Orange Field Naturalists and Conservation Society | Non-profit organisation

Orange Field Naturalists and Conservation Society

Phone: +61 415 480 436

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25.01.2022 Some of my favourites from bushwalk this morning - lots of birds too !

24.01.2022 Rosemary's orchid photos from Bumberry/Cargo - much better photographer than me!

24.01.2022 Come on Mr Morrison

24.01.2022 Featured in our October e-news - five things about ... cuckoos! 1) Cuckoos are famous for laying their eggs in other birds’ nests, but Australia’s only ‘ground-...cuckoo’, the Pheasant Coucal builds its own nest a shallow platform of grass and raises its own young. 2) After laying her egg in another bird’s nest, female cuckoos usually steal one of the host’s eggs and throw it away to maintain the size of the clutch. 3) When young cuckoos hatch, they often instinctively tip other nestlings or eggs out of the nest to ensure they monopolise the food provided by their host ‘parents’. 4) The Oriental Cuckoo is the only species of cuckoo that occurs in Australia whose call resembles the traditional "coo-coo" sound. 5) Many of Australia's cuckoos are migratory, and most call incessantly after they arrive back at their breeding grounds; the coo-ee call of the Eastern Koel is the most infamous, with the birds even calling loudly throughout the night! The cuckoo pictured here is the Shining Bronze-Cuckoo - one of the smallest cuckoo species in the world. This month's e-news also features the Bush Stone-Curlew, and is packed with the latest in bird conservation news, events & activities. Whether you are new to our page or a long term supporter, we invite you to grab a spot out in the spring sun and enjoy your copy https://birdlife.org.au/images/uploads/e-news/2020/october/ Shining Bronze-Cuckoo by Andrew Silcocks

17.01.2022 Thank you, amphibian enthusiasts! Armed with their mobile phones and an app called FrogID, thousands of citizen scientists have been helping determine where f...rogs persisted across the extensive fire ground after last summer’s devastating bushfires. This area was too large for frog scientists to survey, especially with COVID-19 travel restrictions, so the data collected by all the frog heroes out there has been invaluable. Within four months of the fires, FrogID users submitted 632 recordings of frog calls for identification by frog scientists, confirming the presence of 45 of the 66 frogs species known to live in the fire zones. Since then, all the summer-breeding species have also been recorded, meaning there are no obviously missing species. These confirmed species include a number of rare and threated frogs, like this gorgeous endangered Giant Barred Frog, which has been recorded twice after the fires. While the long term prospects for some frog populations remains uncertain, this is still encouraging news for now. If you’d like to find out more, please click here: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au//endangered-austr/ : Matt Nimbs

15.01.2022 Our woodlands are going extinct. The local grassy box-gum woodlands (known officially as White Box - Yellow Box - Blakely's Red Gum Woodland) are now critically... endangered. That means that the woodland is extremely likely to be extinct in the near future, based on its current rate of loss which has seen a tripling of clearing in recent years. Now less than 5% of its original coverage remains. How can you help? 1. Fence livestock out of good quality woodland to allow regeneration and weed control 2. Collect seed and plant seedlings in areas that have been cleared 3. Don't 'clean-up' or remove firewood - the fallen debris provides nutrients and food and helps keep the woodland and soil healthy 4. Place new roads, fences, sheds and buildings in locations that does not require clearing of trees 5. Join a local landcare group or Council community tree planting day to plant trees and habitat 6. Explore how cultural burns can help your woodland. 7. Apply for funding to protect grassy box-gum woodland on your land. This our woodland. Please don't let it die out. For more information, visit https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatened/profile.aspx #woodlands #dontremoveititwontimproveit #boxgumwoodlands #landcare #extinctionisforever

14.01.2022 Xanthorea Photo Maggie Patterson

12.01.2022 Love seeing a blue tongue - how about you?

11.01.2022 I’d like to swear........ disgraceful

09.01.2022 iSPY...tiger orchid, donkey orchid, golden cowslip orchid, Buttercup Doubletail... What yellow orchids are you spotting in our native wildflower challenge? Find out more here - www.lls.nsw.gov.au/i-spy

09.01.2022 Powerful Owl family.

09.01.2022 We’re no stranger to UFOs here at BirdLife Australia, but this was an Unusual Feathered Object we just had to share! These Australian Bustards in flight are our... pic of the week! The sight of a Bustard displaying seems a spectacle from out of this world. Come breeding season, the males inflate their large throat sac producing a loud booming call and deep roaring noise while striding around with their tails cocked high. Photographer Pat Tomkins captured these strange looking hover-birds in the plains of far-north Queensland. They look so dignified as they strut around with their beaks in the air, says Pat. But when they take flight, they’re about as graceful as a wet paper bag! Bustards in flight or flying mushrooms? You decide! Thanks for tagging us at #birdlifeoz , Pat! Australian Bustards by Pat Tomkins Wildlife

07.01.2022 Most amazing creatures

06.01.2022 Gang-gang Cockatoo couple with the red-headed male clearly enjoying the attention of his mate! These quiet little cockies were hit hard in the 2019-2020 bushf...ires the Gang-gang Cockatoo had 23 per cent of its core habitat burnt much of it severely, and it’s estimated that 10 per cent of the entire population was killed in the fires. This tragedy has prompted a nomination to upgrade the Gang-gang's IUCN conservation status to Vulnerable. Surprisingly, the much-loved Gang-gang is the least studied member of the cockatoo family. In the September issue of Australian Birdlife magazine, which shines a light on some of lesser known birds, we meet some of the bird lovers working hard to uncover the Gang-gang's secrets. For a short time only, we are offering access to an electronic edition of our stunning magazine for your reading pleasure! https://en.calameo.com/read/0041078957045ff95451f Gang-gang Cockatoo by Patrick Tomkins

04.01.2022 What a treat to see this

03.01.2022 Go dragon hunting in Bathurst! A recent scientific study has discovered that what was once thought to be one species of Grassland Earless Dragon across south ea...stern Australia is actually four distinct species, including our very species here on the Central Tablelands the Bathurst Earless Dragon! Named in honour of Bathurst former Council employee, snake catcher and naturalist Ian McArtney, the Bathurst Earless Dragon (Tympanocrypti mccartneyi) once called native grasslands and of the Bathurst Plains home. It was sighted a few times from 1966 to 1993 between West Bathurst and Perthville, including Mt Panorama, but it has sadly not been seen since. It is an exceptionally small lizard that would sit snugly on your thumb though it is happiest darting in and out of its home in abandoned spider burrows set among tussocky grasses. With the weather warming up and the winter rain bringing the landscape back to life it’s a great opportunity to keep your eye out for this little lizard (especially if you’re out taking photos for the iSpy Wildflower Challenge!). Once widespread across the Bathurst region these days you’re more likely to find the Bathurst Earless Dragon in paddocks that have been rotationally grazed and without a history of cultivation. The Bathurst Earless Dragon can look like a freshly hatched Bearded Dragon or Jacky Dragon, but the tell-tale sign to help you narrow it down is the lack of an ear drum, usually seen as a darker circular patch just down the side of the lizard behind the eye. You can read more about the Bathurst Earless Dragon here.https://australian.museum//the-remarkable-tale-of-bathurs/ If you think you’ve spotted a Bathurst Earless Dragon or feel you have a patch on your property that might be perfect Earless Dragon habitat, be sure to get in touch with Senior Land Services Officer Allan Wray [email protected] Article and images sourced from the Central Tablelands LLS. #herplife #lizards #dragons #herpetology

01.01.2022 Some of the species endemic to the Mt Canobolas State Conservation Area, ie they are not found anywhere else in the world