| Fogg Dam Today |
|
|
|
A SPECTACULAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY FOGG DAM TODAY
Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve covers 1,569 hectares[1] and has an international reputation amongst birdwatchers and biologists as well as being enjoyed by tourists and local Territorians. The area is important to the Limilngan-Wulna Aboriginal people who have stories of their ancestors in the landscape. What makes Fogg Dam so interesting is its diverse habitat and wildlife all within easy walking distance. The monsoon and eucalypt forest, open scrubland, melaleuca woodland, floodplain and open water attract significant numbers of birds, reptiles, mammals and marsupials. It is said to have the greatest predator biomass known in the world.[2] Sedges, grasses, pandanus and waterlilies can be seen seasonally in the floodplain. Lotus lilies and grass islands feature in the water. The year round presence of water birds is a major attraction and all wetland bird species of the Top End are regularly spotted at Fogg Dam. Three shelters along the dam wall and three platforms accessed from walking tracks through the bush assist viewing. The best time of day to visit Fogg Dam is early to mid morning and late afternoon when it’s cooler and wildlife is more active. Being there for sunrise is very special. About half an hour before, as soft light precedes the colourful sunrise, the dawn chorus of birds begins – an unforgettable experience! At dawn and sunset, Fogg Dam can be spectacular with its myriad greens and golds highlighted by the pink sky. In the time of storms you can stand on the causeway and watch up to half a dozen of the sensational electric storms, for which the Top End is renowned, scattered around the horizon. RESEARCH AT FOGG DAM The diversity of habitat and wildlife with year round accessibility in a tropical wetland has made Fogg Dam an ideal location for research. It has been the focus of scientific study for 20 years. With this data and the arrival of cane toads in 2005 it has become the prime location to study the impact of the cane toad upon native animals. Sydney University has a major commitment to studying this as well as the cane toad itself and late in 2006 has taken over the lease of Middle Point Village, formerly CSIRO Village and originally the base for the Territory Rice Ltd. project. The Sydney University study team is headed up by Professor Rick Shine who was awarded an Eureka Science Award in 2006 for his biodiversity research. Dr Thomas Madsen and Dr B Ujvari from Woolangong University are also conducting research at Fogg Dam. WALKS (NT Parks & Wildlife Fact Sheet. Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve) The Dam Wall Walk is the best place to view waterbirds. It can be hot in the middle of the day. Two viewing platforms provide shade and information about bird identification. Enjoy the water lilies along the way. Length: 2.2km return Time: 45 minutes Grade: easy and wheelchair accessible. Woodlands to Waterlily Walk goes from the corner of the car park through forests that fringe the floodplains to a boardwalk that takes you onto the dam and two viewing platforms. Length: 2.2km return Time: 45 minutes Grade: easy. Monsoon Rainforest Walk begins past the toilet block on the opposite side of the road to the car park and winds through a variety of habitats, including monsoon forest, paperbark forest and onto floodplain. The boardwalks are currently being replaced and it is not expected to be open until late 2007 or early 2008. Length: 3.6km Time: 2 hours Grade: easy Pandanus Lookout on the far, western side of the dam wall has two stories and gives sweeping views across the floodplain. It’s great for sunrise or sunset picnics. Parking is available. Night Walks are provided by rangers during the dry season to allow visitors to experience the diversity of nocturnal wildlife around the dam. It’s recommended you bring insect repellent and a torch. ACCESS Fogg Dam is the only wetland easily accessible to conventional vehicles 12 months of the year – only an hour’s drive from Darwin on a sealed road. Approximately 70,000 people visit Fogg Dam each year. (NT Parks & Wildlife, 2007) From Darwin or Katherine via the Stuart Highway. Turn onto the Arnhem Highway and drive 35km (22 miles) to the Fogg Dam turnoff (Anzac Parade) on the left, which is well signed, and drive 6km to the entrance on the left hand side of the road, also well signed. From Kakadu National Park Drive from Jabiru along the Arnhem Highway towards Darwin. After crossing the Adelaide River you pass the entrance to Window on the Wetlands Visitor Centre on the right hand side of the road. The next road on the right is the Fogg Dam turnoff (Anzac Parade) and it is well signed. Drive 6km to the reserve entrance on the left hand side of the road. Driving at Fogg Dam. It is recommended that you walk rather than drive across the dam wall. You will see so much more! If you do drive across, it is essentially one lane wide with just two areas where vehicles can pull over to one side to allow others passing or parking. Please observe this courtesy. KEY BIRD SPECIES from Niven McCrie & James Watson. 'Finding Birds in Darwin, Kakadu & the Top End, Northern Territory Australia.' Casuarina NT, 2006, p50. Little Bittern, Pacific Baza, Grey Goshawk, White-browed Crake, Baillon's Crake, Buff-banded Rail, Red-backed Button-quail, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Barking Owl, Spotted Nightjar, Large-tailed Nightjar, Emerald Dove, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Rainbow Pitta, Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Little Shrike-thrush, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Olive-backed Oriole, Tawny Grassbird, Barn Swallow. OTHER SPECIES from Niven McCrie & James Watson. 'Finding Birds in Darwin, Kakadu & the Top End, Northern Territory Australia.' Casuarina NT, 2006, p50. Magpie Goose, Green Pygmy-goose, Radjah Shelduck, Brolga, Pied Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Royal Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Black-necked Stork, Swamp Harrier, Purple Swamphen, Com-crested Jacana. Bush Stone Curlew, Australian Pratincole, Whiskered Tern, Tawny Frogmouth, Dusky Honeyeater, White-gaped Honeyeater, Restless Flycatcher, Shining Flycatcher, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Spangled Drongo, Varied Triller, Yellow Oriole, Crimson Finch, Clamorous Reed-Warbler. The Australian Bird Atlas lists 230 bird sightings in the Fogg Dam area. CHECK RESOURCES FOR A MORE DETAILED LIST OF BIRDS AND OTHER CREATURES. VISITOR COMMENT: “The prolific nature at Fogg Dam is extraordinary for the first time NT visitor but also we’ve observed the expert watchers when here and they can’t believe the variety and how close we can all get to watch the birds. I guess FOGG DAM is underrated or unknown which just seems crazy to us. I photographed 4 metres away from a Jabiru today in all its elegant glory. Other birds splashed with each other on overflowing dam walls as eagles watched from the surrounding low lying trees. When we moved they would all take off and return within seconds if we stopped again. No fear of humans here. Perfect for a bird watch surrounded in early morning song. No-one could fail not to be glad they bothered to get up early and come here, just a kilometre down the road from EDEN. Too easy! One of our son’s loves reptiles and snakes and has been returning here for years. It’s a scientist’s haven for research because of the frequent movements and high density of several species of water & frog loving snakes. Even as the cane toad invades, the night is rarely bankrupt of all things herpetological – be it snakes or frogs. When the water lily’s are in flower, there’s few places with more of them. And with a bush expert like Denise Goodfellow guiding you (a quick phone call away), you get even more out of what you’re experiencing in these environs…with her marvellous stories and eyes. Suddenly you’re looking at sights as plentiful as a department store sale! Strange contrast, but even for Australians, the bush is somewhat of a mystery except to those who have lived in it all their lives and more. So help to appreciate what you’re witnessing is almost vital in the NT.” Kirsty Cockburn and George Negus April 2006 Accommodation You can stay nearby at Eden at Fogg Dam B&B to take advantage of being able to easily access Fogg Dam for sunrise and in the evening. [1] Richard Freeman. Conserving Top End Wetlands for Tourism in Moffatt I and Webb A, editors. Conservation and development issues in northern Australia. North Aust. Research Unit, NARU, Darwin 1992, p83. [2] Verbal communication, Dr Greg Brown, Sydney University, 2006 at the launch of Friends of Fogg Dam. The Australian Bird Atlas lists 230 bird sightings in the Fogg Dam area. |