Short-eared possum with young

I know mark! Very lucky! What's odd is that there appears to be a boom in their numbers suddenly around here. In the past I would have been lucky to see one every few months & just starting last week i've seen at least one every night, most nights 3 or 4, all short-eared possums and at the same time can hear even more not far off. I'd be very interested to know the reason behind this.

They almost look like they're smiling!