Car-nage on our highways: 263 dead roos in 250 km
Dr Fiona Walsh. Why do we continue to allow and accept the deaths of animals on our roads? ... I’ve recently driven more than 6,000 km in a loop from Mparntwe Alice Springs to the east coast and home again. My first holiday in eight years. I saw animals killed on roads in the NT, SA, Victoria and southern NSW.
Iconic Australian bird reveals hidden farming talent: La Trobe University
A beloved Australian bird best known for its stunning tail and powers of mimicry may have a cunning hidden talent. New research has revealed the superb lyrebird to be a resourceful farmer, creating micro-habitats to host and fatten its prey before returning later to feast.
2025 Lord Howe Island Sea Slug Census February, 28 to March 9
Lord Howe Island will host its eighth annual Sea Slug Census from February 28 to March 9. Launched at Nelson Bay, NSW in December, 2013, the Sea Slug Census program has spread across Australia, and to sites in Indonesia and Vanuatu, with more than 4,000 participants photographically documenting the distribution of over 1,100 species to date.
Lake Meran Festival huge success
The second annual Lake Meran Festival was held last Sunday afternoon with hundreds of visitors coming along to enjoy the music, community, a great afternoon by the lake and to take a look at the star of the event, Grumpy the Turtle. Weighing in at almost one tonne, Grumpy was designed and built by Bendigo artist Moz Moresi ...
Farmers concerned over dingo protection changes in North-West Victoria
Mallee farmers are voicing frustration over changes to dingo management laws, fearing increased threats to their livestock as wild dogs seek water and food amid dry conditions ... On the other side of the debate, scientists and conservationists highlight the importance of protecting the Big Desert dingo population, known as Wilkerr to the Wotjobaluk First Nations People.
Riverlanders work to restore local turtle populations
Madison Eastmond ... being carried out in the Hills and Fleurieu, Limestone Coast and Northern, and Yorke as a multi-region intuitive, the TURTLE Project is a collaborative effort of landscape boards, First Nations, citizen scientists, NGOs, councils and landholders to gather information to guide the protection of freshwater turtles across South Australia.
Call for farmers to assist bird conservation
Birdlife Australia is launching the Lockyer-Toowoomba Birds on Farms project and needs the help of local landholders. The project is being coordinated by Toowoomba Ornithologist Scot McPhie, who presented to a recent meeting of Cambooya Landcare.
Never miss an opportunity
“If it’s good enough for the cricketers to have a drink on the ground on a hot day, why can’t I?” ... On this occasion, Maggie has spotted an uncoupled hose, and is making the most of a free drink, courtesy of Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water.
Hot, hot, hot: record-breaking temperatures
A week before parts of Yorke Peninsula soared above 40 degrees, the Bureau of Meteorology released its official record of Australia’s climate, water and significant weather events for 2024. The report ... revealed South Australia recorded its second hottest year on record, being on average 1.6 degrees warmer than previous years.
The KP group of forests February report – Net results: Fin-tastic
"A healthy working forest where native species can flourish, and where local communities can connect and co-manage the forest for future generations" ... Over the past few months, various locations within the KP Forest have been sampled for native and exotic fish abundance and biomass, as part of the annual monitoring program. This sampling has involved a combination of fyke netting...
Widespread damage across electorate: MP calls for disaster declaration
Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the damage across Harden and Murrumburrah from severe storms on Monday varies from businesses who were dealing with up to two inches of water in their stores, to nearby farmers and wildlife. “We’re seeing trees that are down, fences that have gone into creeks, the bird life has been impacted and most importantly, pastures have been shredded.”
Letters from Home #2/2025: The Blue Bee
February depresses me. So many things have gone wrong in Februarys past - apart from many other minor things it is always fire month and it was this coming week 11 years ago that we lost our home, many precious animals, my garden and after 20 years in a place I loved so much, we had to move.
Shark plan labelled “city centric”
Wilson McShane. Narungga MP Fraser Ellis has labelled a $500,000 shark safety initiative "city centric". Mr Ellis has expressed concern about the program which will fund Surf Life Saving SA to monitor beaches. "It seems ridiculous there have been fatal shark attacks on Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula, yet a body with no footprint in either region is commissioned to shark proof the region," he said.
1080 a lifeline for threatened animals
As the future of Australia’s most vulnerable species becomes ever more uncertain, the effective use of 1080 baiting remains critical to control one of their key threats: introduced predators – feral cats and foxes.
Unusual bird sightings, December and January
Ian Hutton. Some 240 birds have been recorded on Lord Howe Island ... A couple of notable unusual sightings for the past December and January have been made: A female Australian Shelduck was seen at Moseley Park Swamp, first seen by Zsolt Balogh on 21 December, and subsequently by others over the next week before it moved on.
Dung data to help improve herbivore distribution maps
Detailed livestock models are important for land-use planning, disaster relief and food insecurity. Their new study, recently published in Nature Food, reveals a strong positive relationship between dung presence and grazing pressure, meaning the amount of dung found in a particular location could help us understand approximately how many herbivores live there.
Natural Newstead – Pink, white and grey
Geoff Park. Large, noisy flocks of Galahs and corellas (a mix of Long-billed and smaller numbers of Little Corellas), are feeding in stubble.
Twitchers get a good guide
A new pictorial guide to wetland birds of north-east Victoria is now available to help for people to get to know their local birdlife. There are 52 species of wetland birds featured in the guide including 14 threatened species.
He eats cockatoos for breakfast: Australia’s rarest bird of prey
Ecologist Tim Henderson has captured incredible photographs in Newhaven, west of Alice Springs, of the endangered Red Goshawk, the first time it’s been confirmed in the region for three decades. It was listed as endangered in 2023 and has gone extinct from most of eastern Australia.
AI tool set to transform woodland bird conservation: Charles Sturt University
A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool is transforming woodland bird conservation in Australia with the help of a Charles Sturt University research team. As Australia’s woodland bird species face alarming declines, one of the biggest challenges to their conservation is simply detecting them.
500 animals, fire and feed. Life for the Treweek family
Bushfires are stressful enough, but having a zoo of 500 animals and 23 staff adds a whole new level for the Treweek family. Former Wakool family Mark and Lisa Treweek and their kids Cooper and William have finally been able to open their 52-acre Halls Gap Zoo after the challenges of the Grampians bushfire. Their second fire in 12 months.
Pet owner urges council to rethink scare guns
Christine Webster. A Waikerie pet owner is calling on Loxton Waikerie council to review its use of scare guns to control corellas after her dog went missing for several hours when becoming startled by noise ... a canoeist contacted police after noticing a dog on a ledge of a cliff, upstream from the Waikerie ferry.
