A short report from North Queensland

Torresian Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata)

I was back home in Australia last month. It wasn’t really a mammal trip. Inevitably, as I don’t know how to do any other kind of trip, I spent three days looking for things when I was in north Queensland with my kids. In particular I wanted to get better looks at three species that – in Australia – are only found in this region: Queensland Horseshoe Bat, Long-tailed Pygmy Possum and Mahogany Glider. I had a vague hope to find a Masked White-tailed Rat too, which would be a lifer, but the best accessible site for this species seems to be the road up Mount Lewis, near Julatten, which has been closed for repairs for a year or more.

Hervey Range, Townsville

Queensland Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus achilles)

Alec Karcz, an American studying at James Cook University in Townsville, kindly offered to take me to a culvert along the Hervey Range Road above Townsville to see the Queensland Horseshoe Bats that he discovered roosting there some months ago. They appear usually to be in there. Maybe always. We saw two.

Queensland Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus achilles)

When I was living in Australia the species used to be considered a subspecies of Large-eared Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus phillipinensis robertsi). I saw one for a second in a cave near Shipton’s Flat with Charlie Roberts. The robertsi was named after his dad. If I remember right it was later briefly elevated to a full species – Rhinolophus robertsi – but how now been lumped with Rhinolophus achilles, which also occurs on the Kai Islands of Indonesia. Whatever its ancestry it is a striking bat.

The culvert had not been designed with bat watchers in mind. It was way too low to stand up in, and the bats were in quite deep so – rather than crawl – I decided to shuffle along while squatting. Extreme pilates. My quads were aching two days later.

Culverting. Photo Alec Karcz.

Alec asked me not to give the exact location but you can contact him – @bareboneswildlife on Instagram – if you are passing through. A big thanks to Alec and to Jannico Kelk for putting me us in touch.

Jourama Falls

Krefft’s Glider (Petaurus notatus)

Jourama Falls, near Ingham, is a well known spot to search for Mahogany Gliders. They are far from guaranteed. I was only able to spend a couple of hours here – from 1.30am to 3am – the night I flew into Townsville. I couldn’t find one.

Many people who see the gliders seem to find them around the campsite and the stretch of road towards the waterfall trail. I focussed on this area too, though was reluctant to do too much in the campsite itself given the many sleeping campers.

Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene robinsoni)

This was the first time I had used a thermal scope in north Queensland and they make a huge difference in Australia. Within 60 seconds of leaving my car I had found a Queensland Tube-nosed Bat, a species I had seen only once before in multiple trips up here. I saw a second later that evening (and another in the Cairns Botanic Gardens).

Krefft’s Glider (Petaurus notatus)

I tried very hard to turn this Krefft’s (Sugar) Glider into a Mahogany Glider, but when I saw the white tail tip I gave up pretending.

Fawn-footed Mosaic-tailed Rat (Melomys cervinipes)

I also found a Fawn-footed Melomys and a Giant White-tailed Rat.

White-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys caudimaculatus)

I’d seen a Mahogany Glider in a nest box near Ingham twenty years earlier. The species is supposed to be in eucalypt forest along the coast from Jourama up to Cardwell. The secret to finding them I was told is to find flowering gum trees. There are rumors that Mahogany Gliders are actually just a subspecies of Squirrel Glider. Whatever, they are quite different looking and one I would like to see properly one day.

Atherton Tablelands

Green Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirops archeri)

I met up with Alan Gillanders at the Yunguburra Pub for a few hours’ spotlighting along Topaz Road. I’ve known Alan on Facebook for many years but this was the first time we’d met. When Alan ran Alan’s Wildlife Tours he was the go to guide for mammalwatchers on the tablelands. Though he has now retired I was delighted we are able to meet up. And even more delighted when he told me that friends of his had a a flowering Bumpy Satin Ash Tree on their property which should be good for the Long-tailed Pygmy Possum I was chasing.

We walked along Topaz Road for an hour or so in the remote hope we might find a Masked White-tailed Rat: Alan had seen one there, but only once during a great many visits.

It was misty and raining. No Masked White-tailed Rat though we did see several Giant White-tailed Rats. We also got a Herbert River Ringtail Possum and a Fawn-footed Melomys as well as a Northern Brown Bandicoot which crossed the road as we were driving.

Fawn-footed Mosaic-tailed Rat (Melomys cervinipes)

Back at Alan’s friends’ place my thermal scope immediately found a Long-tailed Pygmy Possum feeding on the Bumpy Satin-Ash. Some camera issues meant I was not able to take the photos I should have done. This was another species I had only glimpsed, 10 years earlier, at Mount Hypipamee.

Long-tailed Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus caudatus)

Alan’s friends had were several Red-legged Pademelons in their garden too and said they had once gotten pictures on their camera trap of a Masked White-tailed Rat on their deck.

Red-legged Pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica)

The next day on the Tablelands there was just one Southern Myotis Bat roosting in cracks under the bridge next to the Platypus Viewing Platform in Yunguburra.

Southern Myotis (Myotis macropus)

A short walk along Peterson’s Creek in Yunguburra after sunset, which Alan is helping to revegetate, was productive. This can be a good spot for Lumholz Tree Kangaroos. We couldn’t find any tree roos but did see Agile Wallabies, bother Coppery and Common Brushtail Possums and a Green Ringtail.

Coppery Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus johnstonii)

A big thanks to Alan for his advice, expertise and great company.

Cairns Botanic Gardens

Torresian Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata)

Two hours walking along the Rainforest Boardwalk at the Cairns Botanic Gardens after dark was excellent. Though the gardens – or sections of them – close before dark the boardwalk is open 24/7.

We saw three or four beautiful Striped Possums (the gardens must be one of the best sites in Australian for this species), another Queensland Tube-nosed Bat, both Northern Brown and Long-nosed Bandicoots, Red-legged Pademelons and Spectacled Flying Foxes.

Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene robinsoni)

Trip List

Northern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus)
Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta)
Red-legged Pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica)
Agile Wallaby (Notamacropus agilis)
Torresian Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata)
Krefft’s Glider (Petaurus notatus)
Herbert River Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirulus herbertensis)
Green Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudochirops archeri)
Long-tailed Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus caudatus)
Coppery Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus johnstonii)
Common Brush-tailed Possum (T.vulpecula)
Fawn-footed Mosaic-tailed Rat (Melomys cervinipes)
White-tailed Giant Rat (Uromys caudimaculatus)
Queensland Tube-nosed Fruit Bat (Nyctimene robinsoni)
Spectacled Flying Fox (Pteropus conspicillatus)
Queensland Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus achilles)
Southern Myotis (Myotis macropus)

17 species

Torresian Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata)