News
Birdlife Central Australia Shorebirds Survey at the Ponds
Birdlife Central Australia ran a summer Shorebirds count at the Alice Springs PowerWater stabilisation ponds on the weekend. The surveys are a part of the Shorebirds 2020 program, which aims to raise awareness about how incredible shorebirds are by engaging the community to participate in gathering the information required to conserve shorebirds, by conducting national
Wildlife Videos
Batchelor Institute Alice Springs camera trapping session in November 2016 shows a cat going into a trap for a feed and a couple of inquisitive crows. Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) seen feeding on some kill at the Alice Springs wastewater treatment ponds.
Conservation Ecology of Slater’s Skink
Claire Treilibs has submitted her PhD thesis and would like to present the results to the Alice springs community on Friday week, Dec 16th at 3.30 at CDU lecture theatre in a talk titled Conservation Ecology of Slater’s Skink. This talk will be of interest to many in the community who may have been part
Bird Breeding Bonanza
Many avian species are breeding in town at the moment, with young chicks and fledglings making their way out into the world. Several Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) chicks and Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) cygnets have been seen at the Alice Springs sewerage treatment ponds over the last couple of months. In my own yard, I
White Ribbon Day at Ntaria
Ntaria held a march for White Ribbon Day in November, to raise awareness about domestic violence and stop violence against women—engaging men to achieve the social change that is necessary. The march was attended by the Tjuwanpa Women Rangers and Ntaria Junior Rangers and so Land for Wildlife, among others, was there to support them.
Cat Monitoring and Awareness Round 2
Land for Wildlife is still looking for volunteer cat owners for the Domestic Cat Monitoring and Awareness program in Alice Springs. We have a couple of remaining spaces for urban cats and are also looking for domestic cat owners in the rural areas of Ilparpa, White Gums, Connellan and Ross (plenty of spaces available). Please
Parks and Wildlife NT Lorikeet Survey
By John Tyne On September 28th, eight volunteers assisted Parks and Wildlife to conduct a census of introduced Rainbow Lorikeets in Alice Springs. The volunteers came from a number of organizations including Birdlife Central Australia, Alice Springs Field Naturalist Club and Land for Wildlife. Thirty nine locations were surveyed for rainbow lorikeets, with volunteers recording
Batchelor Institute Trapping Workshop
Land for Wildlife assisted the Batchelor Institute last week with a feral cat (Felis catus) trapping workshop, including the use of “pongo” and baits as lures, cat trap use, camera trapping and ethical considerations. The group were successful in catching one cat in their two evenings of trapping effort and managed to capture a couple
Green Army Trapping Workshop
Land for Wildlife assisted the new Green Army team at Olive Pink Botanic Garden with a trapping workshop this month. The new team leader, Minh Nguyen, will be taking the Conservation Volunteers supported group through a feral animal trapping program this round to help relieve the pressure on local native wildlife. Team members learned how
Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife: Best Urban NRM Group
Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife has been successful at the Northern Territory Natural Resource Management Awards, hosted by TNRM, for the second year in a row – taking out the top spot for Best Urban NRM Group. Thanks to all of our hard-working Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife members for your
Sand Goanna Spotting
Sand Goannas (Varanus gouldii), also known as Gould’s Monitor and named after the prominent British naturalist, are usually quite sleek looking… Not this guy! This individual was seen sunning itself at the Land for Wildlife office this morning! What an excellent creature!
Hot Tips for Hot Plants
As summer is creeping up on us quickly and the last of the spring days are proving to be warm ones, your plants will need a little extra attention to get them through the fiery afternoons. Here are some hot tips to protect your plants through the summer months. Keep the plants moist Give the
OPBG Green Army Graduation
Land for Wildlife has been involved in helping out the Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) Green Army team at Olive Pink Botanic Garden (OPBG), a historic, well-established and active member of the Land for Wildlife program. The Green Army program focused on ecological works such as garden bed rejuvenation, Buffel Grass removal and feral animal management
Fighting Feral Cats
Researchers and Rangers from around Australia descended on Alice Springs last week for the Australian Mammal Society’s annual conference, which included a symposium dedicated to feral cat research and management. It was great to hear about the actions being taken by dedicated individuals around Australia. Gregory Andrews, the Threatened Species Commissioner, spoke to the symposium
Air Bee n Bee: Creating Hotels for Native Pollinators
Spring is here and gardens are a buzz! Insects play an important role in the environment as pollinators and nutrient recyclers. While it is easy to get carried away with the huge role that introduced European Honeybees (Apis mellifera) play in pollinating crops, there are many more species of native solitary bees (harmless and non-aggressive)
Rainbow Lorikeet Population Survey Volunteers Needed
By John Tyne, Wildlife Ranger, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT Over the last six months I’ve been monitoring the feral Rainbow Lorikeet population around Alice Springs. Most of these Lorikeets are likely to have escaped or been released from aviaries over the years, but recently they have been spotted nesting in hollows around
A Month for Considering the World Around Us
September has seen a host of days dedicated to recognising the world around us – National Wattle Day, National Threatened Species Day, National Bilby Day and National Landcare Week. September is also Biodiversity month! Residents of Alice Springs are fortunate to live in such a unique region with undeveloped landscapes on our doorstep, threatened species
Bee-Eaters are Back in the Burbs
Garden for Wildlife signs around Alice Springs stand out for their colour – containing a representation of the Rainbow bee-eater (Merops ornatus). This week marked the first sighting of the Rainbow bee-eater for this spring! Winter has been quiet without their scissor-grinder trill, but it seems a few individuals have returned. The seasonal movement patterns
Video: Red-capped Robin
The Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) is a gorgeous little bird that can be found through much of semi-arid and temperate Australia within woodland habitats. A juvenile and two adults was snapped by the Land for Wildlife coordinator at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, while on a trip with the Alice Springs Field Naturalists Club last month. The
Up Close and Personal with Insect Mouthparts
Have you ever looked at an insect mouth up close? There’s a huge amount of variation in morphology that is related to the type of food an insect consumes. Mouth-parts of insects are composed of external appendages that project outwards, known as ectognathous mouth-parts (Greek: ecktos for outside, gnathos for jaw). Many insects have chewing