*NEW* Lace monitor GPS Research Part 9 - UPDATE - June 09

[hazzard]

Well better late than never. This thread was due back in Winter but i had trouble getting the pictures as i was not the primary photographer on this trip.

This trip we were accompanied by an Animal Science undegraduate student volunteer Jake Cooper. Jake has a keen interest in reptiles and this was a valuable experience for him. The following photos in this thread were taken by him (except the ones he's in).


Jake in his element on his first tracking exercise.

The major objective of this trip was to check on the trackers still affixed to 3 animals. The weather was predicted to turn sour later in the week, but Day 1 put on a real show. Generally in Winter we often don't see the animals as they are holed up for several months. There was some hope they might be poking around in this weather.


Burns Cove putting on a fine show.

While the weather was still fine we unloaded at the hut and headed straight out to track down (stumpy tail) who is affixed with a 2nd tracker after being recaptured on our last trapping trip. This was Jake's first attempt at VHF tracking. Getting to this monitor was a challenge. Even the youthful Jake was feeling the arduos terrain. Bruised and battered after steep rocky ravines and cliffs through thick sharp scrub jake shouted triumphantly. The large 8.5kg male had moved into an adjacent gully on a rocky escarpment that recieves afternoon sunshine. A perfect Wintering site for this goanna. He even graced our presence by poking his head out to pose for pictures.








With that success and a few hours of daylight left we headed back to relax for the evening. The next day was sunshine again and we searched for Goanna 360. This was the first ever captured monitor and it has now had 3 trackers attatched to it for over 15 months. Everytime this monitor has been found in a ground location when tracked. But every now and then a suprise occurs.


Finally in a tree location.

When you have your VHF tracking techniques well refined you can actually pinpoint the exact hole or stump the critter is in. However it's alway a bonus to see the animal to confirm it. So 2 down and 1 to go.

The last monitor to find was trapped near the Wollondilly hut location where we stay. It is the largest monitor we have affixed a tracker to. Being 9kg and almost 2 metres in length and kranky to boot. It appeared from the VHF signal that this monitor had crossed the Wollondilly river. So we drove around the other side of the river (about half hour drive) and 15 minutes of bush bashing, only to find the Yagi (vhf antenna) pointing back across the river at a large basalt rockface. So back around we went and after some lunch went looking for this lizard. The signal lead us to here;


From the side, note the boulder at the top of the picture in the glare. The monitor i found the afternoon 1 metre below there.

We went to the side, above and below this cliff and determined it to be holed up in there somewhere. Without safet gear it was a daunting prospect to go looking further. We have found a few lizards wintering like this. I was determined to find him and the afternoon and ditched my camera gear and Yagi and went climbing dropping down from above. It would have been difficult to carry anything except a pocket camera. Unfortunately i didn't have one. I edged down the cliff face to the boulder pictured and got around underneath it using strangler figs to prevent a 20 metre drop. It wasn't underneath the ledge. I lowered myself further looking for an easier way down as the prospect of going up again wasn't fun. I lowered myself approximately 1 metre pressed against the rockface and heard a hissing from below. I looked down to find the monitor wedged in in a horizontal crack in the rockface fully exposed to weather. With that success i though i better not attempt fate and got out of there as safely as possible.

From above.


So we now had located all 3 trackers and all were securely attatched. The next trip would be in early Spring to obtain any fallen trackers after the monitors post winter slough. The rest of the trip was spent showing Jake the sights of the catchment area. The weather then turned and thankfully our objectives had been achieved. Part 10 to follow shortly.

Cheers Hazz

[RyanH]

Great report Michael, it is interesting seeing pictures of them in there winter sites, I have always wondered where they went. Did you see many other species of herps in the cooler weather? also is all the open grass area used for grazing or is it protected land that is slowly regenerating? Look foward to any future reports, they are always very interesting, love hearing about stuff in the field like this.

Thanks, Ryan

[dickyknee]

Nice work as usual Hazz , good to see you spotted all 3 .

[hazzard]

We head out again on Sunday, to gather in the final 3 trackers for the season. Should be many about in this extreme heat.

Cheers Hazz

[pythons73]

So with all the tracking and information you have received,is there any news worth sharing.Whats the main point of tracking these magnificent creatures..From any info you have personally collected,do they generally move to different areas and keep going,or basically stay within a certain k radius...Awesome photos and such magnificent lizards...MARK

[big i]

Originally Posted by pythons73

So with all the tracking and information you have received,is there any news worth sharing.Whats the main point of tracking these magnificent creatures..From any info you have personally collected,do they generally move to different areas and keep going,or basically stay within a certain k radius...Awesome photos and such magnificent lizards...MARK

hey mate, read the other threads relating to this over the time, it will fill you in.

i Cant wait until sundays expidition takes place and you place up an update
cheers

[hazzard]

Have you read all the threads from part 1? , You will even find a basic map of home ranges thus far. I have to be careful what can be published online until it is published in a scientific journal. The methods paper for the attatchment and use of the GPS transmitters will be published in the next edition of the Journal of herpetological conservation and biology due out this, or next week.

Apart from accurate home range data we are looking at their interaction with other carnivores in the greater blue mountains world heritage area. We also plan to extend this study to home range of females which has never been done thus far. This is the first GPS study completed on any varanid species worldwide.

Cheers Hazz

[hazzard]

Originally Posted by big i

hey mate, read the other threads relating to this over the time, it will fill you in.

i Cant wait until sundays expidition takes place and you place up an update
cheers

I hope to write a report up from September trip before we leave, it has the added bonus of the albino wombat, and a dog/dingo pack hunt in the water.

Cheers Hazz

[pythons73]

Cheers Hazz,i havent actually read it,but i will.Its great to see theres people out who actually cares...Well done on all the effort so far,and have a great time on this journey...MARK

[serpenttongue]

Hazzard, when can we expect an update?

[hazzard]

Hi mate, i will do a wrap up of the trips shortly. I have been snowed under with research work but we have all the trackers back and we are in the process of analyzing the data and writing our second paper.

Cheers Hazz