Earlier in the year, our team installed more than 100 artificial hollows in areas of the Wombat and Cobaw State Forests that had been impacted by the 2021 storms. You can read a bit about the background here.
We placed a number of cameras out during installation, and got some immediate interest from species such an Agile Antechinus, Feather-tailed Gliders and White-throated Treecreepers! We also had a flying visit from one of our target species, a Brush-tailed Phascogale!
This month, we inspected every hollow for occupants, and any maintenance issues.
We were thrilled to find signs of occupation in nearly a quarter of the hollows – which is a very positive sign after only six months in the environment!
By far the most commonly identified inhabitant was Crimson Rosellas, or Rosella eggs.
We also found a number of hollows with White-throated Treecreepers with chicks or eggs!
Finally, we also found some evidence of mammal nests, and a couple of nests with mammals in them – though without disturbing the sleeping critters, it was impossible to identify what was in there – but you can check out the tiny paw!
We are very excited at this level of occupation after such a short time, and look forward to more monitoring in 2023!
