Tell someone you’ve been to Australia and you can expect to hear, “Wow! Did you see any kangaroos?” The answer is, “Yes!” But the ‘roos I saw were not what we think of here in the USA. On my first trip, in 2001, I did see one of those big ‘roos, hopping down the fairway on a golf course!
On this trip the sightings were less dramatic. We saw several Red-legged pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica) which Wikipedia describes a “a marsupial rainforest kangaroo.” They are quite shy and hang in the shadows which makes photographs difficult. This little guy is probably an adult which means she/he is about 2 1/2 feet tall when upright. Because their habitat is rainforest the range of the species has shrunk and Wikipedia says it is a vulnerable species. Australia has many preserves where these charming creatures can live but we humans, frankly, are crowding out everything. It would be too bad to lose a creature with such a lyrical name. ❧
Alice's WanderLand 
Dear Alice:
How I wished you were with me this morning when I encountered a swamp wallaby and her joey, less than 10 meters away with a totally clear view. They hadn’t initially noticed me as they approached, so I stood and watched for a moment. Then the joey realised I was there, and hopped into the mother’s pouch. He was quite large – with very long legs and tail, and there was quite a lot of squirming and repositioning in the pouch before the mother moved on. Perhaps she could have left immediately if she had felt stressed, but she must have sensed that I meant no harm and took her time. You would have loved seeing them both. Of course there was no camera on hand because we were out working.
Speaking of cameras, we have uploaded our latest set of photos and begun tagging them. I was relieved to find I remembered quite a few things, and managed to work out how to do others. Many of the photos didn’t pass muster on the big screen, but we are still thrilled with the quality of the camera.
We lost a dear friend last Sunday. Adrianne suffered a massive stroke and died a few hours later. She was a beautiful soul, only a little older than I am. Her death came as a great shock to us all, but most of all to her husband. She made the most of every moment she lived, and reminds us of the importance of living as she did, filled with love, kindness, music and laughter.
All our love to you, our very dearest friend.
Daryl and Craig
From: Alice’s WanderLand Reply-To: Alice’s WanderLand Date: Wednesday, 16 December 2015 3:29 am To: Craig/Daryl Hosmer/Reinke Subject: [New post] Image #313-Red-legged Pademelon
WordPress.com Alice O’Leary posted: ” Tell someone you’ve been to Australia and you can expect to hear, “Wow! Did you see any kangaroos?” The answer is, “Yes!” But the ‘roos I saw were not what we think of here in the USA. On my first trip, in 2001, I did see one of those big ‘roos, ho”
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