Update 19th January 2022 - Introducing Darcel

 Sasha's new baby is now back-riding and has been named Darcel.

Darcel back-riding on Sasha - 14^th Jan 2022

First picture of Darcel - 10^th Jan 2022

It's possible that Marcel is Darcel's father. So far, Darcel seems to have a calm and confident personality like Marcel and also resembles him.

Darcel back-riding on Sasha - 17^th Jan 2022

A carpet python (or maybe more than one) has been visiting the area. 

The first I knew about it was when Wink started acting very strangely. She arrived at the house but refused food and instead crept very cautiously along the balcony rail on her belly, looking down intently all the time. At a certain point she scent-marked the balcony rail. I could see that this was scent marking and not just urinating because she had urinated immediately prior to the scent marking - the urine was clear and watery and the scent was white and viscous.

It might be the role of the dominant possum to post odorous warnings about pythons. In 2012 I saw Kiki scent marking near Box 4 when there was a python lurking inside. I posted a photo of this in a blog entry.

I have not yet seen this latest python in person, but on reviewing the camera footage I found it had briefly visited Box 4.

Carpet python in Box 4 - 5^th Jan 2022

I don't know why it is, but pythons particularly like visiting this box. Box 4 has been visited by pythons on about 30 separate occasions over the past 11 years. By contrast, box 2 was visited only twice (one of these occasions was when the ringtail Gumdrop and her baby Lychee were eaten by the python Grendel), box 3 once, and the rest never.

Wink seems to be secure in her position as the dominant possum.

Wink - 31^st Dec 2021

Wink's pouch is starting to plump up, but her baby has not ventured out in the nestbox yet. I will post a Baby Possum Alert when the little one is visible.

Blossom has not yet been chased out of the area. She rarely sleeps in the possum boxes and mostly uses the possum apartments in the garage. Blossom looks a lot like her mother Wink. 

Blossom - 30^th Dec 2021

Blossom - 30^th Dec 2021 [Photo by Xesce]

After the python was seen, Blossom avoided the normal feeding area on the balcony for a few days and instead waited on a down-pipe at the end of the balcony.

Blossom on down-pipe - 7^th Jan 2022

Walt is now visiting more often and seems to be sleeping somewhere nearby. He was once seen sleeping in a nook under the kitchen floor, which is a location that Marcel was fond of. It would make sense that Walt considers this his own territory now.

Walt - 14^th Jan 2022

It seems that the tip of Walt's tail might be getting whiter. It started off a gold colour but the fur seems to be growing thinner and lighter over time.