Foote Sanctuary, Buderim, QLD

Foote Sanctuary is a public park that was donated to the community by the Foote family in 1948, in memory of their son Eric who was killed at the Somme in the First World War.The land is now run by the Buderim War Memorial Community Association. The main entrance and car park is at Foote Avenue. Entry is free but dogs are not permitted. There are walking tracks, barbecues, a picnic shelter and toilets.

Walking Tracks in Foote Sanctuary

Picnic Shelter at Foote Sanctuary

                                       
We can’t always get to a National Park but there are many excellent parks and reserves that we like to visit. The first time we went to Foote Sanctuary we saw a male King-Parrot; that was enough to convince us that it was worth returning. This photo was taken in September 2009 and it’s interesting, for us at least, to look back and see the progression in the capabilities of our cameras.

Australian King-Parrot, male

On subsequent visits we regularly saw a Noisy Pitta. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen one there since the area it frequented underwent regeneration work. Hopefully, it will return one day.

Noisy Pitta

Once, when I had a broken leg, I made my way down to the picnic area and sat quietly enjoying the outdoors. Suddenly, the soothing sound of the bush was disturbed by crashing in the undergrowth and an enormously loud bang about 40 meters away from where I was sitting. This was my first encounter with a Bunya cone falling from a Bunya tree Araucaria bidwillii. Bunya cones weigh from 5 to 10 kilograms, and it is definitely not advisable to be underneath one when it falls. It was frightening enough to be nearby. Sensibly, the park volunteers had erected a barrier around the tree to prevent people being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't take a photo at the time, however, I will cover Bunya  pines in more detail when I post the Bunya National Park blog.

There is fresh water flowing in small creeks and cascades throughout the sanctuary. This water and the variety of flowering and fruiting plants support a large number of birds.

It is common to hear the distinctive "crying baby" call of Green Catbirds when walking around the trails. However, as Catbirds like the tree canopy and are green they can be hard to see and photograph.

Green Catbird

Other common birds at Foote Sanctuary are Eastern Yellow Robins and Rufous Fantails.

Rufous Fantail

There is always something interesting to see when out walking. Although the camouflage of this Evening Brown butterfly, in the center of the photo, certainly makes it hard to see.

Evening Brown

We have also walked in Foote Sanctuary at night and it is quite disturbing to see that there are seemingly thousands of cane toads jumping around. When you walk in the daytime you have no idea of their large numbers.