Thanks everyone for such a wonderful trip, and in no particular order, here's how things went.
Buckets. Despite the heat, lack of shade (except for that brief moment when Dave and I enjoyed a small cloud travelling in front of the sun), and native bees flying up your nose, we got 72 holes dug! Thanks to the ingenious Thommo who raced back to Kununurra to get the jack hammer and geny. There's no doubt that they made digging through rocks much easier. And I can't thank enough my other hole diggers, Jenny (from SEEKS), Dave and Ben.
Beer. One of the most important lessons to be learnt, particularly when large stomached men such as Dave and Ben attend a field trip, is to bring more than adequate supplies of Beer. I think next time it would be more beneficial to set up our own distillery - Bungle's Beer would make a nice addition to products for sale in the visitor centre.
Camp. A most favourable spot was set up within the ranger station grounds, oven, butcherbirds and all. For those who are thinking about joining a trip, we had all the facilities one could wish for TV, frogs in toilets, even a little bowerbird (rark) to collect up those coins and bolts that fall from ones pockets and crows to wake us up in the morning (farck). And here I must thank Lindsay for allowing us to take over as much as we did (though you didn't see the worst of it :)
Choppers. Ha! I got a chopper flight, finally. Thanks Jim, though I think its important for my research that I get another flight, in a different season. :)
Elephants. sorry, I would go as far as saying they are now extinct in the Bungles.
Lions. Yep them too. But quolls? Not sure, didn't catch any and they do like peanut butter. If they are out there though, they are probably enjoying some time out with the rats (see below), maybe by a poolside, probably eating BBQ grasshopper kebabs.
Motor Vehicle. What a wonderful thing is a car. Thankyou Pete and Claire ever so much for your car. Don't know what we would have done without it. Anyone driving a toyota 4-runner remember never hide your spare key under the rear wheel, cause everyone knows thats where its kept, just like a doormat. Oh and always carry a spare key cause it would be really embarrasing if you had to smash the back window after locking the keys in the car and not being able to breakin any other way.
Peanut Butter. NO MORE!!!
Social Events. I must also thank Dani for organising all the social events of the trip (and for enthralling us with her stories of cows and frothing blood). Particularly night cricket with the chopper pilots. At least we couldn't see each other being unco trying to catch a glowing ball in the darkness.
Trapping. I suppose I should say something about why we were really out there. Unfortunately as for results it is a bit hard to get anything concrete at this point in time. Frankly I think those little rats are out there sitting back, smoking a spinifex spine, sipping spinifex cocktails and laughing about how they ran straight up to this big metal trap looked in, decided not to eat peanut butter today and then slowly swaggered off. Ahh, but it is possible that those Desert mice and rockrats on the Spring Creek track aren't quite so clever but we shall wait and see.
Caught lots more reptiles, particularly that speed demon, yes, the Military Dragon. It appears that these guys may be doing better in areas that are regenerating from a burn?? It also seems possible that regenerating areas support very different assemblages of reptiles to sites with thick, spiky old spinifex, so thick that you can't jump between clumps to avoid getting spiked.
And thanks to everyone else who helped collect traps, Claire, Pete and Judy, the girl from CVA, Dani, Emma and Paul.
Vollies. Good shoes, also very good help. Anyone reading this planning on becoming a vollie, hope it encouraged you, I'll try not to work you to hard, maybe even give you a day off. Just submit you're interest to me at tpartrid@rna.bio.mq.edu.au and I'll let you know where to send the cheque :)
