There is a new male possum in the area and he has been named Laslo.
Laslo - 21st Aug 2024 |
Male possums seem to have larger and more fluid territories than the females, and on average a dominant male stays in the area about 1 year; whereas for females it's much longer. It's likely Vincent has moved on to somewhere else rather than having suffered a mishap, although of course I can't be certain.
Laslo caught on to how things work here incredibly quickly - he was taking food from hand from the humans the first night he visited. I think he might have been watching from the trees when other possums visit the house and got to see how things work.
Laslo - 17th Aug 2024 |
Laslo disgraced himself very early on. He went to harass Wink and attacked Grok who was riding on her back at the time. Grok ended up falling from the tree - fortunately there was the turkey mound underneath so he had a soft landing - and ran up a small sapling to hide until it was safe to return.
Laslo picked up that this wasn't acceptable behaviour and now always acts very peaceful and innocent - at least when the humans are around.
Laslo - 2nd Oct 2024 |
After that, Grok would often back-ride facing backwards to see if anyone was sneaking up on him from behind.
Grok back-riding on Wink - 18th Aug 2024 |
Here are some more photos of Wink and Grok to make up for my lack of posting over the past few weeks.
Grok back-riding on Wink - 15th Aug 2024 |
Grok back-riding on Wink - 21st Aug 2024 |
Grok back-riding on Wink - 23rd Aug 2024 |
Often, possums will peer intently down into the garden. I can never see anything there, but a cat has been seen around, and recently I saw what appeared to be a python poo on a branch near the house, so I'm sure there are dangers about.
Grok back-riding on Wink - 23rd Sept 2024 |
Recently, Grok has been going off on his own for short periods, but will quickly return to wink to back-ride.
Grok - 20th Sept 2024 |
Grok - 26th Sept 2024 |
Blossom's pouch is now very big - much bigger than in the photo below - and parts of her baby are starting to poke out. I was going to write that the little one will start back-riding soon, but as I was about to post this entry, Blossom appeared - at a safe distance from the house - with the baby back-riding for the first time. Expect a post on this sometime soon.
Blossom - 12th Sept 2024 |
Another male brushtail was seen in early September. He approached the house and didn't appear scared of the humans, but wasn't interested in food. He has a chip out of his right ear that is almost identical to Vincent's, but this possum definitely isn't Vincent.
Unnamed male brushtail - 14th Sept 2024 |
Unnamed male brushtail - 6th Sept 2024 |
Brush turkeys Merlin and Tabitha are seen around pretty much every day, and another female, possibly Saskia, has returned.
Merlin - 9th Sept 2024 |
The water dragons have come out of hibernation. Elton and Ziggy have been seen on Merlin's mound and are sometimes seen sleeping in the trees on warm nights.
Some news for wildlife watchers.
A few days ago, Dr Ana Gracanin of the Australian National University set up this livestream of endangered Greater Gliders nesting in a natural tree hollow.
Greater Glider Livestream
This is a considerable technical achievement - the system is solar-powered and located deep in a forest - and definitely worth a look. Greater Gliders are incredibly cute.
Also, the Collins St Falcons webcam is back and running. A third chick has just hatched.
Finally, a question to any possum carers or other people who might have treated possums for exudative dermatitis: Does anyone know of a vet who has taken over the role of Dr Jim Pollock in supplying Ceclor for treating possums with exudative dermatitis?
I don't have any possums requiring treatment but I want to be prepared if this happens.
Any suggestions would be welcome. I can be contacted via email at possumtv@gmail.com.
Thanks for the update on Laslo! It's good to hear that he's getting acclimatized. It looks like he's settled into box 3 instead of box 2 over the past few days. When will Blossom's baby get a name? They're starting to get pretty big!
ReplyDeleteBlossom's baby has been named, and I'll reveal the name in the next blog entry. :)
DeleteI'm waiting until I can get a good photo of the baby before I post anything. So far, the baby has only been back-riding for a short period early in the night, and Blossom has kept her distance during this period. But soon she's likely to bring it over to show the humans.