Any day is a good day to go for a walk in the rainforest at Mary Cairncross Reserve Maleny looking for and photographing some of the reptile inhabitants of the reserve. On a hot day you can expect the temperature in the rainforest to be considerably lower than the surrounding countryside, especially down the hill on the coastal strip.
Despite its small size the reserve is a magnificent example of the sub-tropical rainforest that would have covered much of the Sunshine Coast hinterland prior to European settlement. Many of the reptiles that used to call this patch of rainforest home no longer exist there, or are so rare as to be bordering on local extinction due to the fragmentation of the forests around the park into tiny unsustainable pockets of trees of little use as habitat for biodiversity. Feral animals (especially cats and foxes) encroaching into the reserve would likely also be a large part of the reason for species decline within the park. Large skinks such as Land Mullet and Major Skinks which were once found in the area have disappeared leaving an opening for smaller animals to exploit. Virtually every available understory level niche and micro habitat is inhabited by a beautiful small to medium sized skink known as the Murray’s Skink. Often difficult to locate in some weather conditions during suitable spring and summer weather you may encounter up to thirty different animals on a short walk in the reserve. Even when there are many more walkers on the tracks the majority of them take very little notice of the smaller species as they walk past them only stopping to check them out when I had settled to photograph one and even then, most couldn’t see what the fuss was about. Those that were interested enough to ask to see the shot were amazed that such a non-descript looking small brownish lizard was actually so colourful and had so many different facets to their appearance.
Below are a few shots of some of the Murray’s Skinks photographed in the reserve.
Another reptile which is still recorded in the reserve is the Southern Angle-headed Dragon. A small to medium sized agamid lizard which spends most of its time motionless clinging to the trunks of rainforest trees and plants in an effort to avoid detection by predators and bushwalkers. Often all you are likely to see if you happen to be fortunate enough to spot one of these critters in its natural habitat is a pair of hind legs and one side of its face with a glimpse of eyeball, just enough so that it can keep an eye on what you’re up to. If you’re close enough to circle the trunk the dragons will shift around in an effort to remain out of sight. Below are a couple of shots of a male and female dragon taken on previous trips to the reserve in order to give you a better idea of the beauty of these incredible lizards. The male was happily catching a few rays of filtered sunlight on the pavers in front of the local cafe. The female with the barred lower lip was perched on a larger than usual tree in one of the garden beds outside the reserve.
Another large lizard, the Eastern Water dragon, below is a commonly observed resident near the main entrance of the reserve. This fella has just started to colour up in preparation for the breeding season and a short period of showing off to impress the ladies. By the look on the face of the smaller female below it might just be working.
These are just a few of the more visible reptile residents that you might encounter on a walk through the Mary Cairncross reserve, there are many more that call this incredible parcel of forest home so if you get the chance check it out you won’t be disappointed. Along with the reptiles there are numerous bird, mammal and invertebrate species to be found here as well, so there’s something for everyone including mycologists at the right time of year. I’ll finish the post with a few shots of the fabulous fungi I have been fortunate enough to photograph here over the years.
Thanks for reading my blog, but you really should get out into nature and enjoy it for yourself.
