So much seems to be happening in the wild world at the moment, and so quickly.
Trees and shrubs seem to be coming into blossom overnight, birds are relishing the cool brought by the showers and, blissfully, bandicoots have stopped digging in the watered areas of the garden (at least they have at Wildwatch) since there is now moisture in the soil.
Bandicoots are not bent on digging up plants, as so many people believe, but on catching worms, grubs and other edibles which live in the ground. The plant damage is accidental, but none the less irritating. We even had potted plants dug into and had to go to great lengths to make areas “bandicoot proof”, not always totally successfully.
Even so, I must admit I like bandicoots. They were here before us and like so many other native creatures, are only taking advantage of the excellent conditions we gardeners offer them. They don’t understand we don’t mean to make their life more comfortable!

Life in the forest has certainly been active, although during the very hot times most birds have been noticeably and sensibly quieter.
Now the air is damper, it is a great time to go “bug hunting”, and also to look out for fungi. The rain has brought many different varieties bursting out of the soil. We have even had a couple of feeds of field mushrooms, though unless you really know what you are looking for fungi should as a matter of course be avoided as some are poisonous. Probably the prettiest fungus we saw was pure white with delicate fluting. These truly are nature’s works of art.
Many insects also come into this category. Because they are small, insects tend not to be noticed much. One has to, as it were, reduce one’s range of focus. Once this is achieved a new and quite different world of creatures comes into view. Jumping spiders, for example, those little arachnids which hunt their prey like leopards rather than spinning a web, come in a vast array of colours and sizes, but all are very small.
Not so small but just as spectacular when closely observed are the dragonflies and damselflies. These too come in a range of colours and are well named, for they are fierce hunters, either catching prey on the wing or hunting it down.
Their larvae (young) which for most species live in fresh water, are also fierce. They feed on water invertebrates and sometimes catch tadpoles or even small fish.
There are believed to be some 150 species of dragonflies and damselflies in tropical north Queensland alone and when this one turned up near the Wildwatch house I could not resist photographing it.
Research told me its latin name is Neurothemis stigmatizans, but it has no popular name. Its wingspan is between 50 and 60 cms.
It was a beautiful velvety red, with patterned wings with clear patches on the ends, and appeared to sit contentedly on a twig, only once turning round, and allowed me to get quite close to photograph it. Perhaps it had recently fed so felt sluggish.
Apparently, it is often seen near still water, which fits as our little creek is barely flowing.

Fire is still very much in the news, with vast areas of this wonderful but vulnerable continent either destroyed or badly damaged. Fortunately, much of our region has had rain, but in many areas where there has been prolonged drought the damage has been catastrophic. When I telephoned a wildlife carer friend in Narrandera in NSW’s Riverina last week it was to learn eight hectares of her farm had been destroyed and she had been rescuing animals which were “near to death”. In the intense heat, despite running sprinkler hoses, she had picked up dead birds from her lawn. The animals she rescued included two adult koalas, one with a just-furred joey. Sadly, the mother koala was too traumatised to care for the joey which despite all our friend’s efforts could not be saved.
“It is something I will remember all my life,” she said.
She has been a carer for more than 20 years and always has a menagerie of several kangaroo joeys plus birds to care for, as well as other creatures such as echidnas.
Her’s was a heartfelt plea to be careful around fire so that it does not get away or become too hot. In the recent wildfires, as well as stock, huge numbers of wildlife were lost. Fires begun by lightning strike are natural, but those connected with human activity such as using hot machines in hot conditions in dry country and high winds are not.
We also heard that a fire raging near the farm we sold to come up here was accidentally lit, probably from a spark off a stone. It was serious enough to make the national news and many sheep were killed or had to be destroyed.
There is a huge amount of fuel still left here from Cyclone Yasi, so vigilance is essential. And please, when there are fires, look out for the animals. It is their lives and their homes which are at risk as well as ours.