PaulaWasiak

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16 Posts
Penguin field biologist. Zoologist. All round nature nerd.
PaulaWasiakFeb 7, 2023
Turns out this is now an echidna account 🤷‍♀️
Please enjoy this footage of an echidna vs a penguin box.
(Also, the scientific name for short-beaked echidna translates to ‘quick tongue’ and ‘spiny’ and if that isn’t the most perfect name for a beastie that 1. Is clearly spiny and 2. Has a tongue that it can poke out 100x per second, then I don’t what is)
Show threadPaulaWasiakJan 22, 2023
Eeee I see mastodon does interesting things to videos! You get the idea.
PaulaWasiakJan 22, 2023
I heard the lorikeet alarm calls and went to investigate, only to find my resident echidna living its best life in my backyard.
PaulaWasiakJan 14, 2023
This sweet lil spiky boi havin’ a sniff.
PaulaWasiakJan 10, 2023
I’m a big fan of snakes but also low-key thrilled that the lowland copperhead is the only snake species found on Millowl, Phillip Island. These shy noodles keep to themselves, looking for the occasional small frog or reptile to munch on. And, in the 15 years that I’ve spent penguining, I’ve only ever found one in a burrow.
PaulaWasiakJan 9, 2023

Many years ago I watched as, just when a friend went to take their first bite of an ice cream, a silver gull swooped down and took the whole thing. Since then, I’ve had a real soft spot for these amazing opportunistic feeders.
Probably because it wasn’t my ice cream.

Here’s an adult silver gull and couple of new soon-to-be-food-stealing fluff balls for your viewing pleasure.

(On a serious note though, don’t go feeding these birbs if you can avoid it. They *should* be eating invertebrates, small vertebrates and the odd bit of plant material)

PaulaWasiakDec 19, 2022
A Little penguin can bring back around 1/4 of its body weight in food to feed its chicks - every night!
If these penguins full of chick dinner get a big fright on their way back to their burrows, they can regurgitate allllll that fishy goodness (ie, dumping a heap of weight to get away from a potential predator.)
Today I found the biggest pile of penguin vomit and it was deeply satisfying to sift through. Most of it was decent sized sardines, a superfood for Little penguins. What a shame it never made it to the chicks!
PaulaWasiakDec 14, 2022
Behold, a sooty oystercatcher nest! And a reminder that if you’re on the beach and hear them calling, tread carefully as you swiftly move away.
PaulaWasiakDec 6, 2022
Just a few #penguin footprints at the worlds largest Little penguin colony.
PaulaWasiakDec 3, 2022
‘Wow this fly has a small head!’
Uploads photo into iNaturalist for an ID.
Turns out it indeed is a type of small headed fly 🤷‍♀️