Whipsnake too fast for skink

The action came almost underfoot in the Common today with a Lesser Black Whipsnake whizzing from long grass after striking Striped Skink.

Sorry about image quality. Too close for long lens on camera so had to press Ipod into service.

Also close to underfoot, but far enough away for lens, female Leaden Flycatcher obviously enjoying bit some morning sunshine.

And showing off some 'under foot', Red-backed Fairy-Wren takes an unexpected jump, No flash being used so jump just one of those things.

Nightjar sits tight, Skink gets tyred

Seldom come across Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) sitting around so openly as above (on very low branch), at Jourama Falls this week. More often, they sit unseen on the ground by day, and ‘chop chop’ through summer nights.

Recent rain means Riverview Creek at Jourama is running high, but the rusty Camry has given way to a bit more Toyo (T. troopy) grunt and clearance. 

And, happy link between road and nature, Striped Skink (poss. Ctenotus Spaldingi) checks out an old wheel that floated into Tyto on floodwaters last year (NB: editorial restraint on puns).

Click pix to enlarge  

Striped skink snake's snack

Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) puts death bite on Eastern Striped Skink (Ctenotus robustus) near the Tyto lookout today. The 70cm snake didn't like my presence and slid into clump of sedge to swallow skink. Saw some of the action, but view much obscured. All over in about five minutes.    

Cold-blooded encounters

Change from feathers to cold-blooded types after a couple of lucky encounters this week. First, Keelback (Freshwater Snake) (Tropidonophis mairii) moves through a sunlit patch of leaf litter on the lookout knoll. The keeled scales show clearly along the back. Most Tyto Keelbacks are this orangey-brown coloration, or dark-light mix of greys.

Second, Striped Rocketfrog (Litoria nasuta) finally stopped mad zigzag jumping through the reeds and settled down for closeup. Plenty of the frogs about, but fewer Keelbacks seen out among the reeds lately. The unseasonal rains may have made it harder for the snakes to track the frogs.

Third, though it lacks a common name, here's what I call the Common Striped Skink (Ctenotus robustus: similar to C. spaldingi and rarer C. nullum). It's one of two large (110mm snout to vent) skinks in Tyto. The other, much trickier to photograph, is the plainer Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii).

Last, and odd footnote on the theme: picked from my forearm today the first leech I've met in six years. Not in Tyto, but possibly from, of all things, a metal gate at another little wetlands. Strange.

Sunbird leads little beauties

Male Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) leads closeup looks (all shot from inside three metres) at a few little weekend beauties, from Tyto and nearby.

Little Kingfisher (Ceyx pusilla) sits tight within a water's edge guava. 

Chestnut-breasted Mannikins (Lonchura castaneothorax) just out of the nest.

Striped Skink (Ctenotus spaldingi) peers up from the Tyto lookout planking.