Possum Status Update 28th Sept 2012

More pythons. This time a 2 m long one (that is to say, half way between Morlock and Grendel in size) descended through the trees in the possum feeding area.

Here's Kiki glaring at it with bared teeth.

Kiki on guard against the latest python 23/9/2012

Update your bookmarks!

If you have the Possum TV Live webcam server bookmarked, you will need to change your link from http://www.possum.dyndns.tv to http://possum.dyndns.tv.

There's a somewhat involved story behind this, but in brief, DynDNS changed their policy to no longer allow free accounts (such as mine) to use "wildcard" domains. I.e. I can have possum.dyndns.tv, but not www.possum.dyndns.tv or ftp.possum.dyndns.tv etc. This policy change actually happened some time ago (last year, I think), but it seems my site was only affected just recently, after I had to reset the IP address due to problems caused by a power outage.

Possum TV Live Webcam showing Flea in box 1 recently

Possum Status Update 16th Sept 2012

Still no sign of Nosferatu. At this stage we're assuming he has met with some accident; either a python or one of the other many hazards a possum has to put up with.

Another new male possum has been seen in the area. It's possible that this possum is Dexter, who visited very briefly in May last year.

Unknown Brushtail (Possibly Dexter) 12/9/2012 [Photo by Xesce]

Possum Status Update 8th Sept 2012

Over the last couple of days the weather has warmed up considerably and, on cue, the pythons have been swarming all over the place. At dusk on 6/9/2012 a large python (quite probably Grendel) was stretched out on the balcony rail where the possums come. The following day, the python I had photographed on the roof on 22/4/2012 (see the Python TV post) was seen in the tree next to the balcony rail. I have named this second python Morlock. Subsequently that same night another smaller python (about 1 m long and very thin) also appeared in the same tree.

Kiki was lower down in the tree when this last python appeared, and here's a photo of her reaction to it. She glared at it for a long time with her teeth bared like this. I've never seen a possum do this before; their usual defensive pose is with mouth open, making vocal threats, and with one or both hands raised with claws outstretched. I'm thinking that Kiki is not making a threatening gesture as such, but is simply readying her teeth for biting purposes. Unlike when she saw Grendel, she wasn't nervous and shying at sudden movements, but instead looked like she was going to charge at the python and attack it.

An angry Kiki, ready to attack a carpet python 7/9/2012