Snakes Alive (well fresh anyway)

Well here's something for you.

A resident of Burra Rd took this pic of a kookaburra with its mouth full - over the back fence. We think it might be a black bellied swamp snake. ( Please click on the pic - stunning detail)
In 2001, Council commissioned Dr Arthur White to conduct a fauna survey of Willoughby's remnant bushland. His method included corroborated historical data, "baited hair tubes" search for and collect tracks, burrows,shed fur, feathers and scats, spotlighting, examination of trees for scratchmarks and drays. Of Artarmon Reserve however, he wrote "intensive surveys were not carried out here because of the high public exposure of the site and its complete isolation from other reserves". Fauna records were confined to "opportunistic observations made by the public during the survey period" and these amounted to :

• 4 types of mammal (Ring & Brushtail possums, Grey headed flying foxes & dogs)
• 4 types of reptile (Eastern Water & Garden skinks, Green Tree & Golden Crown snakes, the latter having been run over in the carpark)
• 2 types of frog (Common Eastern froglets & Striped Marsh) and
• 40 species of birds (subject for another day!)