Blue Gum Swamp

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Blue Gum Swamp
New South Wales
Eucalyptus deanei Blue Gum Swamp.JPG
Mountain blue gum trunk/bark, in the reserve
Australia New South Wales relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Blue Gum Swamp
Nearest town or city Winmalee
Coordinates 33°39.065′S150°36.340′E / 33.651083°S 150.605667°E / -33.651083; 150.605667 Coordinates: 33°39.065′S150°36.340′E / 33.651083°S 150.605667°E / -33.651083; 150.605667
Managing authorities NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service

The Blue Gum Swamp is a protected nature reserve located in the lower Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains, in Blue Mountains National Park, in New South Wales west of Sydney, southeastern Australia. Situated adjacent to the Blue Gum Creek near Winmalee, the reserve is part of the Greater Blue Mountains and is within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. [1]

State park protected area managed at the federated state level

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state, some of the Mexican states, and in Brazil. The term is also used in the Australian state of Victoria. The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa and Belgium, is provincial park. Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies.

Nature reserve Protected area for flora, fauna or features of geological interest

A nature reserve may also be known as a natural reserve, wildlife refuge or sanctuary, biosphere reserve (bioreserve), natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area. It is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities, and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in reserves' official names.

Grose Valley valley in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

The Grose Valley is a rugged valley in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It has been formed by the Grose River, the headwaters of which are in the Mount Victoria area. The valley is located between the Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road, the two major routes across the Blue Mountains. The majority of the valley falls within the Blue Mountains National Park.

Contents

Natural history

Leucopogon fletcheri flowers in the Blue Gum Swamp. Leucopogon Blue Gum Swamp.JPG
Leucopogon fletcheri flowers in the Blue Gum Swamp.

In the ancient past, the valley floor was blocked. This caused a residual alluvial deposit, which resulted in relatively deep and fertile soils. The tall mountain blue gum (Eucalyptus deanei) trees in the gully may reach 50 metres (160 ft) in height. [2] On the ridges the dry stunted vegetation is typical of much of the sandstone based areas near Sydney.

<i>Eucalyptus deanei</i> species of plant

Eucalyptus deanei, commonly known as mountain blue gum, round-leaved gum, or Deane's gum, is species of large tree endemic in New South Wales. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped leaves that are paler on the lower surface, flower buds in groups of seven to eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped to bell-shaped fruit.

Sydney sandstone Medium to coarse-grained quartz sandstone with minor shale and laminite lenses.

Sydney sandstone is the common name for Sydney Basin Hawkesbury Sandstone, one variety of which is historically known as Yellowblock, and also as "yellow gold" a sedimentary rock named after the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, where this sandstone is particularly common.

The area is well regarded by bird watchers. Noteworthy species here include the powerful owl, lyrebird, sooty owl, and the tiny Weebill. [3]

Powerful owl species of bird

The powerful owl is a species of owl native to south-eastern and eastern Australia, the largest owl on that continent. It is found in coastal areas and in the Great Dividing Range rarely more than 200 km (120 mi) inland. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species also refers to this species as the powerful boobook. An apex predator in its narrow distribution, the powerful owl is often an opportunist like most predators, but generally is dedicated to hunting arboreal mammals, in particular small to medium-sized marsupials. Such prey can comprise about three-quarters of their diet. Generally, this species lives in primary forests with tall, native trees, but can show some habitat flexibility when not nesting. The powerful owl is a typically territorial raptorial bird that maintains a large home range and has long intervals between egg-laying and hatching of clutches. Also, like many types of raptorial bird, they must survive a long stretch to independence in young owls post-fledging. Unlike most raptorial birds, however, male powerful owls are larger and stronger than females and so the male takes the dominant position in the mating pair, which extends to food distribution.

Lyrebird genus of birds

A lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds that compose the genus Menura, and the family Menuridae. They are most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment, and the striking beauty of the male bird's huge tail when it is fanned out in courtship display. Lyrebirds have unique plumes of neutral-coloured tailfeathers and are among Australia's best-known native birds.

Weebill species of bird

The weebill is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae, it is an insectivorous passerine that is found throughout mainland Australia. At 8 to 9 cm long, it is Australia's smallest bird. It was originally described by John Gould in 1838, and four subspecies are recognised. The weebill's plumage is nondescript, with olive-grey upper-parts and paler more yellowish under-parts. It grades from more brownish plumage in the southern parts of Australia to more yellow in tropical areas.

Mammal species are mostly nocturnal and not often seen. However, they include the yellow-bellied glider, sugar glider and microbats.

Yellow-bellied glider species of mammal

The yellow-bellied glider, also known as the fluffy glider, is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in native eucalypt forests in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria.

Sugar glider Species of Australian marsupial

The sugar glider is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. The common name refers to its preference for sugary foods like sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. They have very similar habits and appearance to the flying squirrel, despite not being closely related—an example of convergent evolution. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.

Microbat suborder of mammals

The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera (bats). Bats have long been differentiated into Megachiroptera (megabats) and Microchiroptera, based on their size, the use of echolocation by the Microchiroptera and other features; molecular evidence suggests a somewhat different subdivision, as the microbats have been shown to be a paraphyletic group.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Blue Mountains National Park: Plan of Management" (PDF). NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (PDF). Government of New South Wales. 1 May 2001. pp. 76, 103. ISBN   0-7313-6998-X . Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  2. ↑ National Parks & Wildlife Service - Information Sign
  3. ↑ "Blue Gum Swamp, Winmalee". Eremaea Birds A birding atlas built from members' bird lists. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2012.


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