I sometime run into locals while walking around my usual circuit at Green’s Bush and I can always learn from them about what is happening in the area. Earlier this year Virginia taught me about the local trees, which I am hopeless at identifying. I ran into her and her partner Mark again last weekend and caught up with the local happenings particular around finding owls. There are a few species at Greens: Powerful Owls, Owlet nightjars and Southern Boobooks. I have yet to find any but there seems to be quite a few around. I asked V about how her animal orphan caring was going and she reached down her shirt and pulled out this little Ring-tiled possum from a small pouch. The ring tail possum and its much bigger, meaner cousin the Brush-tail possum are a favourite food for the Powerful Owl. The possums are very common and the large powerful owls quite rare due to lack of old growth trees for breeding hollows. But I would not wish this little guy to become a snack for a big owl. So much effort and time goes into giving it a chance to grow up.
Ring-tailed Possum, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic
The Gap Year and Beyond 
What a cute little guy Malt! Night birds are so much harder to spot, some birders have a natural art for spotting and knowing where they roost.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That little ringtail is a cutie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems, talking to the locals, that the owls prefer the road sides and the private property that border the National Park – more mature trees and hollows than in the park. I have started to explore the border/roadside country to try my luck.
LikeLike