During a recent geology field trip to Malua Bay, Sally Stephens of O'Connor "got the surprise of her life" when she almost stepped on a snake.

Now while the adrenalin rush caused by nearly treading on a snake has been experienced by many a bushwalker, what made Stephens' reptilian encounter especially noteworthy was that "the snake was mid-way through consuming a skink".

"It was on a sand track and about 10 people had walked over the top of it," remarks Stephens. "I suddenly saw it in front of me, so a group of us stopped and watched it swallow the rest of the skink."

"You could see the muscles along its body pulsing in waves," recalls Stephens. "It stayed on the track until it had finished, not too bothered by us, but as soon as the last remnant of the skink had gone, the snake lifted its head and shot off the path rapidly."

According to Margaret Ning, a Canberra naturalist, the snake Stephens watched enjoying its midday munchies is a mustard-bellied snake (Drysdalia rhodogaster). Mark Westwood, a wildlife expert from Narooma agrees with Ning and remarks that "the little bits behind the head remind me of one I identified near Bombala many years ago ... they aren't deadly but are venomous".

Phill Sledge of Kaleen who is enjoying a temporary sea change on the south coast, was surprised to spot "a seal swimming under the main bridge at Batemans Bay".

"It was playing with either a squid or plastic bag with bait in it," reports my sun-kissed beachcomber. "It kept swimming up and grabbing it and throwing it around for at least five minutes."

Far from being a rarity, Geoff Ross, co-ordinator of the Marine Fauna Program with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, explains "it's actually a relatively common occurrence".

"We don't really know why the seals move upstream but there are a number of theories including attempting to reduce their parasite loading," explains Ross. "I think seals are inquisitive animals and explore their environment. Sometimes I think they get lost, but inevitably they are able to find their way back out to sea."

With seal populations expanding along south-east Australia, Ross is "expecting to see more of them exploring our south coast rivers, estuaries and ports".

This column would love to hear of any reports of seals in our estuaries over the coming holiday season, especially if you manage to snap a photo.

According to Gary Poile of Collector, one of our region's most loved stands of grass trees (Xanthorrhoea australis), which are located in a fenced-off area at the top of Geary's Gap near Lake George, "appears to be in serious decline".

"Sadly, dozens of them have died and many of those which are still alive have turned brown and look like they are on their last legs" bemoans Poile who has regularly driven past the grass trees since 160 of the eye-catching native plants, some thought to be more than1000 years old, were transplanted to the paddocks as part of the Federal Highway duplication work in 1996.

Prompted by Poile's photographs of the dying trees, during the week I inspected the stand and can report that their health has declined dramatically since this column featured them in an expose about Lake George back in June 2012.

Can anyone help?

Karen Longmuir, of Nicholls, captured this dramatic image of a swarm of bees on Percival Hill, one of our city's lesser-known hills.

"The hill has an abundance of flowers in bloom at the moment including fields of hoary sunrays," reveals Longmuir, whose husband Gavin advises "is the biggest concentration of these blooms outside the Mt Ainslie area."

"Percival Hill also supports an array of birds, animals and lizards," boasts Longmuir, who points out "as well as the usual kangaroos there are swamp wallabies, echidnas, shingle-backed lizards, black cockatoos and wedge-tailed eagles."

Percival Hill is located near the roundabout at the intersection of the Barton Highway and Gundaroo Drive and is part of the Canberra Nature Park. According to Longmuir, it is best accessed via Schow Place. "Follow the fence line up to the ridge, then up to the trig station, walk downhill towards the dam and be amazed at the fields of hoary sunrays," she advises.

While stepping out along the Light to Light walking track (a 31-kilometre multi-day trek between Ben Boyd Tower and Green Cape Light Station, south of Eden), Margaret and Denis Wylks of Holder stumbled upon this far-reaching root on a rocky stretch of beach near Mowarry Point.

"It looks like it was growing into a crack in the rock, which might have opened up as the root grew and then the face of the rock fell off," hypothesise the walking Wylks.

If you've encountered an unusual tree or oddity in nature while exploring our region, please let me know at the address at the end of this column.

While this column prides itself on being Canberra-centric when it comes to locations featured in "simulacra corner", I've temporarily relaxed the rules for this touched-up trout which Cid Riley of Tarago was "flabbergasted to spot" while on a recent trip to north-east Tasmania. "The fish out of water is located on the Tasman Highway, on the bank above the Ringarooma River before you enter the town of Derby," reveals my Tarago correspondent, who further reports he "resisted the temptation" to pull out his rod "and lure it in."

Contact Tim: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick. You can see a selection of past columns at: canberratimes.com.au/act-news/by/tim-the-yowie-man.

Clue: A place of contemplation.
Degree of difficulty: Easy-medium

Last week: Congratulations to Julie Hamilton who was first to correctly identify last week's photo as part of the historic prime minister's wing at Old Parliament House (OPH). Although Hamilton thought she "immediately recognised the location, due to that old phone on the desk", just to make sure she "phoned a friend". Luckily for Hamilton, last Saturday morning her friend Rossi Young of Farrer happened to be working at the Museum of Australian Democracy, now housed in OPH, and was able to wander into the wing and confirm Hamilton's guess.

Many readers noticed that one of Australia's most recognisable works of art, Tom Robert's Shearing the Rams, was on the wall of the office. This column would love to hear from any readers who have prints of the famous art work on display in less official places. Perhaps it adorns the wall of your outdoor loo or maybe it hangs above your work bench in the garage. The masterpiece will feature in Tom Roberts, this summer's blockbuster exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia which opens on December 4 and runs until March 28.

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am on Saturday, November 14, with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.