Embedded Files
Visited: all year round
Recommendation: This area is so pleasant to spend time in. The picnic area is known for robins, pademelons and even a Cassowary. The rainforest walk gives opportunities to see local endemics. I will continue to visit when ever I can.
Access to Hypipamee National Park is from a tiny car park in a clearing off the main road through the area. It is a productive place to visit for birding but can be frustrating as the photography is difficult in the low light. There are warning signs for the Southern Cassowary but I have never seen them present.
In the car park there is always Grey-headed Robin present. They sit in the trees and on the fence posts, frequently darting down for bugs. On first sight, they look like rather plain, dumpy birds but if you sit and watch them they are actually very attractive and interesting. That is where I always start when visiting the NP. It is good for the psyche to have an early success.
Grey-headed Robin(Heteromyias cinereifrons)
There are often interesting birds around the car park. I have seen scrubwren, honeyeaters, boatbill, riflebird, catbirds and whipbirds. However, I have precious few decent photographs of any of them. The rainforest environment is challenging and the thickness of the forest is unrelenting.
My next half decent photograph is of a Bassian Thrush, just wandering around the car park.
Bassian Thrush (Zoothera lunulata)
The raspy call of the Victoria's Riflebird can be heard as you walk through the park. However, they are infrequently seen, a flash through the trees if you are lucky. I was very lucky on one visit to catch this female digging through the bark for bugs. A single shot and thankfully one in focus!
Victoria's Riflebird (Ptiloris victoriae)
The upper track leads to the crater and the lower track runs down to the Dinner Falls. They are small but very pretty and the pool attracts a variety of animals. This Saw-shelled Turtle was basking at the bottom of the falls. They are common in this area but usually jump into the water when they see you.
Saw-shelled Turtle (Myuchelys latisternum)
One of the most amazing finds at Mount Hypipamee was a Chameleon Gecko, out on the track in daylight. These are one of the most unusual lizards I have ever seen, like something prehistoric. Get past its unusual face and the original tail is dark with four or five complete white crossbands. It is held slightly aloft or waggled to draw attention.
The tail is famous for its unique anti-predator adaptation. When threatened, it readily sheds (autotomizes) its tail. The detached tail will flip-flop and emit a squeaking noise that remarkably mimics the distress call of a small rodent, strategically diverting a predator's attention while the gecko escapes.
Chameleon Gecko (Carphodactylus laevis)
There is a well known Golden Bowerbird present at Hypipamee and I was amazed to see the male was still present with the same bower over 6 years after the last time I saw it. The bower is the most elaborate of all I have seen with 2 adjoined constructions. The male can be heard buzzing around the forest with an electronic call. He visits the bower frequently and if you just sit and wait you should be able to see him. Finding his current location will probably need help from local birders or guides.
Golden Bowerbird (Prionodura newtoniana)
There are lots of Brushturkey in the area and between the car park and toilet block, there is a huge mound. These birds are quite incredible, often using the same mound for many years. It might look like a pile of old leaves but it is a remarkable piece of engineering. The eggs are buried deep in the pile and the birds maintain the temperature by adding or removing leaf litter. That is the extent of their parental responsibilities. Once the chick(s) hatch, they dig their way out and are totally independent. These mounds can be found across the rainforest here.
Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)
There are other bowerbirds present in the forest. Satin Bowerbirds can be seen in the tops of the trees around the car park and Tooth-billed Bowerbirds build their courts on the ground of the forest. They are very difficult to find, although you may well hear them.
So, Hypipamee National Park is always worth a visit. You will hear birds, you may see them and if you are lucky you may photograph them. There are even Tree Kangaroo here. I must get back for another visit.
Google Sites
Report abuse