Members’ Night at KRM Branch

Kwinana Rockingham Mandurah Branch 21 August 2023

The August meeting was a Members’ Night, with three members delivering presentations. First up was Norm Aitken, who showed some images plus a video, taken in Scotland, of a Hummingbird Hawk Moth rapidly flying between flowers to get nectar. The video highlighted the similarity of its appearance and behaviour to that of the true Hummingbirds and how it got its common name.

The following presentation was by Daniel Heald. Firstly, he showed some images taken during an insect walk in Nedlands. These included a Big-headed Coastal Ant, a Spiked Weevil and Shield Bugs. He then showed photos from a walk-through Talbot Bushland. These included Sparshalli Moth caterpillars that had a different colour scheme to that usually seen, Tube Spittle Bugs, Cinnamon Tough Fungi (large numbers found in one spot), Dark-capped Coral Fungus and Black Cup Fungus. There were also photos of various flowering shrubs and other flora, including Dark-banded Greenhood.

The last to present was Colin Prickett, who showed photos taken during recent months that included a series of bird photographs showing wetland species, including a Common Sandpiper that recently returned from its breeding grounds that still had its breeding plumage. Woodland birds like a Western Yellow Robin are found in Paganoni Reserve. There was also a series of fungus photographs, including one showing a male Tapeigaster paramonovi Fungus Fly on a Golden Wood Fungus. Other photos showed Orchid species, including the Western Helmet Orchid, flowering shrubs and invertebrates such as a male Maratus gemmifer Peacock Jumping Spider, a Nemestra incerta weevil, and a beautiful large fly (Amenia nigromaculata).