A Fauna Spotter is…

I started writing this many moons ago, after working on an 18 day job. I never got around to publishing it, so thought I might do it now!

A fauna spotters job is never done. And although we are employed to follow 30 tonne excavators around whilst they knock over big trees, there are a myriad of other tasks we do. Here are a few…

• Cow herd – whenever you are passing from one paddock to the next, the number of cows grows exponentially to the slow rate of the machinery moving through the gate, thereby making it your job to prevent any of the herd switching paddocks
• Mechanics assistant – watching for mechanical failures and then handing tools to the operator when the machine breaks down (and it will)
• Fence mender – when the mulcher is too big to fit through the gate and the fence has to be dropped to create an entry point and then mended afterwards
• Water bearer – Carrying a minimum of 3 litres on the person at all times, eventually your shoulders go numb from the weight
• Sounding bored – the machine operator often needs someone to vent to, chat with, make jokes about, etc.
• Time keeper – standing in the shade (if there is shade) watching the machine do laps in the grass paddock, as time slowly drags on

• Chauffeur – driving the operator from their vehicle to the machinery that’s parked halfway down the paddock
• Traffic controller – keeping your eyes peeled for other traffic, especially when walking a machine from one site to another

• Wildlife carer – might be a little obvious, but I run around catching critters that I often have to hold on to for a little while until I have a break or can find a suitable release site

Busby – the day he went to his new carer

I’m sure there are heaps more that can be added but these are the few that I noticed I was doing. Feel free to let me know what else you can think of!