Journal archives for March 2022

March 4, 2022

Big Bushfire Bioblitz - Greater Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains Bioblitz is done and dusted!

It was certainly a very wet weekend, with almost constant rain and heavy fog over the three days, but we had a fantastic turnout with 40+ participants coming along. There were relatively slim pickings on the birds and herps front, but there were plenty of great plants and invertebrates on offer.

There are still observations being uploaded (and if you haven't already, remember to post your photos!), but as of writing there are 2216 observations in the project covering over 600 species! This number will only climb as more observations are ID'ed to species.

Some highlights:

The many 'hairy snails' we saw

The myriad red triangle slugs, which were always a point of excitement

8 different orchid species!

The bird-size moths that swooped down on Friday night to our moth sheet!

Unfortunately the Washpool/Gibraltar Ranges bioblitz for this weekend was called off due to the catastrophic flooding in northern NSW, but the third event at Murramarang NP on the south coast for 11-13 March is still on. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Posted on March 4, 2022 05:26 AM by thebeachcomber thebeachcomber | 3 comments | Leave a comment

March 16, 2022

Bioblitz wrap-up 2

The second Big Bushfire BioBlitz, held on the NSW South Coast in and around Murramarang National Park, is all wrapped up!

We were lucky enough to have perfect weather over the weekend this time around, and plenty of enthusiastic bioblitzers, including a large contingent from the ALA. Plants, birds, herps, bugs and more were all on offer, including a great beachcombing trip on Saturday morning and some fantastic spotlighting sessions on Friday and Saturday night.

Observations are still coming in thick and fast, but we're currently at 2252 observations, and already close to reaching 700 species and overtaking the Blue Mountains tally.

Some highlights:

Greater and yellow-bellied gliders

A smorgasbord of frogs, including a green and golden bell frog

The critically endangered plant Rhodamnia rubescens

Some Merimbula Woodland Snails to go with the Blue Mountains Woodland Snails we found at the last bioblitz.

Looking at the two events thus far combined, we've almost hit 5000 observations and 1200 species, contributed by 92 observers (and of course importantly, with help from 345 identifiers). These are extremely impressive numbers, and will only continue to rise as more observations filter in.

It's likely that our third event (which was meant to run last week) will still go ahead at some point, but we're still figuring out the logistics of when and where; we'll keep you all updated!

Posted on March 16, 2022 04:13 AM by thebeachcomber thebeachcomber | 1 comment | Leave a comment