Photographer Lyn Alcock captures wild antics of Dryandra’s numbat inhabitants over 20 years

After 20 years photographing the endangered marsupials of Dryandra Woodland in Western Australia’s South West, Lyn Alcock has earned the moniker “the Numbat whisperer”.

“I started spending almost every day out there, and other people started calling me the Numbat whisperer … I thought, well, that sounds like a good name, so I grabbed hold of it,” Ms Alcock mentioned.

Early every morning, Ms Alcock drives from her house in Narrogin to the woodland, the place she spends as much as eight hours a day cruising the tracks with eyes peeled for the shy however playful insectivores.

“They are such beautiful, special creatures.”

The eager photographer information every little thing she sees, generally observing issues that haven’t been recorded earlier than, like numbats residing as much as eight metres excessive in bushes.

“That’s the highest numbats had been recorded going up a tree before,” she mentioned.

Watching the adults work together with their pups, or joeys, can be a spotlight.

“Just recently, I got photos of a male numbat … trying to go in the hole that was up the tree, and for some reason, there were obviously the female and bubs in the tree, and they wouldn’t let him in,” she mentioned.

“And so he went up, he tried to get in, he fell down; he went up again and fell down again.”

But it isn’t simply the males that get booted out of house — just a few days later, she noticed a feminine go up the identical tree with a mouthful of grass.

“Four times she went up once again to try and put the grass in the hole, and obviously, whoever was inside the hole wouldn’t let her in,” she mentioned.

Good information for numbat numbers

There are solely two locations on the planet with wild numbat populations — Dryandra Woodland close to Narrogin, and Perup Nature Reserve, near Manjimup. 

Both websites are in Western Australia, incomes the numbat the title of WA’s animal emblem.

Once considered fewer than 1,000 in quantity, they’re slowly making a comeback.

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions researcher Tony Friend mentioned an annual survey has been returning promising numbers, recording 32 numbat sightings this 12 months, up from simply three or 4 in earlier years.

“[This] indicates the population is fairly stable and at a fairly high level, historically,” he mentioned.

Ms Alcock has additionally witnessed the discount in feral cats, which was “all over the place”.

“I think it’s probably 18 months ago since I’ve actually seen a cat in Dryandra,” she mentioned.

‘They are wonderful creatures’

The photographer had just a few phrases of recommendation for hopeful numbat spotters, which has change into a preferred pastime at Dryandra, notably on weekends.

“You drive slowly … between 5 and 15 kilometres an hour … walking pace, basically,” she mentioned.

“Drive round any or the entire tracks, simply on the lookout for numbats both immediately on the tracks or on the perimeters.

The DBCA recommends photographers preserve a distance of no less than 20 metres from the numbats, follow current trails and roads, and instantly abandon pursuit if their topic reveals indicators of stress.