Feathered Friends

mainly on the Malaysian Peninsula including Thailand. Single individuals have been recorded several times along WA’s Eighty-mile Beach at Broome between 2004 and 2020; and now we have the record on the Cairns foreshore for the first time (as far as is known). During its winter sojourn in warmer climates, Nordy usually settles on estuarine intertidal mudflats or on softer mudflats sheltered by or near mangrove stands. It feeds on crabs, other aquatic invertebrates and small fish, often vigorously chasing prey visible on the surface rather than only probing for buried invertebrates like many other shorebirds do. In Myanmar, Malaysia and Bangladesh, Nordy/s have also been observed hunting in flight, dropping suddenly to the surface to stab prey, usually on the receding tide when the prey are apparently more abundant on the surface. In Thailand and China they have also been recorded standing motionless, apparently waiting to ambush crabs emerging from their burrows. In time for the Northern Hemisphere summer and its richly abundant food resources, Nordy/s return to where they breed in coastal habitats and sparse wet forests of east Russia’s Pacific Coast region. Most migratory birds follow quite well-defined ‘flyways’ between their Northern breeding and Southern nonbreeding regions. Migration routes to Australia cross South-east Asia (the ‘East-Asian-Australasian Flyway’), thereby avoiding long difficult sea crossings. Alarmingly, flyways are subject to unregulated onshore development pressures (eg. fish-farms, housing, etc.) and some areas that supported many thousands of shorebirds 25 to 30 years ago no longer do so due to fragmentation of onshore roosting habitats. Hunting remains a major threat to the Nordmann’s Greenshank. Hardly any overseas Nordmann’s Greenshank wintering sites that support 10 or more birds are currently under any form of site protection. Only 18 per cent of key sites were formally protected in 2018. As a result many migratory ‘stopping points’ no longer exist or are severely compromised, and the birds cannot ‘refuel’ enough so they can continue on to their destinations; many weaken and starve to death. Refueling is crucial for the strength needed for the birds to continue their long, arduous flights. The resulting overall decline in shorebird (wader) populations over the past 20 to 30 years is a tragedy, and a disaster for planet earth’s diversity, environmental health and the future. The Red-backed Fairy-wren is a bird that, once seen, is seldom forgotten. With an inky black head and body contrasting with a vivid scarlet or flame-coloured patch that extends from the back of the bird’s neck almost to its rump, male Red-backed Fairywrens are a spectacular sight. However, like most fairy-wrens, the female is much more drab, being plain brown. Despite their dowdy appearance, females are highly sought after by breeding males, which perform elaborate courtship rituals. The most endearing of these is to present his belle with a petal from a red flower, to emphasise his own red plumage. Another charming courtship display is the ‘Seahorse Flight’, where the male flies about with his head held upwards and his body held vertically, with his tail pointing downwards, so that he vaguely resembles a seahorse. Despite their vivid colouration, these diminutive birds are often difficult to see, as they usually inhabit dense vegetation, especially long grass, shrubs and dense riparian vegetation, often growing beneath trees in a tropical woodland. They are more often heard than seen. They usually choose tussocks of grass to build their dome-shaped nests in, where they lay up to four spotted and blotched eggs. The female incubates them for nearly a fortnight, and if the nest is approached, she may perform a scuttling ‘rodent-run distraction display’. The chicks remain in a family group after the young have fledged. However, fairy-wrens are renowned for their promiscuousness, so a male in colourful breeding plumage attending ‘his’ offspring may not really be their father.

Peter Hunt

I have been a volunteer for the

Green Space Our Place program for approximately eight years, participating in Down ‘n’ Dirty, Little Taccas and Tracks ‘n’ Trails. Relocating from Ipswich as a recent retiree, I joined the Down ‘n ‘Dirty volunteers for many reasons, including meeting people with common interests, enhancing my knowledge in gardening and the environment, and fulfilling a need to contribute to the community. I was a founding participant in the young children’s nature group, Little Taccas. I enjoyed interacting with the children, sharing my general knowledge of nature and assisting these young people to observe, listen and respect our natural environment. When the Tracks 'n' Trails program started I was keen to utilise my repair, restoration and handyman skills to maintain and improve the Red, Blue and Green Arrow walking tracks. I have established many friendships over the years, with people from all walks of life. I have observed the volunteering group grow from strength to strength and realise what a difference volunteering can make collectively as a group and the personal benefits reaped.

Over the last three years an inventory has been made of fungi in the Cairns Botanic Gardens precinct. The Precinct is a very significant conservation reserve and the fungi are a vital part of its preservation through their role in recycling nutrients and supporting the plant and animal life. So far, a total of 188 types of fungi have been recorded. Only 12 types (just over 7%) are known disease-causing species: a testament of how well the Precinct is managed, as healthy plants are much less prone to disease. It is now known that 96% or more of all green plants on our planet depend on associated fungi (called mycorrhizae) for their existence. Which species of fungi are involved is still under investigation and so some recyclers, and perhaps even some disease-causing species, may eventually be found to have a mycorrhizal role for all or part of their life-cycle. Based on current knowledge, at least 44 (over 25%) of all large fungi recorded in the Precinct are primarily mycorrhizal, and therefore play a vital role in maintenance of plant health. The remaining fungi are predominantly recyclers. Fungi, together with bacteria, are the primary recyclers of all dead animal, plant and other organic material on the planet. Those species that break down fallen palm fronds, twigs, branches, logs and old tree stumps are commonest in the rainforest and other “natural” areas. By far the greatest number in the Gardens live on the mulch and compost in garden beds. About 30 fungus species have been found only in Flecker Garden. Introduction of soil and mulch from outside areas, and tourist access with spores on shoes and clothes, probably accounts for this number. It is known that Eugene Fitzalan, who started the Gardens in the 1890s, brought in seeds, and possibly even potted plants from other countries as there was no quarantine in the late 1800s. It is suspected that about 18 of the fungi recorded in the Flecker Garden may have come from other global sources, but DNA reference data are not available. All the disease-causing species found so far also occur widely in Australia, and it is safe to say that there is no evidence that Flecker Garden is the source of any kind of spread of exotic fungi. Rainforest remnants in the Precinct are vital for conservation, firstly because some have been protected from human disturbance for a long time, and because it is the only remaining plot of intact coastal rainforest left anywhere in the vicinity of Cairns. What remains elsewhere is either narrow linear along drainage lines or road verges; on private land under threat of clearing; or has been heavily invaded by exotic plants and feral pigs. In Flecker Garden there are seven fungi which appear to be new to science, although they could be species from overseas, or Far North Queensland variants of southern species. This suggests that the Flecker Garden has a significant role in conservation of some fungal species whether they be natural or introduced.

Ever since I was a child I would stare in wonder of many beautiful creatures of nature. I was fascinated by the natural world and imagined one day finding a new species of animal no one had seen before. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find such a creature that could fulfil a childhood dream. In fact, I can only take some of the credit. One of my very first tour participants, Miziho from Japan, saw something very small on top of a rainforest plant leaf and said ‘What’s that?’ We could see that it was a very small insect but details were too small for the naked eye. The lens Miziho was using wasn’t going to capture the tiny being, so I got a quick photo and noticed that it was an interesting little bug with intricate patterns. Being so small I realised that it was going to be a struggle to capture a decent image and I would have to come back with one of my extension tubes on my lens to get close enough to this tiny 3mm beauty. We continued on with the tour. That weekend, when I loaded up my images for the week, I saw for the first time something that blew my mind! My initial photos weren’t great, but it sparked enough curiosity for me to go back to the same spot to try and find it again. I thought it was a long shot. The next day, after pimping up my camera with the extension tubes, I proceeded to ‘Bug Alley’, one of my ‘go to’ spots in the Cairns Botanic Gardens. To my delight I found one again! No…wait. There’s more. And more. And more. OMG BugTopia. For the next hour, I braved mosquito bite after bite until the accumulated histamines in my body reached critical mass and I had to leave. However, in that hour I was able to get a range of images showing both sexes, various nymph (growing phases of some insects) stages and mating images. I took over 200 photos and realised I had something I had never seen before, nor had I ever seen an image of one. I decided to put it on one of my regular Facebook pages to help with identification. It was quickly identified as a type of ‘Lace Bug’ or Tingidae family of insects. However, noone could identify the species. One comment suggested I should post it on iNaturalist and tag some entomologists. After a few days I was contacted by entomologist at the University of NSW, Dr Ryan Shofner. He told me the bug was confirmed to be undescribed and asked could I collect some samples for study. Dr Shofner connected me with a local Cairns entomologist, Dr Anthony Postle, and we organised collecting some specimens. Dr Postle, Cairns videographer Stuart Ireland and myself, with the support of the Cairns Botanic Gardens team, set off on a mission to learn more about these miniature beauties. I can now tell you that there have been suitable numbers of this gorgeous life form collected for a range of scientific analysis such as DNA matching and anatomy study. As an animal activist, I really struggled with the collection of samples. I only felt I could go through with this after learning, through observation, that they are in abundant numbers. They are easy to find once you know how. I knew they were not an at risk species. Also, their host plant is a prolific, sturdy and fast-growing native rainforest species in FNQ. What we know so far. The new species falls within the Oecharis genus in the Family Tingidae (Lacebugs). We can also tell you that it is a plant sucker, living underneath leaves and sipping gently, not causing any relative damage. In fact, the plant leaves remain completely healthy and no apparent damage is shown on the leaf surface. Although they can fly, they prefer to scurry. They don’t like bright light and they will perform a typical ‘drop and roll’ escape route like a lot of bugs and beetles. Some individuals have a red eye, and some black, but we don’t know if that means sex, age or something else. During the session I had at least two walk onto my hand and it was barely noticeable to the touch; they did not bite or cause any skin irritation.

So, what’s next for Bridgey’s little midgey? I will keep writing about this exciting discovery and let you know the relevant milestones along the way. Keep in touch with updates at: https://aussiemacrophotos.com/the-midgeybridgey/

Protozoa are single-celled organisms that feed primarily on bacteria, but also eat other protozoa, soluble organic matter, and sometimes fungi. The term protozoa means “first-animal” but this is confusing as many are, superficially, “intermediate” between plants and animals. For example, the algae Euglena and Dinobryon have chloroplasts for photosynthesis, as do plants, but can also feed on organic matter and swim around in soil water like animals.

Protozoa are several times larger than bacteria - ranging from 1/1000th of a millimetre up to a massive deep-sea species that gets up to 20mm across! Soil protozoa are classified into three groups based on their shape. Ciliates are the largest and move by means of hairlike structures called cilia that move in waves along the body. They eat the other two types of protozoa, as well as bacteria. Amoebae can be quite large and move by gooping along using temporary feet called pseudopods (meaning “false feet”). Flagellates are the smallest of the protozoa and use one or more long whip-like structures to row themselves forward. Bacteria eaten by protozoa contain too much nitrogen for the amount of carbon protozoa need. They release the excess nitrogen in the form of ammonium. This usually occurs near the root system of a plant. Bacteria, fungi and other organisms rapidly take up most of the ammonium, but some is used by the plant directly or via the fungal mycorrhizae. Another role that protozoa play is in regulating bacteria populations. When they graze on bacteria, protozoa stimulate growth of the bacterial population (and, in turn, decomposition rates and soil aggregation) or will modify the mix of species in the bacterial community. Exactly why this happens is under some debate, but grazing can be thought as like pruning a tree; a small amount enhances growth, too much reduces growth. Protozoa also help to suppress disease by competing with or feeding on disease-causing bacteria. Protozoa need water in which to move, so moisture plays a big role in determining which types of protozoa will be present and active in the soil. However, some can survive for long periods of time in dry environments, by forming resting cysts which enable them to remain dormant until conditions improve. Like bacteria, protozoa are particularly active in soil close to plant roots. Typical numbers of protozoa in soil vary widely; from a thousand per teaspoon in low fertility soils to a million per teaspoon in rainforest soils. In general, high-clay-content soils contain a

A ciliate protozoan. Note the hairlike cilia on the end.