Great Southern BioBlitz - 2024
Great Southern Bioblitz September 22nd
This year’s Great Southern Bioblitz (GSB) will held across the 4 days of September 20th - 23rd the Atlas will be once again be running some events to mark the occasion (if you want to learn more about the GSB organisation here is a link).
The events we will be running will be held on September 22nd, there will be a morning event and a separate afternoon event, each very different ecosystems.
Bermagui Flora and Fauna Reserve: 9:00 – 11.30 am
A member of the Bermagui Flora and Fauna Reserve Trust will give an overview of the site and its cultural and ecological significance before the walks commence at 9.30 and will be on hand throughout the morning to advise and answer any questions you may have regarding the Reserve. Walks will be guided by botanist Jackie Miles and three citizen scientists Deb Taylor (insects and spiders), Barry Virtue (birds and flora) and Joy Georgeson (plants and insects).
Banksia Masked Bees (Hylaeus alcyoneus)
Deb tells me a colony of these native bees should be active when we visit, this is an image of a bubble which has been created and will be stored in her nest. See and learn more about this wonderful native bee.
Meet in the Flora reserve near the junction of George St and Wallaga Lake Road Bermagui. Parking is very limited so you will need to park in the nearby streets.
Please register by filing out the form on this page.
Bermagui State Forest: 1:00 – 3.30 pm
Botanist Jackie Miles will guide and advise on the forest’s flora, supported by 3 other guides who have excellent knowledge of local flora, birds, insects and other animals.
Meet at the Bermagui Dirt Surfers car park which is on the forest track called Scenic Drive just off the Wallaga Lake Road, the forest track is the first on the right after you pass the Cobargo-Bermagui Road junction travelling north out of Bermagui on the Wallaga Lake Road, the northern entrance is the easiest access.
Bermagui State Forest - one of several preparatory visits to plan walks and talks … undertaking by Deb Taylor and the rest of the team.
Even if you are unable to attend these events, we urge you to join our four day effort to record using iNaturalist as many species from our forests, heathlands, beaches, rocky coastlines, rivers and backyards as you possibly can. For the record, the most observations and species recorded across the 4 days was in 2021 when 1,507 observations and 726 species were added to the GSB iNaturalist project – I wonder if we can top that this year? I’d like to think we could.