Australian Wildlife Encounters

Name: Australian Wildlife Encounters
Address: Sunshine Coast, QLD, 4556, AU
Telephone: +61477040037
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

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Sunshine Coast, QLD
Australian Wildlife Encounters

Professional Wildlife Tour guides specialising in custom tours to search for rare and unique species!

13/12/2024

The Nullarbor Bearded Dragon (Pogona nullarbor) was the major target of our most recent tour down to the South Coast of Australia. One of our returning clients from Canada has made it his goal to see every Pogona species in Australia and after two very successful short trips we only have one remaining.

This species was a new one for myself and I was honestly blown away by how small and defensive they were. Unlike most Pogona species that like to bluff with an open mouth but never bite, this individual would lunge and bite whenever given a chance. A really cool species!

16/11/2024

With a true argument for the best lizard species in the world, the Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) is a regular target for our clients.

Our second and final major target for our quick trip into the red centre was the Thorny Devil. This species is incredibly unique, managing to find a unique niche in a land filled with other lizard species. Unlike almost every other lizard species in Australia the Moloch does not rely on speed for hunting nor for predator avoidance. Instead this incredible lizard slowly and methodically walks its way through the desert relying solely on camouflage and its prickly armour to keep it safe. Unfortunately this method is not compatible with the avoidance of vehicles and as such seeing this species dead on the road is a regular sight.

Luckily after finding 1 road kill Moloch early on in the trip we managed to finally find a live specimen in the 11th hour just before sunset. Because of the lack of light I decided not to take any photos this time around so instead I have added a photo from a previous expedition!

15/11/2024

We are fresh back from a quick tour into Central Australia with some of our American clients. Our two main targets of the trip were some of the most sought after Reptile species our country has to offer, though neither are a sure thing. The first major target was the most venomous snake on earth, the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus).

Despite this species fierce reputation they are yet to cause a recorded human fatality. The species shy nature, remote distribution and Australia’s brilliant health care are likely to thank for this. The Inland Taipan spends the vast majority of its life under the ground, sheltering and hunting in the soil cracks that form on the South Australian and Western Queensland ‘Moon Plain’. It’s this same shy behaviour that can make this species a difficult target to find. Searching for these Taipans can be quite mundane compared to others. Cruising slowly through the habitat whilst perched up high on the vehicle is the most efficient way of searching. We spent over 28 combined hours doing exactly this between our two vehicles before we finally reaped our reward. This young Taipan was the smallest we have ever come across but despite this both guests and guides were over the moon!

16/09/2024

One of my absolute favourite Sunshine Coast target species is the unusual Platypus!
With it’s obscure features and unique breeding habits, this iconic animal often seems like it could be impossible to see in the wild, but the Sunshine Coast is home to a number of healthy populations and it is always enjoyable to spend a morning Platypus-watching in our local creeks.

11/09/2024

Another local favourite, the iconic Koala. 🐨
Although habitat destruction has driven them to an endangered status, there are still a few places in SE Qld where you can reliably see these guys hanging out amongst the eucalypts. This sleepy girl was one of 7 we saw on a recent day tour.

09/09/2024

We have enjoyed running some local tours at home in South East Queensland these last few months. An afternoon watching Eastern Grey Kangaroos is always popular with our international clients.

18/05/2024

Bearded Dragons were the primary target for this week’s SEQ tour, with this striking P. barbata being the star of the show. Our guest had travelled all the way from Canada to see their favourite species of lizard in the wild!

10/04/2024

Can you believe that these two are the same species!!

These Doria’s Angle-headed Dragons were absolutely stunning. We found several of each of these colourful variations during our time in Borneo. These lizards were easiest to see at night whilst they slept clinging to small saplings in the rainforest.

07/04/2024

Unlike the Proboscis Monkey which took a lot of effort to film, these Silver Langur’s were much more obliging. This individual was happily feeding 2 meters from my lense, at times too close to pull focus.

05/04/2024

You can’t visit Asia without turning up a Cobra or two. This Sumatran Spitting Cobra was our second Cobra species of the trip and a welcome sight after a few slow days. This individual was actually very calm and was pretty unwilling to waste any venom on me, to which I was thankful for..

04/04/2024

We have just wrapped up an epic 3 week Asia tour through Thailand and Borneo where we managed to see some incredible species. In the end we decided to wrap up the trip in style with some epic mammals. The Proboscis Monkey has been a big one on my bucket-list for a while now and i can say they are just as impressive in the flesh. After a few hours of staking out this big male he finally descended out of the treetops to give us some incredible views!

03/04/2024

What was only a couple of weeks ago already feels like a lifetime ago. Finding this Chasen’s Mountain Viper on day two of our Borneo tour has been a tough find to beat. These Garthius / Ovophis like old world vipers are absolutely incredible. I have a big soft spot for terrestrial vipers so being able to see this species was a dream come true!

01/04/2024

The monster Mangrove Cat Snake was a sight for sore eyes, after a slow previous night we were starting to get anxious for another snake and this guy came at the perfect time. These mildly venomous colubrids are absolutely stunning and surprisingly large, this animal was pushing 2+ meters. Luckily this particular animal was pretty gentle and happily cruised off after a few quick shots!

31/03/2024

Unlike our usual tours, this specific tour has a strong focus on inverts. This Dead Leaf Mantis was an absolute highlight of mine. These incredible Mantids have some of the most incredible camouflage, often perching in amongst dead leaves where they can be very tough to spot for both predators and prey!

30/03/2024

We didn’t have too many mammal target this trip but finding a Western Tarsier was a bit of a personal goal. I caught the eyeshine of this Tarsier while spotlighting in Sarawak earlier in the week. This happened to be the first individual that had been seen in this specific area for many years. The local guides were incredibly excited by the find and many joined me the following night to try and see the animal again. Unfortunately I did not have a long lense with me at the time so this image was taken with a 90mm macro!

27/03/2024

The File-Eared Tree Frog is just one of the many incredible amphibians we have some across over the past week in Borneo. These frogs remind me an awful lot of White-lipped Tree Frogs back home, often found hanging sideways off of small saplings!

25/03/2024

A female Bornean Keeled Pit Viper showing off those heat-sensing pits. This girl was in the exact same branch day and night for the whole time we were exploring the area.

24/03/2024

I don’t often get excited by flowers, but the Rafflesia (also known as the Co**se Flower due to its rotten stench) of Borneo is truly an impressive plant. Reaching 1m in diameter, this parasitic flower only blooms for 3 - 5 days!

Address

Sunshine Coast, QLD
4556

Telephone

+61477040037

Website

http://www.australianwildlifeencounters.com.au/

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