Steve and Hedy Krasevac are the owners of Ellenbrae, a property located in Talbot, approximately 90km east of Perth, Western Australia. A portion of the property is a dedicated wildlife sanctuary serving as a corridor and a permanent water source for the animals in the adjoining Wandoo National Park. Ellenbrae has been registered with Land For Wildlife since July 1997.
The sanctuary consists of approximately 17 hectares of pristine native forest, bush and granite outcropping connected to the bordering Wandoo National Park through a dedicated wildlife corridor. The geological aspects of the property favour water flow through the spring and summer, which supplements the more arid National Park and provides food, water and habitat for local wildlife.
Native vegetation on the property includes wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo), red gums (Eucalyptus gomophocephala), rock she-oaks (Allocasuarina huegeliana), grass trees (Xanthorrhoea), hakeas, jam trees (Acacia acuminata), grevilleas and bottlebrushes (Callistemon spp.). A wide range of wildflowers and more than 30 species of native orchids (Orchidaceae) are also present.
A wide range of wildlife inhabits and visits the property including western grey kangaroos (Macropus fulinginosus), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), black-headed (Varanus tristis) and Gould’s (Veranus gouldii) monitors, shingleback skinks (Tiliqua rugosa) and ornate crevice dragons (Ctenophorus ornatus). A variety of frogs are also present including a colony of Western spotted burrowing frogs (Heleioporus albopunctatus).
Birdlife is abundant with a variety of parrots and cockatoos, including the Carnaby’s black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris). The property is frequented by many other bird species such as wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), tawny frogmouths (Podargus strigoides), brown goshawks (Accipiter fasciatus), owls, martins, rainbow bee-eaters (Merops ornatus), yellow-rumped thornbills (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) as well as splendid fairy wrens (Malurus splendens), fantails and robins.
Living in close proximity with wildlife makes daily interaction with animals unavoidable, and over the years of living on Ellenbrae Steve and Hedy have accumulated a mountain of photographs and videos of the local birds and animals and the antics they get up to. Some of these can be viewed on their light-hearted YouTube channel “Wild Home Videos”.
Wild Home Videos channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCstEr0sMwYrqOVoMpEpqrXg/
