Field Nats

It’s on again: GSB22

Have fun, get out in the bush or wander around your garden and see what you can find. Take photos or sound recordings and load these observations into iNaturalist. When loading a sighting you should identify what you have seen to the best of your ability. Your identification need only be at the level of […]

It’s on again: GSB22 Read More »

The Great Southern Bioblitz is on Friday 28th - Monday 31st October

CANCELLED: Monthly Meeting:  Friday 14th October, 7.30 pm – Georgie Custance “Monitoring Fryerstown Grevillea, a threatened species in our region”

Sadly due to flooding and road closures we have had to cancel tonight’s meeting and Saturday’s excursion. We plan to reschedule these important events in the new year.

CANCELLED: Monthly Meeting:  Friday 14th October, 7.30 pm – Georgie Custance “Monitoring Fryerstown Grevillea, a threatened species in our region” Read More »

Wednesday Wildflower Wander 28th September, 4pm, Sinclairs Lane, Walmer

Continuing our enjoyable Wildflower Wanders this year, this week we will explore the bushland along Sinclairs Lane and Donkey Farm Lane. A highlight will be the rare Small-flowered Grevillea, Grevillea micrantha, accompanied by displays of native orchids, Bendigo Wax and Tetratheca. Meet: at the Octopus (opposite the motel in Duke St) OR at the corner

Wednesday Wildflower Wander 28th September, 4pm, Sinclairs Lane, Walmer Read More »

Leader: Judy Hopley

Wednesday Wildflower Wander

Our first Wildflower Wander for the year on 7th September along Youngman’s Track did not disappoint with several native orchids and other impressive wildflower displays. The plant list with some beautiful photos will be in the next ‘Castlemaine Naturalist’. For our second wildflower wander on 14th September, we will wander along tracks in Kalimna Park

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14th September, 4pm, Kalimna Park Leaders: Euan Moore and Jenny Rolland

ATTENTION – ATTENTION!  CHANGE TO SATURDAY 10th SEPTEMBER EXCURSION

Due to the weather conditions, instead of exploring The Monk with orchid expert Julie Radford we will be visiting her laboratory and nursery in Kangaroo Flat. This is a unique opportunity to see the work Julie is doing propagating rare spider orchids in order to re-plant them in the wild and thus help conserve them.

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Visit to Julie Radford’s orchid nursery and laboratory

Monthly Meeting:  Friday 9th September, 7.30 pm Uniting Church Fellowship Room, Lyttleton St

Deakin University’s Powerful Owl Research Team have been involved with Powerful Owls for over 20 years. At the core, the research aims to understand how increased urbanisation and landscape modification impacts this threatened apex predator, whilst also identifying solutions that can contribute to the conservation of the species. PhD student Nick Carter will describe how

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Speaker: Nicholas Carter (Deakin University) “Powerful Owl Ecology – comparison of rural and forested environments”

Wednesday Wildflower Wanders

During September each year, when so many the local plants in the Box-Ironbark woodlands of our region are flowering, we arrange late afternoon excursions on Wednesdays to nearby sites to enjoy the wildflowers.  Meet: at the Octopus (opposite the motel in Duke St) ready to leave at 4 pm, returning by about 5.30 pm. Bring:

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Wednesday 7th September:  Youngman’s Track led by Peter and Rosemary Turner

Excursion – Sat 9 July, 1:30 pm

Starting from the junction of Muckleford School Road and Bells Lane Track, we will drive along Talbot, Dunns Reef and Red White and Blue Tracks, with stops along the way to enjoy the birds, wildflowers and trees of the forest and to view old mining sites.  We will then drive along Bells Lane Track to

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Muckleford Forest and the Red White & Blue Mine : Leaders: Peter and Rosemary Turner

8th July, 7:30 by Zoom – The Old-growth Moss Forests of Antarctica – Dr Melinda Waterman

Because it contains the best moss beds on continental Antarctica, Casey Station is dubbed the ‘Daintree of the Antarctic’.  Individual plants have been growing here for at least 100 years, fertilised by ancient penguin poo. But our new research shows that these slow-growing plants are changing at a far faster rate than anticipated.  The healthy green

8th July, 7:30 by Zoom – The Old-growth Moss Forests of Antarctica – Dr Melinda Waterman Read More »

The lush moss beds that grow near East Antarctica’s coast are among the only plants that can withstand life on the frozen continent.