Greater Glider & Nest Box Project

by Dianna Bisset September 21, 2026

18 Greater Glider box's built Jan 2021

With almost no hollow nest sites in the burnt out landscape here Rocklily. We have started a project of building and installing nest box’s to replace all the fully burnt tree hollows that no longer exist. Most large old trees completely burnt out with fire ingress through their hollows. Hollows wont grow back in our lifetime.

Few birds and various possums remained remaining with Ringtails and many completely gone, we think because their Dreys (looks like a clump of pine needles) hand in trees and if not burnt extreme heat from fires killed them. Finally in the summer of 20-21 there were a larger variety of birds seen although in small numbers only. Currawongs, and magpies around 12 in total glossy just 3, Gang Gangs 4 both nested here every year, 1 barn owl, 1 Boobook and 3 baby mountain brushtails survived in our sheds as well as two species of micro bat

The Smiths were doing greater glider surveys (previously plentiful here) and discovered there is a small population at the top of Rocklily road, and we amazingly heard the haunting calls of a single yellow bellied glider all excited us to start our 50 Box's program funded by ourselves.

Dianna did alot of research on designs of box's that had actual proof of usage plus read many professional papers about materials, placement, design and even what colour box's should be. We decided that the website howllow log homes knew what they were talking about, and had a book on designs. We have changed CD ply a greater thickness to 19 mm the back braces to spaced vertical to better fit trees. Colour is 2 coats of good quality waterbased exterior paint off white very very light grey for a box we expect to get at least 21-25 years out of. We are happy ti talk to people wanting to make box's.

Our box’s are based on the book by Alan and Stacy Franks and nest Box tails. www.hollowloghomes.com

We have had 3 volunteer working bees early helping with build of some of the 45 Box's.

Greater Glider and Yellow Bellied Glider nest boxs x 18 = $2,100 and we have now received funding from the Greater Eastern Ranges Greater Glider Program (A HUGE THANKYOU!) to cover the costs of these Glider box's which really helps. See the construction in this Greater Glider section for more on our boxs, pole stands and camera mounting.

6 new solar powered Wildlife Cameras: From Blaze Video purchased Kit's with camera and solar collector $250 ish each Camera model Wi-Fi Trail Camera model A280W

Camera mounting new system; designed by Warwick BissetUsing New 6.5 meter tall 50 mm galvanised steel poles able to swivel on the tree and also an additional hold system for the pole and 2 custom mounts to give added strength to camera and solar pannel's. In case a large bird like Powerfulll Owl or Wedge tailed Eagle landed on them they wont break. A Seperate Blog to come with information on this system, there photos below.

Greater glider box's with their entry against the tree. We chose a very light green grey to paint box's to blend with the gums were fixing them to as well as its 18 degrees cooler than a dark coloured box. First 3 box's up in June then syd in lockdown, Then Drew our son returned to put up another 4 in a wet and windy weekend, in january 2022.

Were looking for more skilled Climbers to get final 9 box's 2-3 per tree.

May 2026 K2W Gliderways Project: Funded 2 climbers and 2 x Habitat Inovation 3D printed nest boxes which were installed installed. The climbers also put up another 4 or our nest boxs. And also funded 2 greater Glider surveys here at Rocklily finding 4 Greater Gliders. https://www.habitatinnovation.com.au/buy-a-nest-box An Additional huge thankyou to Mary and team at K2W for the project and funding.

June to September 2026 has seen 1 adult 2 juvenile Greater Gliders, 1 Mountain Briushtail and a sugar glider all on or near the the box's see below. It can take a while for the nest box's to be found initally. Videos and photos below.

Preditor proofing all trees with box's. The main creditor here are large goanna's so each tree with nest box's has a large metal band or corrugated iron, its fitted so as to expand with tree for growth.

What we have seen

We have seen king parrots using box's and the kookaburra's seem to have returned, and are sighted near box's although a smaller flock there is alot of wear on the fronts of many box's with 20 Camera's up already which we move around when needed most bird boxes are not monitored at the moment. We have wood ducks breeding hear for the first time and an increase in a number of birds all around. The yellow bellied Glider seems to have stayed around here, we hear its haunting calls and we hope its using a nest box. Although moved up onto langs road (65 -80 meters)and is with another Yellow Bellied Glider apparently the only 2 in the Greenwattle burnt area.

We will be putting up a growing list of Birds and possums here at Rocklily within the Greater Glider nest box Project.

Inital track to glider trees cleared in May and were