Have
you noticed there don’t seem to be as many possums about lately?
That was
certainly the verdict of Dr Chris McLean after the Squirrel Glider Spotlighting
session. Only one brushtail possum was sighted but, from two different angles,
and not much else. Another exploratory session on the eastern end of Coal Point
around Stansfield and Threlkeld Reserves was a similar situation, 2 hours of
searching and only 2 possums.
There
are a couple of suggestions about the reasons for the absence. The April storms
felling lots of habitat trees or the new neighbour…a Powerful Owl on the prowl which
has taken up residence on the West ridge. This is indeed exciting news for the
Powerful Owl enthusiasts. They eat a possum a night and have also be known to
sup on lorikeets and other birds. These new residents are the top of the food
chain. So if your possums appear to be tip toeing rather than tap dancing these
days they’ve probably head about the new neighbour.
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