May 20 is World Bee Day. A day to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to life on earth! Bees and their pollinator friends are in more and more danger each day due to human activity. This is a crazy thought when you consider that we now know that these hard-working friends are crucial to the survival of our ecosystems. One out of every 3 mouthfuls of food depend on pollinators such as bees. Adding to the dangers presented by human activity, is the fact that adult bees only live for about 6 weeks. Talk about a delicate situation we are in. On a lighter note, did you know some bees have a dance? Yup, they do! It is called the waggle dance. This special dance is a way in which bees can communicate information about flowers, like a flower that has lots of pollen and nectar. Clever little cuties!
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Want to explore local flora in your backyard? Use the Common Heath activity sheet to help you identify one of our most significant pollinating plants.
Wadawurrung believe Bundjil, the Wedge-tailed Eagle, is their creator spirit. Bundjil created the lands, waterways, native animals, and people. With a wingspan of 2.3 metres, you can see Bundjil soaring in the sky from a long distance away.
Hunting for Pobblebonks
There is a good chance you have heard of the Pobblebonk Frog, because it is one of the most well known frogs in Victoria! If you don’t know the name Pobblebonk, maybe you know it by its other name, the Banjo Frog? It is named this because of the banjo-like ‘plonk’ or ‘bonk’ sound it makes.
Its ok if you have not heard of this frog at all, because by the end of this article you will and you may even be able to go out and find some yourself!
Ever wonder what the landscapes and wildlife seen by European settlers in the 1840s was like? At Woodlands Historic Park, you can get a feel of just that! The park has a 150-year old homestead, Indigenous scar trees, native woodland and grassland and much much more! (more…)
Hi, this is just an update to let you know that the information in this post relates to our Spring Holiday 2020 progam. As a result you’ll find that the webinar series has ended and the Macpac competition has finished, however the remaining content is still available for you to explore, including recordings of each of the webinars. Please read on, and enjoy!
Welcome to our blog on the 30 things to do in SPRING. Our poster here has all the activities for you to complete over the holidays. Below you will find more details about some of the challenges we have set out for you plus all our webinars and videos from our wonderful Park Rangers.
Challenge no. 7 – Play ‘leaf shape bingo’. Download the bingo sheet here and look for shapes in nature that match the shapes on your sheet. The first one to fill their sheet or find 3 in a row wins the game
Challenge no. 12 – Become a citizen scientist and join our bioblitz (23 – 25 September). Sign up with iNaturalist and become a citizen scientist for our 2020 Parks Victoria BioBlitz. Look for plants and animals around where you live and upload photos of them to our page here. Our Park Rangers will be checking in to see what you have discovered so sign up today and be ready to join us from 23rd September until 25th September.
Here are our live events as our rangers come direct from the parks to your homes at the exact same time! Click on the photo to be taken to our bookings page.
Exploring Serendip’s Natural Treasures’
Join Ranger Vanessa on a virtual tour of Serendip Sanctuary and discover its natural treasures. Meet some of Serendip’s animals, like Eastern Barred Bandicoots and Eastern Grey Kangaroos, and learn about their unique features.
(The live event has now ended. See the recording here).
Life in the Intertidal Zone’
Join Ranger Ellie to explore Victoria’s marine habitats and the creatures that live in them. Learn about the diverse and fascinating ways that creatures survive and thrive in this ever-changing environment.
(The live event has now ended. See the recording here )
Wildlife super sleuths – Sharpen your super sleuth skills and join Ranger Julia to discover which animals have been around, using the clues and evidence that they leave behind.
(The live event has now ended. See the recording here.)
Thursday 1st October @ 10am. Discovering Wadawurrung with Ranger Ebonee – Join Ranger Ebonee, a proud Wadawurrung woman as she discusses the importance of Country.
(The live event has now ended. See the recording here)
Here are our Ranger videos for your access at any time during the holidays. Click on the videos to view.
22. Let’s go Birdwatching – Ranger Lily shares some tips n tricks for being a successful birdwatcher
23. Floodplains of the Goulburn – Join Ranger Emma as she shares some of the ageless beauty of Redgums living on the floodplains
24. Join a Minibeast Survey – Ever wanted to be a marine scientist? Join Ranger Yani as she demonstrates how to do a minibeast sampling survey
25. Bird Brain Quiz – Join Ranger Han to learn some bird facts and test your knowledge
26. Create a Nature Journal – Ranger Lucy shares some of her own tips designed to help you explore nature in new and creative ways
27. Join the Parks Victoria Bioblitz – Parks Victoria’s annual Bioblitz is happening between September 23rd – 25th. Join Ranger Han as she demonstrates how to get started.
28. Scratching Around – Join Ranger Kelly as she explores the secretive and surprising world of the Mallee Fowl
29. Explore the Maribrynong River – Join Ranger Sharyn as she shares some of the wonders of the Maribrynong River, both above and below the water
What did you get up to over the Easter holidays? While staying at home to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), Charli, Zoe and Joshua along with lots of other Junior Rangers were busy discovering nature in their own backyards. As our Easter program went digital, our JR families were encouraged to try out some fun activities to get to know their backyards a little better.
From bird watching to night-time critter sounds, our young rangers got to experience nature that was right under their noses. To add to the challenge, we asked everyone who completed an activity to send their treasure hunts, bird observations, creature features, and whatever else they had done, into us so we could see all the wonderful experiences that were happening around their homes. The response was amazing, and we could tell straight away that everyone was having lots of fun.
Here are some of the entries from our winners…
Macpac, our principal partner of the Junior Rangers program offered two families the chance to win a voucher to spend on their next essential outdoor item and we’re so glad that we could do it at random as it would have been so hard to choose!
You can see that our winners, Charli, Joshua and Zoe sent in some wonderful activity sheets, photos and drawings about their backyard encounters which we loved. Here is a little more about why they got involved with the Junior Rangers program and what they love about their own backyards…
Charli, enjoying her backyard with her liquid amber tree.
Charli, aged 11 from Mornington Peninsula has been a Junior Ranger for over two years. Charli could remember two Junior Ranger activities with our rangers, where she went along with her brother and sister, Will and Milly. One was at Coolart Wetlands and Homestead and the other at Arthurs Seat. Coolart was great because there was lots of bird watching and Arthur seat’s fun because they got to try and identify different animal poo. She particularly remembers the green square poo belonging to a wombat.
Charli enjoyed our nature treasure hunt and our creature feature activities over the Easter holidays because she could combine her love of arts and crafts and birds. In fact, Charli loves birds so much, she helps her family care for the finches they breed in their back yard. “There is so much to love about my backyard,” says Charli. Apart from the two budgies that belong to her, there is a possum that nests in the tree and Charli loves the liquid amber tree because the leaves are a lovely colour this time of year. Her favourite bird? All parrots! Charli often sees rainbow lorikeets them flying over her house. What a great backyard to be exploring and a worthy winner of our Macpac competition. Thanks, Charli.
Winners of our $100 Macpac voucher, brother and sister Joshua and Zoe, gave us an insight into their Junior Rangers activities by way of video interview surrounded by their incredible backyard bush. First Zoe interviewing Joshua and then Joshua interviewing Zoe. Here’s what they had to say…
Thanks to everyone who sent in their activities. Whatever your backyard there is always something to spot, even in the city! Look out for more of your entries online as we’ll be posting others on our Parks Victoria Facebook page.
Our competition has closed for now but you can still download all our activities on our Make & Do page. Why not check it out? We’d love to hear from you.
Photo: Ron Waters
While holidaying at Mallacoota Inlet (far eastern Victorian coastline) some keen eyed kids discovered a lost baby loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). Just as the turtle was to be returned to the water, Parks Victoria’s Ron Waters noticed the river was closed to the ocean, spelling disaster for the young sea-goer. Instead, some telephone calls were made and the turtle was taken to the Merimbula Aquarium, where the turtle will be rehabilitated and released by expert hands.
What if I see an animal in need?
If you see a native animal you think needs help, report it immediately. Even the best intentions to help (as with returning the baby loggerhead to the river) may cause more stress to the animal. It is always best to call an expert for help.
Report injured animals to Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) Customer Service Centre on 136 186. You can also get in contact with a local Parks Victoria ranger by calling 13 1963.
Millions of shore birds will be tweeting “See you later, Australia!” as they hightail it out of here in search of warmer weather. Having spent the summer in Victoria’s wetlands and saltmarshes, most will be gone by the 10th May. Shorebirds’ bodies have gone through a series of changes in the lead up to their long journey north. Fatter bodies, skinny legs, bigger heart muscles and brains wired to be half asleep and half awake at the same time will help these birds on their continuous journey north.
Where can I spot a shorebird before it leaves?
Victoria is proud to have eleven internationally significant wetlands. Test your bird spotting skills at one of these sites and create your own pair of wetland stilts in honour of their journey. You can also learn more about migratory birds at http://farewellshorebirds.org.au/
Two rare nocturnal animals have recently been spotted in the Grampians National Park. In December, cameras set up in the bush captured pictures of a Long Nosed Potoroo (left). Then in February they also caught a glimpse of a Spotted-tail Quoll (right). Both these animals are very rare, with the Spotted-tail Quoll thought to be extinct for the last 140 years.
This is very good news for the animals living in the Grampians National Park because it suggests the environment is healthy and there aren’t too many pests or predators hanging around. “We have been undertaking extensive fox control and other conservation works across this landscape for decades, and we know those efforts are paying off” says Ranger in Charge Dave Roberts.
Potoroos and Quolls are nocturnal, meaning they are awake at night hunting for food and sleep all day. While you might not see these rare animals in person, you can still search for clues that they were there by looking for their footprints, shown in the picture above.
Which other animals you find in your local park? Check out our Wildlife Detective activity to help hone your skills and find hard to spot animals.
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale has just won the title of Deep-Dive Champion, with a record breaking dive of 3km holding its breath for a staggering 137 minutes.
Extreme breath holders – Why and how do they do it?
Deep dives are usually in search for delicious squid and fish. Finding food at the bottom of the ocean isn’t easy though, especially for an animal that is used to spending most its time at the ocean’s surface. Deep down temperatures are much colder and there is a lot of pressure pushing on thier body, plus mammals can’t breathe underwater!
Marine mammals have special ways of dealing with these tough conditions. For example, whales send all their blood closer to their brain, keeping the most important parts warm. Some marine mammals also have collapsible lungs to cope with the high pressure. Thier lungs spring back when they return to the ocean’s surface, just like opening your drink bottle after putting it in the fridge for a while. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale also has a special way to store oxygen in their muscles, meaning they don’t have to breathe as much as usual.
These adaptions mean that marine mammals can dive incredible depths and hold their breath for extreme lengths of time – they’d certainly have an unfair advantage at your beach party!
The best time to catch the whales along the Victorian coastline is between June and September. This is when the whales come north to escape the icy cold Antarctic winter. One of the best spots to catch a glimpse is along the Warrnambool coastline, or in the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park.
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