# pics from Royal National Park



## moloch05 (Mar 30, 2008)

My wife, younger daughter and I went on a walk today in Royal National Park. This was a beautiful autumn's day with temperatures in the mid-20s, clear skies and a light breeze. The summer humidity was gone so the walking conditions were ideal. We followed the Coast Track from Garie Beach to the Wattamolla area and then back again. I took a number of photos along the way and have included some of these in this report. I did not find anything unusual but did see numerous lizards including many young of the year. The coastal cliffs along this track are always a spectacular sight.

... Garie Beach






















... views along the Coastal Track





















... the quiet cove where we had our picnic lunch












As usual, Copper-tailed Skinks (_Ctenotus taeniolatus_) were abundant. I saw a few adults with plain-coloured tails:











... others had copper-tails












White's Skinks (_Egernia whitii_) were common wherever there were outcrops of sandstone in the heath. Here is an adult:





... It was quite warm around noon and many of the lizards had moved into areas with filtered light like this little juvenile






I saw several Cunningham's Skinks (_Egernia cunninghami_). These in Royal are quite dark in colouration when compared with those from the Blue Mountains. This lizard had a home with a great view:





... another





... and a better pic from a trip to this area about a year ago:






I only saw a single Eastern Water Skink (_Eulamprus quoyii_) today. 






Jacky Lizards (_Amphibolurus muricatus_) were often seen along the track. I only saw a single adult but many young like this one:











Regards,
David


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## anguskennedy (Mar 30, 2008)

Awesome pics, loks like a great area


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## zulu (Mar 30, 2008)

*re pics*

Great pics moloch,i used to go to garrie beach and there was herds of deer eating the grass and bikini girls with lovely figures


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## snakes4me2 (Mar 30, 2008)

Great pics, looks like a nice place


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## ryanharvey1993 (Mar 30, 2008)

awsome pics, looks like you found a few little critters.


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## Miss B (Mar 30, 2008)

Great pics, thanks for sharing.


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## sweetangel (Mar 30, 2008)

Wow thats absolutely beautiful very nice photos. what camera do you have??


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## markars (Mar 30, 2008)

great shots- i love the one of eagle rock!- What sort of camera do you use?


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## missllama (Mar 30, 2008)

wow it look s really nice there!!


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## moloch05 (Mar 31, 2008)

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.

Zulu -- sounds like it has not changed much since your last visit.

I use a Panasonic FZ30 camera but will at long last upgrade to dSLR today. I am looking forward to the superior macro capabilities of the dSLR and lens.

Regards,
David


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## ishka (Mar 31, 2008)

Stunning pics 

Cheers,
Ishka


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## glebopalma (Mar 31, 2008)

Awesome, thanks for sharing!


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## Chris.j (Mar 31, 2008)

Great pics there.


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

these are from the Royal last week, such a diverse range of habitat at my doorstep.


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

Three toed skinks abound in the damper areas of the Royal, but so do leeches


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

You didn't see any Juvie cunninghams did you Moloch?, Sydney ones are quite nice looking whilst young, very red


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## moloch05 (Mar 31, 2008)

Hello Jason,

Thanks for the pics. Royal is a great place and it is amazing to have a park like that so close to Sydney.

That leech looks nice and plump. Was it feasting on you?

I only saw adult Cunningham's on this trip although I have seen young ones before. Do you have any photos of these?

Regards,
David


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

Yeah, the leech joined me for the walk, I havn't been able to get pics of Sydney juvies, always to quick....


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## salebrosus (Mar 31, 2008)

What? No lace monitor pics?


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

just a little one for you Simone.


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## salebrosus (Mar 31, 2008)

Thank you darling. That lacie is gorgeous. I think i need to get one.

Thanks again Jason


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

It's a "tiger Morph"


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## salebrosus (Mar 31, 2008)

I would take any morph i can get.  ST's have made me want lacies but that one is beautiful.


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

That one was in the middle of the Royal, it was very young (even looks bigger in the pic), hard to find small lacies wild, normally hiding in trees. All small lacies look pretty, then they go drab.


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## salebrosus (Mar 31, 2008)

I saw a video clip on You Tube by Dr David Kirshner, called Jurassic Apartment. If it turned out like the lacie in that clip, i would be stoked.


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

Yeah, I've seen his talk a few times, here's a pic from the Royal I took a few years back now, this gravid girl still looks OK, nice colouring around the neck still.


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## salebrosus (Mar 31, 2008)

Awesome!


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## Magpie (Mar 31, 2008)

Here's a wild one


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## anguskennedy (Mar 31, 2008)

Wow! Jason you must have been so lucky to see that gravid girl - did you get to see her dig her nest?

By the way, what is skarrfing??


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## moloch05 (Mar 31, 2008)

Thanks for the monitor pics.

Jason,
Do you see Lace Monitors in Royal very often? I rarely see them but then I usually spend most of my time in the heath rather than the eucalyptus woodland.

Ever see Heath Monitors?

Regards,
David


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

Both are very common, and not hard to find multiples of both on hot days. Heathcote area is a good place to start, both are there in good no's. Pick a really hot day, both sit close to the water. Audley is a good spot for laceys too. Heathies are my favorite though, often they let you sit next to them and take as many pics as you want, 3 foot from them.


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## Nephrurus (Mar 31, 2008)

Great photos Jason, likewise David.... 

What camera are you upgrading to?

-H


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## ryanharvey1993 (Mar 31, 2008)

awsome lacies, do you find many elapids and legless lizards out there?


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## serpenttongue (Mar 31, 2008)

I was in the Royal today and was lucky enough to spend 4 hours with two large Lacies as they foraged and basked. I also spent quite some time with them several weeks ago, along with many others. Very awesome animals and looked just the way i like them - drab, with the only noticeable markings being around the snout and jaw, forearms and tail. Today i was fortunate to observe these two engage in combat for 5 minutes. The slightly larger one won!

Jason, do you find that females and younger specimens dwell in areas where there are no large males? I never seem to see females ( what i suspect are females, that is) or young ones.


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## salebrosus (Mar 31, 2008)

serpenttongue said:


> I was in the Royal today and was lucky enough to spend 4 hours with two large Lacies as they foraged and basked. .



HM! Now i know why you haven't answered your phone snobbenttongue!


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## moloch05 (Mar 31, 2008)

Beautiful pics, Jason. I will have to try Heathcote NP next summer.

Thanks for the info, serpenttongue.

Ryan,
I rarely see elapids in the park but have come across Red-bellied Black, Brown Snakes, Yellow-faced Whipsnakes by day and Golden-crowned and Small-eyed by night. It will be interesting to hear from others -- maybe there are better places in the park that I don't visit. Once in a great while, I see Common Scaly-foots.

Henry,
Canon 40D with a 17-250 Tamron lens.


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## $NaKe PiMp (Mar 31, 2008)

been on some nice trips into royal national park,quite a few liz species reprezented in abundance


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## $NaKe PiMp (Mar 31, 2008)

jason will be able to tell you some good elapid stories from the park he practicly lives in that park

i havent seen an abundance of snakes there but others have


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## zulu (Mar 31, 2008)

*re pics*



JasonL said:


> Yeah, the leech joined me for the walk, I havn't been able to get pics of Sydney juvies, always to quick....



Did you let the leach escape JL or photograhed it just before it got whacked,when i was living down wollongong ide go walk in the rainforrest and come back with some attached that were engorged with blood,ide put them on concrete and hit them with a hammer,worked for me .Ime not at all suggesting JL that you kill the leaches better to find a suitable release site or give them to wires,after all they are protected and the property of her majesty the queen HaHa


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## moloch05 (Mar 31, 2008)

Here are a few other herps that I have seen in Royal over the last few years:

Blackish Blind Snake (_Ramphotyphlops nigrescens_)






Diamond Python (_Morelia spilota_)






Eastern Brown Snake (_Pseudonaja textilis_)





Common Scaly-foot (_Pygopus lepidopodus)





Red-throated Skink (Acritoscincus platynotum) -- looking very gravid






Copper-tailed Skink (Ctenotus taeniolatus) -- happily snapping up the small ants






Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii)





Jacky Lizard (Amphibolurus muricatus) with a huge tick in its ear





... breeding male











Eastern Water Dragon(Physignathus lesueurii)



_


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

Zulu, I did let the leech go in fact, in my front yard. The kids freaked, I told them I had to let it go as it was going to have babies soon, they really freaked out then!! hahahaha


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## JasonL (Mar 31, 2008)

Plenty of Elapids, though you still need to be a bit lucky, In rough order of most common seen where I go are RBBs, Whips, Small Eyes, Golden Crowns, Browns, Bandy Bandys, Adders. Tree snakes are very common as expected, have to be a bit lucky to find a diamond these days, though they are around.


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## jase75 (Mar 31, 2008)

wow thats awesome, are there many gud walking trails in the Royal? iv always wanted to have a look around there. Sounds like sum nice snakes can be seen.


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## snakes01 (Mar 31, 2008)

lol the 6th pic, the one of the cliff it looks like a turtle haha


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## anguskennedy (Mar 31, 2008)

That is a massive tick in that Jacky dragons ear! Did you have a go at pulling it off?


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