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Cape York paradise at Portland Roads

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wildlife

October 15, 2011 by Seamus Campbell

Spring is sprung and the wet is nearly here

I’m not sure that we actually have spring here, but the plants and trees are bursting with new life. And we are seeing more and more different animals and insects each day. Of course the humidity keeps rising too. But the winds are lessening and the sea is calming and becoming glass-like in the mornings. There is burning off happening and this gives us some incredible sunrises where the air is smoky and the morning sun is a red as a sunset.

Frangipanni in flower
Frangipanni in flower
sunbird in nest
sunbird in nest
flower petals
flower petals

mangoes!
mangoes!
more mangoes
more mangoes
purple flowers
purple flowers

flowers
flowers
sunbird in nest
sunbird in nest
sunbird in nest
sunbird in nest

yacht in the morning
yacht in the morning
Big grasshopper Portland Roads
We have the Biggest grasshoppers at Portland Roads

Filed Under: Birdwatching Cape York, Insects of Cape York, Portland Roads, Wildlife of Cape York Tagged With: cape york in the wet, wildlife

April 16, 2011 by Cate

White Lipped Tree Frog – Largest tree frog

White Lipped Tree Frog

White Lipped Tree Frog in our yard

We spotted this huge green treefrog yesterday, here at the Portland Roads Beach Shack. He was perched in a tree just near the path to our house. He sat perfectly still while we photographed him. Notice that he has ear patches rather than holes. That is Seamus’ arm behind him holding down the tree branch so that we could get a better angle. It gives you an idea of how big the frog is.

According to wettropics.gov.au
The White Lipped Tree Frog is the worlds largest tree frog growing in length to 14cm. With a green body with white stripe on lower jaw, and a long flattened body and it has PROTECTED status.

Wikipedia adds that:

  • Females are larger than males;
  • The colour changes depending on the temperature and background – they are usually bright green but can be brown;
  • It has a loud, barking call but when distressed it makes a cat-like “mew” sound;
  • It’s diet is mainly insects and other arthropods;
  • It can live to over ten years in the wild;
  • It is distributed in Australia along the coastal areas of Cape York Peninsula and the wet tropics of north-eastern Queensland. It is the most widely distributed tree frog in the New Guinea region, spanning from eastern Indonesia, through the New Guinea mainland, to the Bismarck and the Admiralty Islands in the North.

Much of the wildlife of the Cape is not found anywhere else in Australia but is found in New Guinea.

White Lipped Tree Frog - Back

White Lipped Tree Frog – Back view shows the texture of its skin

Filed Under: Frogs of Cape York, Portland Roads, Wildlife of Cape York Tagged With: Cape York, Frogs, Frogs of Cape York, green tree frog, wildlife

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