Badger Weir, Yarra Ranges National Park, Victoria

Badger Weir park is located at the east end of Badger Weir Road, about 7 km south-east of Healesville, Victoria. It is part of the Yarra Ranges National Park. Here are spectacular ancient Mountain Ash Eucalyptus regnans trees, tall Acacias, spreading treeferns and a lush understorey of many other fern species and various wet-forest shrubs. There are also some exotic trees that were planted many years ago.

12 June 2012

Having visited a few days ago in rain (see below), I took the opportunity a fine day offered, to take more photos.

When I heard Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos   calling from the trees above, I thought it was the
real thing!
This Lyrebird, I soon realised, was competing
with another on the other side of the track. Each
time this one did a Whipbird, the other replied in
kind.

  A long descending wail alerted me to the presence, high above, of this
   Australian Raven. The real thing this time.

     Leaves and moss on a rock by the stream near Lyrebird Track.

By the same track, Mycena
subgalericulata on a massive
eucalypt trunk.

   More fungi on a tree trunk. These are Collybia eucalyptorum.

     The above, a bit closer.

    Even on a fine day, in winter everything is
    damp. The sun shone, but mostly its rays
    were  far overhead on the tops of tall trees.

     A patch of sunshine found rocks and bubbling water, Badger Creek.

  More sunshine, this time on a treefern, Coranderrk Track near the upper end of Lyrebird
  Track (see steps below right).

     Musk daisy bush
     Olearia argophylla

  Late in the day, a Grey Shrike-thrush appeared.

     Steps from Lyrebird Track, leading up to
      Coranderrk Track.

9 June 2012

Wet weather did not deter a hardy group of BirdLife Yarra Valley members from enjoying a morning walk followed by lunch under a picnic shelter and the watchful eyes of Laughing Kookaburras, Pied Currawongs and Crimson Rosellas. We heard the distinctive call of Superb Lyrebirds and some people were fortunate enough to see one or two of the birds either in the car park or scratching in the leaf litter along a track . Eastern Yellow Robins ignored us and continued to forage while a curious Lewin's Honeyeater peered down at us from an open perch. Lovely to see.

    Underside of tail of the bird to
     the right.

    Laughing Kookaburra; very hard to photograph in the low light.

   Rain soaked trees as seen from the picnic
    shelter.

    Pied Currawong; hard to photograph because it is black, but perhaps the
     general gloom aided in this case. It also helped to be able to support the
     camera on one side by holding it against one of the picnic-shelter support
     posts.

    Tree fern.

    Tremella fuciformis. From the distance this looked like a
      piece of screwed up paper. Closer inspection revealed this
      jelly fungus