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Email: info@wanaturalists.org.au Website: www.wanaturalists.org.au

JULY 2015

MISSION: To encourage the study and protection of the natural environment

CONTENTS

MAIN (CENTRAL) CLUB

MEETING REPORT: FUNKEY, A NEW FUNGI KEY

NORTHERN SUBURBS BRANCH

MEETING REPORT, THE KIMBERLEY, BORNEO &

VENEZUELA with ADAM CROSS

KWINANA/ROCKINGHAM/MANDURAH BRANCH

MEETING REPORT, MEMBERS’ NIGHT

RETIRED & LEISURED GROUP

MEETING REPORT INSECT MIMICRY

MAIN (CENTRAL) CLUB

EXCURSION REPORT: CAMERA TRAPPING AT PARUNA

DARLING RANGE BRANCH

EXCURSION REPORT: WA REPTILE PARK

NORTHERN SUBURBS BRANCH

EXCURSION REPORT: ‘GOLLY’ WALK

BUSHWALKING GROUP

WEEKEND NATURE WALK

COMING EVENTS

NEW MEMBERS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTRIBUTORS

MAIN (CENTRAL) CLUB

MEETING REPORT: FUNKEY, A NEW FUNGI KEY

FunKey was the topic of Kevin Thiele’s talk about a new, funky fungi key that looks as though it would actually be a ‘fun key’ to use. (Please refer to the first meaning of funky in the Macquarie Dictionary, though some fungi are definitely characterised by the fourth meaning!)

Kevin is the head of the Western Australian Herbarium. He has done extensive taxonomic research on various groups of Australian plants and has a long-standing interest in the basic principles underlying the classification and naming of plants. He also has an interest in botanical illustration and photography, and has photographed hundreds of beautiful fungi on his property in rural eastern Victoria.

Kevin designed the Lucid software used for interactive keys such as FunKey. All of his interests have come together in the design and execution of FunKey, in collaboration with his close colleague and fungi expert Tom May of the National Herbarium of Victoria.

FunKey is an interactive key to the Agarics of Australia to genus level. (The Agarics are the mushroom-shaped fungi.) It was instigated by mycologist Tom May and created in collaboration with Kevin as well as Christopher Dunk and Simon Lewis. The key can be operated from a USB masquerading as a credit card, or from a Smartphone or iPad app. It uses the Java computer system, and will work on Internet Explorer and some other browsers, though Kevin said it ‘may need a bit of fiddling’ to get it working. There is a description of the Agaric family, a detailed page on each genus, a guide

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to navigating the key, an illustrated glossary, a guide to the morphology of Agarics including the microscopic characteristics, a guide to poisonous and edible species, notes on making spore prints and microscope slides, and lots more, as well as the key itself.

The key is designed to be user-friendly as well as being scientifically accurate and complete. It covers 185 genera. It works on 99 characteristics, both macroscopic and microscopic, including such things as colour, size, shape, viscidity, stipe length, presence of a partial veil and whether the gills are free, adnate or decurrent. In most cases, each time characteristics of a specimen are fed in, a number of genera are eliminated, until hopefully it comes down to one. Every character is illustrated, and you can go to notes along the way. If a character is not known for certain, several alternatives can be entered. This makes it flexible, and reduces the tendency to go down blind alleys.

Kevin pointed out that when using an analytical key such as this one, the user can get to know the characters involved, and therefore learn more about the morphology and classification of fungi. This is in contrast with using a field guide, where the ‘gestalt’ identification method is used—simply matching the whole fungus to a picture. This would apply particularly to fungi, because they often look very different according to their stage of development.

After demonstrating how to use the key on a couple of specimens (‘Now I’m sweating,’ said Kevin), he showed us a number of the slides he had taken of beautiful, weird and wonderful fungi on his Victorian property. They were not to be missed. There was also some interesting discussion on what might be the adaptive advantage of colouring in fungi, and why and how Omphalotus nidiformis, the Ghost Fungus, glows. No one knows.

FunKey can be found on the CSIRO Publishing website and on the Fungimap website. The WA Naturalists’ Club and the Wildflower Society will very likely have it for sale soon.

Mike Gregson

NORTHERN SUBURBS BRANCH

MEETING REPORT, THE KIMBERLEY, BORNEO & VENEZUELA with ADAM CROSS

Dr Adam Cross gave his audience an enthusiastic, informative and profusely illustrated description of his fieldwork in the Kimberley, Venezuela and Borneo. At a previous talk to the Main Club, Dr Cross spoke about the first two of those field trips, which was extremely well written up by Gabor Bedo and can be accessed by referring to the August 2014 edition of this newsletter.

As an introduction to his talk, Adam pointed out that science is a heavily stereotyped profession—yet science often occurs outside the laboratory.

In his opinion, there are perhaps three biological frontiers. Places still exist on earth which can be explored; however such places are now rare—the Amazon and Papua were cited as examples. Such places harbour some of the world’s greatest biodiversity.

Dr Cross was part of a team of biologists and interested naturalists which went to Borneo to do biological research.

The Borneo rainforest is unique. There is a high biodiversity in form and function with specific adaptations to high rainfall life. Compared with semi arid and seasonal regions, the Borneo rainforest is bursting with life. As is the case with the other two aforementioned areas, many of the species are endemic to the region. However the encroachment of human settlement has caused many problems. Of particular concern is the cultivation of palm oil. The expanding palm oil industry has been a key driver of deforestation and such habitat loss in turn threatens the very existence of numerous species. Much of the rainforest has been cleared to accommodate this form of agriculture. As is the case in all these remote biologically diverse areas, poaching is always a problem. Dr Cross listed a number of challenges to the study and preservation of these areas, such as inaccessibility, poor roads, fires and floods, loss of equipment, dangerous fauna and harsh conditions. As an aside, he mentioned his extreme distaste for leeches.

As in his previous presentation, Adam’s talk was illustrated with some spectacular photos. One was of a brightly coloured worm on a leaf, a species of Bipalium—a predatory land flatworm (commonly called the Hammerhead Worm.) There was also a giant purple land snail and a giant earthworm, on which Adam has been unable to find

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any information. He showed us a flower of a parasitic plant called a Rafflesia which has no stem, leaves or true roots; it lives on vines. Two other plants he showed us were examples of Nepenthes—popularly known as tropical pitcher plants.

The presentation finished with these conclusions:

Too much focus is perhaps placed on real or imagined dangers associated with the exploration of remote areas. Adam’s personal opinion is that the experiences and values associated with the exploration and preservation of these pristine areas override the risks.

We are in the ‘sixth age’ of extinction, Adam asserts, with 30,000 species a year becoming extinct. With the rapid increase in habitat loss, something must be done before it is too late to preserve these areas.

Allan Doig

KWINANA/ROCKINGHAM/MANDURAH BRANCH

MEETING REPORT, MEMBERS’ NIGHT

At the May meeting there were two presenters from within KRMB. First up was Pauline Dilley, who presented a series of photographs and video footage, taken on trips to Kalbarri, Albany, Zambia (Africa), the Whitsundays and at local areas such as Shoalwater Marine Park, Karnup Nature Reserve, Wellard Wetlands and Goodale Sanctuary. The photographs showed birds, animals, insects, marine animals and plants and the videos were underwater footage of marine life. The terrestrial images were of various plants in flower including Verticordia, orchids, Grevillea, Hakea, Drosera and kangaroo paw. Other images included a Rainbow Bee-eater, Pelicans, a Moaning Frog and a Red Fingers fungus. Photographs of marine life included a Nudibranch, jellyfish, sting ray and a school of Striped Catfish. Photos from Africa included elephant, zebra, giraffe, hippo and rhinoceros. The underwater film showed sting rays, an octopus emerging from a polyethylene pipe, a clam, a Wobbegong and a hermit crab.

The next presenter was Daniel Heald, who shared a PowerPoint presentation on Batesian and Mullerian mimics. The slides showed numerous species using the same colour schemes. The first photograph showed a Lycid Beetle that is toxic and uses the colours red and black to advertise this to potential predators. Daniel then ran through a number of photos of other species that mimic the Lycid Beetle’s colour patterns, including a non-toxic jewel beetle, a Stinking Longicorn Beetle and a Nocturnal Longicorn. The next series showed a Braconid Wasp, two types of bugs mimicking Braconid Wasps, a Spider Wasp and a Yellow–horned Clerid Beetle and a caterpillar that looked like a snake. Daniel’s presentation highlighted how mimicry is commonly employed in nature to avoid predation.

Colin Prickett

RETIRED & LEISURED GROUP

MEETING REPORT INSECT MIMICRY

At our May meeting David Knowles of ‘Spineless Wonders’ told us a photographic story of insect mimicry, with examples from Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. He found his examples under street lighting, by head-torching, light-trapping and other methods. He cited two forms of mimicry: Batesian mimicry and Mullerian mimicry. Batesian is a form of protective mimicry, especially in insects, in which a species that is palatable or harmless closely resembles unpalatable or harmful species and is therefore avoided by predators. Mullerian mimicry is that in which the resemblance is of two or more unpalatable species, which are avoided by predators to a greater degree than any one of the species would otherwise be.

A series of images posed the question of whether we were seeing mimicry or camouflage. The most commonly mimicked group of ants are the ‘green tree’ ants which are mimicked by jumping spiders. Spiders also do mimic other ants, such as ‘black’ and ‘meat’ ants. Jumping spiders also mimic stinging ants and poisonous insects. Harmful and harmless insects were illustrated mimicking Alydid bugs, mantis nymphs and stinging wasps. An extraordinary example David showed us was of an insect resembling a cobra snake. The Owl Butterfly mimics the eyes of a predatory owl.

David’s photography was of high quality and must have taken many hours of patient work to shoot; it certainly entertained us.

Margot Bentley

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MAIN (CENTRAL) CLUB

EXCURSION REPORT: CAMERA TRAPPING AT PARUNA, MAY 16

Despite the dire forecast our group of nine (three from the new Young Professionals group) was extremely fortunate to have almost no rain on this (slightly postponed) excursion. Club member and camera trapping aficionado Mike Griffiths had previously put out five cameras—all in different locations—relatively close to the entrance to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Paruna Sanctuary in the Avon Valley.

We had a very hands-on experience as Mike explained (in his very professional way) the reason for the placement of each of the cameras. He stressed the importance of facing the camera in a southerly direction to avoid sun glare. He showed us very good locations, e.g. those where there is some sort of pathway, either on the ground, on a log, between boulders or under a grasstree ‘skirt’. He named many different plants like the Powder Barks and Wandoos, heath plants or Astrolomas (good for the insect food), Calothamnus sanguineus (good for the Pygmy or Honey Possums), Hakea atriplex and H. costata (great for insect pollination) but we were basically targeting small mammals, birds and reptiles—possibly even a native Bush Rat. We found evidence of Echidna diggings, a Heleioporus frog burrow, a Crinia pseudinsignifera or Bleating Froglet near the dam, birds like a Rufous Tree Creeper, Black Duck and Crested Grebes. One camera near the dam had captured photos of a Raven, a Wood Duck, a Fox, a small wren (Splendid?), and a Silver Eye. There were also clear Emu tracks in the mud nearby. It proved to be the most successful site.

We had practice at removing memory cards so Mike could check out any photos using his small field laptop, then resetting the cameras. He explained the use of gaffer tape across part of the infrared flash to reduce ‘white out’, as most cameras are made for hunters of large animals like deer in the US and Canada, so the flash is too powerful for our small mammals and birds.

Mike had an incredibly thorough routine with each of his cameras. They were labelled, lens and sensors cleaned, memory card checked and formatted, batteries checked, etc. He explained thoroughly why he was setting up the camera in each place and many of us were involved in this process. He explained the use of small wedges to help adjust the angle of the camera and occasional use of small plastic star-pickets as a base to attach the camera. He always used flagging tape to help locate each camera, took a photo of the camera in situ, plus a brief description on a card secured in a small plastic bag. He demonstrated the storage and type of his batteries, with his very impressive (and rather heavy) tool box containing an amazing array of marking pens, peanut paste and sardines for baiting, Roundup spray, garden shears and other handy items.

We all offered our thanks to Mike Griffiths for giving up some of his valuable time to instruct us and also to Tanya Marwood for helping organise it all.

Maureen Gardner

DARLING RANGE BRANCH

EXCURSION REPORT: WA REPTILE PARK

Delightfully inclement weather greeted six hardy naturalists at the West Australian Reptile Park, Henley Brook in May. The park is also host to several other native animals (dingoes, wombats and native birds) but on this occasion the outside areas were not visited.

The park—very much a family-run affair—is a herpetarium. (Note: A herpetarium which specializes in snakes is an ophidiarium or serpentarium.) The Doyle family cares for an impressive number of reptiles, with the large majority of them being snakes.

Interestingly, the early WA Naturalists’ Club’s Wildlife Shows were the starting point for the career of Gane Doyle (senior). Gane began collecting reptiles in and around the Perth region to give to the well-known naturalist Harry Butler. From 1970 Gane took over management of reptile displays at the shows, including building exhibition cases, until the shows ceased in the 1980s.

Eventually Gane and his wife June bought and developed a property in Henley Brook that they opened to the public in 2002. For several decades Gane and June—then later with son Gane (junior)—have been through the gamut of bureaucratic regulation and legislation. Over time they have watched the rise and rise of controls being imposed on

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the owning and breeding of reptiles. Currently however, the depth of their experience has enabled them to establish a constructive and equable working relationship with the relevant agency.

The WA Reptile Park is a huge undertaking; the display units are created to portray the environments in which the animals are found. They have to be secure, temperature controlled as well as accessible for safe feeding and cleaning. All of this is performed by the Doyle family and several volunteers without the support of any external funding.

In addition to the display areas of the property, the Doyles strive to preserve several hectares of native bush. The rescue and care of injured animals is another component of this busy family’s business!

According to Gane the reptile park cares for 180 snakes and other reptiles, many of them on display. They include:

13 Tiger Snakes; 27 Dugites; 4 Mulga Snakes; 4 Death Adders; 2 Desert Death Adders; 4 Gwardars; 6 Geckos; 1 Merten’s Water Monitor; 10 monitors (Varanus sp.); 6 skinks (Blue-tongued and Shingle-back); 2 Black-headed Python; 2 Woma Python; 2 Olive Python; 8 Carpet Python; 3 Stimson’s Python; 5 Freshwater Crocodiles; 2 Saltwater Crocodiles; 2 Boa Constrictors; and 5 dragon lizards including one Bearded (Pogona sp.).

Part of the visitor experience to the reptile park is a demonstration of snake bite first aid. Many visitors are invited to handle several of the pythons. Frequently this is the first time people have been in such close proximity to snakes. Instilling respect and dispelling abhorrence of snakes is part of core business for the Doyles.

The cooler weather ensured the reptiles were slow and torpid and quite easy to see. It was a delightful morning sharing the stories associated with the Doyle’s lifelong passion for reptiles and wildlife. See http://www.wareptilepark.com.au/ A visit is well worthwhile!

Diana Papenfus

NORTHERN SUBURBS BRANCH

EXCURSION REPORT: ‘GOLLY’ WALK – REMNANT & RESTORED WETLANDS OF THE CLAISE BROOK CATCHMENT

Members of the public were invited to attend the May GOLLY Walk as part of the CCWA’s EcoMay programme. Consequently, our walk, which followed parts of the City of Vincent’s Wetlands Heritage Trail through North Perth, attracted 22 Club members and non-members.

We were extremely lucky to have as our leaders, two people who are very passionate about these wetlands, Sally Lake and Dudley Maier, both members of the Claise Brook Catchment Group (CBCG). Not only were they able to show us old maps and photos and to tell us about the wetlands, they were founts of knowledge when it came to the social and industrial history of the area.

At the time of European settlement the area on the northern side of today’s CBD consisted of wetlands stretching some 80 to 95 kilometres northward. During winter many of the lakes and swamps were interconnected, draining into the Swan River at East Perth through natural drainage into Claise Brook. Development north of the town led to the infilling of most of the wetlands.

We followed the Wetlands Heritage Trail from Smith’s Lake to the Hamilton Interchange through what has been called the Claise Brook Valley. In addition to maps showing the trail, the original lakes and swamps, and today’s street map, participants were given a list of questions to which clues and answers were provide along the way.

Smith’s Lake (originally called Three Island Lake) is a remnant of a much larger lake that was a major source of food for the indigenous population. Over time it was drained or in-filled and used for small farms, including dairies for Perth’s milk supply, and market gardens. Today a large section has been converted to playing fields. The CBCG was responsible for revegetating the banks of the remaining lake which now supports many species of waterfowl as well as Australian Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus australis, subspecies gouldi) and Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis subspecies melori).

Our second stop was Hyde Park—originally known, ingloriously, as the Third Swamp. This wetland was landscaped around the turn of the twentieth century to emulate a European garden complete with white swans. Fortunately

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two of the paperbarks (Melaleuca preissiana) which had already stood for a couple of centuries at the time, are still standing. We were also shown a circle of Jarrah trees (Eucalyptus marginata) that have grown from the lignotubers of a long-gone parent and a single, almost invisible, Jarrah which must be one of the largest in the inner-city area.

Robertson Park, once the site of Lake Henderson which stretched between Fitzgerald Street and Palmerston Street, was our third stop. Here the CBCG has recreated part of the lake on the site of the old bottle tip next to The Maltings. The new lake, which contains a very thick coverage of sedges and paperbarks, only fills in winter as it depends entirely on street run off. The Flooded Gums (Eucalyptus rudis) planted around the edge of the wetland were grown from seed gathered from an old Flooded Gum in Robertson Park which is the only surviving original vegetation in the park.

Our last stop was to view the CBCG’s current project, the restoration of part of Lake Sutherland (shown as Bunning Lake on some current maps) underneath the Hamilton Interchange, the start of the Mitchell Freeway.

To cover the whole walk in the allotted two and a half hours we had to move quite rapidly. I am sure many of the participants will be revisiting one or more of the sites to study in more detail this valley which still contains so much of interest for the naturalist and the social historian.

Don Poynton

BUSHWALKING GROUP

PICKERING BROOK

On a beautiful sunny autumn day in May, nearly twenty bushwalkers met at Pickering Brook for a walk that included venturing at times into the Korung National Forest. Pickering Brook was named after an early English settler, Captain Edward Picking. The name was later changed to Pickering.

Before we reached the forested areas we could see a large number of orchards with a great variety of different fruits—including berries and particularly apples. Initially the forest consisted of mixed stands of Jarrah, Casuarina and Banksia trees; further into the forest the trees became almost entirely Marri. We were fortunate enough to see some Spider Orchids which were photographed by Michael.

BOLD PARK

Once again we were very lucky with the weather, despite rain being forecast. It was certainly another beautiful autumn day. The walk took us through stands of Jarrah, Marri and some very large Tuarts. The highlight of this particular walk is always the view from the top of Reabold Hill, which is the highest natural point on the Swan Coastal Plain. We were fortunate to have Jane along with us; her botanical knowledge was much appreciated. She pointed out a number of Jacksonia, which are a largish shrub with scales rather than leaves on the adult plant. It has a flower which ranges in colour from orange to yellow. Its fire retardant properties are often utilised by planting it as a fire break. There was an abundance of Banksia, with a predominance of Firewood Banksia.

Allan Doig

WEEKEND NATURE WALK

HERDSMAN LAKE

On a beautiful sunny ANZAC Day a group of seven people met on the western side of Herdsman Lake. As we waited for everyone to arrive we watched the water birds near the edge of the lake. Coots, Black Ducks, Musk Ducks, Australasian Grebes and Great Crested Grebes were present in the immediate area.

We began our walk, which was to take us north along an easy, level walking track beside the lake and through adjoining woodland. About ten minutes into the walk, looking through some trees to our right, we noticed four large white birds perched on a branch. As we watched, one turned its head and we identified them as Yellow-billed Spoonbill. A little further on, an Australian Reed Warbler was calling loudly in a patch of reeds.

We continued until we came out to an open area where we had an excellent view across the lake. Here there were large numbers of waterbirds, including several species of duck as well as Black Swans, Pelicans and Ibis. A short

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distance further along we came to a wooded point—the end of our walk. On the return journey we were lucky to see a pair of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes as well as a Rufous Whistler.

We returned to our cars and drove down to the next car park for a late morning tea. Here we had a good view of many Blue-billed Ducks. Altogether it was a very pleasant morning's outing, with a final count of 34 bird species—most of which were water birds.

Audrey Bolger

COMING EVENTS Visitors are welcome at any meetings or excursions

FRIDAY 3 JULY With the MAIN CLUB: GENERAL MEETING

Topic: Salt Lakes: Iconic centres of evolution in the Western Australian deserts? Speaker: Adrian Pinder Venue: Hew Roberts Lecture Theatre, UWA, Clifton St, Nedlands Time: 7.30 pm Details: Adrian will present an overview of salt lake systems in WA, including their evolution,

geomorphology, their unique flora and fauna and current conservation issues. Adrian is program leader for the Wetlands Conservation Program in DPaW, managing a variety of research projects centred on wetland and riverine biodiversity and hydrogeology. Focus by Nadia Sloan: ‘The effect of perceived sperm competition risk on gene and protein expression in the seminal fluid of a cricket’. Door fee $3 includes raffle ticket, tea/coffee and biscuits after.

Contact: John Gardner: 9389 8289

FRIDAY 10 JULY With the DARLING RANGE BRANCH: GENERAL MEETING

Topic: Slime Moulds Speaker: Peter and Elaine Davison Venue: CWA Hall, Central Rd, Kalamunda Time: 7.30 pm Details: Slime Moulds (Myxomycetes) have similarities to animals insofar as they move around and feed on

substrates, yet their reproductive structures are somewhat like those of fungi, i.e. they produce spores. Thereafter they may change through an unpredictable variety of structures to the more recognisable plasmodium, which may look like yellow custard, raspberry-like or a huge variety of pin-ball structures. Peter and Elaine Davison’s extensive history of ‘Myxo’ research promises to reveal some of the amazing facts about these creepy organisms. $3 door fee covers venue and supper.

Contact: Kevn Griffiths kmagriffiths@iprimus.com.au Diana Papenfus: 9293 1676 or diana676@tpg.com.au

WEDNESDAY 15 JULY With the NORTHERN SUBURBS BRANCH: GENERAL MEETING

Topic: Nematodes Speaker: Dr Wim Wouts—formerly with the NZ Landcare Research Institute

Venue: Henderson Environmental Centre, Groat St (off North Beach Rd; at end of street) Time: 7:30 pm Details: All visitors welcome, $2 donation. Contact: Lutz Elber: lnnelber@bigpond.net.au

WEDNESDAY 15 JULY With the RETIRED & LEISURED GROUP: GENERAL MEETING

Topic: Art and nature Speaker: Carl Altman

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Venue: Naturalists’ Club Library, 1st Floor, 82 Beaufort St, Perth. Time: 10 am - 12.30 pm Contact: Margot Bentley 9386 1974; RSVPs required, thanks.

MONDAY 20 JULY With KWINANA/ROCKINGHAM/MANDURAH BRANCH: GENERAL MEETING

Topic: Project Update Perth’s Urban Reptile Ecology, Tracking reptiles in a city Speaker: Ashleigh Wolfe Venue: Gary Holland Centre, Kent Street, Rockingham Time: 7.00 pm Cost: Note there will be a charge of $3.50 per person to cover hire of the venue Contact: 9524 2290 for further details

SATURDAY 4 JULY

WEEKEND NATURE WALK

Location: Canning River, Ferndale

Time: 9.00 am

Meet: Car park at Kent Street Weir Environment Centre. [Kent St exits from Albany Hwy or via Fleming

Avenue near the Western end of Manning Rd]

Details: We will walk mostly on sealed paths for up to 3 hours. We will see a variety of birds and some old

trees; also evidence of improvements of river quality. It is easy, level walking.

Bring: Binoculars, notebook, suitable clothing and footwear.

Contact: Kate Creed 9316 8109 or kate.creed@optusnet.com.au

SUNDAY 5 JULY

NORTH LEDGE, FRED JACOBY PARK—with the BUSHWALKING GROUP

Location: Fred Jacoby Park, Mundaring Weir Rd

Time: 9.30 for 10.00 am start

Meet: Car park, at entrance to Fred Jacoby Park, Mundaring Weir Rd [UBD map 276, J9]

Details: The walk is about 11 km through Jarrah forest above the Helena River valley’s north bank. It will be

led by Jack Moore. Visitors always welcome.

Please visit www.wanaturalists.org.au/branches-groups/bush-walking/ for more details.

Contact: Lutz Elber: lnnelber@bigpond.net.au

SUNDAY 19 JULY MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP—with the DARLING RANGE BRANCH

Location: Perth Hills Discovery Centre, 380 Allen Road, Mundaring Time: 11.00 am Leaders: Fred and Jean Hort, Alex Graham, Eric McCrum Activities: Getting up close to nature is a terrific way to explore what is around us. Join us in the Beelu

National Park near Mundaring Weir with your camera and come and have a go at shooting and discovering the very proximal. We will be listening to the advice of several photographers who spend quite a bit of time ‘belly-botanising’, ‘invertebrating’ and ‘geologising’ and capturing it on camera.

Bring: Camera, lenses, tripod, magnifying glasses, sandwich and a cup of tea. Contact: Diana Papenfus: 9293 1676 or diana676@tpg.com.au

CLUB EXCURSIONS

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SUNDAY 19 JULY

BEACH SWEEP—with the MAIN CLUB

Location: South Cottesloe Beach Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am Meet: Playground near Beach St. groyne Activities: Classifying and learning about marine plants and animals; also rubbish collection Bring: Warm clothes, hat, raincoat, binoculars, plastic bag, buckets/containers. Organiser: Maureen Gardner 0435 836 647

SUNDAY 19 JULY KITTY’S GORGE—with the BUSHWALKING GROUP

Location: Serpentine National Park—Booralong Brook

Time: 9.30 for 10.00 am start

Meet: Car parking area, Buckland Rd, Jarrahdale, [UBD map 483, J1]

Details: Scenic walk past cascades and a waterfall. About 12 km with some steep rocky sections. Lunch at

the waterfall. Visitors always welcome.

Please visit the www.wanaturalists.org.au/branches-groups/bush-walking/ for more details.

Contact: Lutz Elber: lnnelber@bigpond.net.au

WEDNESDAY 22 JULY GOLLY WALK: MIRRABOOKA BUSHLAND—with NORTHERN SUBURBS BRANCH

It’s getting closer to spring so our bushland is starting to put on another amazing display of colour. This month we

visit another of the remnants surrounded by residential and industrial development.

Location: Mirrabooka

Time: 10.00 am

Meet: Thyme Court, off Boyare Ave.

Activities: We will follow the paths through the Banksia woodland looking at the late winter/early spring flowering native plants. We may even startle a Black-gloved Wallaby (Macropus irma).

3 km round trip; easy walking on sandy footpaths; no toilets. Contact: Don on 0419 460 301 or dpoynton@iinet.net.au

SUNDAY 26 JULY ANNIVERSARY BREAKFAST—With KWINANA/ROCKINGHAM/MANDURAH BRANCH

Venue: Rockingham Golf Club Time: 9:00 am Contact: 9524 2290 to book/confirm attendance.

KALBARRI LONG RANGE EXCURSION: 18 – 23 SEPTEMBER, 2015

This camp will be held on the banks of the Murchison River at Murchison House Station 14 km out of Kalbarri. For those not wishing to camp accommodation is available in the stone shearers’ quarters. There is a bus service to Kalbarri three times a week and we can transport anyone travelling by bus.

We plan to have three full day activities, two half day activities and a free day in the middle.

Activities will include paddling the gorges, walking the bluffs, walking the loop at Nature’s Window. There will be both energetic and more relaxed options and heaps of opportunities for ‘wildflowering’.

Those coming please advise Diana in the office and contact Glynne for further information.

Glynne Beaver: 9295 5057 or b.glynne@bigpond.com

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NEW MEMBERS

Kellie Pendoley of Booragoon Rae Kolb of North Beach Walter Kolb of North Beach Professor Lyn Beazley of Claremont Andrew Gardner of Quinns Rocks Hazel Gardner of Quinns Rocks

We welcome these new members to our club.

POSSIBLE EXCURSION TO THE ABROLHOS ISLANDS

Expressions of Interest Required

The club is proposing to conduct a six day excursion to the Abrolhos Islands in late September 2016 as one of the pre-ANN2016 Get-together excursions. The number of participants will be limited to 30. Priority will be given to people who register for the Get-together. Early indications are that most, if not all, the places will be filled by those attending the Get-together.

It has been suggested the club run a similar excursion in late 2015/early 2016 as a ‘dry run’ for the later excursion. This would be subject to a minimum of 20 people participating.

The trip is based upon leaving Perth on a Thursday (typically 7.30 am) and visiting the Nambung National Park or similar on our way to Geraldton.

Boarding the tour boat Thursday late afternoon, dinner on board and travelling overnight to the Abrolhos in a combination of twin and double rooms (all with en-suites).

Stay at Abrolhos Islands Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (on board).

Return from Abrolhos Islands Monday afternoon with overnight accommodation in our on-board cabins but dining in Geraldton.

An early morning departure from our cabins on the boat, breakfast on shore in Geraldton, before returning to Perth for Tuesday afternoon.

The above program is indicative only and is subject to the vessel we are proposing to use being available. A final cost has not yet been provided but is likely to be around $2,400 per person. A cheaper price may be possible if we have more than 20 participants.

If you are seriously interested in participating in the ‘dry run’ please contact Don Poynton no later than 31 July 2015; dpoynton@iinet.net.au or 0419 460 301

NOTE: THE PROGRAM IS UPDATED EVERY MONTH ON OUR WEB SITE www.wanaturalists.org.au

IT IS OFTEN AVAILABLE THERE BEFORE YOU RECEIVE YOUR NEWSLETTER. A tip from our web manager: If you want to see the calendar of events for the whole year, rather than looking in each Branch page for the corresponding 2015 Program of Events, please look in Events Calendar and change from the default Month View to the List View. You can then use the filter to show just your Branch’s events. This will always be the most up-to-date information.

Ph: 1800 676 016 or 08 9330 6066 Web: www.coateswildlifetours.com.au Email: coates@iinet.net.au GSA Coates Tours Licence no 9ta1135/36

Contact us for further information on these and other natural history expeditions.

W.A.’s South West Birds and Botany15 Day Accommodated Tour – Departs Perth 9th October 2015Join our birding and botanist guides to explore the biodiversity of this extraordinary region.

Costa Rica Wildlife Safari 12 Day Accommodated Tour - Starts San Jose 3rd November 2015Tour this pristine wildlife paradise on one of the most exciting wildlife expeditions we have offered. Expect to see a diverse array of bird life, plants, mammals and reptiles.

New Zealand South Island Wildlife and Wilderness 15 Day Accommodated Expedition – Starts Queenstown 13th February 2016Highlights: The breathtakingly beautiful lower South Island and Stewart Island.Three of the country’s national parks plus the unspoiled coast of the Catlins region and the Otago Peninsula.

Sri Lanka Wildlife, History and Culture 18 Day Accommodated Tour – Starts Colombo 14th March 2016Highlights: Yala and Bundala National Parks. Kitulgala and Sinharaja Rainforests, historic Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. Whale watching at Mirissa. This trip has it all, Mammals - Elephants, Leopard, Monkeys, Deer, Mongoose just to name a few. The plant life is varied from rainforest to open plains plus each year we have recorded sightings of over 200 species of birdlife including. All this plus local culture and wonderful historic sites and some great walks. If you want a great naturalist guide to make sure you see the best of Sri Lanka then this is the tour for you.

Pilbara Reef and Ranges Day Camping Tour – Departs Perth 5th April 2016 Join us as we explore the wildlife highlights of the Western Australian coast including the Abrolhos Islands, Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Reef before travelling in land to experience the spectacular Karijini National Park.

Western Explorer13 Day Camping Tour – Departs Newman 11th August 2015Highlights: Karijini N.P, Mt Augustus and Kennedy Ranges.Good early winter rains throughout the Pilbara should ensure the Northern wildflower season is full of colour. This trip is designed to coincide with the wildflower season and provides the opportunity to explore the wonderful Karijini, Mt Augustus and Kennedy Range National Parks.

Helena Aurora Ranges and Great Western Woodlands15 Day Camping Tour – Departs Perth 19th September 2015Join us and experience the wonders of the world’s largest temperate woodland, including the historic woodlines (where timber cutters operated from 1899 to 1964) and the ironstone Helena Aurora Ranges. All at the time of the year when the wildflowers will be at there best.

W.A.’s Mid West Wildflowers10 Day Accommodated Tour – Departs Perth 5th September 2015See botanical hot-spots north of Perth during wildflower season. The trip covers a diverse array of landscapes with the farm lands of the wheat belt, the station country around Mt Magnet and Yalgoo before covering the highlights of the Kalbarri National Park and the northern sandplains around Eneabba, Badgingarra and the Mt Lesueur National Park.

Lorna Glen and Canning Stock Route11 Day Camping Tour – Departs Perth 22nd August 2015Join us as we explore the remote DPaW controlled Lorna Glen Station North East of Wiluna, Western Australia. The station supports an extraordinarily rich array of flora and fauna with more that 480 vascular plant species and 220 vertebrate species identified. There is also a strong Aboriginal connection with Sydney Head/Imbin Rockhole and we will spend time looking around this area.

• Informative naturalist/birding leaders • Small groups (6 – 12 participants) • Private charters available • Fully accommodated and camping tours

Specialists in Nature Tours since 1986

THE NATURALIST NEWS

12

ADVERTISING IN THE NEWSLETTER

In order to offset some of the costs of preparing the monthly newsletter we invite environmentally minded

companies to advertise in the Newsletter. Here is the opportunity to publicise your business to friends and

associates.

Costs are: Full page $200; Half page $100; Quarter page$50; Eighth page $30. Prices do not include GST.

Copy to be sent to Newsletter Editor, Naturalist News by email one week before the advertised closing date.

LOVE YOUR CLUB? Support your love of natural history and your Club with a donation this year.

Go to http://www.wanaturalists.org.au/get-involved/donating-to-the-club/ for details. Payment is by EFT, cheque or money order.

INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTRIBUTORS Please send all contributions by email in MS Word format to Tanya Marwood tanya.m@globaldial.com and to

info@wanaturalists.org.au by the nominated closing date.

Articles need to be a MAXIMUM OF 750 WORDS.

Photos to accompany articles are really appreciated; I prefer to receive these in one email message, as a collection

of separate files in e.g. ‘jpeg’ format, all appropriately named, with information on who took it and a suggested

caption

Many thanks to those who send in contributions: Reports and accounts of Club activities help members appreciate

and enjoy the diversity of talks and excursions organized under the Naturalists’ Club umbrella. If you require help or

advice when planning or writing your piece, please contact the editor. Ideas, constructive comments and

suggestions from members are welcome.

The next issue of this newsletter will be August 2014.

Please send all contributions by email to tanya.m@globaldial.com and to info@wanaturalists.org.au

Deadline for next issue: Monday 13 July

(Earlier if possible please)