Dear Reader:
With the arrival of summer, grasses turn to gold with remnant shadings of green while pale gums add a subtle contrast to the landscape.
As the countryside flashes past on my way to the campground I notice a field of freshly baled hay. A flock of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos forages for any remaining seed heads.
Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
My destination is Chalk’s Campground, just past the Warren Reservoir on the road between Williamstown and Gumeracha. I am not intending to camp here; however, the interface between human habitation, rural zones and wilderness areas is an excellent place to encounter wildlife.
Although the campsite is closed between December and March, due to the danger of bushfires, it is still accessible for walking and is a destination along the famed Heysen Trail. I drove through the area a few weeks ago on a sunny day and spotted a Shingleback lizard in the undergrowth.
Although it is summer, the weather is overcast and photography a little more challenging than on my previous visit. I use the powerful lens of my Sony RX10 to scan the trees, bushes and ground in search of wildlife. Common Brown butterflies are the most common animals. They are flitting between the grass and leaf litter where their excellent camouflage is most apparent.
As I walk around the campsite zone, I notice a group of Adelaide Rosellas perched in a pine tree. The birds are wary and I only manage to fire off a couple of long range shots before they take flight.
Bark is peeling off many large River Gums and I probe under it in search of millipedes, spiders, roaches and other bugs. Spiders are not my favourite creatures and I have often come across multiple Huntsman species under the bark. However, today’s arachnid is a jet-black spider which resembles the common Black House Spider.
It is time to wind up this excursion and I backtrack along a little creek towards the car park. On my drive home I will take a break at the Gumeracha Bakery and enjoy a tasty chicken pie and an indulgent custard tart.
In a final attempt to find some different animals, I decide to turn over a few flattish rocks (which I carefully replace in their original position) in the hope of finding one of the elongated skinks that commonly shelter under them. To my surprise, it is a large and very and active Garden Centipede that I unearth. And, on that note, I bid Chalk’s Campground farewell.
Until our next adventure
Cheers
Baz
Additional notes
This is an easy walk and drive which is quite suitable for families and seniors. It is dog friendly.
Please pass on this blog title and or contact information (URL) to any person or organisation with an interest in taking walks and enjoying wildlife in SA.
Click on these links and see more South Australian stories and pictures in my Weekend Notes articles as well as locating similar blogs on Feedspot’s top 20 Australian wildlife blogs
Naturally South Australia 
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