Central Australian visit, Plants

Desert Grasstree, Xanthorrhoea thortoni growing on a ridge south of Murputja.
Gum from these plants is used as a glue.
Yellow Thryptmene, bark above and flowers below.

Weeping Wirewood, Acacia coriacea, is a small wattle of the sandy soils with some clay but in northern Australia along river banks can grow into a medium sized tree.

Red-bud Mallee, Eucalyptus pachyphylla. Eucalyptus means well covered and refers to the cap on the bud, which in this case is red, and falls as the flower opens. Mallees are small growing multistemmed trees.

Paper Daisy

Mistletoe, Lysiana sp. It is worth noting that no Australian mistletoe is poisonous. Maria says that the normal rules apply but I keep telling her that is only at Christmas time. Don't be too greedy girl!

Green Birdflower, Crotalaria cunninghamii, also known as rattle pods because the ripe pods rattle when shaken.

Eremophilla wilsii

Eremophila sp

Eremophila latrobei

A forest of Desert Oak, Allocasuarina decaisneana. Young trees grow very upright in columnar fashion until they start to branch. The fruit are large and spiky looking a little like cones but these are true flowering plants.
Another daisy.
Bladder Senna, Swainsonia coloutoides, is closely related to Stuarts Desert Pea.
River Gums in Charles's River. the morning had been grey but the sun came out, budgies and honeyeaters were very active and the skinks came out on the rocks as well.

Central Australian visit, animals other than birds

I am seriously explaining that lizards are not a health hazard, and how to handle them. Left to their own devices many of the kids would have stoned any lizard big enough to make a target.
This large female Katydid with her huge ovipositor was living in an Eremophilla at the top of an isolated hill surrounded by flat sandy country. The ovipositor is sticking up between the wings. This happened as she tried to get away from me. At first it protruded from under the hind wings. "The "katydid" is actually a Raspy Cricket, a gryllcridid, Hadrogryllacris sp. There are at least 3 of these large blackish ones and this one is probably undescribed," said Mr Smiley see comments below.
A very handsome and friendly cockroach. This one lived under a rock north of Alice Springs.
Feral Camels are a real problem but fortunately this part of the country does not have donkeys, horses or cattle. This family group were not very worried by our presence.
Camouflage is an important survival strategy and this grasshopper is a great example. Viewed against the rocks they almost disappear.
A highly camouflaged bug. The grains of sand were loosely attached.
A shield bug. Nymphs of this species were quite common on the rocks of the Musgrave Ranges but we only saw a few adults. Interestingly all the animals we saw were on rocks. I wonder what they could be eating.
Probably a Cyclorana frog of some kind. I have more pictures if someone would care to identify it for me. Cyclorana maini Thanks Stewart.
Military Sand Dragons, Ctenophorus isolepis, seem to disappear on certain backgrounds
Having this Netted Dragon, Ctenophorus nuchalis, sit up on a stump was great for viewing and photography.
The Thorny Devil, Moloch horridus, is a slow-moving dragon which feeds exclusively on ants.
On the other hand ctenotus lizards are very fast and hard get get a camera on in the wild. Fortunately for me the sky had only just cleared and this Blue-tailed Finesnout Ctenotus, Ctenotus Calurus, had not yet been able to warm up. This species feeds largely on termites living under and in the spinifex.
This Centralian Bearded Dragon was photographed at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre which has some very good displays. www.reptilecentre.com.au/reptiles.htm
A common gecko near Murputja was the Centralian Dtella, Gehyra montium, and not strictly nocturnal.
The Desert Rainbow Skink, Carlia triacantha, is more an animal of the gravelly soils where there is a build up of leaf litter.
Long-snouted Lashtail, Amphibolurus longirostris, is the same species as I am holding above.

Central Australian visit, birds

Birds breeding all over the place in the green outback of Australia in late 2010. Budgies in pairs and small flocks were seen almost everywhere and most tree hollows were occupied.

This Western Bowerbird maintains his bower near the picnic shelter in the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens where members of the public are not only welcome to enjoy the wonders of the flora of Central Australia but also the use the library and computer.
Grey-crowned Babblers were the most commonly seen but I did find three White-browed Babblers but this one was not excited about seeing me. It opened its eye, seemed to sigh and then go back to sleep. It was the middle of the day but a cool, cloudy one.
White-winged Fairywrens are normally very shy, flighty little birds and this one was no exception. It would pop up for a few seconds and then back down into the bush.
This male Splendid Fairywren was feeding young in a nest and not happy about my standing near his flight path. At one stage he hopped onto a log, stuck out his moustaches and yelled at me, most insistently to go away, so I did.
Spinifex pigeons are dapper little birds reminding me of the Hercule Poirot as played by David Suchet, full of self-importance a mincing walk and a condescending air.
Slatey-backed Thornibills proved hard to track down and then as is often the way I saw a number of groups on the Tanami Road and then at Charles's River.
Australian Ringnecks were very approachable in the towns and in the desert.
One Red-capped Robin jumped up on a rock close to me but would you believe it, I was changing the memory card in the camera at the time.
Like most Australian kingfishers,the Red-backed does not fish.
Crimson Chats were seen on every day as far as I can remember but not once did I get a clear photo! On one occasion on was sitting with a Black Honeyeater when an immature Crested Bellbird jumped between them and frightened them away.
Chestnut-rumped Thornbills were in good numbers in the hills east of Alice Springs. Often they formed mixed flocks with other thornbills and Red-throats.
Black Winged Stilt at the Alice Springs poo ponds. Access is via a key from Power and Water in the Todd Mall. The $30 deposit is fully refundable. Ask for a key not a permit as that only confuses the lovely ladies on the front desk.
Black-tailed Native Hens and Black Swans were among the hundreds of water birds at the sewage works.

Centralian Visit 2

Here is my navigator, cook and love of my life beside the Lasseter Highway. We did get some sunshine and clear skies as you can see.
Lake Amadeus to the north and Mt Conner to the south from the Lasseter Highway.

Mt Conner from the west.
The school and houses at Murputja where we were based for three nights. One of the teachers was working away at another school and kindly allowed us the use of his house.
Grasses were in flower everywhere. Some of the spinifex had flower and seed heads over my head.
Red sand dune country with spinifex and Grevillea.
Every River Redgum had a pair of nesting budgerigars and often Galahs, Cockatiels and Australian Ringnecks.
North of the Gunbarrel Highway are the Musgrave Ranges.