November 2021
This will be a bit more of a haphazard entry, with La Niña rainfall it’s been a little bit more of a chaotic November than initially planned. In this one I’ll briefly cover a quick run down to Gippsland as well as two separate trips out to the very north-west corner of the state just a week apart. With a little luck everything will settle down over summer and further trips will go more according to plan.
Part 1
With semester drawing to a close and plenty of wet weather around, there were two frogs that I was itching to find, some of the last getting around the south-east that I hadn’t seen. Some friends from Vic had already been seeing Martin’s Toadlets (Uperoleia martini) after the rain storms and with a gap just before exams and more rain forecast, Bridget and I hit the road one Friday afternoon heading south. Only a few hours later we arrived in east Gippsland, an area of Vic I’d yet to explore. After one necessary Dare stop, along with a large, fat Red-belly on the road, we arrived in some mozzie-filled swamp in coastal dunes.
Dark was still a few hours away, we’d given it enough time to properly scout out where we wanted to spotlight. Bridget quickly found a few skinks (Yellow-bellied Water Skinks (Eulamprus heatwolei) and a Weasel Skink (Saproscincus mustelinus)) and after finding some open areas of water with Banjo Frogs (Limnodynastes dumerilii) calling, we headed west to Orbost to meet Nick and source some dinner. One very subpar Thai meal and horrible green maxibon later, and we were headed back to our scouted waterways.
I’d heard from other people that U. martini could be a struggle to find, and often only a few would be calling at any one spot. Luckily, with the huge amounts of water around we were instantly deafened by them and many other species at our first ephemeral swamp. Some careful approaches later and I had the first one and it wasn’t even dark yet. After contending with the mozzies and photographing a few individuals, along with some of the other frogs, we bailed out.
Making our way east, we stopped at a river that Blue Mountains Tree Frogs (Litoria citropa) and Southern Green Stream Frogs (Litoria nudidigitus) called home, but unfortunately with all the rain it was unexplorable. Not to worry, a short way further down the road and we were at another flooded area. It didn’t take long to spotlight some Gippsland Green and Golden Bell Frogs (Litoria aurea) but the subspecies of Eastern Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii insularis) we were also chasing proved surprisingly hard to find. Many were calling but they were very difficult to spot among the thick veg. After spending a fairly ridiculous amount of time searching for the right one, we turned it up nearby, followed by a quick camp in the mozzie filled forest. With a successful search for U. martini complete, we parted ways with Nick the next morning and shot north back to Canberra.
Part 2
Less than a week later Nick arrived in Canberra, meeting me at a local grassland to see some Striped Legless Lizards (D. impar). 6 impar and a few photos later and we shot back home for my last exam. With uni complete and the forecast predicting only one nice day before the rain hit Tibooburra, we did some rushed packing to leave that night. We ended up pulling up at midnight near Bogan Gate to camp.
Day 1
We didn’t see our first herp the next day until just south of Bourke, with the first of what would be many Central Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) spotted out basking. Many more followed, along with a Sand Goanna (Varanus gouldii) and a few Shinglebacks (Tiliqua rugosa) as we continued west out onto the dirt. The first of our slightly better finds were some Central Netted Dragons (Ctenophorus nuchalis), one of which we convinced to stop for photos, along with a clean 5 foot Eastern Brown (Pseudonaja textilis), which left me a little disappointed it wasn’t an aspid. It was mid-afternoon, warm and overcast when we finally arrived in Tibooburra, perfect conditions for the many targets we were imagining.
Heading north of town, we stopped at some tin that we knew often delivered the number one target that Nick and I hoped for, the gibber form of the Saltbush Slender Bluetongue (Cyclodomorphus venustus). Luck was not on our side, though I did manage to spy my first new species, an Inland Snake-eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus australis). Not quite the spectacular find I was hoping would take me to the 400 species mark, but beggars can’t be choosers and we were definitely beggars at this point. A quick stop at some rocks on the way back into town yielded some Gidgee Skink (Egernia stokesii) sightings, but no photos. A little crestfallen, we settled in for a pub feed.
With nightfall, I was hoping to track down one of my last geckos for NSW, the Eastern Deserts Fat-tailed Gecko (Diplodactylus ameyi). Despite spotlighting for several hours, we only managed to turn up some Eastern Tree Dtellas (Gehyra versicolor), a singular Border Beaked Gecko (Rhynchoedura angusta) and numerous Gibber Geckos (Lucasium byrnei). Throwing in the towel, we road cruised back through town and out towards the sand dunes. Again, despite what felt like good conditions, nothing was found out on the road and a final desperate spotlight for a Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus levis) also came up empty. Not the ideal day but it happens.
Day 2
Keen to put the previous day behind us, a quick walk through the dunes the next morning was rather productive. Numerous sightings of the Eyrean Ctenotus (Ctenotus taeniatus) and Mallee Dragons (Ctenophorus cf. fordi) were had among the sparse veg, and we also managed to get a female dragon to sit still for some photos. Nick managed to turned up another new species for me, some Saltbush Morethia’s (Morethia adelaidensis) hiding under some tin. Two new species and a probable third as a couch tick was a decent morning, with only the Desert Plain Slider (Lerista aericeps) evading us. Heading back into Tibooburra, we watched the cloud cover build.
After refuelling at the servo, we aimed Ernie south and were smashed by the rain just as we left town. Despite a 30°C morning, by the time we made it to Broken Hill it was wet and a brisk 13°C. Abandoning all hope of continuing our plan to Mutawtinji and then on to Mungo, we continued south towards Mildura. A short stop at a mallee area Nick and I now knew well did produce a decent find in the form of a NSW Marbled Delma (Delma australis) among the sodden spinifex. Spirits slightly lifted, we continued into Wentworth for another pub feed. With the cold and wet conditions we gave Murray Southern Bell Frogs (Litoria raniformis) a half-hearted go before electing to stay in a motel over the uninviting muddy conditions.
Day 3
A warm shower and breakfast the next day saw us ready to try our luck among the Vic mallee. Wending our way into Hattah, Bridget found her first raked delma, another D. australis, along with two Unbanded Delma (Delma butleri) finds. Some quick photos of our limbless friends later and we continued south into some white sand mallee for Aprasia.
The rain had managed to hold off so far and after arriving back at a place that Nick and I previously missed the Eared Worm Lizard (Aprasia aurita), we set about searching. Not five minutes later, Nick found several sheds followed almost immediately by our elusive quarry. While the others photographed it, I quickly found another Marbled Delma (D. australis) before attempting a photo of the small golden noodle. It’s wiggly antics and the whipping wind and rain were rather frustrating but after finally managing some satisfactory shots we booked it back to the car to escape the weather.
With little else to do due to the weather, we shot back across the border and made it all the way to Narrandera just after nightfall to see if the frogs would be braving the cool temps. We found my other major NSW frog target before we’d even left the outskirts of town, with my first Giant Banjo Frog (Limnodynastes interioris) calmly sitting on the road. Another, larger individual was also sighted not much further along, although the local Crucifix Frogs (Notaden bennettii) appeared to have decided the weather was not to their liking. I didn’t blame them. Electing not to spend a night camping in the cold, a late night drive accompanied by some terrible music saw us arrive back in Canberra around 2 AM. All in all, a little under 3,500 kms in just over three days for minimal targets. Not one of our biggest successes.
Part 3
The chance to improve upon our last trip and really nail down some of the last species in the state for myself came less than a week later, with a generous invite to join some ANU postdocs on a pretty much carbon copy plan of our original western NSW trip. With too much fomo not to go, Bridget and I once again packed our bags and headed west with Living, planning to meet the others at Tibooburra the following day. Only leaving Canberra around 2 PM and dodging closed roads due to flooding, we made it to Nyngan by nightfall and cruised north. Nothing spectacular showed itself on the road, but we did come across many Eastern Beaked Geckos (Rhynchoedura ormsbyi), an Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi), an Eastern Robust Slider (Lerista punctatovittata), a Red-naped Snake (Furina diadema) and a young Dwyer’s Snake (Suta dwyeri) before making camp.
Day 2
On the road again early the next morning, it took us most of the day in a much lower car than mine to navigate the dirt to Tibooburra. Despite warm and overcast conditions, we saw much less than last time on the road, with only a few Beardies and Sandies out and about. We did better on the bird front, with our first Flock Bronzewings hiding amongst the gibber. After making it into town and setting up camp, we set out among the rocks to kill time waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Bridget turned up the goods, with both an Inland Snake-eyed Skink (C. australis) and a young Gidgee Skink (E. stokesii) for photos. One photo session later and still waiting for the others, we headed into the local watering hole for dinner.
Once the rest of our large group turned up and dinner was sorted, we headed out for what would be my third attempt at the Eastern Deserts Fat-tailed Gecko (D. ameyi), but to much the same success as my other attempts. The others did manage to find an Eastern Hooded Scalyfoot (Pygopus schraderi) back at camp and a cooperative Eastern Tree Gehyra (G. versicolor) rounded out the night.
Day 3
After eventually getting everyone together the next morning, we headed to the Cyclo tin for another attempt. It was a large amount of disappointment when I got around all the pieces with nothing to show for it, although Bridget managed to do better, finding a large, active Mulga (Pseudechis australis) among the chenopod. With the rest of the group still not there yet and no gear, I wasn’t prepared to interrupt it too much and we watched it slide back into one of the many soil cracks. Eventually the others did arrive, but were soon distracted by the many birds around, leaving me to deliberate on elusive skinks and their location. After a good half hour of melancholy surrounded by chirping Budgies, I was happily interrupted by a possible sighting further out from where we’d searched. Finding some thick flood debris and some renewed vigor for raking, I followed the creekline along. Another 15 or so minutes later and just as my energy was dissipating again, I dislodged a little squiggle and with a dive I had the target in hand, followed by a celebratory yell. Cyclos are definitely some of my favourite skinks, and this particular one had a lovely blue grey sheen, which naturally the photos didn’t show.
With our main target outside the sand dunes safely photographed, we decided to cut our stay in Tibooburra a night short and head out to Fort Grey. We just had the small matter of a flat tire on each of the the other two cars to deal with before heading west. It was dusk by the time we arrived and a quick dinner was all we had time for before donning headtorches and spotlighting out. With Lake Pinaroo full and water plentiful, the mice were booming and young Sandy Inland Mice were everywhere, along with the occasional Fat-tailed Dunnart. While Knob-tails remained elusive, the lake was a rather nice place to watch the stars and be screamed at by the local Barn Owls.
Day 4
We spent most of the next morning scouring the dunes for dragons and Ctenotus. The usual suspects from last time were out and about, and the others also called me over for my first new species of the second trip, a Regal Striped Ctenotus (Ctenotus regius). Unfortunately, with the heat and their widely recognised speed, none were too keen on photos. Spending even more time poking around with the rake than our previous attempt, I once again failed to produce a Desert Plain Slider (L. aericeps).
Sand dune satiated, we cruised west in the afternoon hoping for a Grey Falcon. Although the nomadic raptor failed to show itself, we did see innumerable Central Netted Dragons (C. nuchalis) lining the road, interspersed with the occasional Painted Dragon (Ctenophorus pictus). We even managed to convince one male to sit still for a fraction of a second for some photos. Eventually, the sun did set and the group split up. Two cars headed west cruising to the corner, Bridget and I stayed to spotlight the dunes for a Knob-tail and the final car shot back to camp for the loos. We’d only been spotlighting for a short while when Ash came over the radio saying they’d found a snake on their way back. Her description of a banded snake with a yellow head and black dots above the eyes had us both yelling and sprinting back across the dunes to the road. Tim arrived shortly after to chauffeur us back and soon enough we were in the presence of an immaculate, juvenile, NSW Woma (Aspidites ramsayi). A good chunk of the remainder of the night was spent admiring her, surprisingly, she was a very well behaved subject and had lovely manners. While the others got their photos I quickly got some of a nearby Beaded Gecko (Lucasium damaeum) before everyone had had their fill. We weren’t quite finished for the night either, finding a very angry Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja mengdeni), numerous Dusky Hopping Mice and a Curl Snake (Suta suta) on the way back to camp.
Day 5
We spent much of the day relaxing and trying to enjoy the stifling heat of Sturt NP, variously birding and waiting at camp. I did see two nice new birds for myself, the Cinnamon Quail-thrush and several Orange Chats, but overall the day passed slowly. When night did finally arrive, I was ridiculously keen to get back out onto the road after our previous finds. However, it wasn’t to be quite as exciting as the previous. We did manage to come across ridiculous numbers of Dusky Hopping Mice, many of which would sit quietly on the road and allow for a close approach, as well as two more identical looking Western Browns (P. mengdeni). Seeing as we’d already managed to find a species I hadn’t thought of as remotely likely, I was content as we made it back to camp for our final night in Sturt NP.
Day 6
Despite the forecast originally being little to no rain, we got an unfortunate surprise when we made it back to Tibooburra the next morning. Up to 40mm, along with cold conditions, was forecast for most of western NSW over the next two days and seeing as we were meant to spend a lot more time down dirt roads, our plan was not looking good. The déjà vu was strong as Bridget and I elected to return to Canberra rather than try and wait out the weather to get into Mutawintji or Mungo NP. With a little luck, our other two upcoming plans would not have the same weather problems.
