Thursday 18 May 2017

Update 18th May 2017

I'll start with a picture of Raffi again.

Raffi - 3rd May 2017

Raffi is in good health and looks as if he might grow into a big possum; although you can't see in in the photo, he seems to have very long legs.

Raffi - 23rd April 2017 [Photo by Xesce]

Raffi - 23rd April 2017 [Photo by Xesce]

Although Sasha and Raffi go their own ways at night, they often share Box 7 during the day.

Sasha is also in good health. She probably has a baby in the pouch, however nothing is clearly visible yet.

Sasha - 27th April 2017

Farley was successfuly treated for his exudative dermatitis, however, as soon as he got better, he disappeared. It will sometimes happen that a possum will come into the area to be treated for exudative dermatitis and then leave as soon as they're better, however Farley was the dominant male in the area and had no reason to leave.

As his infection cleared up he was getting more confident, so it's possible he could have gone away to court a neighbouring female. I hope it's something like that. The unpredicability of possums is a frustrating thing.

Niva and Wasabi have also both disappeared. This is normal behavior for Wasabi, and since he was looking after Niva when last seen, it's possible that Niva is with him. Niva, by the way, is definitely a little boy possum.

Niva (left) and Wasabi (right) - 23rd April 2017

Niva - 28th April 2017

Koji, on the other hand, is visiting regularly. If he feels ignored by humans, he has learnt that climbing the screen door creates enough noise to summon a person to his service.

Like his father Wasabi, he will sometimes come into the house. He seems to like perching underneath chairs.

Koji - 30th April 2017

Recently, a ringtail drey appeared in the front garden. It's built out of leaves from a Golden Wattle (which seems to be a favourite nesting material for ringtails) and is concealed in the branches of a Fiddlewood tree. It seems likely this is Koji's home.

Ringtail Drey - 16th May 2017

The Brush turkeys Merlin and Byron, and their father Gatsby, are frequently seen in the garden and often roost in the trees at night.

Elvis the water dragon is also often seen sleeping in the trees nearby. I'm not sure how he maintains his balance all night.

Elvis - 3rd May 2017

It's amazing how much of the wildlife here depends on trees. Even non-native plants like the Bauhinia, which is offically considered to be a weed, support a large amount of native wildlife.

It is unfortunate that the local council have the attitude that trees are nothing more than an impediment to development and are to be eliminated at any excuse. I put the disappearance of sugar gliders from the neighbourhood down to their actions.

1 comment:

  1. Hiya, Im a huge fan of possums and i also have a tree studded property that houses about 8 brushtails.
    I very much enjoy watching Sasha and Raffi every day. I always thought possums slept soundly till dusk, I was very wrong, sasha is always cleaning herself and raffi.
    Thanks so much for giving me this opportunity to be able to see what goes on in the possum world throughout the day. Im addicted now . haha

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