For the second time in a few weeks, I have found evidence that a quoll is back on the block.
I’ve been bemoaning the disappearance of the quoll who lived and bred in my shed for years, mainly for her own sake, but also because possums stay away when she’s in residence.
Quolls eat possums.
I’m no expert on droppings or scats — there are whole books on the subject, none of which I have —but I think, after years of nightly gifts left by the quoll on my verandah, that I can say with some confidence that this dropping was dropped by a quoll.
The reluctant exit twist at the end, the hairiness, the connected bulges — all say ‘quoll’. Sometime an offering is more curved, crescent-shaped, or the colour is lighter and the texture more furry; naturally it all depends on what she had for dinner.
But it gives me hope. ‘Shed to let’: check us out, move back in, Mrs Quoll — please?
Hi DWG,
Yes quolls are unique here; you’d have read about mine in my book?
Rabbit droppings would not be welcome as they are introduced species and have caused huge problems in the past in Australia- ‘the rabbit plague’.
I don’t think we have quolls in our part of the world..maybe a native of Australia…so I don’t suppose I will ever have one, but I did encounter some ‘droppings’ that made me just as excited as you seem to be.
They were rabbit droppings and just as excited to know a rabbit family is living close. Do hope the quoll homesteads on your mountain!
As I have said before, it does not take much to make nature lovers happy!! Just a drop here and there!!! Thanks for sharing.. also love the leaves on your Glory Vine!! DWG
Hi Denis,
Well, my previous quoll (as made famous in my book!) definitely lived here and bred in the shed for 8 years. The smell alone was a giveaway, but I would see her. Just another atypical critter like me I guess! We had a quoll lady from Taronga here some years ago.
And yes Gaye, there was a time when I didn’t think so,but droppings are fascinating.
Hello Sharyn,
how wonderful it is to hear of quolls on your little square of your mountain again, and I do hope that she moves in and breeds close at hand. It must be so very satisfying to be able to observe these secretive creatures with such accuracy. I’ll be looking forward to stories of encounters!
And arn’t droppings fascinating!
Cheers,
Gaye
Hi Sharyn
Our local Environment group had a talk last week by a Quoll expert, Debbie Andrew
Debbie Andrew has worked for the National Parks
and Wildlife Service (now Department of
Environment, Climate Change and Water) since
1983, first as a Ranger and then as a Natural
Heritage Officer in the area of reserve investigation
and establishment specialising in the area of fauna
survey and conservation assessment. Debbie
undertook the Tiger Quoll study at Wollongong
University as a part-time Masters by research
student.
If you can track her down, she would know.
She did say that all the Quolls she studied use dens only for a few days at a time (I think that’s what she said). Certainly they do move around a lot. Under old farm buildings is one of their favourite spots, but in the bush they use large logs on the ground, or tree hollows.
She likes them and respects them as top-line predators (as you also do, apparently).
But they never stay put for long.
Best you can hope for is to become a regular overnight haunt on her rounds of her territory.
Cheers
Denis Wilson