crashes24

Clancy shows off his moves, changing trees without climbing to the ground. Clancy is a wild male koala, living in the You Yangs near Melbourne, Australia. He was born in 2010, the second son of one of our most researched females - Pat. He's known the Echidna Walkabout Koala Researchers since he was first able to hear and smell, and as a result of our non-intrusive methods of research, he shows very little nervousness about us.

Watch one of the world's great wildlife spectacles - the flying-fox flyout. It happens at sunset all over Australia's east and north coastal areas, but is particularly lovely in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory on our Wild Top End trip.

Read about it here: https://echidnawalkabout.wordpress.co...

What is Koala Clancy doing with that tree? Well, he's doing what most male koalas do - he's scent-marking. They rub their sternal scent gland on to trees in their home range, probably to let other koalas know they are around. Watch the video for more information.

This is what can happen when you are quiet and still in the bush! Echidnas are sensitive to movement, especially from people's feet, so its best to stay completely still if you see an echidna walking by. He/she may even approach you if you are lucky, like I was this day!!

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, like many cockatoos and parrots, form life-long bonds with their mates. But did you know they kiss just like humans? Well watch...

Koalas don't just wander aimlessly through the Bush - they carefully choose their trees, and check each one before climbing. They gain a lot of information this way - they can smell if another koala has touched the tree by sniffing around the base.

This is a form of social etiquette. By knowing what's going on, they avoid nasty surprises (like finding themself in the same tree with another male accidentally).

If you ever see a koala walking on the ground, watch from a distance. You might be lucky enough to see this behaviour. But if you get too close, they will be forced to climb the nearest tree and you'll miss it.

Our Maximum Wildlife tours have been designed to offer the best and most Australian wildlife in the shortest comfortable duration. There is little overlap – so you will see different birds, mammals and reptiles in the Top End than in East Gippsland, which are different again to those seen in the Mungo Outback and Great Ocean Road.

The components of the tour are also designed to run at the best times of year for wildlife-viewing.

Read more: http://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/se...

Did you know that wild koalas usually change trees every day? We can walk up to 500m in a normal day to get to the tree we want.

This is a video of my grandfather Merle walking along the ground to go from tree to tree. It is true, sometimes we can just jump from tree to tree, if the trees are close and the branches can take our weight. But in the You Yangs, we usually move further than to the next tree, so we come to the ground and walk most days.

Wild koalas usually walk directly from the tree we've left to the tree we want - we don't stop much to look around, we already know exactly where we are going. Our knowledge of our home range is profound. Each of our 100+ home trees is well known, with some preferred on hot windy days, others for hot humid days, some for good food in summer, some are good for checking out the neighbours. There are so many factors that affect our tree choice, it's impossible for you humans to predict where we will go next!

Don't feel concerned if you see a koala walking on the ground - it's normal. The only time to be worried is if you see one that stays on the ground for a long time, or if they are in an unsafe place, like a busy road. Then we might appreciate some traffic management! But please do it from a distance of 10m or more - we don't like a person coming too close!

Koalas are made for climbing. In trees they adopt an upright stance, a bit like humans. Their legs provide the power and stability and their arms and hands manipulate their food. But they also have to walk on the ground every day, and they do that on all fours.

Their action is unusual - though it works well, you can tell their legs are made for a different sort of movement. When they need to move fast they bound like a possum.

Spotted Pardalotes are gorgeous, tiny Australian Bush birds. They are only around 9-10cm long from beak to tail.

#spottedPardalote week!

Spotted Pardalotes are more often heard than seen - their penetrating call is bigger than they are! Its hard to believe that such a tiny body produces so much sound.

Spotted Pardalotes live along Australia's temperate east, south & west coast. They live in eucalyptus forests, both wet and dry including mallee.

Check out our twitter all this week @EchidnaW #spottedPardalote week for more updates and great pics!

'Cockies' are so much fun! In Australia's Top End, cockatoos are frequently seen. The "Fitzroy Cockatoo" - the Top End subspecies of Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - is noticeably slimmer than the southern subspecies. Fitzroys also have longer crest feathers.

Cockatoos are intelligent, curious and social birds. Watching them in the wild is always interesting.

Join us in the Wild Top End! Every August.

http://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/wi...

The Great Ocean Road is Australian in a nutshell!

http://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/to...

We just love a bit of attitude from wild animals! This Agile Wallaby was quite happily munching on grass beside the boardwalk at Mamukala wetlands in Kakadu as we walked quietly out of the hide. She didn't want to be disturbed, so just looked up for a moment, sneered at us a little, and went back to her dinner! Hahahah, love it!

#wildTopEnd
www.EchidnaWalkabout.com.au/wildtopend

Every August since 2008 Roger and Janine, owners and founders of Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours, visit the Top End. Why does it keep calling us back? The people, the wildlife living in balance. It shows us what Australia would once have been. Check out what we love about it in this 1 min video.

This is how we male koalas get the ladies to come to us! We are great singers.. Check out this guy's moves.
Male koalas broadcast their availability to females at the start of the breeding season each year by singing. Our song is low and deep, and carries far through the eucalyptus woodlands of eastern Australia. Lady koalas like a guy with a deep voice, and will go towards the singer they like best!!

For more information on wild koalas follow www.facebook.com/koalaClancy

Ubirr in Kakadu is an excellent site to see Wilkins' (Eastern Short-eared) Rock-wallabies. They have become accustomed to seeing people walk by all day, so the wallabies go about their business without fear - even mating while we watch. Of course, most of the people that walk by don’t see the wallabies in their shady overhangs - but if you're with an Echidna Walkabout Wildlife Guide they will know where to find them! Read more: http://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/wi...

Join our 21 day Maximum Wildlife tour to see them for yourself.
http://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/to...

Apostlebirds- Struthidea cinerea - live their whole lives together, in groups of 12 or so – hence the name. They live in Outback Australia. They are a regular sight at Hattah-Kulkyne and Mungo National Parks.

Read about the other 6 Weird Australian Animals we see on the Maximum Wildlife 21 day tour. https://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/a...

Koalas climbing down a tree usually do so quadrupedally – that is one foot at a time, in the same way as they walk four-legged on the ground. They back down a tree, feet first, looking around for danger the whole time.




Read more at this link: https://www.echidnawalkabout.com.au/b...

Australian Fur Seals are awesome - big, playful, intelligent social creatures. We often see them off West Cape Conran, or at Marlo jetty on our 4 day Wildlife Journey to East Gippsland.

Seeing them is a privilege - their population is only just starting to recover from the terrible days of the sealers. Millions were killed for skins, meat and oil from 1798 to 1950. The populations are recovering well, but haven't reached pre-sealing numbers.

Now they face another threat - entanglement in marine rubbish, particularly fishing net & line. It is estimated that 1000 seals die every year around Australia from entanglement, and 88% of those are pups and juveniles because of their playful, curious nature.

On our Wildlife Journey we and our travellers spend about thirty minutes removing ghost net - washed up fishing net - from the beach. It is easy, especially if you have a sharp knife and a garbage bag.

We all enjoy it! It feels good to do know that you're saving a seal pup's life!

Read more about our Wildlife Journey here: http://echidnawalkabout.com.au/wildli...

Why you should attend the Australian Wildife Tourism Conference, 29 Sept to 2 Oct 2015, at Mercure Geelong.

Australia's most important gathering of wildlife tourism professionals will ask "Can Wildlife Tourism be a force for biodiversity conservation and local economies?

The event will be opened by the Hon. John Eren, Victorian Minister for Tourism, and is being sponsored by Tourism Victoria.

Keynote speakers include Senator Janet Rice (Australian Greens), Dr Anna Thompson-Carr (NZ), Dr Warwick Frost (Australia), Dr Jatna Supriatna (Indonesia), Dr Jeff Skibins (USA) and Christopher Warren (Australia).

Exciting presentations from high profile wildlife operators Craig Wickham (Exceptional Kangaroo Island), Marcus Eldh (Wild Sweden), Janine Duffy (Echidna Walkabout) , Peter Miller (Orangutan Odysseys), Brooke Squires (Zoos Victoria) and Matthew Jackson, CEO of Phillip Island Nature Parks will set the scene for discussion groups each afternoon.

We look forward to hearing the latest research from Dr Ismar Borges de Lima & Dr Betty Weiller (Southern Cross University), Andrew Tribe (University Of Queensland Gatton), Penny Irons (William Angliss Institute), Cassandra Wardle (Griffith Institute for Tourism), Junko Oshima (University of the Ryukyus, Japan), Rie Usui (Hiroshima University), Dr Jennifer Laing, and Kirin Apps (Southern Cross University)

NGO's will also be widely represented, with Justin Foster from Earthwatch Institute, Annette Rypalski from Mt Rothwell, Dr Kaye Rodden from Landcare, John Newman from Geelong Field Naturalists, Marree Kerr from Australasian Bat Society, Catherine Franklin-Hensler from Australian Wildlife Arts Foundation, and others joining us.

There's still time to register: www.wildlifetourism.org.au