Clean, clear water brusquely babbling, two-note Pardalotes singing overhead from a tiny spout in an Eucalyptus wandoo, Grevillea pilulifera and Trimalium ledifolium layering understory in dense cream blossom, along with the warmth of a winter sun illuminating the Jarrah/Marri/Wandoo woodland at the Schipp Road entrance of Kalamunda National Park delighted ...

Lauren Peel, a UWA Zoology graduate and shark enthusiast, presented an interesting talk on sharks at the meeting held on 9th August. Her talk introduced us to some aspects of sharks and their behaviour gained from her experiences participating in white shark research work based in Mossel Bay, South Africa. ...

A dozen members of the Darling Range Branch braved a very cold morning and met for an excursion to the popular ANZANG Nature Photography exhibition at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle. This is a celebration of the depth and diversity of nature in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and ...

Susan and Vernon Stocklmayer presented an account of their Coates Wildlife Tour to Sri Lanka (March 2013) to an enthralled audience. It’s always great to see another country through the eyes of fellow ‘Nats Club’ members! First Vernon gave us an outline of the geology and geography of the island ...

The Ellis Brook Valley Reserve covers a scenic area and forms part of the western scarp of the Darling Plateau. The Reserve is part of the Banyowla Regional Park, named after a Nyoongar elder. Ellis Brook is named after Captain T. Ellis, a police superintendent of the 1830s. A City ...

Western Swamp Tortoise breeding facility at the Perth Zoo On April 21, a group of 17 members and friends met at Perth Zoo for a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour of the Western Swamp Tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina) captive breeding facility. Head keeper Bradie Durell met us inside the zoo gate and led us ...

Fred and Jean Hort have worked on a voluntary basis for CALM (now DEC) over many years, during which time they have contributed a considerable amount of natural history information, especially botanical. Some of their achievements have been the rediscovery of three floral species only collected previously by the first ...

As with any good field trip preparation the organizer conducts a recce (aka Twink Smurthwaite). As such, the week before the DRB Avon Valley National Park excursion, a quick trip up the Toodyay Road was made to check out the opportunities for the weekend ahead. On arrival, however, the park ...

To paraphrase the hackneyed term, ‘one good tern led deservedly to another’ at Penguin Island, during DRB’s March outing. Twenty two members and friends braved an exquisite day and crossed the water to the largest of the islands in the Shoalwater Marine Park. Various terns – Caspian, Fairy, Bridled, Crested – were ...