Hello from Coquette Point,

The monsoon trough has dropped down and as I speak there are two active lows, one circulation over the Wet Tropic Coast and the other in the Gulf of Carpentaria. We now are in a waiting game to see what will happen.

While most frogs are in their element, with rain falling and are noisily singing love songs I found this white lipped looking very unhappy. She was sitting on a leaf and even when I poked a camera in her face she did not move. I noticed there is a small ulcer on her skin between the right eye and nostril. The skin generally looks unhealthy and the eyes remained half closed in spite of cool rain falling all around her. Her unusual behaviour is typical of chytrid fungus, a dreadful disease afflicting frogs. This is the first time I have seen it at Coquette Point and one wonders if it is linked to the stress these frogs would have endured during the long drought.

 

Pond apples are ripening on the trees and the cassowaries are enjoying the sweet feast. 

All the cassowary scats at the moment contain large amounts of pond apple seed.

As soon as a pond apple fruit falls Jessie rushes to eat it.

While Snout keeps out of sight hiding in the swamp.

Rosie has returned to the end of Coquette Point and she is looking quite beautiful with her wattles developing.

Barred cuckoo-shrikes have returned and are eating figs.

When Rosie turns up Snout chases her with much honking. She doesn't run far and it seems more a game than the aggressive behaviour he shows to Biggles when Snout chases until Biggles is far away.

This young butcher bird has just left the nest and the parents guard it carefully and respond to its continuous calls for food by bringing lizards snakes and frogs.

Jumping spiders are very active this week and the one on the right is a new one for me. It is so amazing to see the diversity of these little creatures.

This white barred moth is deeply drinking the sweet nectar of a native spathlogottis ground orchid, flowers are everywhere in the rainforest.

 

Cheers for now and let us hope all remain safe while natural disasters seem to be a part of everyday 21st century life. We know what we have done to cause it but we don't know how to fix it as the tipping point has long gone.

On that happy note cheers,

Yvonne.