Marine Stingers and other Queensland Coastal Dangers

The squabbling screeches of feeding bats woke me in the dark of 5 a.m., at which time I also heard the wails of bush stone-curlews pealing out into the long mid-May night. An hour later, darkness lift...

Townsville Owls and a Golden Orb Web Spider

Silence, I have discovered, is a rare commodity in the tropical night. With the passing of the Wet, frog operas have ceased, and thus, the dark hours are starker, no longer vibrating with wild rain-wo...

Townsville Turtles and Bohle Iridovirus

A new feel pervaded the air this morning when I cycled into the Ross River Parkway, one of freshness and faint coolness, even at 8 a.m. A new crocodile warning sign – one of those permanent, yellow ...

Toad Day Out in Townsville

Green frogs really do occur in toilets, as I discovered this morning upon finding one in our toilet at dawn. I saw a dark, moving blob in the water and flicked on the light switch. There it was, looki...