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22.01.2022 Yesterday Pentland Hills Landcare ran a fantastic event to raise awareness that the overhead transmission lines proposed by Ausnet will kill birds of prey. Mart...in Scuffins did a fantastic job explaining the impact of overhead high voltage transmission lines on our wildlife. The 106 people who attended really enjoyed themselves with comments like: "It was really well organized, the information was very well presented - and the birds created lots of sympathy. Well done!" from Linden Hall. "It was a perfectly lovely experience for all of us. Thank you for the invitation and your hospitality. It added another layer of understanding." from Elizabeth Fairlie. Please share this message widely and go to Youtube and search Myrniong Biolink to understand more. See more

21.01.2022 I was trying to think of an appropriate title for this image which I took yesterday morning whilst birding with Pam who I had asked to return to the scene of our productive sojourn photographing Rainbow-bee Eaters this time last year. On the way we encountered this family of Wedgetails(4 in all) perched and ready to greet the day.

21.01.2022 These are the species that evolved my interest in birds so many decades ago- and you can see why. Gang gang cockatoo ( Callocephalon fimbriatum) These two wild ...Gangas have taken an orphan I’ve had in care for several months under their wings now. I am confident he has his street smarts, knows his native food sources, is not addicted to the dreaded sunflower seeds and wants nothing to do with me. I let him go a few weeks ago now but see him regularly with the flock, and especially with this pair who lost their youngsters in the heat last year. Eagles, Tiger snakes and curious and funny Gangas like these. All in a days viewing out here. Makes you realise what we lost in the fires, but also just how important it is to protect what lives on. I hope these two give the same smile and great laugh to everyone that sees this that they gave me!!!

20.01.2022 Seeking keen eyes for Echidna CSI. Echidnas are incredibly shy and difficult to see in the wild. Their aloofness means that despite the fact they’re found acro...ss the country, there are only two wild populations of echidnas that have been well studied in Australia. Researchers from The University of Adelaide want to change this. Through their citizen science project Echidna CSI, they’re hoping to learn where echidnas are, what they’re doing and if they’re healthy. They need your help to do this. They are calling all budding scientists to record their echidna sightings and gather some basic information about the animals and their environment. The project, which has been running for just over three years, has seen participants record over 9,000 echidna sightings and collect over 500 echidna scats from across Australia. This data could not have been collected without the help of the community. They also need you to collect some DNA material - unlike popular crime shows, the forensic evidence doesn’t come from a single hair or drop of blood: instead it comes from echidna scat. The scat contains valuable DNA information. Analysing that DNA can shed insight into the genetic composition of the echidna populations, their diet and their overall health. To get involved, head to Echidna CSI webpage, or download the app on your tablet or phone. Then, it’s as simple as spotting one of the critters and taking a picture. If you’re game enough to collect some valuable scat, pop it in a ziplock bag, and mail it to the team at the address provided. For more information, visit: https://grutznerlab.weebly.com/echidna-csi.html https://grutznerlab.weebly.com/faq.html

13.01.2022 A stark and sad reminder about the importance of responsible pet ownership and the impact cats have on our native wildlife. This footage was sent to us by Luke... from Queensland and shows the toll of a roaming domestic cat on a native snake. The following day, the snake was located deceased and the cat was recorded roaming in the subsequent nights. Sadly, the event captured here is not an anomaly according to leading scientists, each day more than 3.1 million mammals, 1 million birds and 1.7 million reptiles like this snake are killed by cats across Australia. Pet cats alone are estimated to kill 83 million native reptiles each year. Conservation is everyone’s business and you can do your part by being a responsible cat owner and practicing cat containment 24/7. Responsible cat ownership also means safer cats by keeping our cats happy and safe indoors. For tips and tricks on how to best look after your cat indoors, visit the Safe Cat, Safe Wildlife website: http://www.safecat.org.au/ Thank you to Luke for sending us this footage.

13.01.2022 First Australian night bees recorded foraging in darkness Eco Voice | November 2, 2020 Australian bees are known for pollinating plants on beautiful sunny days,... but a new study has identified two species that have adapted their vision for night-time conditions for the first time. The study by a team of ecology researchers has observed night time foraging behaviour by a nomiine (Reepenia bituberculata) and masked (Meroglossa gemmata) bee species, with both developing enlarged compound and simple eyes which allow more light to be gathered when compared to their daytime kin. In results published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, the researchers explain that this improved low-light ability could potentially also exist in other Australian species secretly active at night, with their image processing ability best observed through high-resolution close-up images. PhD Candidate James Dorey, in the College of Science & Engineering at Flinders University, says the two Australian bee species active at night and during twilight hours are mostly found in Australia’s tropical north, but there could potentially more in arid, subtropical and maybe even temperate conditions across the continent. We have confirmed the existence of at least two crepuscular bee species in Australia and there are likely to be many more that can forage both during the day and into the early morning or evening under low light conditions. It’s true that bees aren’t generally known to be very capable when it comes to using their eyes at night, but it turns out that low-light foraging is more common than currently thought, says Mr Dorey. Before this study, the only way to show that a bee had adapted to low-light was by using difficult-to-obtain behavioural observations, but we have found that you should be able to figure this out by using high-quality images of a specific bee. Mr Dorey says bees that forage during dim-light conditions aren’t studied enough with no previously reliable published records for any Australian species. Our study provides a framework to help identify low-light-adapted bees and the data that is needed to determine the behavioural traits of other species. This is important as we need to increase efforts to collect bee species outside of normal hours and publish new observations to better understand the role that they play in maintaining ecosystems.

12.01.2022 Want to step outside into the great outdoors? We’re looking for enthusiastic people to become Seasonal Park Rangers to help us protect Victoria’s incredible nat...ural places! You’ll be working in some of Victoria’s most unique landscapes from desert dunes and mountain tops, to coastal landscapes and ancient forests. The jobs are based all over Victoria and open to people of all backgrounds. If you have a passion for people and a love of our amazing outdoors, we want to hear from you! Tag a friend if you know someone who might be suited to this exciting opportunity. For more information about the role and locations, and to apply, visit https://fal.cn/3bH9Y

09.01.2022 Made me smile! Had a Big Hairy bastard in the hallway last night! Spider that is...