A (moving) picture is worth a thousand words

Video has become an important aid to our wildlife monitoring projects on the Co-op giving us a window onto the life of the animals we share the bush with as well as giving us joy (and sometimes a good laugh at their antics!)

The yawning Wombat...

And the curious Magpie...

Thanks to a recent grant from Bendigo Bank, we've now enlisted motion-sensing cameras in the monitoring of our nest boxes.

We have more than 20 nest boxes installed across our Co-op land, many of which have been there for 30 years or more, Over the past 18 months we've been monitoring them using a ‘camera on a stick’ that allows us to peek in to the nest boxes without risking life and limb climbing ladders. This has enabled us to capture images of the "residents" and record data. Evidence to date shows that Sugar Gliders are the predominant beneficiaries.

Sugar Gliders curled up and cosy in their nest box..

We had expected to see more Brush-tailed Phascogales, one of our precious endangered species, using the boxes but few were found even though we have regular sightings of them in the bush and nesting in the roofs of houses on the Co-op.

Three Phascogales scampering under the eaves:

We've since investigated different nest box designs that may be more Phascogale-friendly. These boxes have been built and installed and the next step is to monitor them to see how they are being colonised.

The three new motion-sensing cameras will play a crucial role in this project by providing 24 hour surveillance of the new nest boxes. This will give us more information on which animals visit, how long it takes for residents to move in, and if Phascogales find them more attractive.

Installing the new cameras...

Installing the new nest boxes...