Tag: Wildlife

Possum envy …

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I wish I could say that this adorable little creature is “mine” but I can’t.

It turned up yesterday on the veranda of my friends Trish & Richard, looking a bit poorly.  We think it might be an Eastern Pygmy Possum, a threatened species which weighs between 10 and 50 grams – that’s about the same as a normal chicken egg!  You can see just how small it is when you compare it to the width of the decking in the photo below.

By the time we’d finished our coffee it was gone, hopefully safely back up a tree.

I’d love to think that they were sneaking around MY garden after dark.

Note: photo courtesy of Richard Carruthers

 

 

 

A venomous breakfast …

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There are at least four species of snakes in the general area of my garden. The Diamond Python, Coastal Carpet Python, and Common Tree Snake – all of which are non-venomous.  Then there is the Red-bellied Black – which is not.

I see a Red-bellied Black from time to time sunning itself or wandering slowly through the garden, but as they are non-aggressive it doesn’t really bother me.  Anyway, I always assumed they were just on their way to somewhere else.  So a few mornings ago when I found a dead baby Red-bellied Black on the lawn I was a bit surprised.

One of the Kookaburras that frequents the garden will respond when I make Kookaburra-talk (not hysterical laughter you understand – just a coo-coo-coo sound!) So I called him down for a breakfast treat …

Now how do I handle this?
Now how do I handle this?

After throwing the baby snake around in the air a few times and trying to swallow it, the Kookaburra flew off with it into the trees.  No doubt to bash it into manageable pieces.

Now, the question is, was it dropped by a night-time bird of prey, or is there a little clutch of Red-bellied Black eggs somewhere in the garden ??
I don’t think I will go looking…

 

 

 

A visiting python …

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Today I came upon this beautiful two metre python sunning itself near my back door.  From its markings it appears to be a Coastal Carpet Python.  According to my snake book, its movements when not disturbed are “slow and casual” which is a pretty apt description as it seemed quite unconcerned by my presence.

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Hopefully when it has finished sunning itself it will proceed slowly and casually to my compost bin to feast on a bush rat or two!

Another visitor …

Published on by FJB

More evidence that things are tough this winter …

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Probably a Swamp Wallaby – note her damaged right ear

This is probably the wallaby I see from time to time in the bush at the back of my house.  I’ve never seen her in the front garden before, but the lure of lush green grass and fresh water was probably too much for her to resist.  I watched from the veranda for a few minutes before she hopped off across the garden.