Last night we went on a spotlight walk in an area that is an island of forest to the north of the Wombat forest, as part of the Spotlight on Species walks a partnership between the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council Environment department. It was a well attended walk and while we did not spot any powerful owls or greater gliders we did see plenty of interesting things and it was a lovely wander.
I love being in the forest a night. The thump of a wallaby as it hops off into the darkness, the sounds of sugar gliders chattering in the trees and the quiet crunching of parrots nibbling eucalypt seeds in the canopy. It is amazing how using a spotlight can focus your searching, not just in the trees but also on the ground. You see bugs and beetles you would just never see in daylight and plants so easy to walk past in daylight just pop out into focus.
My highlight of the night was a Southern Boobook Owl, it is not often one sits long enough to get some photos.
Ninox novaeseelandiae
