The Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club is once again gearing up for the Great Southern Bioblitz this weekend and encourages locals to get outdoors with their binoculars and cameras and document the flora, fauna and fungi in our region.
The annual mega biodiversity survey provides a four-day snapshot of biodiversity in environments and countries across the whole of the Southern Hemisphere.
One of the local highlights of this year’s event will be a ‘Bioblitz Afternoon in the Bush’ on Sunday led by four esteemed local experts – Geoff Park, Andrew Skeoch, Frances Cincotta and Patrick Kavanagh.
The guided walk in the Muckleford State Forest will begin at the Red, White and Blue Mine picnic area at Muckleford with a briefing at 1.30pm before the local experts lead a hands on tour of the surrounding bushland helping participants seek out and record local plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and a myriad of invertebrate species.
Newstead Landcare member and talented nature photographer Patrick Kavanagh said it would be a wonderful opportunity for interested local community members keen to take part in the BioBlitz to get out and explore our local bushland and gain some tips on how to record valuable data to be uploaded to the iNaturalist website.
“We will have renowned local bird expert Geoff Park identifying birdlife and nature recordist Andrew Skeoch of Listening Earth will offer a different take helping people identify birds and other vertebrates by sound and sight,” he said.
“Frances Cincotta of Newstead Natives will help with plants with some lovely orchids and grevilleas now in bloom, and I will be helping people find and identify insects, spiders and other invertebrates.
“At this time we should come across some dragonflies and beetles.”
Many will know Patrick from his blog posts on Natural Newstead, where he shares close-up photos of invertebrates, tiny plants and fungi, and breathtaking images of the starry night sky. Some of his work is currently featured in the exhibition ‘Wild Discoveries’ at Newstead Arts Hub.
“All are welcome to join us. Just bring your phone, camera, binoculars, magnifying glass and unbridled, childlike curiosity!” Patrick said.
“Afterwards we will enjoy an afternoon tea and the chance to chat about our finds.”
Patrick said the iNaturalist app and website was a wonderful resource and very user friendly.
“You can capture images and sounds on your phone and upload them directly to the app and AI technology and the extensive data base will help you identify what you have discovered. Then you can go on and conduct your own research into that plant or creature and learn more about them and what role they play in our local environment.”
Patrick said while the BioBlitz was a concentrated four-day effort to accumulate as much data as possible, you could access the iNaturalist platform all year round.
“For me exploring our local environment has become a real passion and I am sure many others will discover the appeal while taking part in Saturday’s event,” he said.
Data uploaded to the iNaturalist Australia website and app during the BioBlitz is shared with the Atlas of Living Australia and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data.
The Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club will also be holding a ‘Moth Night’ at the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens this Friday from 7pm. Gather near the south east gate in Walker Street (opposite Das Kaffehaus).
Watch and photograph moths flying onto illuminated sheets. Moths are a great food source and important pollinators.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
The Great Southern Bioblitz runs through the free online platform iNaturalist. This is a global data bank for observations of biodiversity made by scientists, naturalists and citizen scientists. There are more than three million registered users!
Step 1. Get onto iNaturalist on your computer or phone app to sign up. www.inaturalist.ala.org.au
Step 2. From September 20-23 get out in the bush, parklands or garden and take good photos or make sound recordings of wild flora, fauna and fungi. No humans or pets!
Step 3. Upload your photos or recordings to iNaturalist. You have until October 7 to identify your observations. The iNaturalist program and skilled naturalists and scientists will help.
The macro lens has captured this mantisfly in intricate detail. Photo: Patrick Kavanagh 
Discover invertebrates such as the ant lion. Photo: Patrick Kavanagh
