Rose, Constance, & Harry
March’s soft release
Between all things dance, we have checked on the soft release enclosure and the nearby trail cam for recorded footage of Bill and Jean, a pair lovingly referred to as the Overflow, and finding all well, we’ve since relocated the enclosure to Staughton Vale, for the second release of the year.
Whilst Bill and Jean have since parted company, their release-return, like those beforehand, appears to have been a success. From the footage we could glean Jean returning throughout the night to check the water vessels and have a drink. Noting the frequency of her returns, in the days following her release, it is a reminder to all of us to put water out for wildlife, for those new to the area, like Jean, and the locals too, especially on such hot early-autumn days.
In the spirit of flexibility and commitment to those in our care, we will be returning to Batesford once more, to soft release the Overflow’s Overflow of Oti, Toffee, and Marble.
But before that, of course, there is time for one more soft release at Staughton Vale.
Since 2022, we have soft released
Atlas and Clover, in Emerald
Ada, Agnès, Hilda, and Violet, in Balliang
Sid, Noodles, Feeney, and Finnius, Balliang
Myrtle and Poppy (two Brushtails), in Emerald
Dante, Kitri, Norris, and Norbert, in Staughton Vale
Ernestine, Henrietta, Beryl, and Bernice, Staughton Vale
Sylvie, Linus, Lute, and Celeste, Staughton Vale (over two release sites)
Bill and Jean, in Batesford
Constance, Harry, and Rose, in Staughton Vale
Oti, Toffee, and Marble, in Batesford (in late March sliding into early April)
After months of care, Rose, Constance, and Harry, those marvellous, inquisitive three, are one step closer to being amongst the trees. Rose and Constance, who came into care mid September, and Harry not long afterwards, in October, are the lucky ones.
As ever, such things cannot be done on one’s own, and so it is with huge thanks to Koala Clancy members, Gloria and Peter, for helping us to install three nesting boxes and set up their soft release site. We couldn’t have done it without them, and ‘our’ trio of possums are ever fortunate to be in their care, as they, and we, delivered local browse straight from the insect-rich trees and ensured they had fresh water.
Good luck, little big possums; all.
As we did last time, we set up the night camera to record their activity while in the safety and openness of the enclosure. Once more, we delighted in what it revealed: as we slept, they leapt! Seeing them explore the enclosure with inquisitiveness and vim, and read the new world around them, with attention, filled us with confidence in the process. Ready, for sure.
We spotted a Krefft’s glider in a nearby nesting box, as we returned with freshly picked browse; a reminder, twice over, of all that is rich that awaits them. As we removed the spent browse, and furnished it with the new, Constance stirred and, from the lip of the nesting box, she enjoyed the sweetest of sweet Red gum tips. There is no day that cannot be made lighter by witnessing such things.
We placed ice blocks around their nesting box in the enclosure to keep them cool. Possums struggle to thermoregulate in extreme heat, and we didn’t want to falter at the last and have them succumb to heat stress.
We returned several nights later to open the hatch. As night falls, the ringtails, Rose, Constance, and Harry, have the option of threading out into the beautiful wild beyond. The world, their oyster in the form of a tall eucalypt next to another tall eucalypt next to another, until you reach the Brisbane Ranges. To mark the occasion, we two, and Gloria and Peter, headed to the Staughton Vale lookout to behold the vastness and feel a welcome breeze after such a hot day.
With the hatch having now been open for several nights, we swung by the soft release site once more to check on the ringtails. Harry and Constance were inside the nesting box, snoozing, and looking very healthy indeed. We loaded the footage from the camera now strapped to the overhead tree trunk, pointing at the hatch, and saw, over some 43 recorded moments between 8pm and 6am, all three, Harry, Constance, and Rose, exploring outside the enclosure. Rose, with her longer white tail tip, Harry with his medium tail tip, and Constance with the shortest tail tip, made it easy to distinguish who was who in the collected material, as each one zipped back and forth along the branch we’d erected nearest the camera.
From their more tentative mappings on the first night, to now, several nights’ later, where they are moving with increased confidence, and greater speed, it is invaluable to see into their world and know they are transitioning well. With Harry and Constance currently kipping inside, we’ll return to close the enclosure at the end of the month, when they’ve moved high up in the tree canopy. Until then, we enjoy rewatching the footage of the free spirits three. In the nights that follow, their absorption back into the safe, free fold of the leaves will be the nimble embodiment of a successful soft release ‘home’.
We’re elated for them, Rose, Constance, and Harry, Bill and Jean, and all those before and to come. Good luck, little big possums; all. Good luck.
While on site, we took the opportunity to test our mockup of our forthcoming artists’ book, Restoring corridors, taken up again. Looking at the mockup, we can see what we need to fix and what we want to change. We read over the text, again, which was written about an earlier soft release group, and see if it still tallies. And, of course, we couldn’t resist sharing this preview with you.
Restoring corridors, taken up again will be released into the wild at the 11th Melbourne Art Book Fair at the NGV in May.
Image credit: Constance, on the lip of the nesting box in the soft release trailer, peering out at her new surrounds.
