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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:07 am Post subject: North Kimberley Wildlife Survey May-June 2012- Part 2
G'day,
As I mentioned, the first four weeks was all work (and play). I organised for my girlfriend Jess to fly in on the charter plane that was taking everyone else home. After nine days we'd fly out with the mail plane. So that's how it went and we spent nine days running around the property and even managed to spend a couple of night at the Mitchell Plateau, a stunning place
Greater Black Whipsnake (Demansia papuensis)
And this is what that black whipsnake would be after. Robust Skink (Ctenotus robustus). They get pretty big over 50g.
Grey Whipsnake (Demansia simplex). A smaller relative of the black whipsnake. They are a bit stockier then other whipsnakes and occasionally turn up down towards the Daly River. Venomous but not dangerous.
Cryptoblepharus megastictus, a species of snake-eyed skink that live on the sandstone in the Kimberley.
Mitchell's Water Monitor
Olive Whipsnake (Demansia olivacea) are pretty common around Darwin as well. Venomous but not dangerous.
Freshies are in every creek.
I'm a log, I'm a log, I swear I'm a log.
A young Black-Palmed Rock Monitor (Varanus glebopalma). You might see these if you go on the walk behind Wangi Falls or wander around Lost City in Litchfield.
Camping again
White-Lipped Dragon (Diporiphora albilabris)
An adult Black-Palmed Rock Monitor.
Northern Dotted Geckos (Gehyra nana).
A legless lizard called a Delma. This is Delma borea.
An almost legless lizard. This one is a skink that has tiny legs to help it move around under the sand/soil. It's called Lerista kalumburu.
This is a tiny fly wasp. They catch flies and take them away to their stash and were hanging around me a lot. I had a lot of time on my hands to catch flies and pass to them to the wasps. Some say I have to much time on my hands.
Diporiphora magna are a common little dragon in the Kimberley.
Proablepharus tenuis, a tiny tiny skink.
The Fire-Tailed Skink (Morethia ruficauda).
When you find a crystal clear untouched waterhole there is only one thing to do Good fun.
A young Golden Tree Snake.
Another Strophurus mcmillani.
A tiny Knob-Tailed Gecko.
Theda is full of rock art. It's always interesting bumping into it.
Tawny Frogmouth
Desert Tree Frog. I'm not sure how it got in the hole the first place.
A smalll gecko called Heteronotia planiceps.
A large Yellow-Spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes). Tough buggers.
Little Spotted Snakes (Suta punctata) turn up occasionally. They are also in the Top End, apparently even in Humpty Doo. They are a mildy venomous snake that get to about half a meter long.
The rest of the pics are from the Mitchell Plateau...
A juvenile Frill-Necked Lizard
Cave Frog (Litoria caveracola). Restricted to a small area of the Kimberley.
A very small and cute Northern Blossum Bat.
Crocodile-Snouted Gecko (Gehyra xenopus). Restricted to a small area of the Kimberley. Like a lot of geckos, they will climb trees at night and lick sap.
Mitchell Falls
I got a really close look at this guy and I'm pretty certain it was a young Golden Bandicoot. A few mammalogist mates agreed, good enough for me!
This one had me confused for a bit. It's probably Oedura obscura (the only option), but the bright yellow tail?? Pretty cool anyway.
We were stoked to see two Golden Backed Tree Rats. They used to be found up here as well but have since become extinct other then small areas of the North Kimberley. Big rats! We get a very similar species up here called Black-Footed Tree Rats and can weigh up to 800g! They are only just holding on so if you have a massive rat in your roof (especially around the Humpty Doo and Berry Springs area) don't go killing. Try and find another option. Parks and Wildlife would be the people to speak too.
If you ever get the opportunity to get up that way, don't hesitate
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:31 am Post subject: Re: North Kimberley Wildlife Survey May-June 2012- Part 2
Ha Ha. not diving..falling! Yeah Sheebs,we have a family of those tree rats in our shed at H/Doo. Thought they were common rats till i trapped one. Released it once i relised it was a native and we have learned to live with them. bl..dy bandicoots had better find a new diet than my retic. pipes though, or there may be grief! Excellent pics mate! Your "job" looks like most peoples dream holiday. Thanks for sharing.
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:10 am Post subject: Re: North Kimberley Wildlife Survey May-June 2012- Part 2
Thanks for all the comment fellas.
jersy wrote:
Ha Ha. not diving..falling! Yeah Sheebs,we have a family of those tree rats in our shed at H/Doo. Thought they were common rats till i trapped one. Released it once i relised it was a native and we have learned to live with them. bl..dy bandicoots had better find a new diet than my retic. pipes though, or there may be grief! Excellent pics mate! Your "job" looks like most peoples dream holiday. Thanks for sharing.
Nice one Jersy. Do you see them often or just hear them?
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:38 pm Post subject: Re: North Kimberley Wildlife Survey May-June 2012- Part 2
Yeah mate saw them again last night trying to get into the dogs tucker bag. You can have them if you want. Bit worried about them chewing the wires that run along the roof line. Oh, they are also great for scaring the cr.p out of visitors that camp out in the back room.
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:52 pm Post subject: Re: North Kimberley Wildlife Survey May-June 2012- Part 2
Thanks for sharing those pics Sheeby, awesome place and wonderful animals. You have a job that most of us would dream about.
_________________ The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing. ~Babylonian Proverb
Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a philosopher's salary. ~Patrick F. McManus
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