A cheeky brush-tailed phascogale has been caught yolk-nosed at the centre of a hen house theft in Lauriston.
Property owner Albert Golden said he was amazed to discover the ‘vulnerable’ listed creature, known for its distinctive bushy tail, making a feast of his hen’s eggs one night.
Albert had set out to find the culprit after weeks of discovering broken and empty egg shells in his hen house.
At first he suspected the hens could have played some part but when it continued over several days and his chooks refused to go back into their house he became suspicious.
“I have been at the property for 30 years and we’ve never had any problem with foxes. The hen house was secure – I wondered how anything could get in,” Albert said.
“One night I decided to go back and look inside – and there it was staring back at me.
“It didn’t kill any of my chooks but it certainly did scare them – they were roosting in a tree.”
Albert managed to capture images of the brush-tailed phascogale that was happily enjoying the eggs.
He said he knew he had phascogales on his property, and had even installed special nesting boxes for them, but he never expected to catch one snacking in his hen house.
Albert has since ensured the hen house stays shut and the eggs are promptly removed each day.
His acreage is home to many vulnerable species including the critically endangered golden sun moth.
