The Hawkesbury area is unusually lush at the moment thanks to another La Nina summer of scorching heatwaves, plunging temperatures, spectacular storms, wild winds and torrential rain.  

Having evolved in a landscape known for its extreme weather events, it's no surprise Australian wildlife have developed some clever strategies to survive. However, due to the increasing frequency of these challenges, our wildlife is under pressure to keep bouncing back. In flooding events, predator-prey relationships are forgotten during the crisis as each focuses on their own survival. Islands of higher ground become safety refuges for species that would normally try to eat each other. Snakes swim too and can become an unlikely life raft for rodents and frogs. Trees temporarily become a home to a normally incompatible mix of reptiles, birds and arboreal species.   

Storms also have an immediate impact on our wildlife, blowing nests out of trees, as well as dislodging fledgelings about to fly. Downed trees deprive birds and tree-dwellers such as koalas, gliders and bats precious habitat. Torrential rain can also make birds waterlogged, unable to fly, and for small mammals to be at risk of hypothermia and more vulnerable to predation. Not surprisingly, wildlife rescue organizations see a surge in orphaned wildlife after these events.  

During a bushfire, the fundamental decision for wildlife is to stay or try to flee. Kangaroos and wallabies will head to dams or creek lines, even doubling back through a fire front to take refuge in areas already burnt. Birds also leave, but the less agile animals have no choice but to shelter in burrows, under rocks or in trees. Wombat burrows (depending on their depth and surrounding fuel load) provide a safe haven for small mammals. Echidnas not only seek refuge in burrows, but enter a state of torpor (lowering their body temperature and rate of metabolism) for up to 3 weeks, avoiding both the flames and the wave of opportunistic predators picking off the injured and homeless following a fire. Echidnas’ main food source, ants and termites, will also survive the fire if their nests are deep enough. Incredibly, the mouse-sized marsupial Antechinus and native rodents can also survive wildfires and re-colonize burnt areas. Antechinus also go into a state of mild torpor to reduce their food requirement, eking out a meagre existence on either the remaining insects or plant matter. Torpor has also been observed in sugar gliders after storms and by some birds such as tawny frogmouths during extremely cold weather. 

As forests mature, large amounts of nutrients are bound up in trees, fallen logs and leaf litter. Fire releases most of those, so that following a fire there is an incredible flush of growth and regeneration. Plants and animals flourish, biodiversity abounds. However, if fires occur too frequently, the beneficial nutrients literally go up in smoke or are washed away by rain, and the net result is a depleted ecosystem and the potential for local extinctions. It is the increasing frequency of intense fires and timing of hazard reduction burns that has the potential to permanently change our landscape. 

Following an extreme weather event, it’s common to encounter wildlife behaving unusually. Remember the helpful acronym, FLAG: 

Fearless: Animals become easier to approach and are less fearful of people. 

Lethargic: Limping, disoriented and slower moving than usual, or unable to fly away. 

Awake: Nocturnal animals rarely seen during the day suddenly become visible. 

Grounded: Birds and koalas leave their homes in the canopy and appear more frequently at ground level. 

If you encounter an animal in need, call your local wildlife rescue. Do not attempt to feed injured wildlife. Birds and small mammals (if safe to do so) should be placed in a box with a towel and kept warm and quiet until a rescuer can assess them. Do not attempt to restrain kangaroos or wallabies, they can inflict serious damage even when injured. Recording the location of the animal is often far more helpful than a botched rescue. 

Natural disasters are likely to occur more frequently as a result of climate change. Animals will continue to develop incredible adaptations, but evolution takes time, and our environment is changing at an alarming rate. Increasing your awareness and understanding of our beautiful wildlife allows you to identify problems and take action to help prevent suffering and save lives. Knowing when and how to help could be your most important contribution to protecting our wildlife.