Unlike the' Birdo's' who get up early for the dawn chorus, and the Mammals Group who need to check their Elliot traps before the heat of the day fries the critter inside, mornings were a slow start for the Herps Team. After a leisurely rise, the Team spent the first hour or so identifying and keying out the reptiles and frogs collected the evening before during spotlight activity. It is thanks to many hours of painstaking work that all the novice Herps now appreciate the significance of a hand lens and a pre-anal pore.

Upon leaving camp, the biggest risk to life and limb was driving from one transect to the next. When rounding a bend in the road it was not uncommon to find a vehicle, motor running, all doors open, abandoned in the middle of the track, as all occupants attempted to chase down some fast moving reptile in the heat of the day.

One of the botanists, keen to acquire some reptilian experience (and share the charismatic glory that is herpetology) was nicked when trying to catch a snake. In horror he recoiled and dropped it as some one else on the Botany Team yelled out "it’s a brown!" It turned out to be a legless lizard (Pygopus lepidopodus). However it was a lesson well learnt about picking things up that may turn out to be deadly — all members of the Herps Team agreed not to pick any venomous plants after they heard that tale!

In the evening after spending the day searching your given transects for your nominated specialty, the group convened for a spot of "Gentleman’s Bird Watching" by the dam. Nightly, a huge flock of glossy black cockatoos would convene to raucously discuss the day’s events and take a drink.

The Mammals Team was gloriously successful at trapping at least one Pilliga Mouse. After explanation of the care needed when opening Elliott traps due to the extraordinary gymnastic ability of the Pilliga mouse, the Mammals Team Leader cautiously depressed the Elliott trap door, and the survey team was almost treated to the cunning Houdini-like characteristics of the flying Pilliga mouse as it tried to escape.

Many fantastic details about plants and animal behaviour were provided by the team leaders, who generously shared their knowledge. Not least of this was information and insight into the mysterious world of the bat.

Despite success in bat trapping being likened to "running down Pitt Street with your mouth open, and hoping someone will throw a lolly in" a number of species were brought to camp for identification.

An alternative method to the harp trap for catching bats is awaiting patenting . After an early morning rise a little chocolate wattle bat was discovered clinging valiantly to the sponge in the dish washing water. After careful attention it was able to fly and be free, none the worse for wear. And the early risers were treated to the sensational Leonides meteor shower in a dark and cloudless sky.