by Karen | Sep 30, 2019 | Ecology, Fauna, Uncategorized
What is the most under-rated threat to Australia’s native wildlife?
Sure, we know about foxes, cats, wild dogs, weeds, habitat fragmentation and
even climate change … the list goes on and on, but a serious threat that we
don’t consider for the significant threat that it is, is ourselves in a
vehicle!
Just in the last month, 100’s of possums, bandicoots,
wallabies and many more of our native wildlife’s lives have been cut short on
the roads around the range, as our speedy convenience of getting from A to B
meets the more easy going pace that the rest of nature follows, with often
messy results…
Fortunately (not sure if that’s the right word) this level
of carnage seems to only occur for a short period every year. Perhaps it’s
because there’s tastier grass to be found on the roadside (late winter),
perhaps it’s mating season and animals are travelling further and crossing more
roads, perhaps it’s down to us driving a bit crazier in spring! A bit of
speculation perhaps, but either way the result appears to be an increased death
toll, as the weather warms up.
The problem for the driver like yourself is that the
wildlife can appear to want to be hit… There you are, minding your own
business, zooming along a picturesque country road and see a wallaby crossing
the road, you may slow down a bit, but accelerate again as it jumps to leave
the road. However at the last minute the wallaby hooks back across in front of
you and hey presto, there’s a dint in your bumper and a dying wallaby on the
road. Why? Put simply the dodge, weave and back track technique has worked well
for the wallaby in evading predators for millions of years of evolution and
worked perfectly fine against dingo (and before that the thylacine), however
the speed , size and weight of our vehicles is something wild animals have
little or no defence against.
The only way we can try and reduced the road carnage is
through your awareness of where there may be wild animals on the roadside and also
that they may irrationally jump out in front of you! I know there are some
special individuals who swerve to hit animals on purpose, but for the rest of
us, if we drive according to conditions and reduce our speed in bushland areas,
we can try and reduce the road toll. However if you do hit an animal and it requires
medical assistance, contact the Australia Zoo wildlife Hospital 1300 369 652.
by Karen | Jul 24, 2019 | Fauna, Gardening
With Spencer Shaw
If the extent of your interest in gardening is the perfect lawn and an immaculately pruned hedge (probably Mock Orange), then this article is probably not for you. That said, I aim for inclusiveness in my approach so bear with me and we’ll see if we can’t find some common ground and if not then hopefully some light entertainment.
Human beings are beings of nature, we enjoy interaction with the natural world. Although culturally some humans (unfortunately most) draw a line between humans and all the rest of life on earth, the fact remains that biologically and ecologically we are all part of life on earth. We’re inspired and in awe of areas of natural beauty, we enjoy watching other animals, we enjoy growing things, gardening & bushwalking. All these things make us happier, healthier and intrinsically content.
So, my thoughts naturally ramble in the direction of co-operation and sharing when it comes to the other life forms we are blessed to share this earth with. In our gardens, our green dominions, those areas that we can rule over with an iron fist (or at least an assorted blend of steel, alloy and plastic tools) and shape as is our whim into a series of monoculture, monotonous, monospecific, mediocre (and a legion of other words starting with m) manicured lawns and shrubs. These gardens, at best require constant intervention of labour, machine and chemical to maintain this level of morose mediocrity and at worst are functionally green deserts. We can do all this, or, we can get a little bit wild.
Getting a bit Wild in the garden, can take all sorts of forms, but the most crucial element is increasing the range of plants, in both species diversity and form. Ideally you would use as a great range of local native plants that reflect those that naturally occur in your area and provide food and resources for local wildlife. This unfortunately means sticking with local native plants of SE QLD and limits you to a mere 3500 native plant species…. although some could argue that’s a reasonable palette from which to select!
Other valuable elements to getting a little bit wild include: Mulch – use natural leaf litter, living mulches (groundcovers), rockpiles and logs; Question Your Chemical Use – insecticides & rodenticides may be useful short-term solutions to pest damage, but they are poisons that kill other wildlife and could end up in your food! Habitat – nest boxes, rocks, dead trees provide valuable homes.
The wilding of your garden is generous, creative and sharing. It reduces financial and physical inputs over time and the rewards, well they tweet for themselves!
by Karen | Jul 19, 2019 | Fauna
with Spencer Shaw
Small furry creatures with sharp teeth, claws and beady little eyes get a lot of bad press in our culture, thanks to the feral rats that have followed us across the planet. However, we also have many native rodents and other small furry creatures that play important roles in our ecosystems.
The Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes can be found in our forests and heathlands and is a cute and timid – although they can still give you a nip when cornered! They feed on native fruits and seeds and help disperse native plants. Also found in our area are the amazing Antechinus. Antechinus are not rodents at all but small carnivorous marsupials, high energy predators that have short life spans, especially the poor males, who live for 9 months before going out in a blaze of glory after exhausting all their energy in the mating season.
All our small mammals are prey for larger fauna, which brings me to the delicate issue of rodent control. Please consider carefully when deciding how to control those annoying little critters that are scratching in your ceiling. Many rat poisons, particularly the systemic poisons (they don’t just kill the rats but also the animals that eat the poisoned rats such as) are dangerous to other animals. Victims can include Owls, Tawny Frog Mouths, Carpet Snakes and Quolls to name a few. Snap Traps are brutal but effective with no chance of killing the predators listed above. If you think you might have Antechinus instead of introduced mice, use a Live Trap to catch them, then release outside. If however, you do have an Antechinus in your house and can tolerate them (they can stretch the friendship at times), you will never have a mouse or cockroach problem again!
So remember, next time you are jumping onto the table as a small furry creature scurries by, it may just be a friendly local and not necessarily a “dirty rat”!
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