A lot of our time was spent finalising the students’ research projects, but
there’s always room for a little exploration, and in the evening I came up
with something a little different – a pair of frogs! I’ve only recently been
introduced to the joys of frogging as my partner is a keen ‘frogger’. These
frogs were none other than Desert Tree Frogs (Litoria rubella) and true to
their biology were hanging out around a puddle next to a water tank. I
showed the frogs to several of the students, some of whom were surprised
that amphibians could survive in such an arid environment!
The better part of our final day at the station was spent packing up.
Although this wasn’t the most stimulating of activities, it was enlivened
by a few interesting critters that showed up during the process. While
having a bit of a breather, I noticed a small scuttle in the garden next to a
car. After a heated chase through leaf litter and spikey plants, and with the
help of a student who had been walking past, we were able to capture a
little South-eastern Morethia (Morethia boulengeri). In reality we were
lucky to apprehend the fast-moving skink after it bolted up the student’s
sleeve!
The excitement didn’t end there, as a group of strange caterpillars
appeared on the side of a building. Although individually they just looked
like your typical hairy caterpillars, these were processionary caterpillars,
and were absolutely mesmerising as they moved in slow circles, trailing
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each other head to tail.
The final night was filled with rest, relaxation and a few
drinks here and there. After a game of cards one of the
other staff members exclaimed that she was yet to see a
Thick-tailed Gecko (she was literally in the wrong place at
the wrong time on every occasion that we found one) and
wanted to see one before leaving. So we promptly went on
one final hunt for geckos. Unfortunately, no thick-tails
were found, however we did locate a frog skeleton which
was pretty neat. Even better was a Border Beaked Gecko
(Rhynchoedura angusta). These guys are such cool little
geckos, with their tiny ‘beaks’ and appealing patterns, and I
must admit I’m a big fan. Sadly, due to the combination of
a few beers and the impromptu nature of the walk, I didn’t
have a camera on me, so there’s no photo to share. I went to
bed shortly afterwards, to be up early for the drive back to
Sydney. I wish I’d stayed up just a bit longer though, as
about thirty minutes later a Curl Snake went straight past
the students’ accommodation....talk about luck!
The trip home was simply an exercise of driving from point
A to point B, and the only herp
we spotted was a frog that disap-
peared off the road into some
bushes as we were driving
through the back streets of
Dubbo. A special thanks to all
the staff and students on this trip,
they really did a killer job and as
a result it ended up being both
fun and educational for all those
involved. Thanks also to the uni-
versity for giving everyone the
chance to get out there and learn
about arid ecosystems. And a
special mention to Jamie, the
morale-boosting and apple-
stealing resident young Emu on
the station. Finally, I’d recom-
mend to all herp enthusiasts; try
taking a trip out west!
- The pair of Desert Tree
Frogs (Litoria rubella) were
hanging around next to a water
tank.
- The final day was enlivened
by the appearance of a group of
processionary caterpillars.
- Typical latrine site of rock-
dwelling Egernia; the lizards
themselves were nowhere to be
found. Images by Mitch
Hodgson.
- Fowler’s Gap has a huge
diversity of flora as well as
fauna. Image by Matthew Brun.
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