Saturday, February 2, 2013

Australia - snake's alive!

Slow but steady progress during the past week here in Brisbane. Found some large fungi that looked pretty much like big supermarket mushrooms - they turned out to be the poisonous Yellow Stainer Agaricus xanthodermus and my first fungal tick in Australia. I found a Brown Huntsman Heteropoda jugulans on the drive, and a friendly Pholcus phalangioides has set up on the back patio (yep, the same as the British one, it's introduced here and apparently they eat Red-backs for breakfast - I'm yet to find the latter in the square). Also found a Common Earwig Forficula auricularia in the house, another widespread European introduction here.

A wander around the suburban streets a couple of days ago produced a cracking Australian Hobby, a few more weedy plants and a Red Tiger Assassin Bug Havinthus rufovarius which I will try to photograph once I've bought a macro lens. A brief 20-minute spotlighting session in the woods tonight produced great views of a Tawny Frogmouth, a calling male Koala and best of all brilliant views of a Keelback Snake Tropidonophis mairii partially submerged in the creek hunting frogs.

Fungi: 1
Plants: 48
Spiders: 4
Cockroaches: 1
Dragonflies: 1
Earwigs: 1
Bugs: 1
Beetles: 2
Butterflies: 8
Moths: 1
Ants: 1
Amphibians: 1
Reptiles: 3
Birds: 32
Mammals: 4

Total: 109

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