

2.  Some nice conservationists come up with a plan. They move 20 koalas to a island off Melbourne to save them from extinction. They multiply because they don't have natural predators.  

3.  All of a sudden they have too many koalas, so they move them back to the mainland in 1980 where I am. 

4.  Now it's 2013 and the koala population is out of control. They have no natural predators and they are a protected species. 

5.  They are eating every mana gum tree in sight. Everyone is upset because they are losing all their trees and the koalas keep multiplying. The trees are dying  and the koalas are losing their food source, but remember they are a protected species.

Who is to blame here?

Think about it.  What would you do if you were in charge?

Radio Tracking Koalas!!

Ten of the koalas have radio collars on them. We have to track them every day to see if they have moved. Each koala has a collar with a GPS tracking device on them and we have to take satellite trackers to find them.  They don't move too much so sometimes you can find them pretty quickly.  Today it took us an hour to find just one and we had five to find. 

Scarface

All the koalas we have tracked have names. This one is called Scarface, because he has lost an eye and the side of his face is slightly deformed. They think he might have had an

infection.  He's still pretty cute if you see him from the other side!

Another View From The Hilltop!

This is where I have to come to get good cell phone reception. It's peaceful here as you can see. It is 6:47 at night which means it's 11:47 at night for you, but you are a day behind.  I wish you were all here with me surrounded by such beauty and soooo many animals.  Miss you!

This Guy Keeps Following Me Around!

This guy keeps following me around and laughing at me. Who is he?

Can You Believe How Cute!

Always eating. They eat four pounds of mana gum leaves a day!  Little piggies!

Ouch!

Got bit by this guy!  It is a bull ant and boy did  that hurt!

Went on a Night Walk!

Went on a night walk to see the glow worms. We walked in the dark which was a little scary until your eyes got adjusted to the dark. It was like a fairyland. It's not the worm that lights up. It's actually its poop!  Also heard

yellow-bellied gliders. Couldn't see them, but we could sure hear them!  Included a picture so you could see them! Wish we could have seen them. Saw lots of koalas on the way back to camp. They are most active from 6-12 at night!  They usually sleep the rest of the time. 

12 Apostles

 We had a day off today!  We have been working hard. We drove up the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 Apostles which have been created by eroding limestone.  The ocean and surrounding areas are beautiful.  Saw a blue tongue, but he was so well camouflaged I couldn't get a good photo. These critters are quick.  What kind of animal is a blue tongue?

Shelly Beach

After our koala survey we hiked through the rainforest down to the beach. We saw all kinds of shells and sea life. The tide pools were filled with all kinds of interesting (and different) animals. 

What Animal Does This Belong?

We found lots of these on the beach. They are a mollusk and second graders we saw them at Scripps Institute last year. Think, think, think!