moloch05
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2006
- Messages
- 772
- Reaction score
- 8
I returned to Royal National Park today (18Apr) for a walk. On this visit, I followed the Coast Track north from Wattamolla to Marley Beach. The weather was cooler than during my visits in March and not many reptiles were active until the early afternoon. Around noon, a front passed overhead and it rained briefly before clearing and warming again.
The reptile density and diversity were lower today than a month ago. I did not see any Eastern Watern Skinks, Copper-tailed Skinks or Water Dragons so these species may have retired for the season.
Here are a few photos of the habitats that I visited:
Wattamolla area:
... there were many small bream, whiting and mullet in this creek:
View along the Coast Track:
Many of the plants along the track were low-growing like this Hakea. I think that this is due to the sandy, nutrient deficient soil and also due to the exposure to the strong, onshore winds. This species of Hakea is one of my least favourite members of Proteaceae due to its sharp, stiff leaves.
... colourful sandstone near the coastal cliffs:
... around noon when the front passed overhead:
After lunch, the temperature warmed again and more lizards became active. This White's Skink lived on rocks at the edge of the coastal cliffs:
... others:
... this big skink was busy eating something that it just caught:
On the return trip, I examined this rocky area:
... and found the highlight of the day, my first Green Tree Snake at Royal. It was resting in the shade at the top of a large boulder. It was very wary and I could only take this distant photo of it from another nearby boulder. After the photo, the snake crawled into a crevice.
... when the snake entered the crevice, two startled Lesueur's Velvet Geckos suddenly emerged and then sheltered beneath ledges of the rock. One was missing most of its tail.
I was surprised by the number of flowers out on this mid-autumn day:
Fringed Lily (Thysanotus sp.) on the left and Purple Flag (Pattersonia sp.) on the right:
Leptospermum. I believe the plant on the left is a Leptospermum squarrosum but I am not certain about the other plant.
Many Banksia were flowering. I am not certain but think that these are Banksia robur, Banksia marginata, Banksia ericifolia and another species.
These Darwinia have strange flowers that are either white or red.
Some of the She-Oaks (Allocasuarina sp.) were loaded with cones:
... a wattle and a flowering grass tree:
Conesticks (Petrophile sp.) were also numerous and flowering:
I only saw a single flower on a Drumstick (Isopogon sp.) but many had cones like the plant on the left. Epacris longiflora were flowering as they do in all months of the year.
Eastern Yellow Robin -- a common bird in forested areas:
Regards,
David
The reptile density and diversity were lower today than a month ago. I did not see any Eastern Watern Skinks, Copper-tailed Skinks or Water Dragons so these species may have retired for the season.
Here are a few photos of the habitats that I visited:
Wattamolla area:
... there were many small bream, whiting and mullet in this creek:
View along the Coast Track:
Many of the plants along the track were low-growing like this Hakea. I think that this is due to the sandy, nutrient deficient soil and also due to the exposure to the strong, onshore winds. This species of Hakea is one of my least favourite members of Proteaceae due to its sharp, stiff leaves.
... colourful sandstone near the coastal cliffs:
... around noon when the front passed overhead:
After lunch, the temperature warmed again and more lizards became active. This White's Skink lived on rocks at the edge of the coastal cliffs:
... others:
... this big skink was busy eating something that it just caught:
On the return trip, I examined this rocky area:
... and found the highlight of the day, my first Green Tree Snake at Royal. It was resting in the shade at the top of a large boulder. It was very wary and I could only take this distant photo of it from another nearby boulder. After the photo, the snake crawled into a crevice.
... when the snake entered the crevice, two startled Lesueur's Velvet Geckos suddenly emerged and then sheltered beneath ledges of the rock. One was missing most of its tail.
I was surprised by the number of flowers out on this mid-autumn day:
Fringed Lily (Thysanotus sp.) on the left and Purple Flag (Pattersonia sp.) on the right:
Leptospermum. I believe the plant on the left is a Leptospermum squarrosum but I am not certain about the other plant.
Many Banksia were flowering. I am not certain but think that these are Banksia robur, Banksia marginata, Banksia ericifolia and another species.
These Darwinia have strange flowers that are either white or red.
Some of the She-Oaks (Allocasuarina sp.) were loaded with cones:
... a wattle and a flowering grass tree:
Conesticks (Petrophile sp.) were also numerous and flowering:
I only saw a single flower on a Drumstick (Isopogon sp.) but many had cones like the plant on the left. Epacris longiflora were flowering as they do in all months of the year.
Eastern Yellow Robin -- a common bird in forested areas:
Regards,
David
Last edited:
lol, they are very common during summer around streams and cool leafy areas, then move to the top of sp**** ridges during the cooler months, and bask openly on rock outcrops and on hollow tree limbs exposed to full sun. Those cold water pics and the lack of herps is getting me riled up for some drummer fishing.... another month or two yet..
