Michael and Norma Henderson

Norma's Wildlife Caring Stories

"Scratch" the baby brushtail possum

The mother of this 75 gram brushtail baby was killed by a cat and furless baby was covered in scratches. Hence his name “Scratch”.

Penguin covered in oil

Somewhere, somehow this Little Penguin swam through a slick of heavy bunker-type oil, and was covered from head to toe when found by a little girl with a passion for penguins.

White-faced heron rescue

My White-faced Heron story is one of those instances that make all our hard work worthwhile. I was called to a Sydney waterfront home ...

Ringtail mum and her expanding family

Ringtail mum had a back injury and could not climb. However she looked after her two babies really well in a nest box on the floor of the cage.

Bandicoots in care escape

I released two juvenile long-nosed bandicoots in my garden and put a group of four young ones into the “rabbit hutch”. A few days later one of the released juveniles ...

Spur-winged Plovers or Masked Lapwings

Of the many species of plovers the masked Lapwing is the most commonly encountered. They live in the country, in the suburbs and even on high-rise buildings.

Australian Magpie - a Stupid story

Australian Magpies belong to the same family as the Butcherbirds and Currawongs. They are found in areas in which there are trees (used for shelter ...

Mother brushtail and her growing family

Brushy mum had a nasty hip injury. But with a flat furred baby in her pouch she was kept as comfortable as possible in a small aviary.

Killer kookaburra

My baby dove was outside in a cage. I put him on the top of the cage to feed him and out of the corner of my eye I saw a darting movement.

Deaf Birds

Each time I attend a motor racing Grand Prix I wonder at the persistence of the local birds in living normally while surrounded ...

Barny’s Balls

“Barny Brushtail is not well. He has sore places and is very sick.” When I got there Barny was asleep under a pot plant on the balcony. I checked him over ...

A penguin is in need of help

This particular winter’s day I received a call that "There is a penguin in difficulties off our restaurant". In the true spirit of a wildlife carer I donned bathing togs ...

Rosellas rearing and release

These week-old chicks were found in a brick wall during home renovations. The parents had chewed through some electrical wiring near the nest and so it had to be removed.

The Galah with one leg

"Foot" and "Leg" had Christmas dinner with us some years ago. They waited on the balcony rail for a hand-out of seeds. Nature is unkind to those who are not fit and able.