Trevor's Travels

Lizards, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

1 Comment »22nd December, 2010; Category: Animals, Sydney, Zoos

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

On our visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney earlier this year I took a few good shots of various reptiles, including the lizards shown on this page. I am really floundering to identify these wonderful creatures. I wish I knew more about reptiles. If any of my readers can help me I’d be most grateful. Are they Chameleons?

Update: Thanks to one of my readers I can now put a name to these species. The top one is a Common Iguana from America, while the one below is one of the Fijian Iguanas.

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Reptiles, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

3 Comments »21st December, 2010; Category: Animals, New South Wales, Sydney, Zoos

Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

I’m not really into reptiles and so I can’t remember what kind of lizard this one is. It was in the reptile house at Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney. If any of my readers can identify it, I’d be very grateful. This is also a reminder to myself to get hold of a good identification guide to reptiles.

Topknot Pigeon, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

No Comments »17th November, 2010; Category: Birds, Sydney, Zoos

Topknot Pigeon, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

I find that zoos and wildlife parks are excellent places to hone one’s photography skills, especially those with walk through aviaries. On a few occasions, however, one can get the conditions just right and a good shot can be obtained even when shooting through the wire surrounding the aviary.

The above shot of Topknot Pigeon was taken through the wire of an aviary at Taronga Park Zoo. You can see the wire behind the bird, but the wire in front seems to have completely disappeared.

Topknot Pigeons are present along coastal eastern Australia, from Cape York peninsula down through to south eastern NSW. it can also sometimes occur in far eastern Victoria, near Mallacoota.

I have only ever seen this species once in the wild, nearly 30 years ago in Gibraltar Range National Park between Grafton and Glen Innes in north eastern NSW.

Banded Lapwing, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

No Comments »15th November, 2010; Category: Birds, Sydney, Zoos

Banded Lapwing, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Many Australians are familiar with the Masked Lapwing (Spur-winged Plover) as they are very common around parks, ovals, school grounds and farmlands. I get many comments on these birds on my birding site when they are breeding; the birds can be very noisy and very aggressive when protecting the nest or their young.

Many people however, would not be aware of their quieter cousins, the Banded Lapwing shown in the photos on this post. This species is found throughout much of Australia in suitable habitat, except for the far north. Their preferred habitat is bare or ploughed paddocks, areas with short grass, near swamps and plains.

The photo above of a captive bird was taken recently in the Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney.

Further reading:

Banded Lapwings, Murray-Sunset National Park

Striped Honeyeater, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

No Comments »14th November, 2010; Category: Birds, Holidays, Murray Bridge, Sydney, Zoos

Striped Honeyeater, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney

Australia has many dozens of different honeyeaters. In my home town of Murray Bridge we have at least 12 different species, most of them resident year round.

The Striped Honeyeater is one of them, but it is a breeding migrant in this area, arriving in the spring and leaving late summer. Only on one occasion over the last 26 years has it actually nested in our garden.

The bird shown in the photo above was in an aviary at Taronga Park Zoo where we visited on a holiday earlier this year.