About Wombat Ridge Field Notes

Wombat Ridge Field Notes is a long-running citizen-science and research archive documenting common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) populations across the Wombat Ridge study area in southeastern Australia. Monitoring has been conducted across multiple survey seasons, with records updated following each field campaign.

The Study Area

The Wombat Ridge site encompasses a mosaic of dry sclerophyll woodland, rocky escarpments, and grassy hollows in southeastern Australia. The terrain includes a series of north- and south-facing slopes, limestone and granite outcrops, and seasonal creek lines that support a resident wombat population of moderate density. The contrast in landform, soil moisture, and vegetation structure across the site makes it a useful long-term reference for monitoring wombat population dynamics.

Survey Methodology

Field surveys use a combination of walk-in burrow transects, camera trap grids, passive infrared monitoring stations, and occasional GPS collar deployments. Survey teams walk fixed transects and record all burrow entrance signs including fresh digging, scrape marks, scat deposits, and hair snags. Camera traps are deployed at active warrens and on known movement corridors to estimate detection rates and individual identification where possible.

Health assessments follow standard mange severity scoring protocols (0–5 ordinal scale) for Sarcoptes scabiei infestation, which remains the primary disease concern for common wombat populations across the region.

Wombat Ecology Context

Common wombats are large, fossorial marsupials capable of excavating burrow systems of considerable depth and complexity. Territory sizes vary with habitat quality; burrow depth and inter-burrow distances are key indicators of warren structure and population density. Nocturnal activity patterns are strongly seasonal, with peak emergence times shifting relative to civil twilight across the year.

Mange caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. wombati poses a significant ongoing risk to populations at this site. Mange severity scores and pouch occupancy rates are tracked as primary population health indicators in all survey series.

Data Note

All records are working field notes from volunteer surveyors and should not be cited as peer-reviewed data without independent verification. Metric definitions and measurement conventions are documented in the Archive section.

Contact

Correspondence regarding the archive can be directed through the repository linked from this site.