Boyd's Forest Dragon

These amazing Lizards are only found from Townsville to Cooktown in the Wet Tropics. Previously named as part of an Asian genus of Dragon Lizards, they are now recognised seperately as Hypsilurus.
Dragon Lizards are 'Agamids' and the Boyd's has the typical habit of favouring the rear legs when on the ground. It gives them a bow legged gait, often described as like a little old man trying to run.
They have a sticky tongue which can shoot out up to 3cm, amd they use this to good effect picking up ants, one of their favourite foods.
Boyd's love sleeping on tree trunks, and are often seen at night clinging tightly to a tree, just like in the picture. They end up the same temperature as the tree, making it harder for things like the Amethystine Python to sense them.
This one is fairly light coloured, but in the morning they darken up, so as to better absorb heat from the air. They tend not to bask in the sun, but more rely on warm air circulating around them. I have seen Boyd's actually holding their body out so air can circulate around them.
Males tend to have larger heads and jaws, and I would say this one is male for that reason. Boyd's are very common at Cape Tribulation, despite being considered fairly rare by textbooks.

Eastern Water Dragon

Look at the top left! Nightwalkers on a tour in December 2007 are looking at an Eastern water Dragon as the walk along the trail. The water Dragon has chosen a typical spot to sleep; a sloping vine near a small creek.

Eastern Water Dragons live right down the coast as far south as Sydney, and there are several subspecies. Thsi one is almost certainly a female, judging from the size of the head and body. The males can get much larger, I have seen examples well over 1 metre long. (Note that reference books measure lizards snout- vent, which does not incluse the tail)

Eastern Water Dragons tend to form Harems, with one male having a teritory that includes several females. We notice that their range seems to shrink in dry weather and they spread out along smaller creeks when it rains. Water Dragons can swim and dive, and have nostrils on the top of their snout, so it seems they have evolved for some time to be aquatic.

At least once a year someone comes up from our waterhole and says that they have just seen a samll crocodile there. It always turns out to be a Water Dragon!

This lovely Amethystine Python was seen on a Nightwalk in December 2007. It was about 2m long. Amethystine Pythons get their name because of the wonderful shimmering that you can see off their scales in torchlight or sunlight.

If you look cloesly at the picture you can see this shimmering from the neck down.

This image also allows you to see the heat sensing pits on the nose in front of the eyes, that are characteristic of these pythons. The pits allow the snake to detect the heat of warm blooded prey up to ten metres away!

At the moment the photo was taken, the snake has poked its tongue out. This allows the python to 'taste' the air, something we can only imagine. It has been variously described as a combination of smell and taste all in one.

Amethestine Pythons eat mammals, birds, reptiles, even other snakes! They are not venemous, but have many backward facing teeth to help hold on when they lunge at their prey. They then wrap around and aspyxiate the victim before swallowing it. They grow commonly to 4 metres long, and occassionally to as long as 8.6m. Large examples can eat dogs, pigs, and other large animals.

Thsi photo was taken on a nightwalk in December 2007. It is a great view of a common frog at Cape Tribulation, The White Lipped Green Tree Frog. These frogs live througout the forest, but migrate to coastal swaps to breed when the heavy rains fill the swamps.

Their calls are loud, from a distance it sounds like millions of aboriginal clicking sticks, closer it is a distict brack-ack, brack-ack.

Only the males call, and the calls are dual purpose, to repel other males and attract females. Apparently the females can select the best male frog from the calls. In my opinion these are the most spectacular frog we have here, and I never get tired of looking at them.

Extreme Crossing of Eammagen Creek

This crossing was made after an early start to the wet season in 2000. The group had to wait for the water to recede before coming home after a flash flood. Mason's Tours have fitted their vehicles with snorkels and winches to make rare crossings this deep safer. Out of the image is another Mason's 4WD with a towrope ready just in case! The drivers had also walked the crossing to check depth, rocks and current prior to driving in. The crossing was succesful!

Green Season Arives

Over the last three days Cape Tribulation has experienced about 250mm of rain, and the whole area has changed from brown to green. Creeks and rivers that had slowed to a trickle are now flowing fast, and there are frogs everywhere!
Today the weather has improved, and it is forecast to be reasonably fine later in the week. A Wet or 'Green' Season is a bit like a winter, in that the worst of the weather rarely persists the whole season. Generally there arer rain periods interpersed with periods of calm, fine weather.
In my view, this is the best time to see the forest. The rivers run strong and clear, the waterfalls are spectacular, and the wildlife at its best.
Cape Tribulation has plenty of good accommodation, with either air-conditioned roooms, or well ventilated designs with fans, so you can sleep in comfort after a days exploring.
Visitors are often coinfused about waht to wear...I tell them swimwear with shorts and a t-shirt. Although we provide raincoats, the rain is usually so warm, its more fun to get wet. A 'sacrificial' pair of shoes is also a good idea. Most activities require footwear, so a set of cheap sneakers that you don't mind getting wet is a godsend.
Seeing the Daintree Rainforest in the rain is a fantastic experience, one I recommend. Don't be sad about the rain, enjoy the forest at its best!

Nightwalk Sightings August Sept 07

The Weather has continued very cool the last couple of months with temperatures as low as 10 Celsius still being recorded. I am sure some Cape Trib residents had to buy new wardrobes!Snake sightings have stayed low, with very few snake sightings recoded at all. The good news is when it warmed up they were all hungry and now we are seeing plenty. The other day when I dropped an account at a local B+B, Rainforest Hideaway, a fair sized python was curled up next to the pond there. No doubt the resident frogs were nervous…
During August and into September the Boyd’s Dragons and Water Dragons were very hard to find, but now that the weather has warmed up, we are seeing plenty. One of our guides, Jennie, started nightwalks in June, and so has had her first three months with few Dragon Lizard Sightings. She commented last week on the sudden change in situation, having seen 4 dragons in one night!
Despite the cooler weather, possum sightings have been poor. The forest is now very thick, having recovered from the 99 cyclone fully, and I suspect this makes possums harder to find.
Croc sightings have been better, since last report. We are now back to about 50% sighting rate, which is where it should be. I am at a loss to explain why the sightings dropped this year, perhaps it was the cold weather…
Many native rats have been seen in these months, representing all the common species. In particular there are lots of Melomys about, and we usually find these by listening for the chewing sound as they use their sharp teeth to open seeds. Quandong seeds are still abundant, and the rats love these.
We have also been seeing Bandicoots regularly, and there seems to still be a healthy population of Northern Brown Bandcoots in the valley. Sometimes we also see the Long Nosed Bandicoot too.
Sleeping Birds are still being seen often, and this will continue until the weather warms up more. Even then, on rainy nights, amny birds sleep low down in the forest.Glowing Fungi has also been present most of the time when wet but hard to find when it is drier.Now that all the reptiles are getting hungry and thinking about reproducing, it’s a great time to do a nightwalk! See you on one soon!

Diadem Leaf Nosed Bat

Nightwalk Sightings Summary June/July 07 for Mason’s Tours

The Weather has been very cool the last couple of months with temperatures as low as 8 Celsius being recorded. This has made all the guides freeze, not to mention the wildlife!

Snake sightings have of course dropped off substantially, with very few snake sightings recoded at all.
The Boyd’s Forest Dragons have been quiet with few seen. Eastern Water Dragon have been around on rainy nights, but even these have been scarce.
Frog sightings have also declined as it gets colder, but we are still seeing Lace Lids regularly and also Stoney Creek Frogs when it rains. There have also been some very good White Lipped Green Tree Frog sightings despite the cold. Most Frogs are much less active until it warms up, but fortunately some still come out to feed.
There have been good Striped Possum sightings, with one sighting having the possum only a couple of metres away. It was a young possum, and didn’t seem to scared of us at all! There are still lots of dead trees around after the 99 cyclone, and this means there are many larvae to be found, which Stripey Possums love.
Croc sightings have been average, the Crocs are also less active when the nights are cold. The same three crocs are still in Myall Creek, and we have seen two in a night on occasion. Cape Trib Horserides have also reported seeing crocs on the bank of Myall Creek during the day.
Many native rats have been seen in these months, representing all the common species. In particular there are lots of Melomys about, and we usually find these by listening for the chewing sound as they use their sharp teeth to open seeds. The Quandongs have just finished fruiting and the Melomys love these seeds.
We have also been seeing Bandicoots regularly, and there seems to still be a healthy population of Northern Brown Bandcoots in the valley.
The cool weather has also resulted in good sightings of sleeping birds, with up to five species seen some nights. These include Spectacled Monarchs, Honeyeaters, Noisy Pittas, Scrubhens, and Silvereyes.
Glowing Fungi has also been present most of the time when wet but hard to find when it is drier.
The good thing about all the cool weather is that when it warms up there are going to be a lot of hungry reptiles around and we expect a sharp improvement in sightings then.
Hope to see you on a Nightwalk in August!!!

Mason's Tours add Aboriginal content

Cape Tribulation’s long established tour operator, Mason’s Tours, have joined with Wujal Wujal’s indigenous family businesses Walker Family Tours to offer an Aboriginal guided walk at Bloomfield Falls. Lawrence Mason said the Walkers would conduct their 30 minute walk and talk to the falls on both half and full day 4WD tours operated by Masons.

“The Bloomfield Falls, after which Wujal Wujal is named, is a place of great significance to the area’s traditional owners. The Walker women explain their connection to the land and bring guests inside a living culture in a very unique way. We are extremely happy to be working with the Walker family and believe this gives us the opportunity to now offer the best possible experience to our visitors,” said Lawrence Mason.

The Walker Family Tours section of the 4WD tour will include a morning or afternoon tea. The Bloomfield Falls is a pristine, 40 metre waterfall surounded by lush, World Heritge-listed rainforest. Mason’s Tours operate from Cape Tribulation or Cow Bay, and have just added a third 4WD vehicle to their fleet to cope with the demand during the 2007 peak season.

Cape Tribulation’s long established tour operator, Mason’s Tours, have joined with Wujal Wujal’s indigenous family businesses Walker Family Tours to offer an Aboriginal guided walk at Bloomfield Falls. Lawrence Mason said the Walkers would conduct their 30 minute walk and talk to the falls on both half and full day 4WD tours operated by Masons.

“The Bloomfield Falls, after which Wujal Wujal is named, is a place of great significance to the area’s traditional owners. The Walker women explain their connection to the land and bring guests inside a living culture in a very unique way. We are extremely happy to be working with the Walker family and believe this gives us the opportunity to now offer the best possible experience to our visitors,” said Lawrence Mason.

The Walker Family Tours section of the 4WD tour will include a morning or afternoon tea. The Bloomfield Falls is a pristine, 40 metre waterfall surounded by lush, World Heritge-listed rainforest. Mason’s Tours operate from Cape Tribulation or Cow Bay, and have just added a third 4WD vehicle to their fleet to cope with the demand during the 2007 peak season.

Cape Tribulation’s long established tour operator, Mason’s Tours, have joined with Wujal Wujal’s indigenous family businesses Walker Family Tours to offer an Aboriginal guided walk at Bloomfield Falls. Lawrence Mason said the Walkers would conduct their 30 minute walk and talk to the falls on both half and full day 4WD tours operated by Masons.

“The Bloomfield Falls, after which Wujal Wujal is named, is a place of great significance to the area’s traditional owners. The Walker women explain their connection to the land and bring guests inside a living culture in a very unique way. We are extremely happy to be working with the Walker family and believe this gives us the opportunity to now offer the best possible experience to our visitors,” said Lawrence Mason.

The Walker Family Tours section of the 4WD tour will include a morning or afternoon tea. The Bloomfield Falls is a pristine, 40 metre waterfall surounded by lush, World Heritge-listed rainforest. Mason’s Tours operate from Cape Tribulation or Cow Bay, and have just added a third 4WD vehicle to their fleet to cope with the demand during the 2007 peak season.

Wet Season 2007 Nightwalk sightings

The sightings have been good during the last four months, our dry spell has ended but the wet season has not been particularly severe. The wildlife sightings have been generally excellent.Many snakes have been seen this year, including nights where multiple snakes have been encountered. Amethystine Pythons, Carpet Pythons and Spotted Pythons have all been seen. Other species including the Brown Tree Snake have also been seen. Mason’s Tours manager, Lawrence Mason has a very large Brown Tree Snake which lives in the ceiling of his house. Although the house was built with a fully sealed ceiling, the snake has found away in by going through a hole where LPG gas is piped in.
The snake does no harm, and keeps the rats away, so we have not worried about it, although the house can seem haunted as it moves around. Recently our local electrician was employed to run some wires for our backup power system and not knowing about the serpentine resident in the ceiling climbed up there to confronted by 3m of defensive snake! He will be more careful getting in there next time!Boyd’s Forest Dragon sightings have excellent, due to the rain. They are one of the most photogenic of all our rainforest creatures and are often seen on wet nightsEastern Water Dragons have also been active. At times like last year, we were seeing 4 a night. Mason’s have a large permanent stream central to their trails, and thus we see more Water Dragons than other operators. Male Water dragons are harem forming, and much larger than females. We have seen them up to 1.5m long. (Note reptile books measure lizards snout to anus and thus the tail length is left off)With the onset of the cooler weather, the lovely Striped Possums are again here. One of our guides, marina recently saw two of these in one night. They particularly like to feed in the Fan Palms, getting larvae from the Fan Palm Fabric at the base of the leaves.
Croc sightings have also been great too, with even passers by seeing the croc in Myall Creek. We have seen the eyes or in many cases the whole animal right through the wet season.
Native rats have not been seen much at all. Wet weather means less food and less locations for burrows. Native rats have population ‘tides’ and low tide is usually the wet weather. More will be seen as the population rises in winter.We have also been seeing a few Bandicoots , and there seems to still be a healthy population of Northern Brown Bandicoots in the valley. Long Nosed Bandicoots have also been seen a bit.Hope to see you on a Nightwalk in May, June July or August!!!

Ocean Hotels License Mason's Tours

Mason’s Tours are proud to announce that they have secured the license to operate 4WD Tours from the Ocean Hotels’ Cape Tribulation properties. Mason’s will offer quality Full and Half Day 4WD Touring from Coconut Beach Resort, Ferntree Lodge, and The Jungle Lodge. Mason’s Tours are Cape Tribulation’s original land tour operators and the manager, Lawrence Mason said today ‘ I look forward to working closely with Ocean Hotels to provide the best possible 4WD Touring experience to visitors to the Daintree’. For more information on Ocean Hotels and Mason’s Tours go to www.oceanhotels.com.au and www.masonstours.com.au ‘