With cloudy skies and rain threatening eleven people met at Aireys Inlet Hall prior to travelling to Kennett River for morning tea. Two more people joined the group and we then drove up to the National Park to the starting point for the walk. We welcomed visitors Penelope, Donna, Ed and his son James. The walk commenced at 11 am.
We couldn’t help commenting on the condition of the lush and green forest at this time with plentiful new growth and dense foliage especially on the Ecualypts.
Spotting koalas certainly presented a challenge for us this year. There were far fewer numbers to be seen and on the first section of the walk along Grey River Rd we counted only ten.
We had lunch at our usual spot overlooking Grey River and it was pleasant in the sunshine.
Lunch
Young James admired the view. James is always a regular starter on our koala surveys.
James
After lunch the return walk along the power line track yielded four more koalas, bringing the total to fourteen for the day – many less than in previous years.
It was however an enjoyable walk. A number of bird sounds could be heard along the way. Among them were Rufous Bristlebirds calling, Grey Shrike Thrush and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. In addition we noticed a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles flying fairly low above the trees just ahead of the group. Also some grazing kangaroos kept their distance along the ridge just in front of us.
Some of Paul’s great koala photos:
Koala looking
Koala climbing up
Koala cuddling
Koala sleeping
Margaret MacDonald