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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National

Bird's breakfast snack off kangaroo's back

This photo of a kangaroo with a friend in Wollemi National Park won the animals and plants section of a National Parks photo competition. Picture by Allan Cronin

The Wollemi National Park is a wilderness that stretches from the Blue Mountains to the Lower Hunter.

The park is known for its eastern grey kangaroos. If you're lucky you might even spot a native bird hitching a ride on a roo's back.

Allan Cronin took this photo near Coorongooba Campground, near Glen Davis. It's deep inland in the national park, parallel to south Lake Macquarie - to give a bit of an idea of the geography.

Allan's photo won the animals and plants section of the National Parks and Wildlife photo competition.

The bird is a willy wagtail on the back of an eastern grey kangaroo, picking out a snack.

"This photo shows the symbiotic relationship that can exist between these two species," Allan said.

"While the kangaroo was contentedly grazing on the grass, it was also hosting many bugs, flies and fleas in and on its fur.

"This was to the advantage of the willie wagtail who, rather than chasing these bugs individually, was able to get a good abundance of food from a small area on the kangaroo and simultaneously helping the kangaroo rid itself of some of the bugs, flies and fleas."

That explains Allan's name for the photo - "Breakfast with friends".

Allan added that the "peacefulness, raw beauty and abundance of wildlife make our national parks an amazing place to photograph in, stay in and to explore".

"As national parks have strong legal protections, they allow nature and animals to thrive and that's something I definitely want to continue to support."

He said the Coorongooba camp site is next to the Capertee River.

"It has no phone reception and is surrounded by impressive sandstone cliffs. So it's the perfect place to take a breath and enjoy nature."

Reunited With His Own Kind

Topics shared a story last week about Elfie the potoroo.

Aussie Ark conservation manager Hayley Shute and her family hand-raised Elfie, after he was found abandoned by his mum last Christmas.

He was later transferred up to the Ark site in the Barrington Tops, where curator Kelly Davis adopted him. She worked across two months to prepare Elfie for reintegration with his own species.

Camera footage caught the first moment that Elfie encountered his own kind.

Elfie has now been released to freely join five potoroos in the Ark's species recovery unit, an outdoor enclosure. One day, he'll be released into the Ark's sanctuary.

"After so many months of care by the Aussie Ark team, Elfie has been reunited with his own kind," Kelly said.

"It's a bittersweet moment. We put so much time, effort and love into his care. But this is what it's all about - have him live as he would in the wild."

Elfie the potoroo. Picture by Aussie Ark
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