Keeping an eye out

Overcast, windy and not all that pleasant but that was not a problem for a Common Long-necked Tortoise Chelodina longicollis  that is out of its winter hibernation and was busy working along the edge of one of our dams. It was gradually moving along the edge and getting its head down into the debris above the mud and looking for yabbies, tadpoles and insect larvae. They are regular inhabitants in the dams throughout the warm weather and reportedly some spend their winter hibernation in the water and absorb oxygen through their cloacal cavities allowing them to remain submerged for many months.