Projektin Yellingbo and surrounds Päiväkirja

Notes from: a Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater hosted citizen science event.
As we set out on our Twilight Walk & Frog survey this week, the breeze was barely there and the temperature was 10.7 deg C. The crickets were going nuts! Is it usual for crickets to be calling this time of year we wondered?
Their high-pitched calls almost drowned out the frogs, but we heard at least 6 species: Common Eastern Froglet, Striped & Spotted Marsh Frogs, Pobblebonk, Southern Brown (also seen) & Whistling Tree Frogs. Amongst the 18 bird species and 5 mammals recorded, highlights were a Platypus (listed as Vulnerable in Vic), a Tawny Frogmouth, two Gang-gang Cockatoos (listed as Endangered in the ACT, NSW & Vic), a Red-browed Treecreeper (a species in decline) a Southern Boobook and a Common Ringtail Possum.

Huge thanks to Gary for taking the species notes, and to the whole group for their help identifying what we saw and heard. What a great group of people to spend a few hours with, all contributing, and all with a passion about caring for the natural world.

Notes from: a Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater hosted citizen science event.
I love doing this walk on our citizen science Bird & Frog surveys in Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area, circumnavigating a section of Cockatoo Swamp. The habitat type changes around almost every bend and the tall trees make us all seem so small. A great morning today where 15 of us helped record 51 species of birds and 3 frog species. The highlights? A great group of people including 3 new participants, Robert's homemade lemon slice, 3 raptor species (Brown Goshawk, Wedge-tailed Eagle and Whistling Kite), Jacky-winters, a Black-fronted Dotterel, a Bassian Thrush allowing us to watch him quietly move through the leaf litter, blue skies and 14.6 deg C when we set out at 9am, on a still day (1.2km/h wind) before the expected storm later today.