Kuringai Chase NP

[Luke1]

hey all! today is the first day of many that i will be running around Kuringai chase NP trying to find reptiles...so this should be updated almost daily unless i got to the beach or somewhere else as to when i can't go herping in the park!

anyway today i went with Riley on this forum and we were running around looking for stuff in heaps of rocks and stuff (so i didn't take pics of the habitat) and found lacie pop and it had bones in it and teeth! we found 4 speices of reptiles/amphibian today!

1) Red crowned todlet - Pseudophryne australis
2) red throated skink - Bassiana platynotum - got away before we could get the camera out
3) garden skink - Lampropholis guichenoti
4) eastern bearded dragon - Pogona barbata

 

[ryanharvey1993]

brilliant pics luke looks like a great herp, lucky to see the red crowned toadlet. cant wait to come down.

 

[Luke1]

thanks man! thanks for letting me use ya account to! yea i almost flattened him with my shoe HAHA!!!!! he was tiny!

 

[Fiona74]

Nice to see the beardie smiled for the camera!

 

[bump73]

Nice pics

The Beardie looks so happy to see you guys:lol:

Ben

 

[Riley]

haha yeah the beardie was great!!! best part imo

im probably going there again tomorrow

 

[Luke1]

here are some shots i got the other day of some stuff about 1km out of the park...ie...MY HOUSE
got a few broad tails and eastern common froglets running around my place:

1) eastern common froglet - Crinia signifera
2) broad tail gecko - Phyllurus platurus

Luke

 

[Luke1]

dino the horse: LOL...yea!

bump73: he does eh! very happy HAHA!

Riley: c u there then!! im going abit further down again!

 

[ryanharvey1993]

those leaf tailed gecko pics are awsome! you really just have to rub it in dont you I wish there where geckos at my house.

 

[Australis]

Theres plenty to find there and in the nearby high school
where snakes tend to take up residence during school
holidays -

 

[Luke1]

Ryan: yep! i sure do! you always rub it in that you see all these different snakes and stuff HAHAHA!!!!

Australis: yea there is...just hope the teachers aint around otherwise im gonna be in big trouble when term 4 starts LOL! yea im gonna be looking around there after running around through the park!

 

[Australis]

You might find more if you walk lol

 

[Luke1]

LOL...you know what i mean!

 

[ryanharvey1993]

luke, check that ridge we climbed up, there might be stuff about since its warmer now. also you should check the cunningham spot to. if they where there in winter I doubt they will have moved

 

[Luke1]

yea i'll have a look probs on monday or something! tomoz i plan on being around the kalakari center place but not in the horrible place! yea they will be there for sure! theres a colony of about 10 adults and several babies (last time i was there in summer)

 

[moloch05]

Great photos. It looks like you are having an excellent break. I really like those toadlets.

Regards,
David

 

[froggyboy86]

Great photos, I love the Red Crowns. Don't think I've ever seen one with that much red on it. Nice beardie photos too, for some reason I've never seen any around southern Sydney.

Aaron

 

[mattmc]

dont forget to disinfect the soles of your shoes before you go out next! and every time after that....

 

[Luke1]

Moloch: thanks...yea its great! no more work for 2 weeks YAY!!!! yea they are pretty cool...although it wasn't the most exciting thing (as in to get photos with and that) it was definatley the highlight of the trip! especially because they are rare and hard to find!

froggyboy: yea he more orange then red but yea...he had alot on him! thanks!

Mattmc: how do i do that? and why?

uploading pics shorty of todays stuff !

Luke

 

[froggyboy86]

Luke I think Matt is referring to disinfecting equipment because of chytrid fungus. It's a water borne fungus that attacks frogs and has been implicated in the decline (and possible extinction) of several Australian species as well as others around the world. Red Crowned Toadlets are listed as Vulnerable in NSW so precautions need to be taken around their sites - there are also other threatened and vulnerable frogs in Kuringgai NP.

Best thing to do is make up a solution of diluted household bleach and add some salt (chytrid has been shown to have low tolerance for salt) and soak any nets, the soles of your shoes etc in this and then rinse with tap water. That way you reduce the risk of you transporting chytrid fungus from one area to another (or any other disease causing organism).

Hope that helps,

Aaron