Wildlife Watching in Australia

This post is part of a collaboration trip with YouTuber Look Closer where our main focus was the Noolbenger or Honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus). That blog can be found here.

Most Western Australians and mammal watchers know how to find the endemic macropod the Quokka (Setonix brachyurus). Grab a ferry to Rottnest Island just off the coast of Perth, head to the bakery to buy a pie and whilst eating you are likely to be pestered by a Quokka for food – see a previous blog. Not so well known, is that they can also be found on the mainland where they tend to be quite cryptic and found in thick vegetation alongside rivers. The mainland distribution is found in patches from the Perth Hills all the way through to east of Albany, where the most south-eastern population can be found at Two Peoples Bay. I have looked for the hills populations before in Jarrahdale and Canning Dam with no success as yet.

Quokka conservation status is “Vulnerable” as whilst they are easily seen on Rottnest, on the mainland they are subject to many threats such predation by feral cats & foxes, hit by cars, fire and land clearing.

As part of my research I used Jimmy Lamb’s hugely informative blog Quolling Around and he has written a number of blogs discussing Two Peoples Bay. Also in this area can be found the critically endangered Gilbert’s Potoroo but they are rarely encountered and mostly found during formal survey work.

After finding Honey possum the night before, we travelled the 70km trip to Two Peoples Bay targetting mainland Quokka. We arrived there mid afternoon and enjoyed the picturesque beaches in this amazing part of the world.

I was pleased to see a couple of Sooty Oystercatchers a way off but the photos were good enough for ID purposes.

We enjoyed a barbeque meal in the parkland, explored the area and settled down to wait until dusk.

As it got dark we started to use the thermal and located a heat source a distance off in the bush surrounding the carpark.

This thermal footage shows how well warm blooded mammals stand out and how identification can be made from the size, overall shape and behaviour. At the end Look Closer can be seen getting his camera gear into place!

We crept closer and I was able to get this nice image of my first mainland Quokka with flash. Look Closer was also able to get great video footage.

The Quokka hung around just feeding from the lawns not bothered by us, but also not approaching us for food like a Rottnest Quokka would. That night we didn’t see any others but I was pleased to have had a successful evening. Little did we know that later that evening we were going to have an extended encounter with a Honey possum when we headed back to Cheynes Beach.

Look Closer created this awesome video of our visit and finding a Quokka.