Kaniyang Country
I was contacted by Cheryl in 2022 explaining a group would be visiting Western Australia interested in seeing local wildlife. I had advised staying at Perup Nature’s Guesthouse at Tone-Perup Nature Reserve but this sadly closed prior to their arrival.
The group remained dedicated to visiting Perup and last minute accommodation changes were made accordingly. I was asked whether I would be able to join the group at Perup and so I secured a couple of days off work that worked with their schedule. Perup is one of my favourite places in Australia and I need no excuse to visit!
Cheryl and Pierre, Daniel and Izzy kindly agreed to share their photos and experiences of that brief visit to Perup. Below are their words :-
Our Numbat Experience by Cheryl Bagard
We were a group of four, keen to visit WA to see the wildlife and spring wildflowers.
When researching our trip I stumbled across Jimmy’s blog and was blown away by his amazing accounts and photos of wildlife.
I contacted Jimmy for some advice about visiting Perup Nature Reserve and he responded with a wealth of information. You can imagine our surprise when further down the track, he offered to take us spot-lighting in Perup Nature Reserve. Much to our delight he also mentioned the prospect of finding Numbats, a diurnal marsupial.
Map showing location of Perup Nature Reserve.
The drive was very enjoyable with Jimmy pointing out various tree species such as the Marri with its large honky nuts popular with Cockatoos, the Jarrah, Snottygobble and Banksias. The variety of wildflowers including Coral Vine, Native Wisteria, White Clematis, Running Postman and Orchids were a colourful spectacle. If we saw a Numbat it would be a bonus. After all, there are less than one thousand in the wild!
They are ranked as an endangered species and only found in the wild in Dryandra Woodland and Perup Nature Reserve. Feral cats, foxes and deforestation have led to their decimation.
The Numbat’s soft grey to reddish brown fur with conspicuous white stripes across its back resemble the Thylacine’s, a distant relative.
Jimmy was talking about some people he knew who have dedicated their lives to saving the Numbat when suddenly he noticed a shadow dash across the road a few hundred metres ahead.
We pulled up nearby. He and Izzy, one of our group, both great spotters, used their binoculars to scan the surrounding woodland.
I picked up mine with little hope of seeing the elusive Numbat and to my astonishment saw two little heads with soft brown eyes and pointy noses staring straight back at me. In my excitement I neglected to tell my companions two juvenile Numbats were sitting dead-still on the log opposite us.
One….Two little well camouflagued Numbats. Photo credit :- Cheryl Bagard.
After radioing Pierre and Daniel in the car behind us we took a series of photos before they disappeared. We crept around the area to see if we could photograph them again but they were safely hidden inside the hollow log. Brief though it was, we considered ourselves lucky.
Our group hung around for hoping for another glimpse but without success, then split up. The men drove further down the road in search of other Numbats, perhaps an adult!
Izzy and I searched for a hiding place and waited. It was difficult to remain still while being eaten alive by ants! Ten minutes later, while I was looking at the log ten metres away, Izzy spotted two others in front of us. Now oblivious to the biting ants we sat mesmerized. We could nearly touch them. Mum must have been away foraging.
Juvenile Numbat Exploring. Photo Credit :- Cheryl Bagard.
The two we had seen earlier eventually popped their heads out warily too whilst their braver more adventurous siblings scurried around exploring and foraging near the log we were hiding behind.
Juvenile Numbat Exploring. Photo Credit :- Cheryl Bagard.
It was interesting to observe their distinctive stripes and markings and differing personalities. They were enjoying the sunshine with their fur fluffed out after a cold night in the hollow log. One licked termites inside a log with its long slender pink tongue. They would have still been suckling their mother’s milk but their instincts were preparing them for adult life.
Two of the Numbats sunbathing on the den log. Photo Credit Cheryl Bagard.
When the men returned thirty minutes later, the Numbats, alarmed by the car, hid. According to Jimmy, a sighting of a family of four juveniles in their burrow is extremely rare. How fortunate we were, to have Jimmy guide us though this unforgettable numbat experience.
Due to the group size of five people, it was appropriate to split into two so that disturbance was minimal to the baby Numbats. I know how hard it must have been for Daniel and Pierre to respect that decision.
Later that day I returned to Perth and the following morning the group moved on to Pemberton. Daniel checked it was ok to return alone for an hour the following day so he too could experience Numbats.
Memories of Numbats by Daniel Getaz
Immersing myself into a wild animal’s environment has always fascinated me. I remember my first experience of that kind : I had climbed up a tree, when I was a teenager in Switzerland, and was surprised when two small deers (Capreolus capreolus) approached the foot of the tree that I was in. These animals are normally very shy, yet I was able to observe them very well by keeping quiet and not moving above them.
Years later, I spent innumerable hours in small hides, in the South of Spain, to film Vultures (Aegypius monachus) on their nests. These big birds often have a repulsive reputation, because they eat dead animals. However, they were very dedicated and attentive parents to their singular chick.
Back in Switzerland, I was lucky to participate in a scientific study of Lynx (Lynx lynx). We had to capture these magnificent animals in order to equip them with an electronic collar, which permitted us to follow them regularly, map their vast territories and identify what preys they consumed. These two factors were important for farmers and hunters, who were upset that Lynx (eliminated from Switzerland in the 19th century) had been reintroduced in the 1970s.
These different activities, alongside my profession in forest management in Switzerland, allowed me many opportunities to be in the presence of wild animals, which I enjoyed immensely.
Today, retired and living in Northern NSW Australia, I concentrate my interest in following nest locations of Black-necked Storks (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) and filming them in our area.
In line with these experiences, the recent sighting of four Numbat pups during our trip to WA was one of the greatest unexpected pleasures of my life.
Before meeting Jimmy, I knew nothing about Numbats. Cheryl had contacted him while preparing our trip to WA and he came all the way from Perth to guide us around the Perup region.
On 27th of September 2022, we set off in two vehicles, driving slowly through a vast forest, on dusty roads, hoping to see a Numbat. No luck this day.
28th of September, we set off again, Jimmy taking a different road this time. We drove quite a few hours, almost giving up hope, when Bingo !!! Jimmy saw a Numbat crossing the road. The rest of that exciting afternoon can be read in Cheryl’s text.
The next day, 29th of September, after checking with Jimmy if it was ok, I returned to the exact spot to try my luck to get a glimpse of the “Numbubs”.
When I arrived, I saw one of them disappear in a hollow log. This was great news : the mother had not noticed our visit the previous day and had not moved her young.
I sat quietly a few meters away and prepared my camera. When I lifted my head up, I saw that two of the young Numbats were already on top of the hollow log, looking around…
Inquistive Numbats. Photo Credit :- Daniel Getaz.
Young animals are often unaware of potential dangers. These four were no exception and during almost an hour I was able to observe them without them hiding, except when two cars passed by on the nearby road.
Juvenile Numbats exploring on a log. Photo Credit :- Daniel Getaz.
Most of the time, two or three of them were sunning themselves on top of the hollow log, while the fourth one was sitting on another log further away.
Juvenile Numbats playing on a log. Photo Credit :- Daniel Getaz.
The hollow log was like a tunnel and one of the young Numbats would peek out on either end…
These fluffy stripy Numbubs are really adorable and I took hundreds of photos!
Juvenile Numbats basking on a log. Photo Credit :- Daniel Getaz.
When I discretely got up to leave, none of the Numbats tried to hide : they had obviously understood that I was no danger to them.
This experience was one of the greatest highlights of our trip to WA and I am very grateful to Jimmy for sharing his knowledge with us.
See link for additional wildlife and marsupials that can be found at Perup Nature Reserve :- Wildlife and Rare Marsupials of Perup Nature Reserve
Many thanks to Cheryl and Daniel (no doubt with help from their respective partners!) for writing an account of their time at Perup, and also for sharing their fantastic photos.
It can be hard to exercise restraint when photographing wild animals but it was great that all involved put the welfare of the baby Numbats first, by sitting 10m from the den log and letting the baby Numbats approach if they felt comfortable. All photos were taken using a long lens. Thanks Daniel, Izzy, Pierre and Cheryl for great memories made at Perup….
Quolling Around 