Secrets of the Island Coast: a history of people and nature in the Esperance
– Recherché Region.
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| Some of the islands around Esperance - Esperance Helitours |
“The Island Coast” is the south eastern coast
of WA. Its squeaky white beaches look out to the scattered Islands of the
Recherche Archipelago. There are over two hundred Islands, some with unique
plant and animal species. Most are still largely free of past and immediate
human influence. Landlocked islands of
massive granite domes are dotted across the undulating mainland landscape.
Humans, though a blink in geo-biological time, have had profound influences on
historical and present ecosystems. In turn, they have been and are still being,
patterned and moulded by the landscapes subtle influences.
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| Esperance Helitours |
My
book aims to allow readers to develop an appreciation of the historical
contexts of human activities and their impacts on the Island Coast environment.
The chapters progress through past to present human impacts, including vital
physical factors such as fire and clearing for agriculture, upon the lives of
the regions animals and plants. Through personalized narratives, photographs
and illustrations, my book will attempt to reignite the primeval and heartfelt
feelings for nature that were once central to survival of all peoples and
their cultures.
Mammals
The original native mammals of the Island coast are mostly gone. All that are left are the large kangaroos and some of the small species, such as Pygmy possums and Honey possums, that are have rapid breeding and generational turnover as a feature of their lifecycle.
Rock wallabies
Black-flanked Rock Wallabies of the Island coast are now
only found on Islands of the Recherché and appear extinct on the adjacent
mainland. There are two subspecies represented. Petrogale l.lateralis are found on Salisbury island - they once
occupied most of central and southern WA and can still be found in isolated
pockets. P.l.hacketti is only found on
three islands of the Recherché -Mondrain, Wilson and Westall islands- and
nowhere else.
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| Dunnart |
Dunnarts
are members of the carnivorous marsupial Dasyurid family. Those found on
the Island coast include the grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer) which occurs as
far east as Cape Arid and the fat tailed dunnart (S.crassicaudata) which ranges across southern Australia. Dunnarts
are small marsupials about the size of a mouse with large ears and eyes. The
fat tailed dunnart stores fat in its tail which can become like a small turgid
carrot when full. They are aggressive predators eating small invertebrates,
frogs, lizards and mice.
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| Western Pygmy Possum
Pygmy Possum
The
delightful little Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus
concinnus) or Mundarda, is also
widespread from coastal regions to inland mallee and feeds on small
invertebrates as well as pollen and nectar, so is probably an important
pollinator. It has big eyes, large rounded, crumply ears and cinnamon-brown
upper body with white under parts. Like the Honey possum, it has a prehensile
tail and opposable digits for climbing. However it seems to be a slower mover
and unfortunately people have mistaken them for mice with unpleasant
consequences. It nests in tree hollows
and even abandoned farm machinery and fence posts. Some farming friends near
Beaumont made small wooden nest boxes for their resident Pygmy possums and
found that they returned to the same nesting sites year after year.
Honey Possum
Small
striped Honey Possums (Tarsipes rostratus)
or Noolbenger, are half the weight of
a mouse. They are not really possums but the only surviving member of a long
extinct marsupial group. Honey possums are relatively common and found in
heathland and banksia woodlands and are nectivores which means they are
specialized to feed almost exclusively on flower nectar and pollen. They are probably very important pollinators
of heath plants, the marsupial equivalent of a honeyeater as they have only
residual teeth and a long brush tipped tongue for probing flowers. I have seen
them at night by spotlight on B.
speciosa.
Hooded Plover
As wet areas dry up in late spring
early summer the waterbirds contract back to permanently watered areas, such as provided by the RAMSAR
(wetlands of International significance) listed, Lake Warden Wetland system
that features the Hooded Plover (Thinornis
rubricolis) as its mascot bird. Lake Warden itself was the single most
regionally important lake for breeding of the Hooded Plover and its man-made
problems due to catchment overclearing are being dealt with through fencing
projects, planting perennial grasses and drainage. This iconic bird, that is so
under threat in the rest of Australia due to human over use of beaches, will
hopefully return to breeding in these wetlands.
Carpet python
Southern
carpet pythons (Morelia spilota imbricata)
are found on the Island coast and Islands of the Recherche. They are
beautifully patterned, with diamond shaped clear pale grey to yellow marking
against a dark background. The largest snakes found here, they have been
recorded at 2.5 metres. Pythons are not
venomous and kill by wrapping coils around the prey’s body and suffocating it.
Prey is located using heat sensor pits along their bottom jaw.. |
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| Dragonfly |
Dragonflies
Order Odonata comprises
dragonflies and damselflies. The dragonflies and damselflies are an ancient
group of insects around long before the dinosaurs. Fossils as old as 250
million years have been found and the largest insect that ever lived was a
dragonfly with a wingspan of 70cm[1].These
predatory insects are among the most beautiful to us humans with their large
multifaceted eyes slender bodies and two pairs of large and veined translucent
wings
[1]
See the Australian Museum web site for further information http://australianmuseum.net.au/Dragonflies-and-damselflies-Order-Odonata
[1]
See the Australian Museum web site for further information http://australianmuseum.net.au/Dragonflies-and-damselflies-Order-Odonata
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