30/10/20 Female Halictid
4/10/20 Leioproctus or Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) Native bee
31/5/2017 Swamp Rat (Rattus lutreolus) Lots of these fat little cuties running around.
4/2/17 From Museum Victoria:   I can see the animals are certainly Antechinus of some sort due to the sharp insectivorous teeth, conical snout and haired, tapering tail; likely to be a Agile Antechinus Antechinus agilis, based on their relative abundance at the locality of the specimen. Although superficially rodent like in size and colour, Antechinus are unrelated to rats and mice; instead they are insectivorous marsupials more closely related to quolls and the Tasmanian Devil. Antechinus are renowned for their semelparity; a reproductive strategy that sees all adult males die off after a single, frenzied episode of mating, usually in the depths of winter every year, leaving a predominantly female adult population until the offspring reach maturity.

​Interesting!
We've seen some cute little bats flying around - but MAN are they hard to take a photo of! Here is a dead one I found.  Museum Victoria identified it as a Common Bentwing Bat (Miniopterus schreibersiss). It's a widespread species found across the globe, with many regional sub-species, some of which are endangered. Unfortunately I didn't keep it, so I couldn't send it to them for further identification.  If I see another one.......maybe! 1/4/16
 Snakes!  They are definitely around - lots of rats and frogs for them to eat :)  Tiger and brown snakes have been seen.  Andy found th (25/9/2015), apparently somewhere near a bend in the driveway was known to be a "black snake" nest by the former owner (Ben did run over a very dark snake near the bend which somehow managed to slither away!).  This snake skin I found on the easement was 1.25m long (12/11/16) It gave me a bit of a scare! The boys wouldn't let me keep it in the house :(
The bottom snake was with a larger one - possibly mum - who slithered away revealing a dark pink underbelly - possibly a red bellied black snake? (24/8/17) Apparently they grow to a metre, can have 12 offspring at a time and have live births rather than eggs.  Also highly venomous, of course!!  http://www.whatsnakeisthat.com.au/vic.html
Striped Marsh Frog we nearly stepped on when out spotlighting 15/1/16
20/10/20 Pobblebonk (Eastern Banjo Frog)  They bury themselves when it gets too hot or dry.
This orangey frog is also a southern brown tree frog.  Either a Litoria ewingii or Litoria verreauxii according to Museums Victoria.  I'll have to listen out for the call for a positive identification!  19/01/18
We regularly see between 10 and 20 Eastern Greys hopping around - but we cannot figure out where they sleep!  Some are pretty big!  Taller than me I think! October 2015
Wilbur the Swamp Wallaby turns up regularly outside the kitchen window 7/1/16
May 2018 - Wilbur brought an extra guest to breakfast today!
Picture
​Could this be the home of a bandicoot?  Apparently they do not have permanent homes and they like to live in the scrubby grass.
A 2010 video of bandicoots at our place!
Thought this was a snake!  Just a sneaky blue tongue lizard. 3/10/15
Cute little echidna 10/10/15
Southern Grass Skink 18/10/15
A cheeky brush tail possum with baby and a brush tail nest 24/9/16
And a sweet little ring tail possum - see how it uses its tail? 17/10/15.  We used to see it in the fig tree outside our bedroom window a lot.  Then, when cleaning out the gutters on the bungalow I discovered that there was one nesting in the corner of the gutter.  We didn't see any for a while after that, but we did find a drenched one hiding in Andy's Gore-text coat which was hanging up outside (he got a fright when he tried to put it on!) and then this one in the video ran up the tree outside the study today and gave us a lovely show 18/03/18.
Burrowing crayfish hole - not sure what kind. 3/10/15
Found a bunch of these yabbie caracases around the dam (some lucky bird had a feast!) Not sure if they are the same as the burrowing crayfish. 17/10/15
Things in trees: Some fat grub that we often find inside tree trunks!   The power of termites - this was the inside of a tree that fell over.
22/5/17  The giant Batwing or White Stemmed Gum Moth (Chelepteryx collesi) and its enormous caterpillar (the spikes will stick in your hand and hurt!!
17/5/2019  Lacewing eggs
15/5/2019  Praying mantis
16/2/2018 - a very shiny stag beetle
30/10/2016 butterfly & 3/12/18 Greengrocer Cicada (Cyclochila australasiae)

“Many thanks for your email and attached excellent video of Caenoplana dubia (Dendy, 1892). The specific name "'dubia'' meaning ''uncertain'', was given to this species because it resembles two other similarly striped species, C. hoggii and C. sulphurea. However on close examination it is quite different to these two species.
 
Caenoplana dubia was first recorded near Narre Warren in South Gippsland, and I have also found it in the Gembrook area. It has also been reported on Bowerbird in this general area. The Bunyip record is most interesting as it is so far the most westerly record though still within the Gippsland region.http://www.bowerbird.org.au/
 
Please can you ask your correspondent whether the species was found in native habitat, or as the photo suggests, on a strawberry? Also have they seen others in the area?
 
I am anxious to obtain a specimen(s) for DNA/morphological analysis and am happy to send them a preservation kit if the specimen was collected on their property and if they are willing to look for, collect and send me a specimen please.”

​Haven't seen another one yet!

Pests

Hard to believe - but we saw a Sambar deer today (lucky I had my camera!) 24/10/15
​We have seen lots of rabbits (28/12/15),  cats (with collars -did manage to catch one!) and at least one very smelly bold-as-brass fox (16/1/16).
​Not sure I want to know what this is/was - rabbit? Or who ate it?! 19/8/16