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Events in February 2021
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Charles Darwin in Australia and WA
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Charles Darwin in Australia and WA
Nedlands Lecture TheatreClifton StNedlands,In the lead up to International Darwin Day, celebrating the birth of Charles Darwin, this month’s speaker
Dr Alan Needham will sharing with us details of Darwin’s time in Australia. Starting with the background of Charles Darwin, Dr Needham will discuss the events that led to his participation in the voyage of HMS Beagle around the world in the 1830s – a voyage which was to prove a catalyst for seminal changes in the worlds of biology, religion and social sciences. The trip was planned to take two years but lasted nearly five, and Australia was the last major port of call. By then, all aboard were jaded, weary and homesick and Darwin’s health was affected by chronic seasickness. Nonetheless, he travelled as extensively as he could in Australia and made many valuable observations here. This good work, however, has been largely and perhaps unfairly overshadowed by his negative comments on the Australian society of the time.Talk presented by the WA Naturalists Club.
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Kevin Thiele: Taxonomy and the documentation of Australia’s biodiversity
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Kevin Thiele: Taxonomy and the documentation of Australia’s biodiversity
Armadale Field Study CentreTriton CresArmadale,Taxonomists often get a bad rap, mostly because they keep changing the names of species. But on the flip side, the names given by taxonomists are the foundation on which we all depend to understand our living world – imagine if there were no names for the organisms we share our planet with. Imagine a David Attenborough documentary, or a meeting of the Armadale Branch of the Wildflower Society, if taxonomists hadn’t worked out what species are out there and given them names. Kevin’s talk will be about taxonomy – the science of discovering and naming species – how it works, what it seeks to do, and where it’s going. Did you know there have been two major revolutions in the way we understand taxonomy? Or that we’re still in the middle of the second of these? Did you know that in over 200 years of exploring Australia’s rich and unique biodiversity taxonomists have only managed to discover and name around 30% of our species? Do you have any idea how we can hope to discover the remaining 70% before most of them go extinct? Kevin’s talk will explore all these questions, and more.
Talk of the Wildflower Society Armadale Branch
$3 entry - -
Everything Black Cockatoo, with Sam Clarke of Karaakin and Adam Peck of Birdlife Australia
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Everything Black Cockatoo, with Sam Clarke of Karaakin and Adam Peck of Birdlife Australia
Woodlupine Community Centre Hall88 Hale RdForrestfield,There are three species of black cockatoo that are endemic to the South West of Western Australia – the Baudin’s black cockatoo, the Carnaby’s cockatoo, and the Forest Red-tailed black cockatoo. The Baudin’s and Carnaby’s cockatoo each have white tail feathers and a similar “wee-loo” call, while the Forest Red-tailed black cockatoo has distinctive red tail feathers and a “kaarak” call.
All are threatened with extinction due to land clearing, illegal shooting, vehicle strikes, and competition with other species for nesting hollows.
Currently, it is estimated that there are only 10,000 Baudin’s cockatoos, 10,000 to 20,000 Carnaby’s cockatoos, and 10,000 to 15,000 Red-tailed black cockatoos left in the wild. Therefore, it is essential to rescue and save as many black cockatoos as we can.
Talk presented by the Darling Range Branch of the WA Naturalists Club
Entry $3 - -
Thinking Green: Fauna Habitat Creations (Midland)
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Thinking Green: Fauna Habitat Creations (Midland)
Old Midland Courthouse49 Helena StMidland,Would you like to encourage native wildlife into your garden by providing them with safe shelter?
Come along to this free hands-on workshop, chock full of ideas to help wildlife set up house in your backyard. Ecologists Mike and Mandy Bamford will provide you with lots of practical tips for creating fauna shelters in your backyard; lizard lounges, bandicoot bungalows, insect hotels, frog bogs and more. Then you’ll work in a group to construct a creature creation.
Each participant will take home a fauna shelter and a small native seedling to help attract wildlife to their place.
Please book in as spaces are limited. For all inquiries contact Midland Public Library on (08) 9267 9020.
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Birds in Your Garden Talk
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Birds in Your Garden Talk
Shire of Mundaring Civic Room7000 Great Eastern HighwayMundaring,Come and learn all about local native birds and what you can do to attract them to your garden!
Following the success of our previous bird talks, Rachel and Mike Green are back - complete with new bird photos and stories, to help you understand, identify and attract birds to your garden, street or reserve in the Shire of Mundaring.
You will learn :
• How to identify birds - learn their calls, how they nest and features to look for when identifying them. This will include a special segment on how to tell the difference between all those challenging 'LBB's'– little brown birds.
• What birds eat and how to provide food and shelter for them.
• How to attract birds to your garden, and what plants and conditions they need.
• How to use birdbaths, bird perches, bird boxes, bird apps, bird books, binoculars and more. There will be bird books and other equipment on display.You will be shown many excellent photographs and videos of the birds so you can practise identifying them. Photographs specifically taken in the Shire of Mundaring will be included and a list of all the birds seen in one hour at the Civic Centre will be provided to help you start your own bird list. You can bring photographs of birds you want identified.
Be left feeling inspired to care for and get to know the birds in your garden, street or reserve.
Please join us – it’s FREE – you’ll even get morning tea provided. See you there – but you must book in as numbers are limited. Once the numbers are reached we will form a waiting list – so get in early!
Registrations on the day from 8.45am - we start at 9am sharp - please don't be late!