Spring at last 
common and not so common, all welcome

My blog has been quiet for quite a while recently, a reflection of not inactivity but the opposite - high activity. Since migrating back south to Canberra in July I have been doing something in the field most days, and desk-work most evenings. I find that when I am busy I have less time to write up the blog, so readers, please be patient if you do not see anything new for long periods.

In a very brief summary, I arrived back in Canberra to a long cold dry winter which has dragged on into a long slow, cold, dry spring. At last the weather has warmed, it still hasn't really rained, although blossom is out, butterflies and dragonflies are flying and the birds are nesting.

This Bearded Dragon was basking on top of a cut tree limb yesterday, although the sky was overcast and it looked rather slow, as if not very warmed up. I took these shots in late afternoon, when they would usually be active and quick to react to approach. Although these are long-lens shots and I didn't disturb it.

I am always captivated by how Bearded Dragons' scales fit around their faces, each one, from the spines on the neck, to the lips and those amazing eyelids. Beautiful.

Bearded Dragons are common in the Canberra woodlands and they are a sure sign of spring. Much less common, in fact very rare at local, national and international scales is the Canberra Spider Orchid Arachnorchis actensis. This plant is critically endangered as it is only known from the Australian Capital Territory and only from three sites there. The bush is still very dry with very few plants of any sort throwing up fresh shoots, yet a group of these orchids, only several cm tall, were stretching up from the stony forest floor yesterday. rare jewels indeed. But it is not their rarity that appeals to me, it is their form, like that of the dragon, each flower part is beautifully formed.

Welcome back Spring.

Dragon Skin

A Bearded Dragon watches as it basks in the sun

Spring is now long past in Canberra and the summer sun is hotting up. The local Bearded Dragons Pogona barbata have now passed their breeding season, so they are now shedding their skins. This one was basking on the sunny side of an old tree stump.

Eyes just above the top of the stump - watching, ever watching

The dragon was lying flat against the stump, to gain maximum warmth from the heated surface. All the while it was positioned with its eyes just above the level of the top of the stump, for it was watching all the time for any potential predators approaching. I have often watched dragons basking like this, especially when on fence-posts - a favourite basking spot - and when seen from the far side of the post they form a distinctive profile, with their pointed head peaking above the post.

The head and  tail are mostly clean of old skin

It is tricky for the dragons, with all those spiny scales, to cast their skin. It tends to come off in small pieces rather than as a whole as snakes can do. Note how this one's head is mostly clean and other shed areas are the ends of the limbs and tail.

The hands and wrists are clean of old skin

I was almost upon this dragon when I first saw it, perhaps a few metres away, and as I considered how camouflaged it was, I wondered which skin was best suited for the purpose. The old pale skin faded well in the sunshine and would conceal the animal on dusty surfaces, but on the shiny old wood I think the new black skin was a better fit. The high shine of the highlights on the dark skin, especially on a scaly skin with numerous spines, all seemed to blend with the substrate of shiny wood and dark shadows of the crack lines

Basking in the sun can be dangerous - so camouflage is important as a defence from predators

Dragon fight

Two Common Bearded Dragons Pogona barbata face one another off

The reptiles in Canberra are becoming more active every day as the weather warms. I found a gecko on the front doorstep this morning and a blue-tongued lizard has taken to sunning itself on the edge of the drive. Then while out in the woodlands I came across these two bearded dragons fighting in the middle of the path.

The dominant dragon gains the high ground

I stopped and watched them from a few metres off to follow the outcome, although by the time I found them they appeared to have settled most of the dispute as one seemed to be dominant and the other subordinate. The dominant dragon was circling around the other, always clockwise, spreading out his body and tilting it to show a broad back artificially widened, with spines along the edges. And he blew up his throat to make that look large, again with spines frilling the edge. Meanwhile the subordinate dragon lay low, with its body held slim, his throat non-extended and spines held close, but still showing his teeth and in his bright yellow mouth as if ready to defend. The two, reminded me of red deer stags rutting, facing off to one another, adopting postures that threaten, by exaggerating their size and height.

The inside of their mouths is bright orangy/yellow
 which I am sure when seen from close contact is a formidable threat display

They fought for several minutes, strutting, biting, chasing and tumbling into the grassy verge, knowing I was there, but ignoring me as they were locked in a combat each wanted to win. Then it soon became obvious that one had won the contest. He held his head high and the other lay low. As with stags, they seemed to hold back from inflicting serous injury to one another. Each had a few scales knocked off and even the winner had a bloody smear below one eye. The two seemed evenly matched in size, about 500mm long, and neither looked stronger to me, so how the contest was decided I do not know, strength in endurance perhaps.

The victor posed with head up high and his throat inflated

The loser cowered low with his spines retracted and body held thin

I photographed a more aggressive fight back in 2011, to see those shots follow this link:

In the end, the loser lifted up on his hind legs and ran into the bush, spreading out his belly and neck to look big from behind - a final act of defence in case the other dragon might still attack.

Bearded Dragon

Flat out

The days are warming up and the first of the larger reptiles have been out and about. The Shinglebacks Trachydosaurus rugosus are wandering slowly about the bush and others like this Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata are spending much of the days warming themselves up in the sunshine. This one was well camouflaged with its dusty skin matching the open dirt between the grass tussocks. It lay motionless as I stepped past it; its legs hung down along its tail, its skin spread out and the whole body aligned with the sun, all to maximise capture of the radiant heat.

It seemed to be trading off the powers of its concealment against the expenditure of its limited energy, having just warmed up a little and not being very active yet. For it was keeping a steady eye on me in case I did after all pose a threat and it would have to use that little energy to flee.

An eye watches through the camouflage

Bearded Dragon

This handsome male bearded dragon was out displaying today. He has a sulphur-yellow colour to his head, legs and upper tail, and a dark grey throat which he extends while bobbing his head. Another one I watched last week was doing this on the top of a high broken branch. Very spectacular.

 They have sharp spiked scales on their head, legs and along their flanks.

The spikes around their face are particularly long and sharp, all for defence and not only from predators, but from other male dragons.

In a previous blog page I showed a fierce fight between two male dragons. Here we can see the value of the spiked scales, even on the eyelids. Many of the scale tips are broken, he has some missing from his upper lip and chin, and there is a hole in his throat. All this was probably inflicted by an opponent in a fight with another male. Their teeth are obviously sharp and strong.

Bearded Dragons

I came across these two bearded dragons today, they were so engrossed in one another that they ignored me while they continued their little test of strength.

They were really focused on one another for several minutes before they started fighting, probably because they were very similar in size.

 They snapped at one another's heads, trying to lock a grip on their opponent.

 And they were quick; very, very quick...

 Then one gave in and simply ran off down the track.

Leaving the victor to pose in triumph.