Beautiful birds, leaping lizards and slithering snakes
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic gardens Victoria
The sign above was one of several that greeted us as we drove into through the entrance to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens south east of Melbourne. Fair enough – after all, this is the lizards’ home and we are the visitors. It distresses me when driving our country roads here in Australia when I see dead lizards on the road. It seems to happen far too often. Add to that the huge death toll that accounts for thousands of birds, kangaroos, wombats, echidnas and other animals and you have a sickening statistic.
Some of these deaths are unavoidable; some people would not even be aware that they ran over a lizard or hit a small bird, for example. What is far worse, of course, are those people with twisted minds and no care for our environment who deliberately kill our wildlife for the sheer thrill of it. Perhaps what we need is some nasty kangaroos with the talent to drive a vehicle in order to even up the score a little.
A little more disconcerting was the sign below. We did not see any snakes but it was good to have the warning. Some years ago I experienced a Tiger Snake (very poisonous) slither over my shoe. It is not an experience I am in a hurry to repeat. This is their home and I will always attempt to give them the freedom to enjoy their territory unhindered.
And the birds?
You will have to scroll back through the posts over the last few days to read about them, and to enjoy the photos of birds I posted.
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic gardens Victoria
Wallabies, wildflowers and other wonders
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
2007 Victorian trip report #8
During our walk in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens in Victoria we came across a solitary Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor. It was being rather secretive and shy, and wouldn’t come out of the bushes and fully show us his beautiful markings. We had seen this species of wallaby before in this, and other, locations.
This medium sized wallaby is found along the entire east coast of Australia and in southern Victoria. It can also be found in the extreme south east corner of South Australia. It has a wide range of preferred habitats, including forest, woodland, scrub, heathland and even tropical rainforests in the more northern parts of its range.
Swamp Wallaby in Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
Alternative names: Black Wallaby, Black-tailed Wallaby
An interesting fact I gleaned from one of my field guides to the mammals of Australia is that this species is more diurnal than most macropods, and that it tends to be solitary and shy. Yep – that’s what we found.
While trying to sneak up on this shy wallaby to get a better shot, I had to be very disciplined and ignore the birds flitting around, all trying to distract me.
The photo below was taken nearby.
Tall Greenhood orchid in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
Birds, bandicoots and other signs of wildlife
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
2007 Victorian trip report #7
During our short visit earlier this year to the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens near Melbourne our primary objective was to look at the native plants and wildflowers. I was also on the lookout for any birds we saw, taking photos wherever possible. We were a little disappointed with the range of plants in flower but still found enough to be of interest. Likewise the bird life, although a little quiet, was still quite good.
As an added bonus we saw some animals as well. We were amused by the sign shown in the photo above as we drove through the entrance gates and on towards the picnic grounds. It brought back memories of a visit to this area many years ago when the gardens were first being established. On one of our walks that day we came across a Southern Brown Bandicoot wandering along the path. This was the first time we had seen this mammal in the wild. We were so excited that we forgot to take any photos of this interesting creature hopping around our feet. I didn’t make the same mistake this time. I actually had to be careful I didn’t drive over the critter as we left the picnic grounds. Lovely.
Southern Brown Bandicoot, Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
Lazy Lizards
2 Comments »6th December, 2007; Category: Animals
Eastern Bearded Dragon
2007 Australian Capital Territory trip report
During our wanderings of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra we saw many species of Australian plants in flower. I also observed a nice range of birds that inhabit the gardens.
Eastern Bearded Dragon
What I didn’t expect to see were reptiles, which is a little silly because there must be a very large population of geckos, skinks, lizards and even snakes. The gardens are an ideal habitat for reptiles, with plenty of dense shrubby undergrowth vegetation for them to hide. Around lunch time the sun was becoming quite warm and the lizards came out for a laze in the warmth.
We are quite familiar with the Bearded Dragons which are resident in our own garden in Murray Bridge. This was the first time I can recall ever seeing a Gippsland Water Dragon (shown below). This individual was sunning itself on a large boulder just above a large rock pool featured in one part of the garden.
Gippsland Water Dragon
Links:
- Australian National Botanic Gardens
- Water dragons in the gardens
- Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the Botanic Gardens
A bounty of birds in the garden plus one reptile
The bird life in our garden seems to have moved up a few notches in the activity levels in recent days. With the extended period of dry, warmer weather – more spring-like than winter despite what the calendar says – birds are becoming quite active. I haven’t taken the time to explore through all the trees and bushes around to see what is nesting, but I am sure that there is plenty of it happening already around here, and plenty more to come.
On top of that we are having visits from a few species we only see occasionally. For example, yesterday morning when we arrived home from visiting friends, we were delighted as we walked from the car to the house. A Peaceful Dove was calling in the trees by the driveway. This species is not resident in our garden but is a very welcome visitor from time to time.
Peaceful Dove, Cleland Wildlife Park
Next we heard some White-browed Babblers calling from the scrub along with a Mistletoebird calling persistently in the trees.
A solitary Nankeen Kestrel flew overhead and both Yellow-rumped and Striated Pardalotes were heard calling as they fed in the trees. A few minutes later two Pacific Black Ducks flew off startled from the swimming pool (it is still too early to clean Le Swamp). At the back of the house two Blackbirds were feeding in the company of several Crested Pigeons and Common Starlings.
Crested Pigeon
A surprising visitor yesterday was an Adelaide Rosella. These are more common in the Adelaide Hills further west from Murray Bridge. A small group of up to four birds has been seen over recent weeks. Later I heard several Weebills feeding in the trees along with a small family of Yellow-rumped Thornbills.
And the reptile?
The most surprising sighting of the last 48 hours was a half grown Brown Snake sunning itself in the driveway. It was probably about 75cm long and still had the features and markings of a juvenile. I guess it is coming into its second summer this year.
Normally we do not see too many snakes around our property even in the heat of summer, and those we do see we always give them a wide berth. I am not keen on chasing after even a small one like that seen yesterday; it can still turn on one and inflict a deadly bite. What amazed me was the fact that it is August – still winter according to our calendar. In December through February we always walk cautiously around the garden and scrub. I guess we should always be vigilant.