SUGAR gliders have shifted into Lake Macquarie, according to new university research funded by the council.
University of Technology Sydney doctoral student Reannan Honey has been working with a team of volunteers tracking populations of both squirrel gliders and sugar gliders at more than 20 sites in the area.
Their efforts, funded through a Lake Macquarie City Council environmental research grant, reveal the sugar gliders are becoming more prevalent in the Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area.
"Previously, I have only recorded squirrel gliders there," Ms Honey said.
Ms Honey said they use traps, microchips, motion-activated cameras and nest boxes to track the marsupials.
"Understanding how the population changes based on various pressures such as bushfire and drought can help to conserve the population," she said.
"I'm also hoping to learn more about how they use the nest boxes - particularly the insulated ones I've installed."
Sugar gliders are nocturnal and fit in the palm of the hand. They weigh up to 140 grams but can glide up to 50 metres between trees.
Captured gliders are weighed, checked for a microchip and released where they were found. Females are also checked for offspring.
The Hunter research sites include Morisset, Rathmines, Eleebana, Tingira Heights, Whitebridge and Dudley.
The latest round of the research is due to continue until the end of May.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the grant was part of a program that began in 1987.
"They help the council develop appropriate land-use practices, plan remedial and preventative works and adjust our management strategies," Cr Fraser said.
-
Back to work: first pictures as training resumes for the Newcastle Knights
-
Four Hunter courts to share in $9 million statewide upgrade fund
-
Third man charged after shotgun, poker machine and prohibited drugs seized on Central Coast
-
Confirmed Hunter coronavirus cases at a standstill, data reveals
- Coal export boost 'sends wrong message', resident group argues
