Greater Glider (Petauroides volans)
© David Cook
Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, NSW, Australia. We were walking along the Budderoo Track, which is on the boundary of Barren Grounds and Budderoo National Park, and heard a commotion in the treetops. The next thing we know, this black shape has seemingly plumetted to the ground. It was a Greater Glider, normally nocturnal - it then proceeded to climb up a tree and eventually sat here unmoving. It was then we noticed a second GG in the next tree. We watched the second one for a while, and it eventually went down a hollow. What we're surmising here is that it is currently breeding season for possums and gliders and that a mother has ejected last year's young in preparation for a new brood. We passed this way again later and this glider had crawled up into the dark canopy and appeared to be asleep. We've seen a few Greater Gliders at night, but never during the day, and I've never photographed one, so a special sighting.
Captured on 25 Apr 2013
Photograph location coordinates are -34.657364:150.69522.