# Holidays



## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

I'm currently on holidays, and after a couple of major setbacks, things are beginning to look a bit better. Just thought I'd share some pics from the trip so far.

Gundabooka National Park:

Beardy, Shingleback, Gould's Monitors


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Gundabooka Ranges, Rainbow Bee-eater, and a feral cat paw print next to my size 10½ boot.


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Was at Monarto Zoo today. Last time I was here was in 1984 - it's changed a bit since then. Didn't see any herps.

Giraffes. The calf was born on Thursday afternoon. These photos were taken when it was about 40 hrs old (Saturday morning).


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies, Cheetah, White Rhino and calf.


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## Snow1369 (Dec 2, 2007)

Love the giraffe. nice shots!


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Bilby (in the Visitor's Centre), Bush Thick-knee, Diamond Firetail Finch, White-backed Magpie, Meerkat.

The Firetail and Magpie are both wild birds native to the area. I'm from Sydney where we have the Black-backed variety, which is why I was interested in this form. And I was stoked to see wild Diamond Firetails.


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Then a quick visit to Adelaide Zoo this afternoon.

Alligator, Hippo, Pied Cormorant.


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## Australis (Dec 2, 2007)

Bush Thick-knee, a Curlew?


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Red-collared Lorikeet, male Satin Bowerbird, Scimitar-horned Oryx.

Off to Kangaroo Island tomorrow morning for a few days camping. Will post those pics next week.



Hix


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## Hickson (Dec 2, 2007)

Australis said:


> Bush Thick-knee, a Curlew?



Bush Stone-curlew is a synonym. I prefer Thick-knee because, apart from the perverse pleasure I get from the word itself, the word curlew relates to a group of shorebirds and could cause confusion.

Snow: Thanks, glad you like them.



Hix


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## Khagan (Dec 2, 2007)

That's a pretty big cat paw .


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## $NaKe PiMp (Dec 2, 2007)

biggest cat footprint ever!

where you sure thats what it was

but i suppose what else could it be out there


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## cockney red (Dec 2, 2007)

*Some CAT!!!!!:shock:*


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## Jungle_Freak (Dec 2, 2007)

Some stunning pics there mate ,
The cat foot print is in fact a wild pig track, 
pigs leave this type of mark when the front trotter leaves a track then the back trotter steps into the first trotters track, 
usually they are changing stride ,

your city slickers crack me up, LOL


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## Riley (Dec 2, 2007)

the calf looks like hes gonna be sat on by the rhino:shock:


great pics!!


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## MoreliaMatt (Dec 2, 2007)

great pics hix, was at monarto last weekend.... should have waited a week and gone this weekend to see the baby giraffe!


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## moosenoose (Dec 2, 2007)

Great shots Hixy! That feral cat paw size is unbelievable!! :shock:


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## motman440 (Dec 2, 2007)

i love monarto and adelaide zoos.
but im stuck up here on the north coast of NSW.....
we go every time were in SA so about once or twice a year.


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## RevDaniel (Dec 2, 2007)

great photos taken. Sounds like you are having a great trip. Enjoy


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## imalizard (Dec 2, 2007)

I go to monarto about 5 times a year because I go to a be a zoo keeper a day thing for kids plus we live like 20 minutes away from it.


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Jungle_Freak said:


> So
> The cat foot print is in fact a wild pig track,
> pigs leave this type of mark when the front trotter leaves a track then the back trotter steps into the first trotters track,
> usually they are changing stride ,



There were some things about that print that I wasn't happy about, but if you say it's a pig then that makes sense as there are pigs around. I've never seen pig prints before and couldn't see how a pig could make a track like that (still can't) but I'll take your word for it - and do some more research of my own.



Hix


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Well, the weather sucked most of the time I was on the island. It either rained or looked like rain for most of the time, and there was a lot of very strong cold winds. But there were a few rays of sunshine. Saw plenty of herps and birds. I'm just glad I got in before Christmas - it's gonna be a madhouse there in a fortnight!

Two different Black Tiger snakes (also saw a Pygmy Copperhead but it disappeared into the undergrowth before I could get a pic of it. Heath Monitors.


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Superb Blue Wren male and female. These guys spent a goood fifteen minutes bouncing around my windshield and side windows trying to catch flies on the inside of the car, and chasing other little insects attracted to the vehicle. Completely unperturbed by me and my camera.
And a Cape Barren Goose.


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Australian Sealions - cold and windy day, looked like it was gonna bucket down any moment. But I still managed to get some half decent shots.

The third pic is of a pair of subadult males play fighting. The last is a pup suckling - he's just moved from one nipple to another (previous nipple visible as the black knub).


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Two echidnas, Tamar Wallaby, Kangaroo Island Kangaroo joey, and a New Zealand Fur Seal.


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Yellowtailed Black Cockatoo, New Holland Honey-eater, Pacific Gull, Hooded Plover, Pied Cormorants.


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

Koala, Tawny Dragon (displaying), Me and one of the biggest grass trees I have ever seen, a sign meant to discourage tourists, and a sunset from Cape Borda.

Oh, and thanks for all the nice comments guys!



Hix


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## Jozz (Dec 7, 2007)

Great photos Hix. That one of the heath monitors is a cracker!


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## albino (Dec 7, 2007)

your female superb blue wren is actually a male, note the blue tail. the combat photo of the heath monitors is fantastic. i bet you'll remember coming across those two for a long time. enjoy the rest of your holiday.


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## Hickson (Dec 7, 2007)

albino said:


> your female superb blue wren is actually a male, note the blue tail.



Good call. I was basing my ID on the reddish periothalmic ring, as females can have a blue-ish colour to the tail. And her tail was not a distinctive blue.

AS for the monitors, I was heading for the ferry and had got lost when I came upon these guys on the road puffing at one another. I waited for five minutes before they got down to it, and then it was very quick and all over in about a minute. I got several shots, but that one was one of the better ones. Then they broke apart and one chased the other off into the bush, at high speed.



Hix


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## caustichumor (Dec 7, 2007)

Geez mate it would be quicker for you to list the animals you didn't see! Great photos looks like an eventful trip.


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## Whisper2 (Dec 7, 2007)

my gosh they are amazing photos!
you are lucky to be able to see all these creatures in their natural habitat. 
where was the photos of the fur seals taken? (the ones in the snow, i think they were fur seals?)


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## pugsly (Dec 7, 2007)

Nice photography mate!

Heath Monitors shot is a ripper well done!


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