What goes bump, scrabble scratch in the night?

Can you tell at 15 paces, in the dark, what local animal is peering at your from the treetops? 

Dr Chris McLean can and he’s offered to guide some local untrained eyes to peer into the night and discover the presence of our nocturnal neighbours. The early darkening winter nights and the blossoming of winter flowering gums make this an ideal time for spotlighting.

Dr McLean is an arboreal animal specialist, which means he knows the animals that live in the trees and is very good and identifying them from a glimmer of eyeshine or a chatter in the distance.

A family friendly spotlighting expedition is planned for Saturday dusk, 19^th July from 5.30pm-7pm to explore the local bushland and identify the night-time animals in our bigger backyard.

RSVP by 18/7/14 is essential to provide the meeting place and confirm the numbers. Contact Suzanne Pritchard on 0438 596 741or by email to cppa.tsls@gmail.com 

BioBlitz for beginners

The votes may all have been counted but on Saturday September 14^th from 9am till night time the local flora and fauna of the Coal Point peninsula will be the focus of the polls.

September is Biodiversity month and it will be celebrated at Progress Hall with walks & talks, surveys, displays and an opportunity to find out what resources are available to help you learn about and care for the web of life that surrounds your home.

The variety of life from giant gums, amazing animals, frilly fungi to soil microorganisms and everything in between is biodiversity. 

The inaugural BioBlitz event will have experts on hand to help you identify that weird plant or the curious night time noise. 

There will be opportunities to learn some survey and identification skills too. What does a habitat hollow look like, how does a GPS work, how are plants surveyed and how do you know what birds are in the area are some of the questions that will be answered.

The day of discovery aims to share local knowledge and resources.

9:00-4pm Progress Hall open for displays and discussion. Do you want a hand with weed control, native plants or nest boxes? Book in for an expert to advise on what treasures you have in your yard. Find out who are the local wildlife carers and experts and what Council can do to help. 

10-11 am -Birds in the bush. Walk & talk around Stansfield Reserve with bird observer Tom Clarke. 

11.30-12.30- Know your natives. A look at the plant survey plots around Stansfield Reserves and what’s in them with botanist John Moen. 

12.30-1:00- Wildlife carer Catherine Rowe explains her role and that of the Native Animal Trust Fund. 

1-2:30 Habitat hollows. What cracks and crevices do our local wildlife have to live in. A survey of the West Ridge reserves with nocturnal mammal expert Chris McLean

1.30-2.30 - Birds and the bush. Walk & talk around West Ridge Reserves with bird expert Tom Clarke and botanist John Moen.

6:00 pm What goes thump in the night? Spotlight tour of West Ridge Reserves with Chris McLean. Meet at the top of Whitelock Street. Limited numbers RSVP essential.

All activities, except for the spotlight tour, start at Progress Hall, 197 Skye Point Rd, Coal Point 

Food and drinks available at the hall. 

To assist in coordination of the day please RSVP to  coalpointprogress@gmail.com or ring Trees In Newcastle during office hours on 4969 1500.

Where is the good growth?

As part of the TSLS project a ground-truthing survey will be conducted on Saturday 9th February to locate critical habitat features and corridor connections needed to support the vulnerable wildlife in our community. 

There will also be some spotlighting happening along the West Ridge, Stansfield Reserves and Threlkeld Reserve to get an idea of numbers of nocturnal animals along the peninsula.