Fauna Survey Weekend – Toolangi

Over the weekend of 23-25 November members of the Kinglake Landcare Group and local residents carried out a fauna survey at a bushland property in Toolangi.

Led by Peter Homan from RMIT and the Field Naturalist Club of Victoria the volunteers carried out trapping for small mammals and bats, spotlighting for possums and gliders, bird watching and reptile searches.

Voluteers setting up the harp trap.

Over the weekend we were lucky enough to capture native Bush Rats and Agile Antechinus in the Elliott Traps and five different species of small insectivorous bats in the Harp Trap including Southern Forest Bat and Lesser Long-eared Bat.

Agile Antechinus

Spotlighting observations included Sugar Gliders , Ringtail Possums, Common Wombats and Swamp Wallabies.

The reptile searches turned up McCoy’s Skink and Southern Water Skink and bird watching resulted in the recording of 17 species of birds including Rufous Whistler and Tawny Frogmouth.

Native Bush Rat

Remote sensor cameras were also set up and we were able to get some great footage of Long-nosed Bandicoots.

Volunteers weighing trapped mammals

This fauna survey event was funded by the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund.

All field work was conducted under a DSE issued Scientific Research Permit.

Bat in harp trap

Chris Cobern
Landcare Coordinator
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network