DRBNats, 8 MAY 2026 Mike Griffiths presented an overview of the Peel–Yalgorup wetlands, tracing their transformation from early colonisation to modern environmental management. His talk was supported by his photographs and historical references, including those from Keith Bradby OAM’s 1997 book Peel-Harvey: The Decline and Rescue of an Ecosystem. Historically, ...

DRNats, 12 June 2026 Dr Kit Prendergast is a native bee ecologist, researcher, and science communicator known for her public persona, “Bee Babette.” Her PhD examined the impacts of honeybees and urbanisation on native bee populations and pollination networks. Her research spans pollination ecology, native bee behaviour, biodiversity assessment, citizen ...

Darling Range Branch, 2 May 2026 This excursion was a sell-out. Forty people booked in with a wait list. It’s clear that bird watching is becoming increasingly popular. On the day, even though only two-thirds of attendees turned up, we still needed to divide the group into two. Half went ...

Darling Range Branch, 4 April 2026 Nestled on a 41-acre site in Western Australia, the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre serves as a critical sanctuary for species teetering on the edge of survival. During a recent visit with the Darling Range Branch of the WA Naturalists Club, the urgent reality ...

Darling Range Branch, 14 February 2026 Alex George AM, a well-known botanist, was invited to DRB to share his observations of unexpected and widespread colour changes and growth patterns in Australian native plants, particularly shrubs and trees in bushland environments during autumn. These changes were observed during periods of unusual ...

Darling Range Branch 10 October 2025 Ex-President of the Friends of Upper Lesmurdie Falls, Mike Robinson, shared the history of conservation efforts at Upper Lesmurdie Falls, where volunteers, contractors, and community partners—including Rotary and the City of Kalamunda—have worked tirelessly to restore the creek corridor and surrounding bushland. 2013–2015: Early ...

Darling Range Branch, 20 September 2025 It was a beautiful day, and the creek was fully flowing when an intrepid group of 17 bird watchers on the DRB Nats excursion set off around the Upper Lesmurdie Brook Loop trail. They were guided by two long-standing members of the DRB Nats, ...

DRB Nats, 11 July 2025 “BoorYul-Bar-Bilya”, in the Noongar language, means, more or less, “magic river”, a concept that includes the beauty, peace, tranquillity, and life of a pristine river. In a lively presentation to the members of the DRB, Francesca Flynn described the work of the BoorYul-Bar-Bilya programme, which ...

Darling Range Branch, 24 May 2025 Though we had early misgivings about the weather – cold start, chance of rain – the morning turned out to be perfect for birdwatching in this beautiful wetland reserve in High Wycombe. Our party consisted of nine members from the DRB and Main Club ...

Darling Range Branch, 14 March 2025 “There are more species of bird in Australia than Wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters.” Dr Rochelle Steven This was one of the key messages that Dr Rochelle Steven presented to the Darling Range Branch meeting on Friday, 14 March 2025. Many of these two ...