# Cairns Meet - 09...



## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)

Just got back from 10 days in Cairns, invited by Magpie and Slim6y, who I'd like to thank immensely for the invite and putting up with me for so long,..also like to thank the others who attended, all a great group of people, it's great to finally meet some of the people you only know as a 1inch avatar. The weather may of been a bit wet, but it wasn't going to put us off from having some fun and finding a few things...so.... I guess some pics should be posted... I'll get around to that over the next few days, I have dozens of fungus photos I need to ID and I'm sure your all dieing to see them....


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## falconboy (Jan 20, 2009)

JasonL said:


> I have dozens of fungus photos I need to ID and I'm sure your all dieing to see them....



You need a hobby. Hold on, ID'ing fungus is a hobby. :shock:


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## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)

Well, I arrived to so some solid rain..was a bit of a worry really, esp when you could kayak down the driveway









as Craig ( Magpie) proved...




I'm just lucky I parked the hire car up the top, as the road below was well and truely underwater.


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## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)

Craig has a better than average backyard, and it hosts some remarkable critters....




sure, it's no good for cricket or a game of touch, but I've seen worse backyards...




some tube nosed bats found a good 30 meters from the back door...


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## wizz (Jan 20, 2009)

thats cool man


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## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)

also found this guy cruising around..


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## Australis (Jan 20, 2009)

Those bats are amazing... never heard of them.


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## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)




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## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)

Orange Thighed Tree Frogs ( L. xanthomera) abound around the house... I managed a few pics in the rain and a little unstable on my feet.....meaning the ground was unstable of course


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## JasonL (Jan 20, 2009)

Dainty Tree Frogs ( L. gracilenta) eat bugs around the windows..


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jan 21, 2009)

nice shots jason, anything else seen about?


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Ok, here's some of the highlights of the trip....Tremella fimbriata...


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

some more highlights...


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## sarah_m (Jan 21, 2009)

wow, makes me want to go back right now!
Will be 18months or so before we get back up there
Shouldnt complain, Darwin this year (if i'm good)
The bats are gorgeous!


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Some more critters from the magpies nest....some scorps and some furry cuddlies...some Melomy type thingy.


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Some more critters....L. rubella and a Bynoes gecko from the carport.


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Well the sun came out and we were all pretty happy to spend some time in it drying out, so Craig gratefully took us for a drive to a very nice place with lots of herps and biting flies.....








On the way out there, Bryony spotted a tree looking back at her.... I personally rate it as the "spot" of the trip, a well camouflaged frilly isn't easily seen from a moving car.


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## DDALDD (Jan 21, 2009)

Fantastic pictures Jason, well done.


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

There were plenty of skinks and two lined dragons to keep Jordan and I amused, the flies were getting to some though, and Bryony took refuge in the river to eat her lunch..


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## Niall (Jan 21, 2009)

Great piks mate best time is the wet season LOL! 

I love it there best place, in the daintree is the best!


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## pigysus (Jan 21, 2009)

Nice work jason, Ibut you've changed my opinion of magpies a bit


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

a couple of Eulamprus sp's.. to me they look like quoyii and tenuis


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jan 21, 2009)

so who ended up going? just the thp crew?


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

On the way home we found a carpet snake











]
he was a friendly chap, couldn't find a more willing snake, hey Grim.


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## Nephrurus (Jan 21, 2009)

Those tube nosed bats are nothing less than absolutely BALLTEARING...

Otherwise all very nice... I'm very sorry I didn't go out, but when you're generally unemployed, you've got to take work when you can get it. 


-H


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

and also this Northern Barred Frog, which arn't all that uncommon around the Cairns area, we found a couple around the place..


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## trader (Jan 21, 2009)

oh my gawd thanks for sharing!!! They are such beautiful photos!


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## Moreliaman (Jan 21, 2009)

We can see youre a funguy (fungi) to be with jas !!!
Top pic's by the way, how do you manage to get that close? or do you have a good zoom ?


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Some more frogs found that night were L. inermis, L. rothii and a L. peronii...damb striped marsh frogs!!!


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Moreliaman said:


> We can see youre a funguy (fungi) to be with jas !!!
> Top pic by the way, how do you manage to get that close? or do you have a good zoom ?



Nah, just a ****ty base model Nikon SLR with kit lenses...nothing flash for me...I just keep hacking away untill something works. One day I'll get myself a macro lense and take over the world!


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## scorps (Jan 21, 2009)

Shame use didnt see more reps, I have been herping a little bit lately not much around atm but i guess all the terential rain has something to do with it.


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

ryanharvey1993 said:


> so who ended up going? just the thp crew?



Sorry, can't say. We formed a secret society and preformed bazzar rituals. Stuck in a house togther during heavy rain in the tropics will do that to anyone.


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

scorps said:


> Shame use didnt see more reps, I have been herping a little bit lately not much around atm but i guess all the terential rain has something to do with it.



Only part the way through the story so far, it picked up towards the end..I was more than happy with what we saw.


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## dickyknee (Jan 21, 2009)

Nice pics Jason ....looks like it was well worth the raining days .


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## JasonL (Jan 21, 2009)

Slim6y took us out to one of his fav places, unfortunately we didn't have a boat




so we headed of south of Cairns to check out some beaches ect..., found some large angry birds, so we all got out of the cars and took pics of them, it followed us back to the car and we found out they don't like the look of themselves in the reflection of the car window...


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## JasonL (Jan 22, 2009)

Well anyway, we checked out some beaches, found some dainties, and drove around the cane fields on the way home that night for very little, plenty of frogs and toads were all over the road however, inc this white lipped.


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## fraser888 (Jan 22, 2009)

Sounds like a great trip mate!


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## JasonL (Jan 22, 2009)

anyway......we soon decided to head out west for an overnighter...see some county side ect ect..so we thought we would head out to Mt Suprise / Georgetown for a quick look...interesting place, bird & Macropod lovers dream..... the creek was up west of Mt Suprise so Georgetown was not going to happen..


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## smacdonald (Jan 22, 2009)

Did you have a look at Russell's snakes? I drove through Mt Surprise last November. His sign intrigued me, but I didn't stop for a look.

Stewart


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## JasonL (Jan 22, 2009)

reptilesDownUnder said:


> Did you have a look at Russell's snakes? I drove through Mt Surprise last November. His sign intrigued me, but I didn't stop for a look.
> 
> Stewart



yeah, same here, but we didn't either.


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## JasonL (Jan 22, 2009)

Seem everyone goes to bed in Mt Suprise pretty early, we only just managed to score dinner from the Pub at 7pm.... the weather turned up a notch whilst there with a massive storm and it didn't look good.. but it finished as quick as it came and we headed off to check what we could find... 1k out of town and a keel back was out looking for dinner





frogs were everywhere so he wasn't going to go long without a feed, Ornatus were common, both in slow and fast variations








but I was happy to find some novaehollandiae








it pays not to run over every toad!


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## smacdonald (Jan 22, 2009)

It took me a few seconds to get your "slow and fast variations" line...


Stewart


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## JasonL (Jan 22, 2009)

other common frogs were seen, like this old man green




and Spotted grass frogs...which had me a little confused for a bit as they look different down my way...




any of you frog nerds care to tell me what this little tacker is??? save me pulling the books apart.


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## slim6y (Jan 22, 2009)

Oooooh this thread is getting exciting... I'm looking forward to what comes next 

Was great to have you here matey - anytime!


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## JasonL (Jan 22, 2009)

A large spider




and some other dribs and drabs, like a intergrade stim ( Oh I can see someone screaming about calling it that)








and a little BTS


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## Australis (Jan 22, 2009)

JasonL said:


> it pays not to run over every toad!



They really do sit on the roads with a very toad like stance.

The Antaresia looks very nice also.. what ever it is 

Great photos btw Jason, keep'm coming.


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## abbott75 (Jan 22, 2009)

Great pics, live the Antaresia!


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

slim6y said:


> Oooooh this thread is getting exciting... I'm looking forward to what comes next
> 
> Was great to have you here matey - anytime!



I told you, I'm not posting those naked photo's of you!!!!!


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

Anyhow, Mt Suprise was pretty good, seeing one of the crew drink a little too much was pretty funny, but sleeping in a swag on a hot rainy night with 10 billion mossies was neither good nor funny, worse nights sleep I can remember.....anyhow, the trip back was pretty quiet, bar a mystery agamid ( likely a frilly) darting into the bush, and a small Diporiphora sitting on his termite castle, that he refused to move off no matter what.




Anyhows.... we moved out of Magpies place to take over Slim6y's house for a few days, he has a crap view around his house, that can be a bit harsh if your not used to it.









One of the "Guest's" decided to do some decorating for him


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

So one night whilst we were all taking serious measures not to become dehydrated his daughter screamed Snake!!!, It was a rather large BTS that seemingly resides in his roof.


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## gillsy (Jan 23, 2009)

GOD DAMN!! Why the hell did I miss this trip.

This is loads compaired to what we got last year.

Always happens!


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## moosenoose (Jan 23, 2009)

What a fantastic thread! Great photos and a good read! Cheers


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## slim6y (Jan 23, 2009)

I'm so sick of my view too 

Haha... when paige yells out SNAKE... I think we all thought she was talking about my coastal... NO REALLY A REAL SNAKE!!! That was when we believed her - maybe???

She still asks how come I don't pay her for finding frogs now?

Hmmmmm...

The BTS looks great in that photo - though the colour doesn't do it any justice, what an amazingly unusual coloured BTS - and quite friendly too - didn't try to snap once!


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## sparky (Jan 23, 2009)

Nephrurus said:


> Those tube nosed bats are nothing less than absolutely BALLTEARING...
> 
> Otherwise all very nice... I'm very sorry I didn't go out, but when you're generally unemployed, you've got to take work when you can get it.
> 
> ...



Jason forgot to mention, we also saw a nothern quoll. It was soooo cute.


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## Australis (Jan 23, 2009)

sparky said:


> Jason forgot to mention, we also saw a nothern quoll. It was soooo cute.



The cuteness disappears if you pick them up :lol:


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

sparky said:


> Jason forgot to mention, we also saw a nothern quoll. It was soooo cute.



After a bit of browsing, I beleive it to be a Brush tailed Phascogale a little south of it's "known" range.


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

slim6y said:


> I'm so sick of my view too
> 
> She still asks how come I don't pay her for finding frogs now?
> 
> The BTS looks great in that photo - though the colour doesn't do it any justice, what an amazingly unusual coloured BTS - and quite friendly too - didn't try to snap once!



Money is the way to a womens heart, no matter how old.
My photo's didn't show up the writhing worm load just under it's skin ... I think it was so old it had passed being angry some time back... but just as well, as our reflex's weren't as sharp that night.


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## JasonL (Jan 23, 2009)

Well anyway..time went on and it wasn't looking good for finding a scrubby, I was down to my last night there and wanted to find some worthwhile critters...so I decided to head up to Cape Trib for a look - see, as I was up there a couple of years back and found quite alot. We all slept in a bit...OK, I didn't but the others..............., so we headed off a bit late and didn't get up there till the arvo... still had enough time to find a pair of Eulamprus tigrinus




and another frog if someone knows what it is please tell, it was in a salty mangrove area, living amonst the crabs, a couple of seconds after the pic was taken it jumped, croaked and pissed all at once, thus we called it the "exploding frog"




scenery pic




we drove back after dark and saw squat on the road through cape trib, but soon after crossing the Daintree river we went passed a BTS on the road




I parked the car and almost went over a juv water python




which was great for me, I hadn't even thought of finding a water python, so we were all pretty happy at that stage, also took a few more frog pics whilst stopped..L. nasuta




We were all pretty happy with how the night went and was heading for home ( slim6y's anyway)..when Jordan wanted to check out another road..so we did, 200meters up, coming out of a cane field we found this








now, at first we thought is was a scubby, but clearly not, as this sign a Cape Trib show's ...must just be one of those giant carpets hey.


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## froggyboy86 (Jan 23, 2009)

Great photos Jason, I think your frog is an Australian Wood Frog (Hylarana daemeli) ... surprised one would find them in brackish water though.

Aaron


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## urodacus_au (Jan 23, 2009)

Nice pics mate, those fungi are hot.....not much point me adding to the thread, we pretty much saw all the same critters :lol:


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## JasonL (Jan 24, 2009)

froggyboy86 said:


> Great photos Jason, I think your frog is an Australian Wood Frog (Hylarana daemeli) ... surprised one would find them in brackish water though.
> 
> Aaron



Ah yes, just looked it up, thats the beast... any chance you can look at the little frog towards the start of the thread, the one that looks a bit like a Uperoleia.


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## froggyboy86 (Jan 24, 2009)

If that _Uperoleia_ is from the Mount Surprise area it is likely to be _Uperoleia littlejohni_. The dorsal markings seem right for that species and its a good find. You don't see many photos of this species around.

Aaron


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## JasonL (Jan 24, 2009)

froggyboy86 said:


> If that _Uperoleia_ is from the Mount Surprise area it is likely to be _Uperoleia littlejohni_. The dorsal markings seem right for that species and its a good find. You don't see many photos of this species around.
> 
> Aaron



Yep, it was just west of Mt Suprise, paid off stopping for the "baby toads" after all , many thanks, Jas.


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## Magpie (Jan 27, 2009)

Where's the rest of the fungi photos?
I think I saw more frogs in that one week than I ever have in my life before.
It would seem I'm bad luck for scrubbies, I don't think I've ver put a visitor onto one, yet you find one on the trip without me.
It was a great week and I must apologise for being such a grumpy bugger at times.


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jan 27, 2009)

you get many oedura species at your house craig?


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## ryanharvey1993 (Jan 27, 2009)

its a gecko....


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## JasonL (Jan 27, 2009)

I'll get around to the fungi, and a few other random pics soon...I might add, we saw plenty of things I didn't bother to photograph..or took off before I had a chance to... other things we saw include, Boyds, Northern Leaf tail gecko, a unidentified "nasty brown coloured snake" ( couldn't see it's head in the grass), Saw Shell turts, a still squirming Slatey Grey soon to die road kill, a Small Eye and a stack of frogs and skinks... Oh Mags, I got my Oxe Eye Herring and JP that next morning..JP from the second cast..but it wasn't in the same class as Uro's beast though.


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