Spot the possum

While barbequing last night we were suddenly interrupted by an altercation between a galah and a possum, both wanting to claim sole possession of a tree. What a commotion! We think the galah won and the possum scurried onto a smaller tree. The light on the hedge in the front of the photo is from the house. The sky beyond was, momentarily, a beautiful deep blue. That made it possible for us to spot the possum.

The common brushtail possum is nocturnal so, while we hear possums snorting we don't often see them. They usually appear just as it gets very dark.  For many Australians who live in bushy areas sharing our property with possums is a fact of life. The trees and gardens around our houses provide a modified woodland similar to their natural habitat.

Possums can be a pest particularly if they set up house in your roof. They eat flowers and have destroyed all our pansies this year. They are, however, a protected species so we just have to co-exist.