The flowers are blooming, our wildlife is slowly coming to life – it must be spring.
When spring blooms in the Blue Mountains you can be sure the local wildlife will come out of hiding. On your next trip to Mountain Whispers, take in some of our wonderful national parks and see what you can spot.
The female Antechinuses with their young start appearing in October. The Antechinuses is a small mouse-like marsupial that is native to Australia. You’ll often see them in the rainforest, dry and wet Eucalypt forest and open woodlands. Because they are so small, you’ll need to keep a lookout for them.
The Sugar-Gliders, Ringtail Possums, Yellow-bellied Gliders and Pygmy Possums are all moving around as well, while you might hear the call of a Brushtail Possum as the spend spring mating.
If you’re really lucky, you may get to spot an Echidna. If you do see one, stand still and don’t make any quick movements; Echidnas burrow quite quickly, which means you might only get a glimpse.
Apart from the mammals, a number of reptiles and insects start to be seen (or heard). In Spring, a number of lizards start to come out of hibernation. Some of our lizards can be quite small, so watch where you step when you’re in the National Parks, and if you hear some shuffling around in the leaves, stop and wait – you might get a glimpse of a Blue Tongue.
After equinox, the Perons Tree Frogs start their calling, and in a good year, the Whistling Tree Frogs will still be calling. A number of butterflies start to become active in October and November including the Nellies Glen Butterfly, the Common Brown Butterfly and the Caper White Butterfly. The Cicadas emerge in Spring, and we know Christmas is on the way when the Christmas Beetles emerge.
Spring is another wonderful time for bird watchers and photographers to visit Mountain Whispers. In September the Rufous Whistlers and Sacred Kingfishers are on their way back to the Mountains, while the Satin Bowerbirds, Kookaburras, and Channel-billed Cuckoos are making themselves seen.
In October, the Satin Flycatchers are on the return, while the Black-face Monarchs, Rufous Fantails and Koels arrive on their southern migration. November sees a lot of birds hatching, and you’ll often hear the hungry cry of young birds.
There’s so much coming alive in the Blue Mountains over the next couple of months; Mountain Whispers luxury accommodation is a great base for discovering the local wildlife here in the mountains.
