# A few from Wollongong



## moloch (Mar 28, 2010)

I live in Wollongong, NSW (Australia).  I walk in the hills almost everyday for exercise as well as to see some of the animals.  I usually carry a camera and these are a few of the shots that I have collected recently.  Wollongong is a beautiful place and although I have lived here since 1984, I never tire of it.

Here are a few shots of the area where I walk:



















We are lucky here to have many species of parrots.  I see large numbers right in may yard.  The shrieks of Rainbow Lorikeets are probably the most common bird call each day.  I love the vibrant colours of these birds:












King Parrots are also frequent.  Males are more colourful and less common than the female/immature plummaged birds:

















This is a good time of the year for butterflies.  I see many on each walk.  The Wonder Brown is one of the most common.  Females are drab with a white bar on the wings.  I see these often as they flush from the trail.  Males are hard to see since they usually remain in the canopy of the wet eucalyptus forest.  Males are smaller and bright orange butterflies ... pronounced sexual dimorphism.












Ctenucid moths are everywhere at the moment.  These vary greatly in pattern from one animal to another.













The little Common Ringlets are frequent in open areas with lots of bracken ferns.







Australian Painted Ladies are also common:








Meadow Argus look much like Buckeye Butterflies in North America:








Sword-grass Browns are a common sight:













I am not certain but think these to be Zebra Blues (_Leptotes plinius_):







Swallowtails in the genus _Graphium_ are common in eastern Australia.  This is a Macleay's Swallowtail:












Only a few of the Papilio Swallowtails here have tails.  This is an Orchard Swallowtail (female), one of the species without swallowtails:








I bump into reptiles once in awhile.  One of my favourites is the Eastern Blue Tongue skink.  When threatened, it hisses and the extends the fearsome looking blue tongue ... I guess it must think this.  I can't really understand how a blue coloured tongue can reduce the risk of predation.







Southern Sheoak Skinks are hard to see.  They probably are not rare but are secretive animals that rarely venture into the open.








This has been a good year for Mustard-bellied Snakes.  Until this past spring, I had never seen one in the Wollongong area.  This past summer, I ended up encountering 3.  These are small elapids (cousins of cobras) that are venomous but are not considered to be dangerous (no medical treatment likely from bites).












Night Walks invariably turn up Broad-tailed Skinks (_Phyllurus platurus_) in the rocky areas.  These are crevice dwellers that usually emerge well after dark and then face head downwards on the slope of a boulder to watch for invertebrates.  These geckos can blend so well with the sandstone. 



























Here is what I think the geckos would try and consume.  They are big lizards so probably consume most invertebrates that they encounter on the rocks:






... any ideas?







... a huntsman?












One of the orbs?  I like the shaggy face of this spider:

















... dinner:








I often hear Boobook (a.k.a., Spotted Owls) in the forest.  Once in awhile, I see one:








I also hear Sugar Gliders on most walks.  These have a yapping call that is a little like the bark of a small dog.  They are cute little animals.  I like the amazing eye shine of this possum:












Regards,
David


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## Edd Eskimo (Mar 28, 2010)

WOW! Those were great pics. you took! Australia has some of the greatest scenery and wildlife I have ever scene! I envy you!


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