Andrew Hutchings, Wirragadara (ANIMAL & NATURE 2023)

This portfolio consists of four native Australian reptile and amphibian species. Wirragadara is the Darug word for the bandy bandy. This snake was spotted on the side of the road on the traditional lands of the Darug people. It was calmly and carefully shot on the leaf litter at the edge of the bitumen where it held its stunning defensive display, raising sections of its body in hoops off the ground. The snake held its pose long enough for me to capture some photographs. The inland bearded dragon was photographed outside of Alice Springs. The extremely large red-bellied black snake was basking on a walking track north of Dorrigo. Seeing these black scales stretched out on a track is one of the most beautiful, thrilling sights in the Australian bush. The stony creek frogs in amplexus were spotted amongst a chorus of various frog species on the edge of the Lansdowne River on the Mid North Coast of NSW.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.