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SM Wildlife Licensed wildlife service for Bidjara Country (Charleville QLD) Free service, Volunteer & self funded.https://paypal.me/smwildlife10
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31/10/2026

2 SNAKE CALLOUTS AT THE EXACT SAME TIME YESTERDAY!

Two Brown Snakes and two new residents to our community.

With new people moving into the Charleville area, it's a good opportunity to remind everyone that we share our community with an incredible diversity of native wildlife, including some of Australia's most venomous snakes.

If you're speaking with someone who has recently moved here, please pass on my number. A little bit of local knowledge can make a big difference.

99.99% of the snake relocations I attend locally involve venomous species. Eastern Browns, Mulga Snakes (king Browns) Strap Snouted Browns.

These two simple steps are important.

1. Save my number in your phone: 0406 663 131

2. If you see a snake in your yard, house or shed, DON'T PANIC!

Keep your distance, keep people and pets away, and if you can safely maintain sight of the snake without approaching it, do so until I arrive.

Our native snakes generally want to avoid us. Our venomous species are particularly quick-moving and will try to escape when given the opportunity. A quick phone call and knowing where the snake is can make a huge difference when it comes to a safe relocation.

A few important reminders:

Never attempt to catch, handle or kill a snake. Don't corner it or try to move it along. Keep children and pets well away. Don't take unnecessary risks trying to keep your eyes on it.

Attempting to catch or harm a snake can provoke a defensive response and put you at risk of being bitten. It can also make a safe relocation more difficult.

Snake relocations and all wildlife services are FREE for our community.

Available 24/7, 7 days a week, on Bidjara Country (Charleville QLD)

Save the number, share it with your neighbours and help our new residents know who to call.

28/10/2026

NATURE’S BAROMETERS: The Outback "Flood Bugs" on the march in Charleville!

If you’ve lived around western Queensland long enough, you know exactly what a sudden blanket of these little grey critters means. This footage was taken right here in Charleville just before our recent downpours hit, and true to form, they predicted the rain perfectly!

Commonly known out here as grey sliders, slaters, rolly pollys, slater bugs, or "Barcoo Swagmen," these fascinating creatures are actually a native terrestrial isopod (specifically Australiodillo bifrons).

THEY ARE CRUSTACEANS, NOT INSECTS

Slaters are land-dwelling crustaceans, making them closer relatives to crabs and prawns than to beetles or ants. Because of their marine ancestry, they actually breathe through modified, gill-like structures on their bellies.

THEY CAN FEEL THE STORM COMING
To breathe, their gills must stay moist. They spend most of their lives hidden deep inside the dark, humid cracks of our outback soils. However, when the atmospheric pressure drops ahead of a major storm, they sense the shift. To avoid suffocating or drowning in their underground tunnels when the heavy rain hits, millions will evacuate at the exact same time, marching toward fence lines, trees, and higher ground.

THEY ARE THE OUTBACK'S CLEAN-UP CREW
Don't worry, they are completely harmless to humans and pets. Slaters are detritivores, meaning they feed entirely on decaying organic matter like dry grass, dead leaves, and rotting wood. They act as essential natural recyclers, breaking down tough plant matter and turning it into nutrient-rich fertilizer for the soil.

THEY HAVE BROOD POUCHES LIKE KANGAROOS
Female slaters carry their eggs in a specialized, fluid-filled pouch under their bodies called a marsupium. The babies hatch inside the pouch and stay there until they are fully formed, independent miniature versions of their parents.

THEY CLUMP TOGETHER TO SURVIVE
Unlike true insects they don't have a waxy, water-retaining coating on their shells. When you see them huddled up or marching in thick carpets, they are actually using each other to lock in moisture and protect themselves from drying out in the wind and sun.

Nature's own barometers never miss a beat. Have you spotted these lil grey beauties on the move around your place before the latest wet weather?

25/10/2026

Lucky day for this baby galah!

The hollow of a baby galah snapped off and fell from a tremendous height, crashing to the ground.

A community member witnessed it happen and then spotted something hopping along the ground. She raced over to investigate and found a baby galah!

When I arrived, the little one hopped straight back into his fallen hollow.

He is now in care and doing great! Not only did he survive the fall, but someone was there to witness it and come to his rescue. And with all the rain we've had lately, the odds were certainly stacked against this little guy!

Talk about a lucky escape!

A huge shoutout to another Charleville community member who donated two boxes of hand-rearing mix, helping keep our little local powering on.

Thanks again to everyone involved and our great community for keeping an eye on all our locals 😊❤️

24/10/2026

Trying to explain how a male brolga climbs onto the female’s back and somehow manages to balance there with both feet off the ground is a pretty strange conversation to have!

Thankfully, a talented wildlife photographer right here in Charleville has captured a couple of our local brolgas in the middle of the balancing act! Haha.

(Meg Forbes Photography caught this great video, so head over to her Instagram page and check out her beautiful wildlife photography)

But while we’re on the subject, here are a few interesting facts about brolga reproduction:

Brolgas mate for life and often return to the same breeding territories or nest sites year after year.

Breeding can occur throughout much of the year, depending on local conditions, rainfall, and distribution.

The female typically lays two eggs in a nest made from grasses and other wetland vegetation, often in or near shallow water.

Both parents incubate the eggs for about 30 days and share responsibility for protecting and raising the chicks.

Brolga chicks are covered in down when they hatch and can leave the nest soon after, but they remain dependent on their parents for several months.

Chicks are fed and protected by both parents, can fly within about two weeks to a month, and reach full feathering around 3 months.

Although brolgas mate on land, their breeding success depends heavily on healthy wetlands, which provide nesting habitat and food for the family.

Thanks again Meg ❤️

20/10/2026

The Sugar Glider!

Ever wondered how a creature the size of a teacup can soar through our bushlans? Meet the Sugar Glider! A tiny, nocturnal marsupial native to Australia.

Here are five really cool facts about these incredible lil tree dwellers!

They don't actually fly, they glide. Thanks to a thin, stretchy membrane called a patagium that connects their front wrists to their back ankles, they can glide distances of up to 50 meters in a single leap. They even use their long, bushy tails like a rudder to steer mid-air!

Their name is incredibly literal. The "sugar" comes from their absolute love for sweet things like eucalyptus sap, acacia gum, nectar, and pollen. The "glider" part... well, you already know!

They are fantastic bug hunters. While they love sweet sap, they are true omnivores. A single sugar glider family colony can consume up to 200 kilograms of insects every single year.

They live in tight-knit families. Sugar gliders are highly social and live in tree hollow colonies of around 7 members. To make sure everyone knows who belongs, the dominant male uses scent glands on his forehead and chest to mark his family members.

They are pocket-sized pouch-dwellers. Just like kangaroos, female sugar gliders have a front-facing pouch. When joey pups are born, they are only about the size of a grain of rice and spend their first two to three months growing safe inside the pouch!

Hands down a favourite ❤️

18/10/2026

Community Notice: Kangaroos!

Firstly, how good is this rain!!! We certainly needed out this way ❤️

We're no strangers to kangaroos in our town, but have you noticed more kangaroos hopping down our streets, parks, ovals, and standing roadside lately?

You are not imagining it. Our recent stretch of constant overcast skies and light rain has created the perfect conditions for a spike in local kangaroo activity directly in our community. Not just dusk and dawn, but at all times of the day and not just in "their regular spots"

Drive with Extra Caution: Clouds keep them active during hours they would normally be resting, expect to see them near the road at any time of day, not just at dawn and dusk.

Watch the Roadsides: Roos are actively feeding on the green grass right next to the bitumen. If you see one, slow down immediately, as they are unpredictable and can easily startled into the path of your vehicle.

Give Them Space: While they are used to the town environment, these are wild animals. Keep a safe distance, especially from large males and mothers with joeys, and keep domestic dogs on a lead to avoid stressful confrontations.

Let's all take extra care, and give our local wildlife the space it needs while these conditions continue.

⚠️Community Notice: Kangaroos⚠️Firstly, how good is this rain!!! We certainly needed out this way.We're no strangers to ...
18/10/2026

⚠️Community Notice: Kangaroos⚠️

Firstly, how good is this rain!!! We certainly needed out this way.

We're no strangers to kangaroos in our town, but have you noticed more kangaroos hopping down our streets, parks, ovals, and standing roadside lately?

You are not imagining it. Our recent stretch of constant overcast skies and light rain has created the perfect conditions for a spike in local kangaroo activity directly in our community. Not just dusk and dawn, but at all times of the day and not just in "their regular spots"

Drive with Extra Caution: Clouds keep them active during hours they would normally be resting, expect to see them near the road at any time of day, not just at dawn and dusk.

Watch the Roadsides: Roos are actively feeding on the green grass right next to the bitumen. If you see one, slow down immediately, as they are unpredictable and can easily startled into the path of your vehicle.

Give Them Space: While they are used to the town environment, these are wild animals. Keep a safe distance, especially from large males and mothers with joeys, and keep domestic dogs on a lead to avoid stressful confrontations.

Let's all take extra care, and give our local wildlife the space it needs while these conditions continue.

Photo credit: Charleville locals

16/10/2026

Whoever was filming me being chased round and round a pole by a kangaroo while I was trying to help its joey with a broken leg… can you please send it to me! 😂

14/10/2026

LET’S TALK BLUE-TONGUES!

The resident bluey showed up this arvo, so let’s take a closer look at one of our familiar Australian reptiles.

When threatened, a blue-tongue will open its mouth and display its bright blue tongue. This is a defensive display intended to deter potential predators. They also may hiss, flatten their bodies, and flick their bright blue tongue continuously.

Despite their short legs and relatively slow movement, blue-tongues have strong jaw muscles and teeth capable of crushing hard food, including snail shells. They can also deliver a decent bite, so best to leave them be and always given space.

Their diet includes a variety of plant and animal material, including flowers, fruit, insects, snails and slugs. Fantastic garden buddies and very common amongst Australian households so please avoid snail baits and insecticides.

They give birth to live young! Unlike reptiles that lay eggs, female blue-tongues give birth to live young. The young develop inside the mother and are born fully formed, with each baby already looking like a miniature blue-tongue.The young are independent shortly after birth.

They are cold blooded.Blue-tongues rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature. You’ll often see them basking in the sun to warm up. So be mindful on our roads and also in our gardens.

What can we do to help our blue-tongue lizards?

There are plenty of simple things we can do to make our yards safer for these important native reptiles.

Keep cats and dogs away. Even pets that are only curious can injure or kill a blue-tongue.

Check long grass before mowing and look carefully around garden edges, sheds and fence lines before using lawn equipment.

Avoid harmful garden chemicals. Pesticides, snail baits and other chemicals can poison wildlife, either directly or through the food they eat.

Watch for them on driveways and roads. Blue-tongues may bask on warm surfaces or move slowly across roads, putting them at risk of being run over.

Provide a shallow dish of fresh water, particularly during hot, dry weather. Place it somewhere accessible and safe, and clean and refill it regularly.

Leave natural shelter where possible. Leaf litter, fallen branches, logs and rocks provide places to hide, shelter and forage.

Be careful when gardening. Check under pot plants, sheets of tin, timber, garden materials and other objects before moving them, as blue-tongues may shelter underneath.

Avoid unnecessary relocations. Moving a healthy blue-tongue away from its familiar surroundings can do more harm than good. If it is safe, leave it where it is. Contact your local wildlife carer if you have any dramas.

Give them a way to move through your yard. Avoid blocking every gap along fences, and allow access to suitable shelter and natural foraging areas.

Protect their food sources. Blue-tongues eat a variety of invertebrates and other small food items, so a healthy, chemical-free garden can help support them.

Slow down and look before you step. Blue-tongues can be surprisingly easy to overlook, particularly among leaves, grass and garden debris.

Our backyards, our community, our country, are part of the habitat that native wildlife depends on. A little understanding and a few simple changes can help us share that space safely. 😊

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Charleville, QLD
4470

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+61406663131

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