How are we going Gold Coast, Logan and Scenic Rim? The first observations have been submitted! Well done to all! Keep them coming.
First challenge today: find the most pretty butterfly you can find, take a photo and upload it to our project on iNaturalist!
We had a few people ask us if they can still join the Watergum Backyard BioBlitz - Celebrate Citizen Science Month and the answer: ABSOLUTELY! You can join the BioBlitz at any time. Just download the app and start recording the beautiful plants and animals around you.
Challenge 2 for the backyard BioBlitz: Find a dragonfly in your backyard! They love the sunshine so keep an eye out for them today.
More than a 100 species recorded and over a 100 observations in total! You guys are killing it!
Challenge 3: Find the Frog! Lift up leaves, bushes or listen to the sounds at night. They are still around.
As I am drinking my coffee to wake up, my friend mister Currawong flies in for his breakfast worms and our regular morning chat. Mister Currawong thinks it is time for challenge 4: Find as many BIRDS as you can today! Happy bird watching!
(I forgot to take a picture of Mister Currawong to upload to the project! Hope he comes back today)
We love getting feedback on all the things we do like this one from Sarah, this is what it is all about:
"We're loving the bioblitz so far and have been amazed by the diversity of cool bugs on the plants and amongst the leaf litter!
We're finding that paying close attention and being mindful of what's going on in our backyard is really helping us to deal with everything that's going on in the world. It's also nice to connect with others in the community who share similar interests - although in my case this is usually when I've made an incorrect identification!"
Remember, you can join our BioBlitz at any time! It's a great way to find out what's in your backyard. You will learn heaps about how to identify them, you are able to chat to others in the project and scientist to clarify identifications and find more information on all the species itself. Oh.. and did you know that you can win a Kids Platypus Book if you become top observer at the end of the month?
CHALLENGE 5: Find different types of ANTS today! Are we going to aim for 600 observations today everyone?
These are some awesome resources (books and online) that will help you ID your bioblitz findings:
City of Gold Coast Backyard Biodiversity - Frogs
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/bf/backyard-biodiversity-our-nature-frogs.pdf
City of Gold Coast Backyard Biodiversity - Hollows
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/bf/hollows-are-homes-booklet.pdf
City of Gold Coast Backyard Biodiversity - Native Bees https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/bf/backyard-biodiversity-our-nature-native-bees.pdf
Mangroves to Mountains for identifying native plants
http://www.mangrovestomountains.com/
Environmental weeds and native alternatives
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/environmental-weeds-of-the-gold-coast-booklet-2406.html
Threatened plants of Logan
https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/2454/threatened-plants-of-logan
Threatened wildlife of Logan
https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/60/threatened-wildlife
Don't forget all the Field guides for Australia and field guides for Queensland for specific species!
Good afternoon!
Hope everyone is enjoying the Vitamin D boosts from bioblitzing in the backyard!
Challenge number 6 is to upload (at least) 2 new observations today!
Happy Bioblitzing
Good morning!
It looks like everyone is slowing down a bit. Remember, you can upload your photos at anytime. Look around you, have you identified what plants are in your backyard? Have you found different types of bees or ants? You will be amazed how much biodiversity there is in your own backyards.
If you have any ideas for new challenges throughout the month of April, comment below. We would love to hear your suggestions!
Keep up the good work everyone, we have identified 354 species so far!
Challenge 7: Spot a possum! There is an abundance of possums in our forests, but did you know that possums are very common in suburban areas?
Happy Easter Long Weekend!
Don't forget to BioBlitz over the long weekend, plenty of opportunities to get that phone out and take a few snaps.
Challenge 8: Go Night spotting! see what you can find in the dark! Don't forget to bring a torch!
Wow, everyone is out and about taking photos! Can we get it too a 1000 observations today?
You are doing a fantastic job and I feel like everyone is learning lots about all the different critters and plants in our local areas. I am certainly loving the identification tool myself.
Challenge 9: Take photos along waterways!
