Here in the Inner West the Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) has been recently spotted with this photograph (below) taken by a Dulwich Hill resident in February this year. Their conical shaped diggings are a good giveaway of their nightly activities and are distinctively different from diggings by other animals like rabbits and rats. Current native and non-native vegetation along the GreenWay are good habitat for these sweet critters and clearing weedy vegetation should been done slowly allowing recently planted natives to firstly reach their maturity.
Just hot off the press is a new brochure by the GreenWay Sustainability Project team to raise awareness of this endangered local population and how to identify and protect them. For a download please link here.
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| image courtesy of greenway.org.au |
Inspired by these endangered locals, I recently participated in a volunteer day at North Head Sanctuary in Manly to help with scientific research. Bandicoots on the Brink is run by Earthwatch and is focused on protecting these endangered species by educating us and gaining data to understand the impact, activity and abundance of introduced predators in this area. I highly recommend to all to join up!! It is a beautiful day out learning about these little marsupials and more. A truely spectacular place among Sydney's endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub and other wildlife. In good company and while attending to the asked duties, I also joyfully documented fungi and spotted birdlife I hadn't seen before - what a thrill. Thank you to both Dr Nelika Hughes the Wildlife Ecologist from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Rachel Maitland from the Earthwatch team for all your hard work and for such an informative and fun day.
