Karakamia Sanctuary is a 275ha piece of land, fenced off against cats and foxes, near Chidlow in the Jarrah forest east of Perth. It is owned and run by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. With the lack of predators, and the introduction of some native animals from elsewhere in the south-west, there is a far greater density and variety of native mammals in the sanctuary than outside it. It probably represents the state of the bush before European settlement.
On the way in, some Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were seen, flashing their brilliant tails. Then after a short briefing, we set off in two groups at dusk. A white-striped mastiff bat was seen against the darkening sky by one group. Then with the aid of the guide’s spotlight, a number of native mammals were seen along the way, some of them not disturbed by our presence or the red light of the spotlight. Some Western Grey kangaroos were seen grazing in the twilight. As it grew darker, we focused on rustling sounds, and became aware that Tammar Wallabies were quite common in the bush. Several Woylies were seen hopping off into the darkness, and some Quendas were spotted along the way. Brushtail Possums were seen in trees, and also on the ground, which is unusual outside the sanctuary. One group was able to watch and a Western Brush Wallaby for some time, as it browsed on the shrubs. quite unconcerned by our presence. A big surprise at the end was to see a Ringtail Possum – smaller, darker and more quiet and shy than the other species.
Ringtail Possum Photo: Yuliya Yakovleva
The walk, about two hours long, was full of interest with the animals we saw and the wealth of information given by the guides about the plants and animals along the way.
Even the honkey nuts from the Marri trees were interesting – we were shown nuts that had been used for food by different birds. Those used by the Red-tailed and Carnaby’s Cockatoos to dig the seeds out showed a different pattern of beak-marks than those used by Baudin’s Cockatoo, and that differed again from that of the Red Capped Parrot. The Ringneck Parrots just eat the flesh of the green nut, which is left looking like an apple core. Then we were shown how the bush changed along the way. Areas that had been grazed decades ago had a much poorer shrub layer than areas that had never been grazed.
A cuppa and a bite to eat finished off the evening nicely, as the members of the two groups compared notes and marveled at the richness of the wildlife within the sanctuary.