moloch05
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I visited Royal National Park about a month ago and then returned again today with my younger daughter, Alexia. Both visits were along the Great Coast Walk from Garie Beach to Wattamolla. I decided to combine photos of these two trips into a single post.
The rugged coastal cliffs, strange rock formations and unusual flora always make this an interesting place to visit.
... looking south to Garie Beach:
On my first visit, I did not see any snakes at all but today, I encountered two. The first was a young Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) that had flattened itself on a rock. I was able to take one photo before it turned and climbed back into the hole by its tail.
The second snake was a huge Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) that was soaking up the afternoon sun right next to the trail. We were walking quickly at the time so found ourselves right next to the snake before seeing it. My daughter strangely did not consider this the highlight our day. Red-bellies are usually shy and race into cover when disturbed but this one mostly ignored us. Its body was flattened but I think that this was part of its thermoregulatory behaviour rather than alarm by our presence. Unfortunately, its head was mostly under a shrub so photos were difficult.
On my last trip, I completely missed Cunningham's Skinks (Egernia cunninghami) but today, I saw several in one colony. Most of the sightings were of young animals and they were very shy and hard to photograph. One of the large adults was more cooperative. This species of skink is colonial and I only know of a couple of colonies along the cliffs.
... a juvenile sheltering in a crevice. Their spotting is much more pronounced than on the adults.
Near this outcrop, I found a few juvenile Copper-tailed Skinks (Ctenotus taeniolatus) on my first trip.
Today, Copper-tails were much more common and included adults as well as juveniles.
... creeks like this were a good place to find Eastern Water Skinks (Eulamprus quoyii):
Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii):
I watched other water skinks along this creek and hoped to take a photo of one swimming. They were too quick. I did see a Lewin's Rail here as it briefly stepped into the open before running back into cover. They probably are not rare but I seldom see them due to the secretive habits. Lewin's Rails are about the size and shape of a Virginia's Rail.
White's Skinks (Liopholis (Egernia) whitii) were a frequent sight on rock outcrops. This is a juvenile:
... and adults:
Jacky Lizards (Amphibolurus muricatus) were common. I watched one here wave its front foot in the manner of the congeneric Gilbert's/Long-nosed Dragons of the west. This was the first time that I have seen a Jacky perform perform this behaviour.
I found what I think is an Eastern Common Froglet (Crinia signifera) along a small stream.
Alexia and I stopped for lunch today at this cove. I saw Eastern Water Skinks (Eulamprus quoyii) active on the sand just above the waves. A month ago, I saw fresh monitor tracks that headed towards rocks at the water line but I could not, unfortunately, find the lizard. I imagine that both Lace and Heath live in this area.
Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia) were among the numerous plants in flower. The winters here are mild so many plants flower throughout the year.
Westringia fruiticosa
These shots illustrate the unusual rock formations and low growing plants of the coastal heath.
For some reason, Beautiful Firetails were flocking in the open about a month ago. Normally, I hear their calls and then see a flash of red as they dart across the trail. This one approached when I tried squeaking.
This is a Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, a fairly local species. Royal is a great place for them and they are quite easy to find in low heath near the cliffs.
Finally, here is another mystery photo. I think that enough is visible to guess the genus.
Regards,
David
The rugged coastal cliffs, strange rock formations and unusual flora always make this an interesting place to visit.
... looking south to Garie Beach:
On my first visit, I did not see any snakes at all but today, I encountered two. The first was a young Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) that had flattened itself on a rock. I was able to take one photo before it turned and climbed back into the hole by its tail.
The second snake was a huge Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) that was soaking up the afternoon sun right next to the trail. We were walking quickly at the time so found ourselves right next to the snake before seeing it. My daughter strangely did not consider this the highlight our day. Red-bellies are usually shy and race into cover when disturbed but this one mostly ignored us. Its body was flattened but I think that this was part of its thermoregulatory behaviour rather than alarm by our presence. Unfortunately, its head was mostly under a shrub so photos were difficult.
On my last trip, I completely missed Cunningham's Skinks (Egernia cunninghami) but today, I saw several in one colony. Most of the sightings were of young animals and they were very shy and hard to photograph. One of the large adults was more cooperative. This species of skink is colonial and I only know of a couple of colonies along the cliffs.
... a juvenile sheltering in a crevice. Their spotting is much more pronounced than on the adults.
Near this outcrop, I found a few juvenile Copper-tailed Skinks (Ctenotus taeniolatus) on my first trip.
Today, Copper-tails were much more common and included adults as well as juveniles.
... creeks like this were a good place to find Eastern Water Skinks (Eulamprus quoyii):
Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii):
I watched other water skinks along this creek and hoped to take a photo of one swimming. They were too quick. I did see a Lewin's Rail here as it briefly stepped into the open before running back into cover. They probably are not rare but I seldom see them due to the secretive habits. Lewin's Rails are about the size and shape of a Virginia's Rail.
White's Skinks (Liopholis (Egernia) whitii) were a frequent sight on rock outcrops. This is a juvenile:
... and adults:
Jacky Lizards (Amphibolurus muricatus) were common. I watched one here wave its front foot in the manner of the congeneric Gilbert's/Long-nosed Dragons of the west. This was the first time that I have seen a Jacky perform perform this behaviour.
I found what I think is an Eastern Common Froglet (Crinia signifera) along a small stream.
Alexia and I stopped for lunch today at this cove. I saw Eastern Water Skinks (Eulamprus quoyii) active on the sand just above the waves. A month ago, I saw fresh monitor tracks that headed towards rocks at the water line but I could not, unfortunately, find the lizard. I imagine that both Lace and Heath live in this area.
Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia) were among the numerous plants in flower. The winters here are mild so many plants flower throughout the year.
Westringia fruiticosa
These shots illustrate the unusual rock formations and low growing plants of the coastal heath.
For some reason, Beautiful Firetails were flocking in the open about a month ago. Normally, I hear their calls and then see a flash of red as they dart across the trail. This one approached when I tried squeaking.
This is a Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, a fairly local species. Royal is a great place for them and they are quite easy to find in low heath near the cliffs.
Finally, here is another mystery photo. I think that enough is visible to guess the genus.
Regards,
David
love the RBB!
