Wagging work to go birdwatching
That’s exactly what I did on Wednesday. With no pressing deadlines and a beautiful clear day, I packed my things and set off.
Pulletop Nature Reserve is a 145 hectare reserve about 40 kilometres north of Griffith NSW. It is a remnant mallee bush block that in the 1980’s still had Mallee Fowl nesting. Time has passed, the land around the reesrve has been heavily cropped and the habitat reduced.
What is left is worth a visit. The long years of drought and a vermin eridaction plan have eliminated many of the usual pests and allowed the understorey of plants to regrow. There are kangaroos and echindas in the reserve, Gould’s goanna and other reptiles. And there are masses of birds, if you go at the right time. That, of course, is the key.
The reserve has no watercourse and is basically flat. If it rains, some water will be retained, but mostly it just drains straight through the red loamy soils. And immediately after rain, the roads into the reserve are impassable, even to four wheel drives.
But wait a few weeks for the effect of the rain to show and you will be rewarded with the wonders of the Australian bush regenerating. The grasses return, the forbs and herbs reshoot, the trees take on that wonderful, relaxed shiny green colour. The insects return, as do the birds who feed off them.
You wont find the rare to see and endangered species for which this region is known, but you will see a wide range of woodland birds.
It is worth taking a picnic and spending the time to immerse yourself in the mallee.
There are no facilites at the reserve.
April 18th, 2008 - Posted in Places to Visit | |
