Update 5th October 2024 - Introducing Laslo

There is a new male possum in the area and he has been named Laslo.

Laslo - 21^st 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 - 17^th 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 - 2^nd 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 - 18^th 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 - 15^th Aug 2024

Grok back-riding on Wink - 21^st Aug 2024

Grok back-riding on Wink - 23^rd 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 - 23^rd Sept 2024

Recently, Grok has been going off on his own for short periods, but will quickly return to wink to back-ride.

Grok - 20^th Sept 2024

Grok - 26^th 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 - 12^th 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 - 14^th Sept 2024

Unnamed male brushtail - 6^th Sept 2024

Brush turkeys Merlin and Tabitha are seen around pretty much every day, and another female, possibly Saskia, has returned. 

Merlin - 9^th 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.