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: …
Speaker: Tanya Loos, Nature writer and science communicator “Window strike: when birds hit windows” Combined meeting with Birdlife Castlemaine District Window strike is a huge problem for common birds – as well as threatened species such as the Swift Parrot and Powerful Owl. Many of us have had the unfortunate experience of a thud or even a crash …
Monthly Meeting: Friday 12 August, 7.30pm by Zoom Read More »
Leaders: Marli Wallace & Noel Young Wildflowers, birds, aboriginal and mining history. This was a significant place for the Dja Dja Wurrung people before becoming a major gold mining area. Twenty one sites around the 1.8 km circuit track (a bit rough in places – walking pole useful) will be described, with wildflowers, regrown woodland …
Excursion: Saturday 13th August, 1.30 pm “Eureka Reef” Read More »
– Help keep our stretch of the Pyrenees Highway clean! Meet near Tait’s Decorative Iron, corner of Willy Milly Rd and Pyrenees Highway, Castlemaine at 9am. Garbage bags and safety vests supplied. Wear sturdy footwear and bring your own gloves and water. Please contact Geoff Harris (mob 0418 392 183) if you can help …
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 …
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 »
All Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club members who receive emails from the club and those who have subscribed to our old website have been subscribed to our eNews on the New Website. Subscribing to our eNews will keep you up-to-date with our activities. We will not bombard you with emails but you will receive information about …
Cassia will take us for a slow walk in the Clinkers Bushland reserve and nearby, exploring the variety of moss species along the way. She will give us clues for distinguishing mosses from lichens and point out the features useful for identification of different moss species including the habitat where they are growing. She will …
Understanding the behaviours of native and introduced bees How do we ask a bee a question? Can you train a bee? What types of tasks can they solve? Can they acquire concepts? What is the limit of intelligence in a miniature brain? Scarlett will answer these questions and more using examples from the European honeybee …
Monthly Meeting: Friday 10th June, 7:30pm via Zoom Read More »
Your chance to help the Club do its regular Roadside Clean-up along a section of the Pyrenees Highway west of Castlemaine. It should take no more than a couple of hours. Meet near Tait’s Decorative Iron, Pyrenees Highway, Castlemaine at 9am Garbage bags and red safety vests supplied. Wear sturdy footwear and bring your own …