Here are some things to consider when organising your night stalk.

• Choose a fine, moonless night to conduct your survey.
• Often you will hear an animal before you see it. Keep noise to a minimum, as noisy behaviour will scare animals away.
• Use a light that is less than 30W, as this will increase your chances of finding an animal and they are more likely to behave naturally and are less likely to move away. A powerful torch such as Maglite or Dolphin torch is suitable.
• Red cellophane can be used to filter your light once an animal has been sighted. A filtered light can increase your viewing time because it is less distressing to nocturnal animals.
• Do not hold any animal under the spotlight for too long. They may panic and injure themselves. Nocturnal animals have eyes that are sensitive to light and you may attract predators like foxes and cats.
• Domestic pets should not be taken on spotlighting surveys.
• Wildlife encountered should not be fed, handled, chased or provoked.
• Use existing nature trails, tracks or roads when spotlighting, so as not to damage vegetation or disturb animal habitats.

Tips for seeing "eyeshine"

The reflection your torch creates when it reflects off the tapetum in an animal's eye is called eyeshine. The colour and brightness of eyeshine is different in different animals. Humans have a dull red eyeshine (which you often see in flash photographs) while Brush-tail Possums have a bright pinkish eyeshine.

The best way to detect eyeshine is to hold the torch or spotlight close to your eyes, so that you are looking directly down the beam. A head-torch is ideal for spotlighting for this reason.

Increase your ability to detect eyeshine by practising on spiders. Spiders have a very bright blue/green eyeshine that sparkles and can be detected from quite a distance away (sometimes up to 200 metres).

Useful References

• Green Guide: Mammals of Australia by Terence Lindsey. Published in 1998 by New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, Sydney.
• A Photographic Guide to the Mammals of Australia by Ronald Strahan. Published in 1995 by New Holland, Sydney
• The Mammals of Australia Edited by Ronald Strahan. Published in 1995 by Australian Museum/Reed Books, Sydney
• Tracks, Scats and Other Traces: A Field Guide to Australian Mammals by Barbara Triggs. Published in 1996 by Oxford University Press Australia, Melbourne
• Tasmanian Mammals: A Field Guide by Tasmanian Conservation Trust. Published in 1987 by the Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc, Tasmania
• Mammals of the South-West: What Animals is That? by Brent Johnson an Carolyn Thomson. Published by the Department of Conservation and Land Management Western Australia
• Australian Mammals in Colour by Irene & Michael Morcombe. Published in 1979 by Reed Books Pty Ltd Sydney
• A Field Guide to the Rodents and Dasyurids of the Northern Territory Edited by Jeff Cole and John Woinarski. Published in 1998 by Surrey Beatty: Chipping Norton
• A Key and Field Guide to the Australian Possums, Gliders and Koala by Andrew Smith and John Winter. Published in 1997 by Surrey Beatty: Chipping Norton
• Handbook of Australian Animals compiled and edited by Averil Moffat, published by Bay Books, Sydney
• What Animal is That? by Harry Frauca, published in 1985 by Reed Books Pty Ltd, Frenchs Forest, NSW
• What Mammal is That? by Neville W Cayley, published in 1987 by Angus and Robertson Publishers, North Ryde NSW
• Watching Wildlife Australia Lonely Planet Publication 200
• A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia by Peter Menkhorst & Frank Knight, published in 2001 by Oxford University Press