Trips

Lazy like a Koala

September 23, 2012 by Clare M 2 Comments

Due to the fact that we will still be camping and birding when this goes online I thought I could share some photos of a well-known marsupial in the southern parts of Australia. We spent two months in Portland, Victoria in late 2009 with Grant’s work and whenever we could we were birding. It was challenging in tall trees, but what was surprising to us were the number of Koalas that we came across as we looked up. No doubt you would not see them if you were just walking through the forest, but once you are focussing on trying to work out what the bird call is and where the bird is they seem to be lounging around in the trees in significant numbers. In actual fact we heard of one area where they did believe contraceptives may need to be introduced! This seems a rather extreme measure, as in other areas you hear of a decline in numbers and you wonder that a relocation programme may be more beneficial. Koalas are not the most active of creatures and they always seem to be eating or sleeping and very rarely moving. They live in the eucalypt trees and eat the leaves and are very rarely seen on the ground.

Could this really be comfortable?

If I get this wrong I will fall!

Oh, birders……

 Another busy day for this Koala!

Isn’t it lovely when you are birding and you get to observe other beautiful creatures?

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!