File this under: things you don't expect to find dangling above you while you hang out the washing!
People who have been following this page for a while know that I get a little obsessed with my washing. I don't have a working dryer at the moment (or for the last few years - time flies when you're trying to dry your washing on clothes horses spread throughout the house 😂) so sunny days with a light breeze are pretty much the ultimate in good days, washing wise for me. I run excitedly from window to window, licking a finger and holding it up to determine the direction of the wind, doing load after load and feeling like the amazing house wife that I am (ignoring the dust bunnies rolling past of course)😂
I noticed the dogs sniffing around one spot in particular this morning but that's not unusual. There's always feathers and tufts of fur and the like so I happily let them investigate. After finally getting everything hung out, I stood back and just looked up. I love the massive gum tree in our yard. Sure it sheds leaves and bark like a mofo, but it's so beautiful and the animals love it, so I love to stare up and into it to see who's about.
But today something caught my eye. Something VERY unexpected. And as soon as I saw the general shape I knew what I was looking at - a possum stomach!!!!!!!!!! And it was hanging slung over one of the branches, like shoes over powerlines 😳 So yeah, that made me question exactly what it was that the dogs had been sniffing at all morning. I crouched down for a closer look and found the lower jaw of an unfortunate Ringtail Possum!
At this point I'm thinking that what has happened is that a Powerful Owl has grabbed one of the resident Ringtails - they have a real taste for them and prefer to hunt in the trees and not on the ground - and that's exactly where Ringtails prefer to be. So, a Ringtail has become the meal of this huge owl, an owl that is listed as vulnerable in NSW, that is: facing the very real risk of extinction in the medium term, so while it's sad, it's also great news that it looks like we still have active P'owls in the area (I last heard one a couple of weeks ago) and that they're feeding away nicely.
But yeah, maybe a heads up next time please bird. I like to know when there are organs swaying in the wind above me and bloodied jaw bones under foot.
Backyard Finds
Northern Illawarra
