Search found 93 matches

by stewart_macdonald
July 14th, 2013, 10:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snakes of Australia iPhone field guide
Replies: 3
Views: 1409

Re: Snakes of Australia iPhone field guide

John Martin wrote:Sigh, I'm using android (Samsung Galaxy). I'm assuming I can't use this?
Sorry, it's iOS-only at the moment. I'll do an Android version when I get the time (which could be some time).


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
July 14th, 2013, 6:34 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: ANNOUNCEMENT - FHF Radio in on the air!
Replies: 4
Views: 1652

Re: ANNOUNCEMENT - FHF Radio in on the air!

Good stuff! Is there a way to listen to these offline (e.g., subscribing to podcasts via iTunes)? I normally only get time to listen to things like this when I'm away from my computer (running, cycling, driving, etc).


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
July 14th, 2013, 6:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snakes of Australia iPhone field guide
Replies: 3
Views: 1409

Snakes of Australia iPhone field guide

Hi all, After seeing Noel 's awesome Snakes of Singapore iPhone app , I thought I'd plug one that Stephen Zozaya and I have created. It's called Snakes of Australia and, unsurprisingly, it's a comprehensive electronic field guide to the snakes of Australia (excluding sea snakes/kraits). The app feat...
by stewart_macdonald
July 1st, 2013, 8:46 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: North Queensland frogging
Replies: 6
Views: 2496

Re: North Queensland frogging

sjfriend wrote:I wonder if the looking left thing has something to do with being in the southern hemisphere?
That's no doubt it. It might be interesting to flush them down the toilet and see in which direction they go.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
June 24th, 2013, 3:45 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: North Queensland frogging
Replies: 6
Views: 2496

Re: North Queensland frogging

moloch wrote:I really like that Covacevich's brood-frog ... a real beauty. Hard to find?
They're definitely one of the best-looking Australian frogs. He wasn't that hard to find the first time I went looking, but the site has been bone dry every other time I've been back there.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
June 23rd, 2013, 2:12 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Orpheus Island, Queensland, Australia
Replies: 2
Views: 1656

Re: Orpheus Island, Queensland, Australia

krisbell wrote:Nice post Stew, i had no idea Cacophis were on Orpheus.
Thanks, Kris. It was the first record of them, I believe.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
June 22nd, 2013, 11:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Photos from the Andalusian Mountains, Spain
Replies: 8
Views: 2830

Re: Photos from the Andalusian Mountains, Spain

Terrific as always, David, but I especially love the snake photo!


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
June 22nd, 2013, 8:32 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: North Queensland frogging
Replies: 6
Views: 2496

North Queensland frogging

The wet season in the tropical north brings out the frogs in droves, and the wet seasons at the start and end of 2012 were no exceptions. Townsville is situated close to a number of interesting and diverse habitats, ranging from mountain rainforests to dry savannah, so amphibian diversity is very hi...
by stewart_macdonald
June 22nd, 2013, 8:30 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Orpheus Island, Queensland, Australia
Replies: 2
Views: 1656

Orpheus Island, Queensland, Australia

Hi all, I've been very quiet on this forum for about a year. I've got a backlog of posts from various field trips and I'll post the most interesting ones here as I get a chance. I'll start with some pics from a week on Orpheus Island, north-east of Townsville. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3751/8957...
by stewart_macdonald
July 11th, 2012, 8:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Laura Sandstone, Australia
Replies: 12
Views: 3433

Re: The Laura Sandstone, Australia

Thanks, David. As Jordo says, post some pics of your unIDed skink and Jordo will sort you out. He's an expert on these guys.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
July 2nd, 2012, 7:08 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Laura Sandstone, Australia
Replies: 12
Views: 3433

Re: The Laura Sandstone, Australia

Nice stuff, Jordan. You've got a cracker of a jowalbinna shot somewhere. I think you posted a version to facebook where you'd chopped its toes off, but said you had one without the toes missing?

And I was more of a driver than a guide. You and Chris were finding all the good stuff.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
July 2nd, 2012, 4:56 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mt Lewis frogging, Australia
Replies: 1
Views: 1528

Mt Lewis frogging, Australia

A post about a trip I did last November with some friends (including Jordan ), at the start of Northern Australia's Wet Season. Stewart ---- After doing pretty well in the Cooktown region, we headed south along the Bloomfield track and then back up the range to Mount Lewis. I'd been up to Mt Lewis s...
by stewart_macdonald
July 1st, 2012, 4:33 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Cooktown - a herpetological endeavour
Replies: 2
Views: 1547

Re: Cooktown - a herpetological endeavour

Thanks, David! I have to say that your avitick has me puzzled. How have you eluded the Pied Imperial for so long? I ticked it within about five months of moving to the north. The few other times I'd been up here before moving, I wasn't really paying attention to birds (unless they were six feet tall...
by stewart_macdonald
July 1st, 2012, 12:52 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Cooktown - a herpetological endeavour
Replies: 2
Views: 1547

Cooktown - a herpetological endeavour

After the gecko hunting , we headed back south and then towards the coast and Cooktown. We'd spent longer with the parrots than we'd expected, so we were running behind time (which is to be expected when traveling with me). We had only a couple more days, and many more animals to harass. We wanted t...
by stewart_macdonald
June 29th, 2012, 4:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Laura Sandstone, Australia
Replies: 12
Views: 3433

Re: The Laura Sandstone, Australia

Thanks, all. I should have added a bit of background info about the velvet gecko. It was described back in 2008 and is known only from a small(ish) sandstone formation in a fairly remote location. This species is totally new - not split from a similar-looking species. Conrad (the guy who, along with...
by stewart_macdonald
June 29th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The last year or so in Aus
Replies: 23
Views: 7493

Re: The last year or so in Aus

urodacus_au wrote:blew the bandwidth allocation unfortunately, I'll look at a pbase or similar account in future so that doesnt happen.
Flickr!

That is all.

Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
June 28th, 2012, 4:11 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Laura Sandstone, Australia
Replies: 12
Views: 3433

The Laura Sandstone, Australia

An excerpt from a series of posts from my blog , about some trips I took at the end of last year. I'm posting this one here because I think it might be the first appearance of the Quinkan velvet gecko ( Oedura jowalbinna ) on this forum. Stewart -- After leaving Tully, we had to cover a lot of groun...
by stewart_macdonald
June 25th, 2012, 5:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Photo Guide to Australian Geckos
Replies: 16
Views: 8183

Re: Photo Guide to Australian Geckos

Stewart, I will be very interested to hear about the Beaked Gecko. I only realized that it was odd after looking at the species splits and distributions on your site. It's not that your specimens are odd, it's just that the work that split them didn't sample them across their entire range. They go ...
by stewart_macdonald
June 22nd, 2012, 8:25 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Photo Guide to Australian Geckos
Replies: 16
Views: 8183

Re: Photo Guide to Australian Geckos

Awesome stuff, David! Earlier this year I sampled some beaked geckos from around Winton, so I'll let you know if I ever find out what they are.

Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 26th, 2012, 5:09 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Central Australia (yes another one!)
Replies: 14
Views: 4205

Re: Central Australia (yes another one!)

jordo wrote:Did you see the woma pic as well Stew?
I did. And on a completely different note, looks like my car is full for the Iron Range trip later this year.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 26th, 2012, 1:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: West of Rocky - Queensland, Australia
Replies: 3
Views: 2008

Re: West of Rocky - Queensland, Australia

TNWJackson wrote:that Dendrelaphis looks more like a Dendroaspis! How long was that guy?
I didn't measure it, but it was easily the biggest one I've ever seen.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 25th, 2012, 4:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Fairly old healthy passive turtles - Queensland, Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 1857

Re: Fairly old healthy passive turtles - Queensland, Austral

I think Steve did a lot of good for conservation. Many Australians certainly cringed at the way he presented himself, and most ecologists disagreed with his 'no sustainable use' attitude (an attitude borne from emotion rather than from any basis in science), but you can't deny the vast audience he w...
by stewart_macdonald
March 25th, 2012, 4:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: West of Rocky - Queensland, Australia
Replies: 3
Views: 2008

West of Rocky - Queensland, Australia

An unposted posted from September of last year. Stewart -- Recently, I've done two stints of fieldwork out in central Queensland, between about Rockhampton and Moranbah. The first stint was in June, and the second was in September. I managed to track down a reptick on each trip, along with some new ...
by stewart_macdonald
March 25th, 2012, 3:25 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Fairly old healthy passive turtles - Queensland, Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 1857

Fairly old healthy passive turtles - Queensland, Australia

An unposted post from September of last year. Stewart --- Recently I helped out a friend who's doing some work on turtles. We went snorkelling for Elseya irwini and, thanks to calm water and great visibility, tracked down a bunch of them within minutes of entering the water. Just as well, because I'...
by stewart_macdonald
March 25th, 2012, 3:20 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Central Australia (yes another one!)
Replies: 14
Views: 4205

Re: Central Australia (yes another one!)

Great stuff, Jordan! That banded P. mengdeni still blows my mind.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 18th, 2012, 10:03 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Doing Alice - Australia
Replies: 14
Views: 5463

Re: Doing Alice - Australia

We're flying out to Alice at the end of May - what do you reckon the herping will be like around that time of year? Hi Tom, I haven't been there in May, but I'd assume that diurnal stuff will still be active. Stephen Michael Zozaya the Fourth will be out there in early May, so he'll be able to give...
by stewart_macdonald
March 17th, 2012, 4:35 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Going Troppo - Queensland, Australia
Replies: 2
Views: 1207

Going Troppo - Queensland, Australia

An unposted post from last September. Stewart -- Failure. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. As my last trip was an utter failure, I had to redeem myself. Never fear - I had a cunning plan. I had been up to the Wet Tropics recently to help a colleague track down some of the little brown skinks...
by stewart_macdonald
March 16th, 2012, 9:14 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mitchell Grass Let Downs - Australia
Replies: 0
Views: 986

Mitchell Grass Let Downs - Australia

An un-posted post from August of last year. Stewart --- Sooner or later, one's luck has to run out. Recently I've been having a great run, tracking down repticks left , right and centre . It should come as no surprise, then, that eventually I'd head away for a weekend and not find a single reptick. ...
by stewart_macdonald
March 16th, 2012, 9:10 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mounting Elliot - Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 1538

Re: Mounting Elliot - Australia

SnakeDude wrote:i love aussie posts
Good to hear! I've got a ton of photos still to post, but I'm trying not to flood the forum with too much at once.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 14th, 2012, 2:18 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tanami Desert, Australia
Replies: 18
Views: 5807

Re: Tanami Desert, Australia

scottriv wrote:I have always wanted to see if you could track womas in the soft red sand................do you know of anyone that has done this?
Not with womas, but tracking other snakes is sand is certainly possible, so I assume you could do it with womas.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 14th, 2012, 2:17 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mounting Elliot - Australia
Replies: 4
Views: 1538

Mounting Elliot - Australia

Not wanting to have a repeat of 2010 , I was getting out virtually every weekend in the second half of last year trying to track down reptiles of all shapes, sizes and colours (but generally thin, small and brown). One Sunday in July saw three friends and me heading up Mt Elliot to track down the mo...
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:49 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Torrens Creek, Australia
Replies: 0
Views: 599

Torrens Creek, Australia

Last July, two friends went looking for some little brown skinks west of Townsville, Queensland. This is their story. --- The weekend after our trip to Chillagoe , Zozizzle and I headed to the small township of Torrens Creek to get all up in the desert uplands and hopefully find some limb-reduced, f...
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Off to chill I go - Chillagoe, Australia
Replies: 3
Views: 1112

Re: Off to chill I go - Chillagoe, Australia

SnakeDude wrote:is that the rock wallaby's tail, or...uh...the u-know-wuttie?
Like all Australian men, our rock wallabies are extraordinarily well-endowed.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tanami Desert, Australia
Replies: 18
Views: 5807

Re: Tanami Desert, Australia

SnakeDude wrote:I heard lace monitors are pretty rare, but I've seen one in almost every Australian post...is this true?
Lace monitors aren't rare (well, they're pretty rare in the Tanami). Despite this, I don't think I've ever posted a picture of one on this forum.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:39 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tanami Desert, Australia
Replies: 18
Views: 5807

Re: Tanami Desert, Australia

Don't talk to me about womas. :x


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tanami Desert, Australia
Replies: 18
Views: 5807

Re: Tanami Desert, Australia

I think a lot of the red colouration actually comes from the red sand itself. You can see in my pic above that the goanna is shedding its skin, and the places that have shed are not as red as the parts with the older, unshed skin.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:05 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Coober Pedy, Australia
Replies: 6
Views: 1706

Re: Coober Pedy, Australia

Great stuff! I love the bat shots. Did you find any opal?
I was there for the lizards! I didn't have time to look for worthless bits of rock!


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 5:04 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tanami Desert, Australia
Replies: 18
Views: 5807

Re: Tanami Desert, Australia

This is probably the reddest one I've seen. It was in the Simpson Desert, a place with no shortage of red sand.


Stewart

Image
Sand goanna (Varanus gouldii) by Stewart Macdonald, on Flickr
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 4:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Brigalow, Mulga lands and Channel country, QLD
Replies: 21
Views: 7747

Re: Brigalow, Mulga lands and Channel country, QLD

I really like the spotted black snake photo. I've never been able to get a decent photo of that species.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 3:50 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Coober Pedy, Australia
Replies: 6
Views: 1706

Re: Coober Pedy, Australia

You should have told me where to find bats though!
Any culvert under any road, anywhere in Australia.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 1:26 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Off to chill I go - Chillagoe, Australia
Replies: 3
Views: 1112

Off to chill I go - Chillagoe, Australia

I wrote this post last year, but am only just posting it now. Sorry for the somewhat confusing temporal references. Stewart --- August 2010. My goal of seeing 50 new reptiles this year, taking my life-list to 350 Australian reptiles, is well and truly in my sights. We can start with a trip to Chilla...
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 1:20 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Coober Pedy, Australia
Replies: 6
Views: 1706

Coober Pedy, Australia

On returning to Alice Springs after my two week stint in the Tanami Desert , I had a spare weekend. Knowing that Ryan likes nothing better than to drive huge distances to find little brown lizards, we jumped in the car and drove to Coober Pedy (Coober Pedy is about 700km, or 430mi, from Alice). I wa...
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 1:15 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tanami Desert, Australia
Replies: 18
Views: 5807

Tanami Desert, Australia

In April of last year, I visited the southern Tanami Desert to take in some of the sights and get to know some of the local wildlife. This post was written just after I returned (i.e., last year), hence the tense, but I'm only just posting it here after a bit of a hiatus on FHF. Stewart ----- Since ...
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 1:09 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Of Freckled Monitors and Ornamental Snakes.
Replies: 4
Views: 1655

Re: Of Freckled Monitors and Ornamental Snakes.

Great Scott, Scott! Eleven of the blighters! And you didn't even need 400kms of trench to get them! Ornamental snakes will always have a special place in my heart.


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 1:08 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Doing Alice - Australia
Replies: 14
Views: 5463

Re: Doing Alice - Australia

Thanks, all, for the kind words. Van, photographing elapids is tricky. For starters, Australia has a look-but-don't-touch rule with most of its wildlife. As such, photographing wild snakes in situ is the best method. But sometimes, that's not possible (e.g., when photographing captive elapids). With...
by stewart_macdonald
March 12th, 2012, 1:00 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Final reptiles of 2010 - Australia
Replies: 3
Views: 2390

Re: Final reptiles of 2010 - Australia

The part after "I needed a miracle" gave me a laugh
You detected my sarcasm, then?


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 10th, 2012, 9:57 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Doing Alice - Australia
Replies: 14
Views: 5463

Doing Alice - Australia

After my close call with trying to reach my goal of seeing 50 new Australian reptile species in 2010 , I decided to start early in 2011. With the new year just days old, a mate and I packed his car and drove out to Alice Springs. He had to get back work, so we didn't have much time to look for beast...
by stewart_macdonald
March 10th, 2012, 9:53 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Final reptiles of 2010 - Australia
Replies: 3
Views: 2390

Final reptiles of 2010 - Australia

Hi all, I've just realised that I haven't posted on this forum since 2010. I've seen a bunch of critters since then, so I'm going to post a few photos. For the last few years, I've been setting myself the goal of seeing 50 new reptile species each year. This post tells the story of the last few thin...
by stewart_macdonald
March 10th, 2012, 8:52 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Brigalow, Mulga lands and Channel country, QLD
Replies: 21
Views: 7747

Re: Brigalow, Mulga lands and Channel country, QLD

Great stuff, Tom! That speckled brown snake east of Charleville would be a mega range extension as far as I know. Did you get any pics of it at all?


Stewart
by stewart_macdonald
March 10th, 2012, 8:23 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Photographic journey of SA, Australia
Replies: 19
Views: 5006

Re: Photographic journey of SA, Australia

Great pics, as always. Is that really a brush-tailed bettong?


Stewart