Denise Morgan and Peter Dickens are the owners of Pirli, a property located approximately 10km southeast of Yass. The property is a dedicated wildlife sanctuary and residence which is used for wildlife rehabilitation, predominantly macropods but also birds and possums. It is Denise and Peter’s intent for it to continue in these uses, while being continually improved as wildlife habitat through plantings of native vegetation.
The sanctuary covers 12 hilly hectares featuring granite outcrops, some open woodland, a mixture of native grasses and introduced pasture, and a few very large yellow boxes (Eucalyptus melliodora). The predominant vegetation types on Pirli are eucalypt and acacia species, while Denise and Peter have planted a wildlife corridor of some 400 native trees and shrubs and scattered some 300 others across the property (including callistemon, various types of acacia, and eucalypts) over the past two years.
Wildlife species for which Pirli is known to provide habitat include eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), wallaroos (Macropus robustus), swamp wallabies (Macropus robustus), brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), Cunningham’s skinks (Egernia cunninghami), shinglebacks (Tiliqua rugosa), eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis), red-bellied black snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) and various frog species among others.
A wide range of birdlife is also present including masked owls (Tyto novaehollandiae), crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans), magpies (Cracticus tibicen), pied currawongs (Strepera graculina), sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), grass parrots (Psephotus haematonotus), superb parrots (Polytelis swainsonii), laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), blue herons (Ardea herodias), various finches, butcher birds, black-shouldered kites (Elanus axillaris), grey-crowned babblers (Pomatostomus temporalis), gang-gang cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum).
Furthermore, Denise and Peter care for injured and orphaned wildlife and always have eastern grey kangaroos in various stages of rehabilitation, as well as the occasional possum and native bird.
