# Wild Queensland -- Nov 2011



## moloch05 (Nov 20, 2011)

I had to use lots of accumulated leave this year and I never like to waste it at home. So, after returning from Italy, I set off on a photography trip with a friend (Ted) and his son (Andrew) from Arizona. Ted and I explored the deserts in California and Mexico 40 years ago when we were in high school and later at university. Ted also travelled through the outback of Western Australia with me a few years ago. This was Andrew’s first visit. Andrew was keen to see as much of Australia as possible. As a result, we organized the itinerary so that we visited habitats ranging from the dry outback to the wet tropics of north-eastern Queensland. We spent a great deal of time in the car and clocked over 10,000 kms during our 2.5 week trip.

This will be a long post and I will be adding to it for a week or more. I was unable to take the number and quality of butterfly photos as I had hoped. The wet tropics are home to nearly 300 species of butterflies but I have obviously not yet learned their micro-habitats. I saw a few lifers but did not encounter the numbers that I had expected. Mostly, I saw the same species as I have previously encountered. November is the end of the dry and start of the wet in northern Australia. I suspect that the end of the wet may be a better time for butterfly activity in the north. Puddling seems to be rare behaviour with the Aussie butterflies. I found few individuals that were easy to photograph. Most shots were of butterflies sitting on leaves a meter or two above me. 

This post will include many photos of habitats, reptiles, birds and mammals as well as butterflies. Most of my butterfly photos will be from the coastal areas since these wetter locations supported more species of butterflies.

Andrew and Ted were keen photographers and I will add a few of their shots as well. I hope that this report will give you an idea of what it is like in this part of the world. 

The following map shows the locations of the sites that we visited.






Aerial photos from north-eastern South Australia. I took these shots while flying back to Sydney from Singapore. The lakes are normally dry salt pans but the interior has been we in the last couple of years. The floods in Queensland eventually made their way to the great lakes of South Australia and most were nearly full, a very rare event.
Nyngan. We stopped for a night along a dirt road between Nyngan and Bourke, NSW.
Windorah. One of my favourite locations in the eastern deserts of Australia. This is in the channel country where water from central Queensland drains into the central salt lakes of South Australia.
Winton. We stayed for a couple of nights in the Eyrean Basin about 100 kms west of Winton. This was a scenic spot with red rock, gibber flats and clumps
Porcupine Gorge.
Mission Beach. This beautiful place was smashed by cyclone Yasi in February of this year. The rainforest canopy was gone.
Chillagoe. This area protects beautiful limestone formations and caves on the lower portion of Cape York.
Georgetown. An old gold mining area at the base of the Cape York peninsula.
Atherton. Beautiful remnant montane rainforest and a good place for butterflies.
Cape Hillsborough. Lovely coastal area near Mackay.
Eungella. Cloud forest that is a must visit place for those who want to see Platypus.
Brigalow Belt. Remnant dry forest that is particularly good habitat for elapids.
Warrumbungles. Rugged mountains with dry eucalyptus forest.

I took these photos of north-eastern South Australia from about 10,000 elevation when flying from Singapore to Sydney in late October. The interior of Australia is wet at the moment and the normally dry salt lakes were nearly full. Water flows into these lakes from central Queensland via the channel country near Windorah. I believe that the red colour in the first lake below was due to an algal bloom.









Red dunes, the sort of habitat that I really like to visit. Windorah is a good place to see dunes like this and it was situated only a few hundred kms from the location below. 






Ted and Andrew arrived in Sydney at 7am on a Friday. I picked them up a short time later and we immediately set off on the trip. We made a short stop in the lovely Blue Mountains. It was not a good time of day for habitat shots due to the light angle but here are a couple of shots by Ted and Andrew of the Evans Lookout area.









It is spring in south-eastern Australia so there are lots of flowers out at the moment.









These Long-tailed Pea-Blues (_Lampides boeticus_) were numerous. 










Australian Painted Lady (_Vanessa kershawi_)






Varied Sword-Grass Brown (_Tisiphone abeona_)






I believe that this is a Dark Shield-Skipper (_Signeta tymbophora_). It appears to only have a few white spots rather than a long streak above the brand. This would separate it from the similar Dingy Grass Skipper (_Toxidia peron_) and Bright Shield-Skipper (_Signeta flammeata_).






We then continued on and eventually camped along a quiet dirt road between Nyngan and Bourke, NSW. Geckos were numerous on the road at night in this area of red sand.


I love the eyes of these Southern Spiny-Tailed Geckos (_Strophurus intermedius_). Most of the spiny-tailed geckos have colourful eyes like these.














This Box-patterned Gecko (_Lucasium steindachneri_) was gravid. An egg is visible through the skin of the abdomen.









_Gehyra variegata_ is one of the most common and widespread geckos in Australia.






Habitat shot of the area where we camped.






We got up early and continued the long drive to Windorah. Windorah is situated in the channel country of south-western Queensland. The road crosses several of these including Cooper's Creek.





These pools were full of fish and attracted huge numbers of birds.






White-necked Herons lined the bridge over the creek:






Glossy Ibis, the most uncommon of the three species of ibis in the area.






Little Corellas were numerous in the trees along the creek.






Black Kites were abundant.






The Fairy Martins that built these nests had an artistic sense:






The little town of Windorah is surrounded by red dunes.














This dry country is not ideal for butterflies. I did see many of these tiny Two-spotted Line-Blues (_Nacaduba biocellata_).





There also were a few Chequered Swallowtails (_Papilio demoleus_) in the area.






The red sand was good for reptiles. These long-tailed Canegrass Dragons (_Diporiphora winneckei_) were common in shrubs along a fence line. The one in the first photo below held its tail in a very odd manner.










Female Central Military Dragon (_Ctenophorus isolepis_). This species was also numerous on the dunes.





Male:





One of the most interesting observations was of this Gould's Monitor (_Varanus gouldii_) that was raiding a snake nest. We saw the monitor digging and it allowed us to slowly approach and photograph it. It continued with the digging, would temporarily disappear from sight but would then emerge with an egg. It swallowed these whole and then repeated the process a number of times. I would imagine that this was a nest of one of the large elapids such as a Western Brown Snake (_Pseudonaja nuchalis_) or a King Brown Snake (_Pseudechis australis_) that are common in the area.

























... closeup of the hole that it dug to get to the eggs.






Burrow of a Gould's Monitor:






We also saw Yellow-spotted Monitors (_Varanus panoptes_) sometimes walking along the streets in the town. This one had been standing beneath a sprinkler on a hot day.





Windorah has not had rain since last March and it was quite dry near town. This Yellow-spotted Monitor looked skinny and in poor condition.






Night drives produced this Jewelled Gecko (_Strophurus elderi_). This species is a spinifex specialist and is hard to find. I rarely see field photographs of it. It is agile and climbs with ease through the stems of the grass.














Northern Spiny-tailed Geckos (_Strophurus ciliaris_) were common.














This is an appropriately named Rainbow Bee-Eater.










Although dry, there were a few plants in flower.












This was a really odd coloured pea:











We headed about 100km west of Windorah into the Eyrean Basin. I hoped to be lucky and be able to show my friends a Fierce Snake but it was too hot when we reached the area. The snakes live in the cracks of clay and do not need to bask much during the hot summer. I think that they would be more easily sighted during the winter months.

The basin is dry country:










I always check out this area to see Ring-tailed Dragons (_Ctenophorus caudicinctus_) that live on rocks beneath the trees.





... female Ring-tailed Dragon





... male Ring-tailed Dragon 







We left Windorah and then drove for a day up to the Eyrean Basin west of Winton. Along the way, we passed eucalyptus trees that were infested with mistletoes. I've read before that mistletoe is the host plant of the Azures (_Ogyris sp_.) so we stopped and had a look at the plants. We immediately found a number of these colourful butterflies. Unfortunately, they remained high in the trees. Also, the males seemed to be in continuous combat and rarely would land for more than a few seconds at a time. I managed to take a few shots of the males but could never photograph the larger females that had a couple of orange spots on the outer upper wing.

Satin Azure (_Ogyris amaryllis_)


























Caper Whites (_Belenois java_) were also common in the area and visited the mistletoe flowers.










The Eyrean Basin west of Winton was a scenic place. We were lucky to arrive in time for thunderstorms. Clouds built up during the day and the colours of the sunset were beautiful. Later that night, we experienced torrential rain with nearly continuous flashes of lightning. We had to take shelter since we could not see the road and there were flash floods in some of the creek crossings. These conditions stimulated reptile activity and we had one of our most productive night drives the following night.


















Spinifex grew in large clumps here. These seemed to form outwardly growing ovals so were no doubt from the same original plant. 










These pretty red native roaches were numerous on the road.






_Strophurus krisalys_ look similar to Northern Spiny-tailed Geckos but have a blue rather than orange mouth lining.















Prickly Knob-tailed Geckos (_Nephrurus asper_) were seen a few times. These are big geckos with a massive head and a bizarre, tiny tail that ends with a ball.

... adult









... juvenile














Pale-striped Ground Geckos (_Lucasium immaculatum_) are nicely marked geckos that mostly have an inaccessible range. 










Tessellated Gecko (_Diplodactylus tessellatus_) were found a few times.










Marbled Velvet Geckos (_Oedura marmorata_) were big, colourful geckos. They have distinctive juvenile and adult colourations.
... juvenile:













... intermediate between juvenile and adult:






... adult:











_Gehyra robusta_ lived in drains beneath the road.














When the road crossed gibber flats we found an interesting dragon, the little Pebble Dragons (_Tympanocryptis cephalus_) that mimic rocks. 


















Burton's Snake Lizard (_Lialis burtonis_) are lizards that belong to the flap-footed lizard family (Pygopodidae). Burton's Snake Lizards vary greatly in colouration. This one was particularly nice.










This Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue (_Cyclodomorpha melanops_) was a lifer to me. It moved to the shade of Andrew's leg and then climbed to his head ... the photo was not staged.














This Stimson's Python (_Antaresia stimsoni_) was on the road late on the second night in this area.














The highlight of the evening was finding this wonderfully marked Common Death Adder (_Acanthophis antarcticus_). It was a gentle snake and sat placidly while we took photos. 






















Strange grasshopper that looked pebble-like:






Burn's Dragons (_Amphibolurus burnsi_) were common along the road and on trees in the Eyrean Basin. They would wave their hand when disturbed.










We also found one of the similar Gilbert's Dragons (Amphibolurus gilberti). This was also a hand-waving dragon.






This frog would scream harshly at us if we approached it. I believe that it is in genus _Cyclorana_ but am not certain of the species. 










We found a couple beautiful Yellow-spotted Monitors (_Varanus panoptes_) the next day. These were fearless animals that quickly become adjusted to our presence and then continued with their foraging. 

When I first stopped the car, the monitor reared and looked annoyed. It soon became calm and walked on.

















Sometimes, they will lay flat like this as if they are hidden from view.















Andrew was thrilled to watch this big lizard at such close range ... rather different to the _Sceloporus_ that live near his home in Arizona. It walked right past him.






... it crossed the road and continued to hunt through the spinifex






This Freckled Monitor (_Varnaus tristis_) ran across the road in front of us and then climbed a tree. We stopped to photograph it. While watching it, the monitor detected a Burn's Dragon that we had not seen on a branch further up the tree. The monitor lunged at it and the dragon leapt head-first from the tree. The monitor also leapt after it and we watched the chase as the dragon bi-peddled with the monitor less than a meter behind. The lizards ran across the road before the monitor gave up and walked by us again. It was an incredible sight but much too fast for photos!






Ring-tailed Dragons (_Ctenophorus caudicinctus_) were numerous on the gibber/spinifex flats. Males often used the termite mounds as lookouts. 

... female





... male










Spinifex Pigeons lived in the same area as the Ring-tailed Dragon. These pigeons act more like quail than a typical pigeon. They were fast runners and usually only would fly as a last resort.





... displaying male. The female was nearby.






Inland Dotterals are a well disguised nomad of the outback. This one was sheltering in the shade of a road sign.






... more tomorrow night


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## richoman_3 (Nov 20, 2011)

*scrolls through newsfeed, moloch posted WOOOO* 

AMAZING pics as usual.
you found some really stunning stuff and i cant choose whats my fave!
absolutely stunning mate, LOVE reading your threads 
see any pedes or scorps?


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## NaughtyByNature (Nov 20, 2011)

Awesome photos


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## GeckPhotographer (Nov 20, 2011)

Really nice photos, love them all. Some amazing experiences by the looks of it.


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## Pado2087 (Nov 20, 2011)

Amazing !!! Absolutely love them !!!!!


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## nico77 (Nov 20, 2011)

Great shots , I can not wait to see the next lot  , thanks for sharing .

cheers nico


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## Fang101 (Nov 20, 2011)

Great photo's! Very nice finds and I look foward to seeing the rest.


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## Dragonwolf (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm lost for words... I thoroughly enjoyed these beautiful photos and the well written commentary. More please.


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## Wild~Touch (Nov 20, 2011)

Awesome as always and thank you for sharing


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## jordanmulder (Nov 20, 2011)

Wow I was thrilled by this post! Wow Seems like you had some amazing experiances! Some realy cool photo's too!


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## FAY (Nov 20, 2011)

Fantastic! Keep them coming...


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## SamNabz (Nov 20, 2011)

WOW moloch05 - simply stunning pictures mate!!

Seems like you had a great trip with an impressive array of animals to boot. I especially love the pics of the _S.elderi_ & _T.cephalus
_
Thanks for sharing mate; I look forward to seeing the rest of the pics


P.S What gear were you guys using??


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## jedi_339 (Nov 21, 2011)

Fantastic pics, I love the S. elderi and the V. gouldi stealing the eggs, that's awesome behaviour for you to have witnessed.

Can't wait for the next installment, but I'll be away for a week working, so I'll see it when I get back.

I believe those rounded clumps of spinifex grass are actually termed 'hummock grass' .


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## Ricochet (Nov 21, 2011)

Great finds and pics - thanks for sharing.


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## GeckPhotographer (Nov 21, 2011)

> I believe those rounded clumps of spinifex grass are actually termed 'hummock grass' .


Hummock Grass is more the structure of the grass, and includes many of the spinifex group, and other grasses. It's more that the grass is tightly clumped together. 
The group spinifex contains only 2-3 genera with many people meaning only two of them when they use the word. The genera are _Triodia, Plectrachne _and often not included _Spinifex. _

More pictures soon. Hopefully before I leave for 2 weeks.


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## geckodan (Nov 21, 2011)

The T. cephalus is now no longer a cephalus as this species name is now restricted to WA specimens. That animal is now classified as an intima but as anybody that has spent more that 5 minutes out that way knows, its not an intima either - it remains undescribed until someone finishes the work - conveniently the recent DNA work avoided this area so nobody had to actually commit to doing that job.


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## waruikazi (Nov 21, 2011)

Nice panoptes! Great pics Moloch!


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## SamNabz (Nov 21, 2011)

geckodan said:


> The T. cephalus is now no longer a cephalus as this species name is now restricted to WA specimens. That animal is now classified as an intima but as anybody that has spent more that 5 minutes out that way knows, its not an intima either - it remains undescribed until someone finishes the work - conveniently the recent DNA work avoided this area so nobody had to actually commit to doing that job.



Very interesting.. Thanks for that, Dan.

Also, I think I remember seeing a video clip (might have been on Adrian's Reptile World?) of some of your collection - do you still keep pebble dragons?


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## IgotFrogs (Nov 21, 2011)

some very amazing photos .... anyone that has said we need exotics here needs to take a look at those photos ... some of the geckos so awesome!


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## geckodan (Nov 21, 2011)

SamNabz said:


> Very interesting.. Thanks for that, Dan.
> 
> Also, I think I remember seeing a video clip (might have been on Adrian's Reptile World?) of some of your collection - do you still keep pebble dragons?



No, all the dragons drowned one very wet night in the floods at the beginning of the year.


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## SamNabz (Nov 21, 2011)

geckodan said:


> No, all the dragons drowned one very wet night in the floods at the beginning of the year.



That sucks mate, sorry to hear. You had a great collection of them too...


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## moloch05 (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks very much, everyone, for the feedback.

richoman, 
We saw many centipedes but only a few scorpions. I went back through my photos and those of my friends but could not locate any centipede shots.

SamNabz,
I use a Canon 40D with a 100mm macro at night or a 180mm macro by day. My friend was using a Nikon D90 with a 105mm macro.


Thanks, Danny, for the info regarding the Tympanocryptis. Very interesting.


Regards,
David


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## dneti (Nov 21, 2011)

Really amazing shots mate! Keep it up!


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## cement (Nov 21, 2011)

Hands down your threads take the cake David. i drop everything to check them out, your photography is superb! Thanks.


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## moloch05 (Nov 21, 2011)

*Mission Beach*

Thanks very much, dneti and cement.

After two interesting days near Winton, we drove on to Porcupine Gorge NP near Hughenden. This was only a short drive of a few hours. Unfortunately, there were bush fires in the area so it was smoky and conditions for photographs were not good.

Along the way, we stopped at a lookout with several large Queensland Bottle Trees (_Brachychiton sp_.). These fat trees remind me a little boabs from the Kimberleys or baobabs from Madagasgar.











The gorge was filled with smoke. Something interesting here were the large fish that could be seen in some of the pools far below. They were dark and looked like huge Sooty Grunters.






The habitat above the gorge was dry eucalyptus savannah.










My friends thought that this must be one of the native Erythrina (coral bean) Trees.






We went for a night drive but only saw a single fast pygopodid and many marsupials. Rufous Bettong were numerous. These were small macropods that are not much larger than a rabbit.





Andrew's shot:






Andrew also photographed this Spectacled Hare Wallaby. This species was new to me. It seemed to be fairly common in the area.






After awhile, we gave up on the night drive and walked to a lookout. Although it was dry, we found this huge Green Tree Frog sitting on the trunk of a tree.






We called it a night and Andrew and I headed to our tents. Ted visited the washroom and soon we heard the call of "Snake!". Ted saw what looked like a cord wrapped around one of the floorboards but it did not look right to him. He had a look under the washroom and saw the head and tail of the snake so he called us over. It turned out to be an interesting little elapid that was new to me, a Pale-headed Snake (_Holocephalus bitorquatus_). We watched it for awhile. It was methodically checking the cracks between the floorboards for geckos. On one occasion, we saw a Geh_yra dubusia_ emerge and run for its life when the snake checked the crack where the gecko had been hiding.










One of the _Cryptoblepharus_ skinks. I have not yet checked the distribution vs. species so don't yet know the identity of this little Snake-eyed Skink.






The following day, we drove on to Mission Beach. While heading towards the coast, we stopped briefly at the White Mountains NP. I hoped to be lucky enough to find the Dark Opal (_Nesolycaena medicea_), an endemic butterfly that is active in November. I soon found a bronze-coloured butterfly and thought that I had found my target. After taking a photo, I realized that I had the much more common and widespread Twin Dusky-Blue (_Candalides geminus_).










We also saw this large, freshly killed (DOR) Greater Black Whip Snake (_Demansia papuensis_).





oops ... meant Gehyra dubia, not Gehyra dubusia.


We arrived at Mission Beach in the late afternoon. Mission Beach is a coastal village that is surrounded by rainforest. Unfortunately, Cyclone Yasi did enormous damage to the area when in struck in February of this year. The rainforest canopy is gone for now. It will be a number of years before the plants regenerate to their prior beauty.

Here are a few before/after shots of the Mission Beach area:

Mission Beach in Nov 2010:





... now






Lacey Creek area in Nov 2010:






... now










Birds, butterflies and reptiles were all relatively scarce. I was very pleased to see this Southern Cassowary one afternoon. There seemed to be little fruit available and I was afraid that their numbers might have been decimate by the cyclone. I spoke to the volunteers at the information centre and they think that only 9 Cassowaries were killed at Mission Beach by the cyclone. Mission Beach is the best place in Australia for this big bird.














Butterflies were relatively scarce but I did see a few. One of the more common species on this visit was the Large Green-banded Blue (_Danis danis_), a gorgeous species. Depending upon the light, its colour varied from turquoise to bottle green.














The Green-banded Blue (_Nacaduba cyanea_) had similar markings but was much smaller.










I saw Black-spotted Flash (_Hypolycaena phorbas_) on several occasions.










Common Grass Blue (_Zizina labradus_)






blue1: still working on the identification






blue2: still working on the identification





Orange Bush Browns (_Mycalesis terminus_) were one of the most common butterflies along the forest edge.










I found a single Orange Plane (_Pantoporia consimilis_) at Lacy Creek










Ambrax Swallowtail (_Papilio ambrax_)






Skippers are always difficult. I think that these are Greenish Darter (_Telicota ancilla_) rather than Northern Large Darter (_T. ohara_) due to the pattern of the underwings.










Darter of some sort (_Telicota sp_.)






I think that the following are Wide-brand Grass-Darts (_Suniana sunias_):










We found this lovely Jungle Carpet Python (_Morelia spilota_) on a drive near Mission Beach. 










Brown Tree Snakes (_Boiga irregularis_) were the most commonly encountered snake near Mission Beach.










_Litoria jungguy_ are sexually dimorphic with small yellow males and large brown females. These frogs were common along Lacey Creek.










We also saw a couple of the White-lipped Tree Frogs (_Litoria infrafrenata_). These are the largest of all tree frogs.










Creek Frog (_Litoria rheocola_)






This Striped Possum was looking for insects in a rotting tree.






Rhinoceros Beetle






Robber Fly eating a preying mantis:


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## jordanmulder (Nov 21, 2011)

Wow that H.Bitorquatus was a good find... I'm very partial to hoplocephalus though...


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## Pilchy (Nov 22, 2011)

amazing pictures really looking forward to see more


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## moloch05 (Nov 23, 2011)

Thanks, Jordan and Daniel.

After Mission Beach, we drove to Chillagoe for a couple of nights. This is an interesting area with lots of limestone outcrops and caves. There were thunderstorms each night.






















The surrounding habitat was dry eucalyptus savannah. Large termite mounds were numerous in some area.










These rocky habitats were good for lizards. 

Outcrop Rock Skink (_Liburnascincus mundivensis_). I found several on rocks at the mouth of a cave.










Chillagoe Litter Skink (_Lygisaurus rococo_). This little skink is only found at Chillagoe. They seem to be crepuscular.






Lined Rainbow-Skink (_Carlia jarnoldae_). Males are particularly colourful.






Lively Rainbow Skink (_Carlia vivex_)






One of the Snake-eyed Skinks (_Cryptoblepharus sp_.)






Barsided Skinks were often seen near the entrance or within caves. I think that these are Northern Barsided Skinks (_Eulamprus brachysoma_) but am not certain of the identification.










We saw a few of the Two-lined Dragons (_Diporiphora bilineata_). These were often tame and allowed close approach. The one below was watching something between Andrew and I. It then hopped off the rock, ran to our feet and captured a walking stick that we had disturbed. It ate this while standing right at our feet.










At night, Ring-tailed Geckos (_Cyrtodactylus tuberculatus_) were abundant on the rocks. These could be quite large.










We found a single Northern Velvet Gecko (_Oedura castelnui_), a really beautiful species.










New to me was a Zigzag Velvet Gecko (_Oedura rhombifer_).






Prickly Geckos (_Heteronotia binoei_) were fairly common. I also saw a single _Nactus chevreti_ but do not have a photo.









... Andrew's shot of another:






This Tree Dtella (_Gehyra variegata_) was oddly marked.










Dubious Dtella (_Gehyra dubia_) were common.





Burton's Snake-Lizard (Lialis burtonis)









Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)






Andrew found this Spotted Python (_Antaresia maculosa_) at night near a cave. It looked as if it was waiting to ambush a bat.
(Andrew's photo)






Blue Argus (_Junonia orithya_) are beautiful butterflies. They were common in the grassy areas.





The entrances to caves attracted large numbers of butterflies. Most of these were Common Crows (Euploea core) but I also saw a few Two-brand Crows (_Euploea sylvester_)and Lined Grass-Yellows.





Common Crow (_Euploea core_)









... one perched on snake skin, probably that of a Spotted Python (_Antaresia maculosa_)






Two-brand Crow (_Euploea sylvester_)






Lined Grass-Yellow (_Euema laeta_). These were shy and invariably landed where they were at least partly hidden by dry grass.










Lurcher (_Yoma sabina_). Only observed once when it stopped briefly on the trail.






Clearwinged Swallowtails (_Cressida cressida_) were common but they rarely seemed to settle. Andrew found and photographed this male.






Huntsman






Tarantula


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## richoman_3 (Nov 23, 2011)

very nice !!! love the ring tailed gecko and jungle!
T looks interesting, did you get any more shots of it?


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## Colin (Nov 23, 2011)

fantastic pics as always david


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## feathergrass (Nov 23, 2011)

awesome pics ! love the captions you have with them there are so many diffrerent dragons out there i would love to have a home just for every dragon out there  but they look soo beautiful in the wild ..once again awesome will look forward to more


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## moloch05 (Nov 24, 2011)

*Georgetown*

Thanks, all. No more tarantula shots, Richo. It remained under the rock.

After Chillagoe, my friends and I shifted out to Georgetown. Georgetown is an gold-mining town at the base of Cape York. One of these abandoned mines has a dam that can be quite good for some of the northern birds. I also wanted to see if the Merten's Water Monitors were still along the creek where I found them 5 years ago.

The drive out passed through dry country. I usually stop at this creek since it is usually good for a variety of lizards.










I checked this pool again and found Merten's Water Monitors (_Varanus mertensi_). They were here on a herping trip back in 2007. This was pleasing since Cane Toads were abundant. The monitors have obviously learned not to eat the toxic pests.






We stopped initially in the afternoon. The temperture was in the low 40s so was too hot to see much. It did not take long, though, to find a couple of these. 
Merten's Water Monitors (_Varanus mertensi_)






Then next day, we stopped by earlier in the morning and found these while they were still heating up. One of them gaped but I don't know whether this was a threat or part of its thermoregulatory behaviour.














As long as we moved slowly, the monitor would allow us to approach for photos.






These little Shaded-litter Rainbow Skinks (_Carlia munda_) were abundant.
male:





female:






These Kapoks or Silk Cotton Trees (_Bombax sp_.) were fruiting. Red-winged Parrots were ripping into the seed pods. Red-wings are gorgeous birds in flight with the lime-green bodies and scarlet wing patch.





male Red-winged Parrot:










female:







We went for a night drive but saw very little. The best find was this Curl Snake (_Suta suta_):






We also found a couple of these Burton's Snake-Lizards (_Lialis burtonis_). They certainly vary in colour. See TNWJackson's report from the top end to see even more of the lizards.










We saw a skinny "gecko" and stopped to find this nicely coloured Two-lined Dragon (_Diporiphora bilineata_).










There was very little on the road. We finally decided to walk and had much better success. These small pythons were common. I am not certain about their identity. I assumed that they were Spotted Pythons (_Antaresia maculosa_) but when I look at the book, it seems that Stimson's (_A. stimsoni_) would also be possible. Most of these were found in ambush positions along a dry creek or in trees.






















We blundered into this snake and immediately jumped back until we realized that it was a harmless Keelback (_Tropidonophis mairii_).






spider






Tawny Frogmouths "sang" all night at the campground. The next morning we found a pair and their kids.






... a native milkweed (Andrew's photo)


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## waruikazi (Nov 24, 2011)

I'm jealous Moloch! Has the rain arrived out there yet?


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## Wally (Nov 24, 2011)

I almost feel like I've been on a trip myself, great thread.


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## tropicbreeze (Nov 25, 2011)

"... a native milkweed (Andrew's photo)"
That's not a native, it's Calatropis procera, Rubber Bush, a bad weed in the north of Australia. It has light seed spread by wind. A native of southern Asia.


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## moloch05 (Nov 25, 2011)

*Atherton Tablelands*

Thanks, all. 

waruikazi, the clouds were building but the wet had not really commenced yet near Georgetown.

tropicbreeze, thanks for the info. I only saw these as sporadic, isolated plants. I did not recognize these as an invasive species.


From Georgetown, we had a relatively short drive back to the Atherton Tablelands. This is a beautiful part of Australia with remnant patches of montane rainforest. The tablelands are usually lush and green and this year was not an exception. I was a little slack here and did not take much in the way of habitat shots. Here is shot from a couple of years ago. It is an example of what much of the tablelands is like:





The tableslands have a number of waterfalls and crater lakes. Here is the lovely Millaa Millaa Falls.






... and the Millstream Falls:






... Andrew's photo near the falls at Mt. Hypipamee.






We had good luck here with a couple of the more interesting geckos. Northern Leaf-tailed Geckos (_Saltuarius cornutus_) were numerous at one of the sites. Their eyes were reflective and we could see them high in the trees. They usually were standing near the base of large epiphytic ferns such as the birdsnest and staghorn in this photo:






Their bodies were flattened and they were well camouflaged when standing on the trunk of a tree:









... nice eyes:






Even more exciting was my first Chameleon Gecko (_Carphodactylus laevis_). I have looked for these on a number of occasions over the years. I was surprised by the large size of the gecko, the length of the legs and its general "inertness". It hardly moved at all while we photographed it.














The gecko seemed to have visors over the eyes. I wonder if this has anything to do with the high rainfall in these mountains?






We went spotlighting a couple of times for possums. The tablelands are the home of several relict species and we saw two of these: Herbert River Ringtail Possum and Green Ringtail Possum. Green Ringtails are such beautiful animals. This one decided to rest and it curled into a ball. Possums have a thumb and first finger that is opposable to the other three digits. 





... one of the possums was carrying this adorable baby on its back. The baby would reach out and nibble on leaves while the mum was feeding.






Sleeping Bower Shrike-Thrush, an Atherton endemic.






Common Brush-tailed Possum (Andrew's photo). This is a normal colour phase. We also saw the bronzy colour phase as well.






Long-nosed Bandicoot (Andrew's photo):






Andrew also photographed this bizarre arachnid:






At night, these little fungi were phosphorescent. In some areas, the fungus covered the soil and this would all be glowing green. Glow worms were also frequent. These were all nice to see when the flashlights were flicked off.






White-kneed King Crickets:






During the day, we found this lone Boyd's Forest Dragon (_Hypsilurus boydii_)






Rainforest Sunskink (_Lampropholis coggeri_)






Eastern Water Skink (_Eulamprus quoyii_)






one of the Snake-eyed Skinks (_Cryptoblepharus sp_.)






This Nobbi Dragon (_Amphibolurus nobbi_) was in its nice breeding colours.






The most interesting to me was this small Spotted Tree Monitor (_Varanus scalaris_) that was initially on the ground but then climbed to the top of a big rainforest tree.
Spotted Tree Monitor (Andrew's photo):






Butterflies were here in low numbers. I did see this lifer, a Yellow-banded Jezebel (_Delias ennia_). This and several other butterflies were feeding in a tree but they remained several meters above me. They never came down to where I might take better shots.






I also saw this Red-banded Jezebel (_Delias mysis_) that was feeding even higer in the tree.






Black Jezebels (_Delias nigra_) were seen occasionally in the gloom of the rainforest understorey.






These Tailed Emperors (_Polyura semipronius_) were big and impressive butterflies. This one eventually perched beneath a branch about 2m above me. I think that they look a little like the Blue Nawabs in Singapore and Malaysia.






Hamadryad (_Telervo zoilus_), our only Ithomiinae.


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## Wookie (Nov 25, 2011)

Great photos! I'm surprised all those pixels didn't crash the server


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## Smithers (Nov 25, 2011)

Thank you so much, always look forward to your threads never failing to give top notch pics with the bonus of text to go with it makes it like we are with you along the trip. Thank you. Adore the gecko images, sorry bit bias there


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## moloch05 (Nov 26, 2011)

*Jourama Falls*

Thanks, Wookie and Smithers. Geckos are one of my favourite families as well. We are lucky to have such an incredible diversity in Australia.


We left Atherton after two nights and began our return journey. We stopped briefly in Cairns and walked through the botanic gardens. I hoped to show the guys the nicely coloured Little Kingfisher but could not locate it. We did have good views of Yellow Orioles. While there, we saw a number of Archer Fish in a mangrove lined canal.










We stopped for a few hours at Jourama Falls. This area is a pretty place and it is herp rich. I always see lots along the creek in this area. It also was a good place for birds with a few of the more unusual species such as Pied Monarch, Northern Fantail, White-browed Robin, Macleay's Honeyeaters and Noisy Pittas all being heard or seen. Unfortunately, we were just a little too early to see the spectacular White-tailed Kingfisher.









Black-throated Rainbow-Skinks (_Carlia rostralis_) were abundant. Some of these were so tame that I could walk all around them and take shots. They completely ignored me and the flashing camera.
... male










... I think that this is a female although she looks a little different to those that I have seen before.






One of the water skinks was also common. Several of these bar-sided water skinks are possible in this area so I am not certain of the species.















Eastern Striped Skinks (_Ctenotus robustus_) are fairly common in grassy areas along the trail.






Eastern Water Dragons (_Physignathus lesueurii_) were common. This female seemed to be enjoying the cool water on a hot afternoon.






Jourama Falls is usually a good place to see Lace Monitors (_Varanus varius_). Ted and Andrew found one and Ted was able to take this amazing shot of one that climbed a tree near the trail. It obviously was not happy to see people in the area.






...it had relaxed when I saw it 10 minutes later but it remained in the tree.






Forest Kingfishers are pretty birds.






White-browed Robins are not so easy to find. There were a couple of pairs here that were singing along the creek in the picnic area.






Here is a nicely coloured male Brush Turkey. These birds are common near campgrounds and picnic sites.






Black-spotted Grass-Blue (_Famegana alsulus_)






Orange-steaked Ringlet (_Hypocysta irius_)






We continued south and then went night-driving along a road 100km west of Townsville. On this trip, it was incredibly quiet with no live snakes at all. We did encounter the sad sight of a freshly killed Black-headed Python. _Strophurus krisalys_ and _Gehyra variegata_ were the only geckos and we saw several Burton's Snake-Lizards. We camped near the Burdekin Dam and found this Echidna.


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## richoman_3 (Nov 26, 2011)

awesome pics 
that weird spider thing is a harvestmen


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## Fiamma (Nov 26, 2011)

Beautiful photos and what a variety, most I have never seen before. Thank you very much for sharing I enjoyed them soooo much!!


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## moloch05 (Nov 27, 2011)

*Cape Hillsborough*

Thanks for the info, Richo. 

Thanks, Fiamma.

We continued south for a number of hours and eventually reached Cape Hillsborough NP in the late afternoon. This park is just a little to the north of Mackay. The park is scenic with nice beaches and hills. Hoop Pines grow right to the beach in some areas and they were attractive to big flocks of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos.

Here are a few shots of the beaches and hills at Cape Hillsborough:































Pandanas was common just above the hightide line.






There was also a large mangrove bay nearby. We followed a boardwalk here and saw a few birds and butterflies but had no luck with the Rusty-throated Monitor. (Andrew's photo)






An area that we like was named Hidden Valley. It was about a 2km walk from the campground where we stayed. This area had nice remnant rainforest. We heard/saw Purple-crowned Fruit-Doves, Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, Woompoo and White-headed Pigeons in the valley. It was also good for butterflies and herps and produced a nicely marked Lace Monitor. The following shot shows a portion of the trail in Hidden Valley.






Bush Thick-Knees were common. I love their weird and loud call at night.






Pied Oystercatchers:






This Laughing Koobaburra was a threat to unsuspecting tourists. It stole meat that was cooking on a barbeque and it managed to snatch meat off a Dutch tourist's plate when the guy was distracted. Clever bird! The guy did not seem to appreciate the friendly wildlife when he lost his steak.






_Eulamprus_ skinks were numerous on the sides of some of the big rainforest trees. I think that these are probably Bar-sided Forest-Skinks (_E. tenuis_) but several _Eulamprus_ are possible here and they are so similar.










Blue-throated Rainbow-Skinks (_Carlia rhomboidalis_) were the most common reptile. The one in the first shot below illustrates why these are called "rainbow-skinks". Their scales are refractive.











... a nicely marked Lace Monitor (_Varanus varius_):










Night drives produced a Spotted Python (_Antaresia maculosa_), Brown Tree Snakes (_Boiga irregularis_) and these pretty Ocellated Velvet Geckos (_Oedura monilis_). These had flattened bodies so I suppose that they lived beneath bark or within crevices.










We found a big Preying Mantis:










The drive was quiet and we had already been in the car for many hours while heading south. About midnight, we decided to call it a night. Ted and I headed off to our tents. Andrew was youthful and full of energy so he decided to go for a night walk on the beach. The moon was nearly full. After an absence of maybe 30 minutes, Andrew came charging back to camp and awakened us. He had found a nesting turtle. Ted and I quickly dressed and then headed down the beach to see this amazing site. We both watched for awhile but being old and feeble, we succumbed to fatigue and returned to the tents. Andrew stayed here with the turtle until 3:30am when it completed its activities and returned to the sea. Here is a sequence of photos taken by Andrew of the nesting Flat-back Turtle (_Natator depressus_). Andrew considered this to be the highlight of his visit to Australia since he has a particular fondness for the marine turtles. He took some excellent photos of the event. 










































There were many flowering plants in the campground and these attracted a variety of butterflies. 

I quite like the colours of this male Jezebel Nymph (_Mynas geoffroy_). As with Jezebels (Pierids), these had colourful outer wings but white and black inner wings.














Blue-banded Eggfly (_Hypolimnas alimena_)










Bordered Rustics (_Cupha prosope_) were a frequent sight within the rainforest.


















A White-banded Plane (_Phaedyma shepherdi_) that had a close encounter with a bird:







Shining Oak-Blues (_Arhopola micale_) are beautiful in flight. Unfortunately, they rarely open their wings when perched. In the second shot below, the butterfly jumped with the preflash so the upper wing colour can be seen.














Dark Ciliate Blue (_Athene seltutus_)







Lemon Migrant (_Catopsilia pomona_)






I am not certain about the identification of this Grass-Yellow. It was tiny so I expected it to be a Small Grass-Yellow (_Eurema smilax_) but the underwing pattern more closely resembles the Scalloped Grass-Yellow (_E. alitha_).






These Orange Palm-Darts (_Cephrenes augiades_) were often seen around young palms in the forest.










This Glistening Pearl-White (_Elodina queenslandica_) was a lifer to me.


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## damian83 (Nov 27, 2011)

well done.... id love to try sketching some of these pics one day


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## jordanmulder (Nov 27, 2011)

Absolutly mad stuff! Love the O.monillis & S.cornatus!


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## richoman_3 (Nov 27, 2011)

very nice!
the mantid is a hierodula species


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## moloch05 (Nov 28, 2011)

*Cape Hillsborough NP*

Thanks, all. Richo, looks like you know lots about the inverts. Thanks for the identification.


Here is another of shot by Andrew of the head of the turtle:






Cape Hillsborough is a beautiful national park. On this visit, I did not climb to the lookout but Ted and Andrew did and took these photos. Ted had a powerful telescope along and the guys watched turtles eating jellyfish in the surrounding sea. Big, white Jellyfish were everywhere.










... more shots by the guys:














Ted took this photo of the fruiting Pandanus and the Green Tree Ant nest.










Andrew's shot of an Agile Wallaby with joey:


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## richoman_3 (Nov 28, 2011)

thanks 
its most likely H.majuscula but location doesnt fit, and pic isnt too good for identification  -need underarm shots- its a female btw and most likely gravid 
keep up the pics !!


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## moloch05 (Nov 28, 2011)

*Eungella NP*

We left Cape Hillsborough after two nights and drove up to Eungella NP. Eungella is located in the mountains about an hour west of Mackay. The edge of the escarpment was wet and frequently covered with clouds. Most of the rainforest trees were covered with epiphytes and treeferns were abundant. 









... view from our campground. While standing here one afternoon, I watched the gigantic White-throated Needletails race low over this ridge and then out over the valley. These are among the largest and fastest of the swifts. Their wings made a whooshing sound as they rocketed by at high speed.






Dairy farms were numerous along the boundary of the national park.






Broken River at Eungella is a must visit place for those who would like to see Platypus. An observation deck was built here next to a large pool and the Platypus feed here every morning and evening. Light was bad on our visit due to foggy conditions but we took a couple photos where the Platypus can be seen.





(Andrew's photo)






We found this nice Pink-tongued Skink (_Cyclodomorphus gerrardii_) while on a drive one afternoon.














This Lace Monitor (_Varanus varius_) lived next to the campground where we stayed.










Night drives and walks produced a several interesting herps. For some reason, we saw few Carpet Pythons (_Morelia spilota_) on this trip. This was the largest of those encountered.










Ocellated Velvet Geckos (_Oedura monilis_) were in exactly the same places as where I found these several years ago.










The most interesting reptile, though, was this Eungella endemic, _Phyllurus nepthys_. 






















We also stopped for a short visit to Finch Hatton Gorge in the lower elevation of Eungella. It was a Sunday and it turned out to be a popular place for those on picnics and also wanting to swim. We saw several reptiles on the trails but these were inevitably disturbed so we ended up with only a few, rushed photos.










Lace Monitor. People walked around it while it sunned right on the trail. It obviously was used to seeing people and was not frightened.










One of the _Eulamprus_ skinks. Several species are possibly near Mackay so I am not certain of its identity. 










I saw these Lemon-barred Forest Skinks (_Eulamprus amplus_) a few times. They are distinctive and are easy to recognize.










Spider:






Here is a very worn Brown Ringlet (_Hypocysta metirius_):






... and one of the _Ocybadistes_ Grass-Darts.


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## gus11 (Nov 29, 2011)

a great series David, you should have dropped into the ville and said hello. I visited Eungella over the weekend, lovely spot!


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## moloch05 (Nov 29, 2011)

Thanks, Gus. It would have been nice to see you. How did you go at Eungella?


We only spent an afternoon and a night at Eungella. The main purpose of the visit was to see the Platypus. We awakened to foggy, cool conditions so packed then tents and began what would be the longest drive of the trip. We wanted to reach the brigalow belt between Roma and St. George soon after dark. To do this, we ended spending lots of time in the car and ultimately clocked 20 hours when we finally stopped for the night. 

We found many snakes in the brigalow and most of these were elapids. As you may have noticed in this post, snakes were generally hard to find. Australia is a hot, dry continent and snakes seem to be active only when the conditions are just right. The brigalow must have been "just right" and we found 16 live and 5 DOR snakes. We were very pleased with the number although I read with envy Matt's report where he encountered 120 snakes in one weekend:
Field Herp Forum &bull; View topic - Queensland Brigalow weekend trip

Our other targets, the Golden-tailed Gecko (_Strophurus taenicauda_) and the Brigalow Scaly-Foot (_Paradelma orientalis_),
remained elusive and we failed to locate either.

Here are shots of the habitat that we searched:




... (Ted's photo)






Eastern Brown Snakes (_Pseudonaja textilis_) were seen at dusk and for the first few hours of the night.










Curl Snakes (Suta suta) were also common.














A lifer to me was the Grey Snake (_Hemiaspis damelii_). We encountered two of these.














Australian Coral Snakes (_Brachyurophis australis_) are one of our most colourful elapids. We found two of these lovely little snakes.






















This De Vis' Banded Snake (_Denisonia devisi_) was so robust that it looked like a small python.














We found a couple of these small blind snakes. I think that they were _Ramphotyphlops proximas_ due to the lobes on the snout. 






Geckos included Box-patterned Geckos (_Lucasium steindachneri_). I think that these geckos from the brigalow were particularly nice.














Prickly Gecko (_Heteronotia binoei_)






We did not find Golden-tailed Geckos but did see some of its relatives, the Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (_Strophurus williamsi_). These are another _Strophurus_ with colourful eyes.


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## richoman_3 (Nov 29, 2011)

beautiful!
love the de vis and steindachneri !
may i ask, what camera do you use?


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## moloch05 (Nov 30, 2011)

*Warrumbungles and summary*

Thanks, Richo. I use a Canon 40D with the following lenses: Tamron 18x250mm zoom, Canon 100mm macro (night) or Tamron 180mm macro (day, butterflies)



Here are my last photos from the trip. We stopped for a night in the Warrumbungles. Ted visited this place long ago and wanted to see it again and show it to Andrew. The Warrumbungles are certainly beautiful. Unfortunately, a change blew through at sunset and the temperatures dropped too much for there to be much active. We did find a few geckos but no snakes. Here are a few habitat shots:














Thick-tailed Geckos (_Nephrurus millii_) are always nice. This was our only encounter with the species. This animal had a regenerated tail.


















Ocellated Velvet Geckos (_Oedura monilis_) have a lovely pattern here at the southern end of their distribution. I found the following gecko on the same wattle where I found one licking sap a few years ago. 













We also encountered a number of others.










Eastern Spiny-tailed Geckos (_Strophurus williamsi) _are usually the most abundant gecko in the Warrumbungles. This year, we only sighted a few.














We found a single Robust Velvet Gecko (_Oedura robusta_):


















Eastern Stone Gecko (_Diplodactylus vittatus_):










This Prickly Gecko (_Heteronotia binoei_) was markedly differently to those that we saw in the north.










A new species for me was this Leaden Delma (_Delma plebeia_):










A Grey Kangaroo buck and his girls:






Skippers that I have not yet identified:














Finally, here are shots of Broad-tailed Geckos (_Phyllurus platurus_) from the hills near Wollongong. I took the guys into the hills to see these before they returned to the airport.














That is is for this trip. As you can see, Queensland is a particularly good place to visit for wildlife photography. If we had a little more time, I would have added Lamington and Mt. Glorious near Brisbane. These areas are rich with endemics and we may have observed another 20 species or so in the rainforests.

Here is the trip list. We managed photographs of most species but missed a few.

Location abbreviations:

ATH: Atherton Tablelands
BRG: Brigalow
CHL: Chillagoe
CHNP: Cape Hillsborough NP
EUN: Eungella
GTN: Georgetown
JOR: Jourama Falls
MB: Mission Beach
NYN: Nyngan
PG: Porcupine Gorge
WAR: Warrumbungles
WDH: Windorah
WIN: Winton



Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus): CHNP
Saw-shelled Turtle (Woumbina latisternum): MB, EUN
Chameleon Gecko (Carphodactylus laevis): ATH
Ring-tailed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus tuberculatus ): CHL
Tessellated Gecko (Diplodactylus tessellatus): WIN
Eastern Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus vittatus): WAR
Gehyra dubia: widespread
Gehyra robusta: WIN
Gehyra variegata: WDH, WIN, WAR
Prickly Gecko (Heteronotia binoei): CHL, BRG, WAR
Pale-striped Ground Gecko (Lucasium immaculatum): WIN
Box-patterned Gecko (Lucasium steindachneri): NYN, BRG
Nactus chevreti: CHL
Prickly Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus asper): WIN
Thick-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus asper): WIN
Northern Velvet Gecko (Oedurea castelnaui): CHL
Marbled Velvet Gecko (Oedura marmorata): WIN
Ocellated Velvet Gecko (Oedura monilis): CHNP, EUN, WAR
Zig-zag Velvet Gecko (Oedura rhombifer): CHL
Robust Velvet Gecko (Oedura robusta)
Phyllurus nepthys: EUN
Phyllurus platurus: WOL
Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuaris cornutus): ATH
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus ciliaris): WDH
Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi): WDH
Southern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus intermedius): NYN
Strophurus krisalys: WIN
Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi): BRG, WAR
Delma nasuta: 1 near NYN
Delma plebeia: WAR
Lialis burtonis: WIN, CHL, TWN
Jewelled Rainbow-Skink (Carlia jarnoldae): CHL
Carlia longipes: MB
Carlia munda: GTN
Blue-throated Rainbow-Skink (Carlia rhomboidalis): CHNP, EUN
Carlia mundivensis: CHL
Carlia rococo: CHL
Red-throated Rainbow-Skink (Carlia rubrigularis): MB, ATH
Black-throated Rainbow-Skink (Carlia rostralis): ATH, JOR
Lively Rainbow-Skink (Carlia vivex): CHL
Cryptoblepharus: PG, CHL, MB, CHNP
Cryptoblepharus litoralis: MB
Leonhard's Ctenotus (Ctenotus leonhardii): WDH
Leopard Ctenotus (Ctenotus pantherinus): WIN
Straight-browed Ctenotus (Ctenotus spaldingi): GTN
Eastern Striped Skink (Ctenotus robustus): JOR
small unidentified Ctenotus: WDH, GTN, CHL, PG
Pink-tongued Skink (Cyclodomorphus gerrardii): EUN
Spinifex Slender Blue-tongued Skink (Cyclodomorphus melanops)
Cunningham's Skink (Egernia cunninghami): RNP
Major Skink (Egernia major): CHNP, MB
White's Skink (Egernia whitii): RNP
Lemon-barred Forest-Skink (Eulamprus amplus): EUN
Northern Bar-sided Skink (Eulamprus brachysoma): CHL?
Dark Bar-sided Skink (Eulamprus martini): EUN?
Barred-sided Skink (Eulamprus tenuis): CHNP?, JOR?
Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii): ATH, RNP
Prickly Forest Skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae): ATH
Rainforest Sunskink (Lampropholis coggeri): ATH
Grass Skink (Lampropholis delicata): RNP
Dwarf Litter-Skink (Menetia timlowi): BRG
Pale-lipped Shadeskink (Saproscincus basiliscus): MB
Four-fingered Shadeskink (Saproscincus tetradactylus): MB
Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa): NYN
Common Blue-Tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides): RNP
Burn's Dragon (Amphibolurus burnsi): WIN
Gilbert's Dragon (Amphibolurus gilberti): WIN
Nobbi Dragon (Amphibolurus nobbi): ATH
Frilled Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii): DOR near Bowen
Ring-tailed Dragon (Ctenophorus caudicinctus): WDH, WIN
Central Military Dragon (Ctenophorus isolepis): WDH
Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis): WDH
Two-lined Dragon (Diporiphora bilineata): CHL, GTN
Canegrass Dragon (Diporiphora winneckei): WDH
Boyd's Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii): ATH
Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii): ATH, EUN, JOR, RNP
Common Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata): WAR
Down's Bearded Dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni): WIN
Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps): WDH, WIN, BRG
Smooth-snouted Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis intima): WIN
Eyrean Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis tetraporophora): WDH, WIN
Gould's Monitor (Varanus gouldii): WDH, MB
Merten's Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi): GTN
Yellow-spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes): WDH, WIN
Heath Monitor (Varanus rosenbergi): RNP
Spotted Tree Monitor (Varanus scalaris): ATH
Freckled Monitor (Varanus tristis): WIN
Lace Monitor (Varanus varius): JOR, EUN, CHNP
Ramphotyphlops proximus: BRG
Spotted Python (Antaresia maculosa): CHL, CHNP
Stimson's Python (Antaresia stimsoni): WIN, GTN
Black-headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus): near Townsville
Carpet Python (Morelia spilota): MB, EUN
Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis): CHL, MB, CHNP
Green Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata): GTN
Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii): GTN
Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus): WIN
Australian Coral Snake (Brachyurophis australis): BRG
Eastern Small-eyed Snake (Cryptophis nigrescens): RNP
Greater Black Whipsnake (Demansia papuensis): PG
De Vis' Banded Snake (Denisonia devisi): BRG
Grey Snake (Hemiaspis damelii): BRG
Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus): PG
Dwyer's Snake (Parasuta dwyeri): BRG
Mulga Snake (Pseudechis australia): near Hughenden
Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja nuchalis): WDH
Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis): NYN, BRG
Curl Snake (Suta suta): WDH, WIN, PG, BRG


Regards,
David


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## Jeffa (Nov 30, 2011)

Well done, Eungella and Cape hillsborough are my neck of the woods. If you come by this way again be sure to check out the whitsundays and pm me, apparently we have an endemic whip snake that is to be classified. Love the pics and wow, wow , wow.
"Livin the dream"

Cheers 
Jeffa


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## jase75 (Nov 30, 2011)

How do I get your life ? ? I get so excited as soon as I see a new thread from you Moloch. Id be happy to see a tenth of the things and places you have seen. Awesome pics, awesome thread !!!!


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## moloch05 (Dec 2, 2011)

Thanks very much, Jeffa and Jason. When I head back to the Mackay area, I will contact you, Jeffa. It would be interesting to see the whip snake. I am afraid that I won't be up that way for awhile, though, since I have about exhausted my leave (and leave pass to be away from home!).

Regards,
David


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## spiderdan (Dec 4, 2011)

WOW grate thread and amazing pics well done.


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## Nash1990 (Dec 6, 2011)

Yay Moloch is back!! 

You never fail to create the most impressive threads here on aps


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## bredli84 (Feb 25, 2012)

excellent shots of the Bee Eater (pt my recent efforts to shame).
I also really like your close-ups, brilliant images.

That panoptes is huge, massive forelegs!


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## mmafan555 (Feb 25, 2012)

Has anyone on here actullay handled a male platypus?


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## lgotje (Feb 25, 2012)

epic thread


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## saratoga (Feb 28, 2012)

Nash1990 said:


> Yay Moloch is back!!
> 
> You never fail to create the most impressive threads here on aps



I'll second that!

Fantastic set of posts and images David; have to revisit several times to take it all in.


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## GeckPhotographer (Feb 28, 2012)

Nice thread, lovely photos. Looked back at the 'R.proximus' pics and I think the snout is far more trilobed than it should be for that species, not that I'm an expert.


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## sarah_m (Feb 28, 2012)

All I can say is WOW!
(oh and TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


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