Earthwatch Australia Teach Live

Mt.Edith National Park FNQ

The Mission.

The Earthwatch group of five leaders have seven teachers and four volunteers to assist them with their animal surveys on Lamb Upland Range about 40km west of Innisfail, the wettest place in Australia.

The scientists have mapped out sections of the RAINforest similar to you gridded maths books kids. There are observation sites every two hundred metres up the mountain and each site is one kilometre long. Each kilometre is broken up into one hundred metre sections for surveying purposes.

The aim is to take a survey each night between 9.00-10.00pm using spotlights to locate frogs, possums and geckos. Bat traps are set each afternoon and checked at 9.00pm each night. Any frogs are captured, placed in ziplock bags with some leaf litter. The next day the frogs have some DNA taken and they are measured and released back into the area from where they have been captured.

Bird surveys are taken each morning with volunteers getting up at 5.30am. As the RAINforest canopy is so thick the birds are identified by their call as they are rarely visible.

The Participants

Researchers Teachers Volunteers

Steve Andrew Jodi

Jeff Cathy Alex

Luke Janet Darren

Tamara Peter Sarah

Collin Marion

Rachel

Thea

Day One. Saturday, 3rd April, 2010.

Hi Earthwatchers,

Jetted out of Tullamarine at 4.20pm. Smooth take off, this pilot knows what he’s doing. Not a cloud in the sky at nine kilometres high until we descend into Cairns two hours and 35 minutes later. Cyclone Paul had greeted Cairns two weeks ago and it seems part of him is still hanging around. Cloudy skies, rain, rain and more rain in 28 degrees C.

Throw the luggage into the taxi and make the motel by 7.45pm. See what happens tomorrow!

Day Two, Sunday, 4th April,2010.

The end of daylight saving, although they’ve never had it in Queensland! A quick look out the window confirms my suspicions cloudy, overcast and raining. Most locals in Cairns have skin growing between their toes and moss behind their ears. This place is so humid and damp. Meet Professor Steve at 12.00pm after touring downtown Cairns in the morning. Hey kids, you should see the swimming pool on the esplanade, 100 metres long and 50 metres wide. It’s a beauty, opens at 6.00am and closes at 10.00pm. Lifeguards as well. Beats swimming at the local beach or the marina where crocodyllus crocodyllus had been sighted in the last week.

On the way to the airport young kids are coming onto the roadside with fishing rods. They have been fishing in the mangrove channels despite many signs with pictures of big long lizards showing the presence of crocs.

Andrew arrives an hour later and we are off into the rainforest about an hour and a half from Cairns. The further we travel into the Danbulla State forest the heavier the rain becomes. An advance party has set up a number of tarps to make a five star eating area. Task number one, set up your personal tent in pouring rain.

Under extremely uncomfortable conditions the tents are up. Squelching mud is soon ankle deep between the tents and cooking tea becomes the next challenge. Stir fry chicken and rice fills the bill after which Professor Steve gives us the low down on the nasties in the rainforest.

Basically three things to be aware of; stinging trees, wait-a-while and scrub itch. Stinging trees have a big broad leaf, large veins, a serrated edge and fine fibres that inject a poisonous substance that itches for three weeks. Wait-a-while is a jungle vine that twists it way around plants and hangs waiting to hook you up. If hooked up slowly reverse and unhook. Don’t sit down as the leaf litter contains an unbearable scrub itch which is most annoying.

Lights out around 9.30pm as we squelch through the mud and the rain to our tents. Did I mention that it was raining again?

Day 3 Monday, 5 April 2010

Crash out of the cot at 6.00pm after a good snooze. Breakfast- cereal and a cuppa. Collin spots a black and tan dingo 50 metres from the tent scavenging for tucker. Around 9.00am Collin, Professor Steve’s assistant takes a group of 12 people on a two hour walk through the rainforest. Scenery is spectacular with thick undergrowth; the track is an ankle deep mud creek. Everyone is petrified about leeches that attach themselves and have a feed of blood then drop off. Cathy the other primary school teacher on this mission gets a leech behind her eye. Professor Steve says,” no worries, it’ll drop out after its had a feed. An hour and a half later the leech duly drops from Cathy’s eye onto her lap a whole lot fatter than when it went in. Yeah you guessed it’s raining again. Professor Steve says, “Don’t worry guys on one of these trips a metre and half of rain fell in a week”.

Professor Steve offers a chance to go swimming at Eacham about 45 minutes from the campsite. On the way we see bush turkeys, miniature kangaroos and black rabbits. Most people have a dip at the Crater Lake while Andrew and I survey the area where divers are going down to 40 metres collecting souvenirs like sunglasses and masks.

Tonight we are looking for geckos. Arnaud (Arno), is a tree climbing expert who scales up to 30 metres using a harness and spotlights looking for elusive geckos. Andreas searches for microscopic frogs in the leaf litter and Collin is a keen bird surveyor. As most species are nocturnal, we the volunteers will be tripping our way through the forest around about 9.00-10.00pm with our headlights.

Change of plans I volunteer to go with Jeff, Sarah and Thea to LU900 which is the 900 metre site at 8.00pm. Weather conditions are wet. Jeff holds a powerful spotlight and 300 metres into our walk Jeff spots a Northern Barr frog which is sitting on the edge of the road. The occasional Cane Toad makes an appearance but hey they’re everywhere. Lemur possums, black possums and ring tail possums are spotted high in the canopy.

By the end of the survey we are all seriously drenched as there is non stop RAIN in the RAINforest and we turn into bed which is still somewhat dry.

Day 4 Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Constant RAIN throughout the night has meant no morning bird surveys and the chances of spotting geckos are very low as they do not come out until the sun appears. The weather has now been RAINING for 16 hours straight.

More drama, Sarah gets a leech in her eye. Sarah’s left eye is filled with blood and the leech has moved to the back of her eye. Professor Steve reckons the leech will come out after it has had it’s fill. Sarah is not so sure. Her eye looks positively terrible. Later the feeling is that the leech has gone. Sarah’s eye does not recover for three days.

It’s too wet to do anything except eat Collin’s chicken burritos for tea.

Day 5 Wednesday, 7th April, 2010

This morning I do a bird survey with Collin. This guy is amazing. We get up at first light and wander down to the first survey site. Collin can identify all the birds by sound as he has no hope of seeing them in the thick canopy. As the sun rises the rainforest comes alive with many beautiful and different sounding birds chattering away until their hearts are content. Collin records 23 different species in the first survey and similar numbers in the next two surveys. To have his skills in knowing each bird by the sound it makes is truly amazing. Chaw cillas, Golden Whistlers, Bower Birds and Victoria’s Rifle Bird are just a few of the amazing critters in this neck of the woods.

Yes the weather is on the improve, no rain. Temperature 20C and things are starting to warm up. Everything that lives in the RAINforest will not move unless the sun comes out. Huge colourful butterflies drop from the mid canopy in search of nectar from flowers growing on the roadside. Some of the researchers are playing with a frisbee on the road side when a wild throw lands in long grass . Arnaud (Arno) goes to retrieve the Frisbee and his path is blocked by a Carpet Snake who is motionless. The Carpet Snake is the centre of attention as Arnaud (Arno) brings the reptile back to camp, a distance of 100 metres, for everyone see. The Carpet Snake is non venomous and is easily handled by Arnaud (Arno). The snake is eventually released.

I have decided to go on a walk along the track and take any photo opportunities. After a five kilometre walk I have only found some wild pig or deer tracks. The researchers say the tracks I have found are probably wild feral pigs which roam through the National Parks. There is never a dull moment in the rainforest.

Sitting in camp a one eyed snake comes slithering out of the undergrowth and picks a spot to sun itself. Steve picks up the snake and shows everyone its colourful features. Ralph, another researcher who is at the camp for a couple of days talks to Jeff about a worm that is nearly 40cm long that is a parasite that has come from a grasshopper. It is amazing!

We go the 1100m mark to do a gecko survey. I have Luke as a leader and Andrew as a fellow surveyor. Luke finds a Black Spikey Gecko under some logs and this interesting fellow, not Luke is bagged for later examination. After the survey we hike for twenty minutes to a high outcrop where we overlook Bartel Freer, the highest mountain in Queensland. I have phone reception so I ring Courtney to say happy birthday.

Today’s tip: To avoid wet boots put your socks on your feet and then put your socks inside zip lock bag. Game over.

Day 6 Thursday, 8th April, 2010

Today’s duties include tea preparation at 4.30pm and spotlighting at 8.00pm. Our team slice and dice the vegetables which ended up without a trace of blood and no one died of food poisoning so everyone was happy. Our spotlighting included Collin and Arnaud leading us through dense rainforest at 8.30pm looking for frogs, geckos and skinks. Everyone has headlights and we moved slowly. Collin has a special torch called a mag light which allows him to see long distances into the canopy.

Arnaud as usual is leading the pack. We see a white tailed rat on our journey. Collin is very slow looking for possums and our guest Andreas from Ecuador spots a Northern Bar Frog that everyone had missed. We cross a creek that is knee deep and we continue on through a sloppy track back to camp without seeing a whole lot more. Time to crash in the cot but not for Arnaud. Arnaud will get up at 2.00am and release the gecko that he found yesterday. This gecko has racing stripes as Arnaud has stuck reflective tape on the gecko’s back so it is easy to see at night. Arnaud sits and observes the gecko for four hours but the critter hardly moves more than half a metre. Arnaud finishes his survey at 6.00am feeling a little worse for his night long watch.

Day 7 Friday, 9th April, 2010

Today is full on with good weather and the sun on our backs with the temperature around 20-25C. When the weather warms up the reptiles come out and make it possible to conduct our surveys. Collin, Thea and I go up to the 900 metre mark in the Lamb Upland Mountain Range and complete three half hour surveys for geckos, frogs and snakes, yes snakes.

The first part of a survey requires the surveyor to take temperatures, both air and ground and also calculate levels of humidity. The opening ten minutes of the first survey is a leisurely walk along the road turning over stones and logs in search of the also most invisible reptiles. Collin strikes first when he rolls over a log and find a micro hylid frog the size of your thumb nail. Collin, who has an eagle eye spots several different skinks which he records individually and then we drop over the side into a steep gully with a pretty waterfalls and moss covered rocks for the next 20 minutes. Thea and I turn over rocks and rotten logs while Collin turns on his head lamp and spots a Boyd’s Forest Dragon under this massive granite boulder. The dragon is too quick and Collin moves on.

The second and third surveys produce less than the first. On the way back down the mountain Steve slams on the brakes as he spots a Green Tree Snake basking in the sun in the middle of the road. Collin jumps out of the front seat of the Troopie but the snake is too quick. Collin gets out the GPS and records the snakes location.

After a quick sandwich Arnaud (Arno) and I are off to collect some temperature disks that he attached to a tree 30 metres high. These disks have recorded the temperature each hour for three days and hold vital information for Arno’s research. To get these disks Arno must climb using a harness over 30 metres and swing onto the main trunk of the tree as he collects each disk.

To set up the rope Arnaud (Arno) has a giant slingshot which he ties a thin rope and a weight to, the weight after two shots is properly positioned and the climbing rope is attached and hauled over the strongest fork in the branch. Arnaud (Arno) harnesses up, tests the equipment and then scales up to the disks. He is away 30 minutes collecting disks which he will put into a reader on his computer to download the results.

We pack up the equipment and head for the track 800metres from the climb site. The equipment we are hauling weighs 40kgs and we are glad to see the track. After a nice meal we head to bed. The bat catchers set up their mesh nets for the last time and catch their very first bat for the week. Yeah, Tammy and her vampire team celebrate their success.

Day 8 Saturday, 10th April, 2010

Pack up early. Twenty people pull down their tents, fold up their tarps. It takes two hours before we are under way with the vehicles groaning under the weight and dirt on their passengers. I travel with Collin, Luke and Arno to Atherton and have a civilised lunch before heading onto Cairns to a caravan park for the weekend to wash our clothes and clean up in preparation for the second week of the program. Kids in the caravan park are throwing fallen coconuts against the palm trees trying to split them .

Tomorrow I am travelling to a place with lots of coral and colourful fish. I hope to snorkel and have fun on the boat. The last time I looked on the map the location was called the Great Barrier Reef!

Agent Drop Bear Signing off!

Day 9 Sunday,11th April, 2010

I know Cody Miller and Jason Cox will be happy as I have learnt that St.Kilda have beaten Collingwood due to some unfortunate wind fluctuations at the end of the ground Collingwood were kicking to which cause them to register.I know Cody Miller and Jason Cox will be happy as I have learnt that St.Kilda have beaten Collingwood due to some unfortunate wind fluctuations at the end of the ground Collingwood were kicking to which cause them to register points and not goals. Anyway seven of the Earthwatch group went into down town Cairns at 7.00am. After a 20 minute drive we arrived at the marina and by 8.15am we had purchased our tickets for the Great Barrier Reef explorer tour about 45 minutes out of Cairns.

A clear and warm 30C day was forecast so the sea was flat as a biscuit. The marina was a hive of activity with tourists busily boarding cruise ferries to go out onto the reef. A pilot boat was tugging a barge with cars and supplies to go to Green Island about 8 kilometres from Cairns. The skipper of the ferry was a young lady named Alex and she had about 80 snorkelers and divers on board. Soon after leaving the marina under which crocodiles had been sighted everyone on board was offered a selection of tropical fruit while the ferry made its way out to the reef.

The deck crew, who will be known as “deckies” from now on gave a demonstration on how to snorkel with all the do’s and don’ts. Once I had slipped on the flippers, mask, snorkel and buoyancy vest and I made my way around the various coral reef system that surrounded the ferry. We were allowed to snorkel about 150 metres from the ferry. The colours of coral and different species of fish were amazing. Clown fish, wrasse, parrot fish, spangled emperor and the occasional reef shark kept me on my toes. The visibility was excellent but after 40 minutes of swimming and snorkelling I was starting to feel a bit tired.

Back at the mother ship the deckies were preparing to take a glass bottomed water taxi for a tour across the reef so we jumped aboard and on the tour we saw green turtles and a wonderful mixture of fish and corals. The deckie who was running the tour told the group that coral reefs make 75% of the world’s oxygen while rainforests make up the other 25%.

Mr. Price would have turned green if he had seen the lunch that was prepared. Prawns, spicy chicken and a selection of cold meats and tasty salads all being washed down with fizzy brown stuff.

The afternoon program involved moving to another part of the reef as the tide was going out and small sandy quays started to pop out of the water. Soon as the ferry moored about 250 metres from the small quays one of the deckkies threw a couple of handfuls of prawns over the back of the boat. The Spangled Emperor went crazy fighting for a share of the food. Yes, Mr. Price I know it’s hard to believe feeding fresh prawns to fish. A group of snorkelers plunged into the beautiful sparkling clear water and made for the sand quay. The Earthwatch group all met up at the sandy spit about an hour later feeling tired and in need of refreshments. Carl, one of the deckies who drove the water taxi offered to go back to the mother ship and bring back some cold fizzy drinks and a camera to record the moment.

A fantastic day ended with a visit to the wheelhouse where I was able watch the skipper steering our ferry. Tomorrow Agent Drop Bear moves to the second rainforest site near Mt. Lewis about 90 minutes drive from Cairns.

Day 10 Monday, 12 April 2010

Well kids the holidays are over and I know you are so keen to be back at school. Mrs. Law will be teaching my classes so please be kind to her. Great to hear from Mr. Payne who called me on the phone this morning. The second week of the Earthwatch tour finds us moving out of Cairns into a bird watching area called Kingfisher Retreat which has lots of little birds that make interesting calls.

We have picked up Martin another researcher from James Cook University who has joined the team. Martin has studied birds and knows a lot about them. The team arrives at Kingfisher Retreat at 11.15am after a roadside breakfast at Ellis Beach. A surf lifesaver is preparing the swimming cage which has a net to keep the crocs and stinging jellyfish away from the swimmers.

The Kingfisher site has power, toilets and excellent tent sites which is a pleasant change from the wet tropics of Mt. Edith which had nothing in the way of creature comforts. Everyone gets their two man tents up and has a tasty lunch outdoors. Tonight we are doing a survey at the top of Mt. Lewis. With two new researchers Andrew and I find ourselves without a seat so we are given the night off to catch up on our homework.

The researchers return at around 11.30pm with a variety of samples in Black Forest Skinks and Arnaud (Arno) has managed to capture a Leaf Tailed Gecko.

Day 11 Tuesday, 13th April, 2010

A group of researchers left this morning at 5.30am to do a couple of bird surveys at the 1000 metre mark while I got out around 6.15am to get some cool pictures of different birds. Hopefully I would be able to photograph the rare Azure Kingfisher.

With that challenge in my mind I stalked through the forest with my Canon D1000 at the ready. After walking and stopping, then looking carefully in the middle and upper canopy for about 30minutes I was starting to doubt if the Azure Kingfisher actually lived in the area. Now kids, birds are very difficult to photograph because they are well camouflaged, small and never sit still for long. On my second loop of the orchard, an area about 100 x 50 metres an Azure Kingfisher darted from the foliage to rest on a low branch just 20 metres from where I was standing.

No problems for the Canon 75-300mm lens. As the Kingfisher came into focus I slammed down on the camera shutter a number of times capturing some excellent pictures. This good luck continued for the rest of the morning as I snapped 10 more species before retiring for breakfast.

The Queensland sun sure can pack a punch as the temperature began to climb to 30C. On the way to breakfast I noticed the Troop Carrier Professor Steve drives had a flat tyre so I did a quick change of tyres and got ready to go reptile surveying at the 1000 metre mark. The rainforest here at Julatten is quite different to the forest at Mt. Edith as this area has been heavily logged and there were not many mature trees.

Joining Jeff, Jodi and Andrew we searched for two hours in two different sections for geckos and skinks. To find these sneaky little fellows you have roll over big rotting logs and scan quickly before diving on them. Jeff found two black forest skinks which he bagged and tagged. These skinks will be measured and have some of their DNA taken before being released back into the forest.

Janet, Marion, Darren and Martin have gone to the top of the mountain where they are going clear a track 9 kilometres and then spotlight their way. Now as I know that you are all good maths students you will have calculated that this team will walk 18 kilometres before camping on top of the mountain.

Hope everyone is well in downtown KooWeeRup and you are going online reading all these reports and doing some of the lesson plans. A special cheerio to the teachers from Agent Drop Bear and please let Mr. Payne know I will not be able attend tonight’s staff meeting.