A busy week in Flowerdale: Possums, cockatoos, magpies, deer, wallaby & rats!

Even a White-faced Heron got into the picture.

It was a busy week in early April for two remote cameras set up on a property in Flowerdale. The sites were set up in riparian vegetation dominated by Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), Swamp Gum (E. ovata), Narrow-leaf Peppermint (E. radiata) and Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata), along with Dogwood (Cassinia) in the shrub-layer. The area was burnt in Feb. 2009 and has stands of variously aged trees, including some old and regenerating specimens.

Some of these videos may take a few seconds to load.

Approximate location of these records is HERE.

—————————

Black Rats (Rattus rattus) are very agile climbers, as is clearly seen here.

Both sites feature fallen tree-trunks and branches. Bait, inaccessible in a perforated container in front of the camera, was used as an extra attraction.

Though we’ve caught Common Brushtail Possums on camera before, this (below) was the first Short-eared Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) found during our study.

I’ve labeled this deer (below) a Sambar (Cervus unicolor), but having another look at its antlers, I wonder whether it isn’t a Red Deer (C. elaphus). Can anyone shed any light on how the animals & antlers differ?