Saturday & Sunday's weather cloudy, mild & still, ideal for getting into nature & making lots of observations!
Deirdre is the observations leader today, who'll be next?
Sunday 27 Nov, Friends of Solomon Gully Nature Conservation Reserve are holding a Bioblitz along the Leanganook Track between Burnside St & Fletcher St Quarry Hill- join in at anytime between 11am to 2pm
Here are some last-minute tips for bioblitz success:
Plan your day - look to explore some new parks or nature reserves you may not have been to before
If you're going exploring - be prepared! Take a bag with guidebooks, water, snacks, first aid and of course spare batteries for your camera, or a portable charger for your phone!
Explore a diversity of habitats - you are going to get more species if you go to a variety of environments
Take images of wild organisms, insects, plants in their natural habitat, (or weeds invading a natural habitat!) just not planted plants or pet animals.
Take a friend and family and have fun!
We're looking forward to seeing what you find, showcasing the incredible biodiversity of the southern hemisphere
If you find a spider in a web, photographs of both the upper and undersides can be helpful
Insect identification can often be helped by the number and position of veins in an insect’s wing. Try and capture this by getting shots from directly above
Noting the plant you find a beetle or bug on can aid identification and provide useful ecological data
Photograph fungi from above, below (showing the gills or pores) and the side
Record the “substrate” you find a fungus on eg. soil or dead wood, or live plant
When observing plants, photograph as many features as possible. This includes flowers and leaves (from above and below), bark, fruit if present, a branch showing leaf arrangement, and a shot of the whole plant to give a sense of its growth habit
Capture as many angles and as much information as you can. While some groups such as birds can often be recognised from a single photograph, many other taxa require multiple features for a positive identification to be made
Photography tips:
🌱 Snap plants, animals, insects, birds, fungi – anything living!
🐚 Even evidence of life like shells, tracks, and feathers counts.
📍 Where to explore? The magic is everywhere! Your backyard, parks, trails, and more.
🤔 How many photos? It's up to you! Capture a few during your weekend stroll or dedicate a day to discovery. Every photo contributes!
🦉 What's a Bioblitz? Think of it as a biodiversity extravaganza! Discover and identify as many species as possible in a short span. Let's showcase Greater Bendigo's diversity and compete with other zones – every photo is a step towards victory!
🔗 Use #GSBioblitz #BiodiversityExploration #NatureLoversUnite to share your journey!
Let's make this year's Great Southern Bioblitz a roaring success!
Get ready for an incredible citizen science adventure at the Great Southern Bioblitz (GSB)! 🌍🔬 Scientists and the community are teaming up to survey and document as many species as possible within 96 hours, right in your local area.
📅 Mark your calendars: November 24th - 27th, 2023, Friday thru to Monday
