Swamp Wallaby in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
No Comments »21st February, 2008; Category: Animals, Botanic Gardens, Holidays, Parks and Gardens, Victoria
Sign in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
Our holiday in Victoria
September 2007
On our walk in the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens south east of Melbourne we were delighted to get good views of a Swamp Wallaby. It seemed a little shy about coming out into the open which made getting a good photo hard. I also found it a little distracting trying to get this photo; there were so many birds around me also vying for my attention and the focus of my camera.
Swamp Wallaby in Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Victoria
Click on the photos to enlarge the image.
Reptiles in the Australian National Botanic Gardens
4 Comments »29th December, 2007; Category: Animals, Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Holidays, Parks and Gardens
Eastern Bearded Dragon
Our holiday in Canberra
September 2007
When we went to visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra I went to see the plants and flowers and the bird life. I didn’t expect to be watching reptiles, nor did I expect to be able to get some great shots of them.
Eastern Bearded Dragon
The Eastern Bearded Dragon I had seen many times before. Bearded Dragons are resident in our garden at home.
This was the first time I had seen a Gippsland Water Dragon. It was minding its own business sunning itself on a rock just above a large pool of water, one of the many featured in the botanic gardens.
Gippsland Water Dragon
Going Batty – in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
No Comments »13th October, 2007; Category: Animals, Botanic Gardens, New South Wales, Parks and Gardens, Sydney
Grey-headed Flying Foxes
Our holidays in New South Wales
September 2007
Grey-headed Flying Foxes, a species of fruit bat, have formed a large colony in the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens in the heart of Sydney.
I must say that the presence of these bats adds a certain interesting aspect to the wildlife of the gardens. The truth of the matter, however, is far different. This colony has caused enormous problems for the gardeners trying to protect the heritage trees of the Botanic Gardens. These trees were planted in the early days of settlement and make a very valuable and quite rare collection of plants. The Flying Foxes, by their sheer numbers, have been destroying these trees. Consequently, attempts are being made to discourage the bats from roosting there.
Grey-headed Flying Foxes
Flying foxes are large bats, weighing up to 1 kg, with a wing span which may exceed one metre. They sleep during the day and feed on pollen, nectar and fruit at night. In the wild they are important pollinators and seed dispersers of native trees. Seeds are discarded in the faeces or fall where the fruit is being eaten. These seeds germinate when conditions are suitable and ensure that dispersal occurs in a wide area. (Quoted from the Botanic Gardens Trust website).
For more information about the Flying Foxes and the struggle to protect the trees click here.
Grey-headed Flying Foxes
A special resident
Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard
My son and daughter-in-law live in a lovely part of Sydney, the northern suburb of Artarmon. They have an interesting array of birds that visit their garden and the surrounding district. They also have some other resident animals.
The Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard shown in the photo above is a long-term resident of their garden. It is often seen basking in the sun near the front steps of their home. When approached it will scuttle under the bottom step where there is a gap large enough to hide. Not that we are a threat to its survival but I wouldn’t be so sure about all the Laughing Kookaburras that frequent the area.
For more information about Blue-tongue lizards click here.
Wild Water Buffalo, Central Zoo, Kathmandu
Wild Water Buffalo, Central Zoo, Kathmandu
The buffalo is used in many parts of Nepal’s agricultural areas. They are also common as a beast of burden throughout Asia. Very few – perhaps as few as 4000 individuals – remain as truly wild animals. Throughout my travels in Thailand and Nepal I witnessed the use of this animal on farms, but farmers are turning to what one guide called “Japanese buffaloes” (tractors made in Japan).
There are small populations in the wild throughout its former range, and can now be found in India, Bhutan, Vietnam and Thailand. It has been widely domesticated and feral populations have established in many places. One of these populations includes a huge feral presence in northern Australia where they have been responsible for much environmental damage. In recent years there has been an active eradication programme. Over recent decades large numbers have been shot from helicopters and the population is now under control with only small pockets surviving.