Carnac is a small island off the coast of Perth in WA. We took a mates boat out for a quick herp and some fishing in late March. The island is well known for its dense Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) population so we were hoping to find a few. We beached the boat on the island just before lunch and went for a wander....
Carnac from the water, these small limestone caves are found along a lot of the islands perimetre. Tiger snake and King skink (Egernia kingii) tracks are easily identified in the fine dust inside the caves.
Male Australian Sealions lounging on the beach. They arent bothered by the presence of humans and will often enter the water if people are swimming in the area. That said, they should still be shown respect in and out of the water.
The scrub is low and thick but there are a few 'tracks' that head along the outskirts of the island. A view from one of the higher points.....
We didnt realise at the time but it was breeding season with gulls and cormorants using any available space to build nests. The gulls tend to nest more towards the centre of the island where the cormorants stick to the fringes. The noise was almost unbearable at times if the birds were spooked so we attempted to keep as low a profile as possible.
Pied Cormorants (Phalacrocorax varius) nesting....
After taking the last shot of the surroundings my mate yelled that there was something sitting in a cave below my feet. Just as he got the last word out the cliff gave way and i ended up on my **** at the bottom of the dropoff
The dropoff to the right of the photo...
Turns out the 'something' was an adult Tiger snake. Due to its damaged eyes (or head damage) it wasnt very responsive and wasnt defensive in the least.
These snakes feed on the hatchling gull chicks and cop a battering from the adult birds while doing it. This animal was covered in old wounds and scars, plus a healthy layer of bird poop. Not an easy life for Carnac tigers by the looks of things.
The only other herp we came across was a small King skink hiding under a bush. It didnt hang around long enough for any photos. It wasnt exactly prime conditions but it was good to get atleast one snake, i hadnt been to Carnac for a look since i was a kid. Next time we'll try for better conditions and see what else turns up.
Cheers
Jordan
