From Sydney to sand dunes

This year’s annual cage monitoring and kowari trapping wasn’t just about data, it was about people, too. University of New South Wales placement students Rose and Amber joined us for two weeks at Arid Recovery. Read on to hear about Rose’s experience in her own words.

 
I am currently studying environmental science in ecology and biology, most of the introduced species at the reserve I had only ever learnt about on a theoretical level. Seeing how they behaved, like the bettongs cunning ability to eat the bait balls from the outside of the cage trap, and the kowari’s upright tail and frantic scurry, was an entirely new level of learning.
 
One of the first things I noticed being at the reserve was the way the dunes and swales just kept going, meeting with the horizon further away that you would ever think possible. Coming from Sydney, the red dirt and endless sky was a fantastic change of scenery.
 
I got to work with Arid Recovery during their annual cage trapping surveys,  whereby cage traps were set throughout the main enclosure of the reserve to monitor re-introduced species populations. I also participated in kowari trapping; where much more complex traps had to be set to make sure only the endangered Kowari could get inside!
 
The 4.30am wake ups were a small sacrifice to make for being able to work alongside experienced ecologists and soak up as many skills, and as much knowledge, as possible. From never have seen a burrowing bettong or greater bilby in the wild before, to handling and processing them all on my own, was a truly invaluable experience.


Rose measuring the head length of a bilby (left) and a Shark Bay bandicoot that doesn't want to leave the warmth of the bag (right) I learnt not only how to practically undertake mammal surveys, but the adaptability one needs to work in the field,  the efficiency required to get through a trapping session combined with constant problem solving was a prowess I had to pick up quickly. I also saw how the team at Arid Recovery were able to work together seamlessly in the field and in the office. It meant the animals were trapped, processed, and released to a high standard of ethical care and consideration.
 
My time with Arid Recovery has given me a newfound understanding and curiosity of the arid environments that make up so much of Australia. And I mean, bilbies, bettongs, bandicoots, kowari, and quolls – what more could you ask for.


It takes a team of staff and volunteers to run a monitoring program