Hello All With all things going to plan, I soon plan to be travelling north up through the Birdsville Track and and then on to Mt. Isa. My only concern is the rats. Has anyone had any recent bad experiences with inland rats in that region? Are they, along with mice, in such numbers that they might start chewing upon just about anything? I plan to be sleeping on the ground in my swag for the few days through that area and the idea of them gnawing at my toes whilst trying to sleep does not fill me with joy. Regards,Michael ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Hi all, I have just returned from 2 weeks on Ethabuka Reserve (just above Simpson Desert NP)and there are plenty of Long-haired Rats as well as other native and non-native rodents (and other mammals of course). If you have any food about that is accessible then they may chew through bags or swags to get to the ‘goodies’. We only had a few instances of this happening but it is possible so keep food secured well away. They will use your swag as a trampoline as well but that is all part of the beauty of getting out and about and amongst it.
BTW we saw 116 species on the reserve including RC Emu-wrens, Eyrean Grasswrens, Grey Falcon, Black, Pied, White-fronted Honeyeaters and an assortment of waterbirds. There still a LOT of water about and the country is looking stunning so enjoy it while it is in its current state.
Cheers,
Anthony Molyneux Alice Springs
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
One does wonder! Actually I’ve been away too – first with American birders and then with Japanese birders. Then they all met up and combined! Not a whisper of things dropping off, except when I warned one not to touch a wolf spider. I understand that the bite of most species does not cause necrotising arachnidism, and that almost a pity – it’s such a lovely phrase. Just rolls off the tongue. Denise
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Hello Michael,
Warning!
If the inland rodents are as invasively hungry as our North Queensland species can be, it may be wise to keep your car doors closed and engine bonnet open…
We made the mistake of leaving our station-wagon rear door open whilst on a weekend camp at Broadwater State Forest (near Ingham) some years back. A Giant White-tailed Rat got in, built a cosy nest in behind the internal panel forward of the door hinge on the front passenger side and had hitched a quiet ride home to Townsville with us…
It ate a bit of plastic and rubber and luckily no serious damage to the electrical wiring. Our pet dog eventually killed it 2 days later after it appeared to have tried to share the dog’s bone. The dog didn’t eat the rat but left it lying dead, drenched in saliva only a couple of metres from her usual feeding point. Our auto electrician discovered the rat’s nest in the car only recently.
Another time we were at Murray Falls (near Tully) camping. We owned a V8 back then and were lucky to escape with only 4 spark-plug leads in tact. These rats seem to like eating plastic and rubber components on vehicles. We have since learnt that when camped in any NQ rainforest, keeping your parked car bonnet open day and night is the best deterrent from rats moving into a safe and secure feeding area such as is under the cover of a bonnet.
I’ve also found smaller rodents cooked under my bonnet from camps in drier, western areas of Queensland.
Good birding and Good luck !
Len Ezzy Mount Louisa, Townsville, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Hm ! Fancy being allowed to enjoy such light hearted off topic chat. Things must be relaxing a bit, or are people away on holiday ?
Tony
I agree
peter baitz
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
That’s brought about the best laugh I’ve had all week. Denise
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
That¹s good to know. I could tell the tale of a young chef who cut up a chili, and then handled certain bits of his anatomy this was in the middle of Arnhem Land. But I¹ll stop there before someone reminds me that, after all, this is a birding chatline! D.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
It happened to a friend of mine. He has since got married, so no lasting effects.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Ah well, I imagine one or the other would have dropped of eventually.
Carl Clifford
And then there’s the wellknown Top End botanist (now retired) who found one hanging on the end of his penis.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
And then there’s the wellknown Top End botanist (now retired) who found one hanging on the end of his penis.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Not to mention leeches. I made the mistake of having an afternoon kip on a poncho in Sarawak. It is amazing where the little devils can get. I have heard of a birder visiting Sabah who managed to get one up his nose, doing the same thing.
Carl Clifford
Yes, ants can be terrible, so too are those huge centipedes.
Tony
I hate to say this but I’ve been up against more dangerous creatures.
As a buffalo shooter for a pet meat firm I once had to go into a wall of speargrass to finish off an animal I had wounded (my colleagues and I were on foot and suddenly stumbled upon them. Otherwise the buff would have been dead). I couldn’t see the buffalo, and my male mates weren’t going to let me off the hook. That was scary.
And then there was the time I had to scare away a buffalo with a spread of horns that rivalled Charlie’s (in Crocodile Dundee 1). It was standing beside my tent facing my specimen table and I was unarmed. I had to creep up on it, using the tent as a shield. Then I jumped up and yelled “Boo”! It ran. And then there was the 4 hours I spent in the water with the crocodiles trying to catch a snake so that I could win the trust of a Larrkia elder. And the close calls with 3 m. King Browns. Why the hell am I writing about ants! Denise
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
And scorpions.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Oooooh. Now there are nasty little buggars. With work we often have to fish them out of pitfall traps. A lot of the time you can’t even see them. Some can be tiny. And, apparently, they pack a real punch. It’s for this reason that I always wear gloves when doing this. Some fellow workers don’t. They don’t seem to be concerned in the least.
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
Yes, ants can be terrible, so too are those huge centipedes.
Tony
I woke up once near Kings Canyon to find myself surrounded by millions of ants! Denise
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
They’ll get you wherever you sleep. What about the big spiders that come out at night in the donga ?? Munch munch.
Tony