# Winter herps at the 'Gong



## moloch05 (Jul 16, 2008)

The last three days in Wollongong have been beautiful with mild temps (18-20C) and no wind. I have taken an extended lunch break each day and headed up into the hills to see what I could find. I know a spot in the hills with tin and other dumped rubbish so I examined this area and found the following reptiles.

_Lampropholis delicata_ -- the most abundant reptile around Wollongong although not as plentiful as the next species at the moment.












_Anepischtos maccoyi_ -- normally scarce but I have seen many this winter. At the moment, I see more of these little skinks than any other species. They are slow and often undulate much like Three-toed Skinks. In good light, they are colourful lizards.
















Three-toed Skinks (_Saiphos equalis_) -- fairly common. 





















... the three toes are visible in this photo. 







Weasel Skink (_Saproscincus mustelinus_) -- fairly common. This was a juvenile.











We are half way through winter and the heath is beginning to flower.




























I found a small flock of Southern Emu-wrens today. Normally, these are real skulkers and not so easy to see. Today, the were continuously on the move but often sat briefly in the open.






Here are a few shots of the Wollongong area. Wherever one lives in Wollonong, the beach or the hills are nearby.


... city centre





















Regards,
David


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## warren63 (Jul 16, 2008)

Great pics as usaul, well done !!


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## Tim.Arm (Jul 16, 2008)

*Great shoot's mate.*


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## callith (Jul 16, 2008)

Stunning


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## JasonL (Jul 16, 2008)

Great pics as usual. with all those skink pics you must be suffering withdrawals...it OK though, all will come good in a month or so....


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## Notorious_Guf (Jul 16, 2008)

brilliant photos, thank you.


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## Tatelina (Jul 16, 2008)

Lucky you. Most people in Sydney can't do that in their lunch breaks.


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## moloch05 (Jul 17, 2008)

Thanks, all, for the comments.

Jason,
I can't wait for the warmer weather to arrive. I hope to get out on a few trips in the spring.

Regards,
David


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## eipper (Jul 17, 2008)

David,
Nice post.....I will give a list of what I have seen in the past couple of weeks in 2 short walks
Oedura tyroni
Oedura robusta
Gehyra dubia
Ctenotus robustus
Carlia vivax
Carlia foliorum
Lampropholis delicata
Lampropholis amicula
Demansia pssamophis
Cryptophis nigrescens
Pseudonaja textilis
Carlia schmeltzii
LItoria caerulea
Litoria fallax
Litoria rubella
Limnodynastes peronii
Crinia parinsignifera
Crinia signifera
Anomalopus verreauxii
Opisthodon ornatus
Cryptoblepharus pulcher
& Hemidactylus frenatus Channus marinus

and a couple of pics

























Cheers,
Scott


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## moloch05 (Jul 18, 2008)

Thanks, Scott, for adding your excellent pics.

Regards,
David


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## Danny.Boy (Jul 18, 2008)

I think anybody who has been to wollongong can confirm that those 'hills & beach' pics are probably the easiest way to know where you are.. cause when your coming down that damn hill and you look to your left and see that same view, you couldn't be anywhere else!


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