February 4

At last!,ideal conditions to venture outdoors so I visited Billy Light’s Pt,and I was amazed at the dry condition of the scrubland.Shrubs dead or dying,Eucalypt branches down due to lack of moisture and flexibility and the new growth on the tips burnt by the wind.The only flowers sighted were Dryland tea tree and Alcock’s wattle (see Wattles ),both appear to thrive in the dry environment.The top soil is dry and powdery,resulting in the wheelchair being bogged,and me being stuck in the scrub for an hour waiting for a passer by, with with no phone and the bush flies for company.



DRYLAND TEA TREE Melaleuca lanceolata Also called Moonah,a shrub or tree to 5M,leaves alternate,linear to narrow-elliptic,5-15mm long,1-3mm broad.Flowers creamy-white,barrel-shaped,Summer months.Fruit smooth,spherical,4-5mm diam.Found in S.A,W.A,Vic,Qld,N.S.W. (Photo-Billy Light’s Point )

The beach was quieter than normal,apart from a few terns,gulls and ducks.I never reached the Point where the main activity is because of the soft conditions.The arrival of bait-fish in Porter Bay ,probably Anchovies,which appear every Summer,has attracted the terns.There are 3 terns common in Lincoln Cove

CASPIAN TERN                                   

Hydroprogne  caspia

The worlds largest tern,with a

length of 50-60 cm,a wingspan

of 130-145 cm and an average

weight of 650 g.Adult birds

have black legs and a thick red

bill.Food is mainly fish and it

breeds locally on offshore

islands.Found Worldwide.

(Photo-Billy Light’s Beach )

Note the size compared with

the Silver Gull

 

CRESTED  TERN   Thalasseus  bergii
Our most common Tern,breeding in large colonies on offshore islands.Upper parts are grey,bill yellow and the distinguishing crest black.This crest recedes in Winter and is used for breeding displays.
Photo shows Crested Terns with Silver Gulls resting amongst Neptunes Necklace ( Hormosira  banksii ) at low tide,Billy Light’s Pt.
Note the non breeding adult with the baldy head at the back.




 
                                                                        FAIRY  TERN  Sternula nereis nereis   Australia’s smallest tern,22-27cm in length, wieghing 70g and a wingspan of 45-53cm.It has a white forehead,yellow beak and legs.Breeds locally,feeding on small bait –fish caught by plunge diving.Sexes similar and usually found in pairs.
( Photo – Billy Light’s Beach )    

wattles

WATTLES

GENUS - ACACIA

About 1300 species exist worldwide,of these around 900 are found in Australia,30 on Lower E.P.Local Aborigines used various forms of certain species as bush tucker and medicine.I think I have found 11 species around Lincoln Cove,please correct me if you know I'm wrong.

ALCOCK'S  WATTLE   Acacia  alcockii                           Named after Mr C. R. Alcock who collected plants extensively on Eyre Peninsula.Bushy shrub or small tree to 3 m, bark grey or brown, reddish on young branches. Phyllodes (leaves) narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 6-9 cm long.Legumes (pods) to 90mm long. Flowers globular, pale yellow, 10mm December and February.(Photo - Billy Lights Point )

COASTAL WATTLE Acacia  longifolia

Tall erect, or low bushy, spreading shrubs, 3-7 m high; branchlets angular, bark dark grey, roughened. Phyllodes linear-lanceolate, oblong, 6-15 cm long.Legumes 5-10 cm long, 4-6 mm broad, Flowers are spikes rather dense or sometimes loose , bright yellow, 2-4 cm long.Chiefly restricted to coastal sand dunes,S.A Qld, N.S.W., Vic. and Tas. Flowering July — October.   (Photo - Lincoln Cove )

                SPINY  WATTLE    Acacia  spinescens                                                                   Small,erect,rigid,spreading shrubs to 1M high,branches spinescent,grey-green.Phyllodes absent,flower-heads small,globular,bright yellow,July - Oct.Legumes curved,light brown,2-3 cm long and 3mm broad.Occurs S.A,N.S.W,Western Vic. (Photo-Billy Light's Pt )

                                                                                                                                                                             

KANGAROO  THORN   Acacia  paradoxa

Dense,bushy,spreading ,prickly shrubs to 3M high.Phyllodes obliquely long or lanceolate.Flower heads globular,golden-yellow,August - Nov.Legumes cylindrical,straight or curved,4-7Cm long,4-5mm broadusually soft and hairy.Occurs in dense patches,open scrubland,all States but N.T.( Photo - Parnkalla Trail )

MYRTLE  WATTLE    Acacia  myrtifolia

Erect, glabrous, bushy shrubs 1-2 m high; branchlets acutely angled,reddish.Phyllodes variable in shape, linear-lanceolate, oblanceolate, obliquely ovate or more or less elliptical, 2-10 cm long, 4-30 mm broad, flat,1 prominent vein. Flower racemes about as long as, or occasionally, longer than phyllodes; flower-heads more or less globular, pale yellow,July — October.Legumes 4-7 cm long, c. 4 mm broad, curved, light brown.Occurs S.A, WA, Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas. ( Photo-Parnkalla Trail ).

MALLEE  WREATH  WATTLE   Acacia  triquetra
Spreading shrub to 1.5M tall,branchlets angle towards apex.Phyllodes narrowly oblong,
oblanceolate to elliptic,10-25mm long,2-6mm wide,straight or slightly curved.Flower heads 
globular,yellow,July - Oct.Legumes linear,to 6cm long,3-4mm wide,straight to shallowly curved.Restricted to S.A on Eyre and Yorke peninsula and on Kangaroo Island.
 ( Photo-Lincoln Cove ).

COAST  WALLOWA   Acacia nematophylla

Bushy shrubs to 2.5M tall,branchlets angled at extremities.Phyllodes narrowly linear,

20-40mm long,0.7-1.5mm wide,ascending to erect,straight or shallowly curved,cylindrical,slightly hooked.Flower heads globular,yellow,mainly Summer.Legumes linear to 11cm long,5-6 wide.South Australia on Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas.

( Photo - Billy Light's Point ).

COAST  GOLDEN  WATTLE    Acacia  leiophylla

Erect or spreading shrubs 1-2.5 m high, either dense compact and single stemmed or spreading and openly branched with a number of stems arising from near ground level.Phyllodes lanceolate, 7-17 cm long, 9-25 mm broad, usually broadest above the middle.Flower-heads globular, bright yellow,August — November.Legumes linear, 9-12.5 cm long, 5-6 mm broad, more or less straight, firmly chartaceous, raised over seeds,dark brown.Endemic to South Australia.

( Photo-Lincoln Cove )

ANGLE  WATTLE   Acacia  anceps

Erect, rigid, glabrous, spreading shrubs 1-3 m high, the same, branching from the ground; branchlets compressed or flattened and very acutely angled or winged. Phyllodes linear oblong, narrow obovate, broadly ovate-oblong oblique 1-5 cm long, 1-3.5 cm broad, thick rigid often undulate. flower-heads globular large, deep golden yellow,: September — February (mainly summer months). Legumes stipitate flat often undulate, straight or curved, 3-5 cm long, 10-12 mm broad.Endemic to S.A

( Photo - Lincoln Cove )

GOLDEN  WATTLE   Acacia  pycnantha

Glabrous, medium-sized shrubs or small trees about 4-8 m high; trunk short, 12-20 cm diameter; bark usually smooth but sometimes scaly or roughened at the base, dark brown. Phyllodes broad-lanceolate, oblanceolate, 6-20 cm long 5-50 mm broad, broadest above the centre, curved or falcate. flower-heads large, globular, golden-yellow, August — October.

Legumes linear, 5-12 cm long, 5-7 mm broad, more or less straight, flat, raised over seeds. This species occurs in S.A,  WA*, NSW, Vic, Tas*.It is the official Australian floral emblem.

( Photo-Parnkalla Trail )  

 UMBRELLA  BUSH  Acacia  ligulata
Bushy, spreading, more or less rounded, compact shrubs 1-5 m high.Phyllodes linear or linear-oblong, 3-9 cm long, 3-10 mm broad, flat, rather thick, wrinkled when dry.Flower-heads globular, bright yellow,August — November.Legumes linear, 5-10 cm long, 4-10 mm broad, thick, light brown, margins thickened, more or less constricted between seeds. S.A,W.Aust., N.T., Qld, N.S.W. and Vic. ( Photo-Lincoln Cove )

WESTERN  COASTAL  WATTLE   Acacia  cyclops
Dense, bushy, rounded, spreading shrubs 2-4 m high, branching at or just above ground level often with foliage almost to the ground, a conspicuous feature is the old legumes which often persist on the bush after the seeds have been shed. Phyllodes narrowly oblong to narrowly obovate, 4-9 cm long, 6-12 mm broad, straight or curved.Flower-heads, globular, yellow, December — March. Legumes narrowly-oblong, 4-10 cm long, 8-12 mm broad, curved.
Found only in S.A and W.A.  ( Photo- Lincoln Cove )



mistletoes

I don't venture out often at this time of the year due to the heat and parched scrubland,but on a recent outing I noticed the mistletoes and wattles were flowering despite the dry conditions.I have to begin this blog somewhere,so I decided on something seasonal.

MISTLETOES

Mistletoes are legendary plants which grow as parasites on the branches of  trees and shrubs.Their seeds are deposited in the droppings of birds which eat the fruit.
There are two species commonly seen in this area.

HARLEQUIN  MISTLETOE   

  Lysiana  exocarpi

Leaves narrow-linear to oblong, 30-150 X 1-10 mm, flowers usually red, rarely yellow.
Fruit ovoid to ellipsoid, 6-10 mm long, red or black.Parasitic on a wide range of hosts but not Eucalyptus. W.Aust.; N.T.; Qld; N.S.W.; Vic.Flowers throughout the year,mainly Summer.  

TEA - TREE  MISTLETOE

Amyema  melaleuca

 Leaf lamina lanceolate to narrow-spathulate, 20-45 mm long,,exclusively parasitic on Melaleuca.Flowers red, November - April.Fruit nearly globular, 6-8 mm long.thrives in coastal situations, S.A and W.A

( Photo - Billy Lights Point )

Flora & Fauna

FLORA AND FAUNA OF LINCOLN COVE

The following posts are by no means a complete inventory,as I have only included species

         I could identify with some accuracy.Also included are introduced species and place of origin,asI have noted many native birds feed on the seeds.

For reference I have use,and can recommend,the following local publications:

WILDFLOWERS OF LOWER EYRE PENINSULA

Hazel O'connor,Janet Smyth,Isobel Smith,Christina Haldane,Ursala Halls.

QUIETER WILDFLOWERS OF LOWER EYRE PENINSULA

Janet Smyth & Brian Saunders.

ORCHIDS OF LOWER EYRE PENINSULA

Jane Hutchinson & Pam Hewstone.

BIRDS OF LOWER EYRE PENINSULA

Colin Gill & Hazel O'connor. 

Also I find Electronic Flora S.A is an excellent site to assist with identification.

history

BRIEF HISTORY OF LINCOLN COVE
I have relied mainly on childhood memories,having frequented this area from an
early age,becoming familiar with the bushland and coastline which was pristine
in those times.Dates and locations may be approximate only.

 Lincoln Cove was originally a tidal salt water creek,ironically named Salt Creek.
This creek was a nursery for a variety of fish ,including Australian Salmon,King
George Whiting,Yellow Eye Mullet and Flounder.It was also a favourite haunt
 of many water birds,among them Ducks,Stilts,Plovers,Comorants and both local
and migratory waders.

SALT CREEK - MY IMPRESSION CIRCA 1950

Around 1945 a landfill rubbish dump was created at the Western arm of Salt Creek
and as a result of the oil and chemicals leached from it at high tide,the mangroves
and the ecology they supported were destroyed.I can recall a tall stand of mangroves
in the middle of the creek and the crab burrows beneath the roots,the last surviving
bush was buried along with the remains of aboriginal fish traps during the construction
of stage 1 of Lincoln Cove.

 GOOGLE EARTH - CIRCA 2012

 At peak tides during Winter Salt Creek almost connected with the Northern beach of
 Proper Bay,making Murray's & Billy Light's Points a virtual island.The only access
to  this area was via the beach and rough limestone tracks,there was also a rifle range
situated parallel with the beach,restricting access when in use.This later became a light
plane landing strip and eventually a greyhound racing track,before becoming part of
the landfill dump.

 REMAINING SALINE VEGETATION

At this time there is still enough native salt water vegetation to attract birds,but this
will eventually vanish as stage 3 of Lincoln Cove begins.While I am not completely
anti - development,I hope sanity prevails and serious consideration is given to
preserving part of the remaining environment for future generations before it's all gone.

TYPICAL WETLANDS SCENE

In the 1950s a causeway was constructed over th entrance to Salt Creek to access Port
Lincoln's sewer outlet at Billy Light's Point and a holiday village installed on on the
present site of the Leisure Centre.Later developments include B.H.P bulk sand facility,
boat ramp,picnic area and slipway.The B.H.P became redundant in the 1990's and
Ospreys still use the old jetty as a nesting site.

 PRESENT DAY MARINA

The first stage of Lincoln Cove began in the 1980's and the second stage completed in
the 1990's,planning has begun for stage 3 with some native vegetation already removed.