The Top Ender Magazine August September 2023 Edition

KOOKABURRA KIDS
NT LANDSCAPES
AND WILDLIFE
MIDGE &
MOZZIE
CALENDAR
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assist on with their Darwin programs, if you or
anyone you know is interested in becoming a
volunteer please refer to their website
kookaburrakids.org.au/get-involved/volunteer
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Contact Mali Booth - 1300 566 525
Community Liaison Officer - Darwin/Katherine
Upcoming NT Camp: Wallaroo 25/8/23
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Mental
Health
Education
Some parts of the Territory are very
important for wildlife as they have an
unusual richness of species, or particular
groups of endemic or threatened species.
Many of these areas are sites of
conservation significance in the NT.
The most important area is the stone country
of western Arnhem Land, which is home to far
more endemic and threatened plants and
animals than anywhere else in the Territory.
This is because it is split into deep gorges, caves,
escarpments and bouldered slopes.
This provides protection from predators, fire and
climatic change.
The area supports many relict species that are
either entirely restricted to this area, or have very
small numbers and distributions. Many of these
relict species are hangovers from periods of far
warmer or wetter climates.
Some of the ranges in Central Australia support
large numbers of restricted and endemic species
- Palm Valley is one such place.
Other parts of the Territory are important
because they support abundances of wildlife.
The lowlands and floodplains of northern
Australia support large groups of waterfowl,
dense populations of fish and crocodiles, and
many other species.
At Fogg Dam the population of water pythons
has the greatest biomass density for any
terrestrial predator system in the world. Their
main prey item, the dusky rat, is in the order of
15,000 individuals per square kilometre.
In other parts of the NT massive groups of
wildlife are not a permanent feature.
The long-haired rat plagues in the Mitchell
grasslands and chenopod shrublands of the
Barkly Tablelands about every 10 to 20 years,
which encourages a similar increase in its main
predators, the letter-winged kite and barn owl.
The flock bronzewing is another Mitchell
grassland species that sometimes occurs in large
numbers.
Early explorers described huge flocks of this
pigeon darkening the sky for hours as they flew
over.
Extracted from NT Government
nt.gov.au/environment/animals/about-animals-in-nt
Very high biting
midge peaks
High biting
midge peaks
Moderate biting
midge peaks
Low biting
midge peaks
High mosquito
peaks
Potential for
high mosquito
peaks caused
by rain
Moderate
mosquito peaks
Full Moon
New Moon
REFERENCES
https://hdl.handle.net/10137/12354
https://hdl.handle.net/10137/12355
August
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
1 2 3 4
7 8 9 10 11
September
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
4 5 6 7 8 9
August
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
1 2 3 4
7 8 9 10 11
September
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
1 2
4 5 6 7 8 9
12
3
10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30
5
6
13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
12
1 2
3
10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30
5
6
13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
Thank you to the Department of Health for
supplying the calendars of the Salt Marsh
Mosquitos and the Biting Midges. For more
information on either of these pests, visit the
Department of Health’s website.
56 The Top Ender | Tri-Services Magazine Incorporated AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 57