The BioBlitz at Harry Bowey Reserve was held as part of National Science Week on the 22nd and 23rd of August, 2014. A BioBlitz involves a team of scientists working with the public to discover and record the life of a park or reserve: everything from brightly-coloured beetles to seldom-seen bats, from cheeky possums to wonderful water-bugs. Over 450 people joined us at Harry Bowey Reserve in the City of Salisbury. The BioBlitz started in the morning on Friday 22nd with a series of activities for local school classes. These hands-on sessions teamed school students with expert presenters who ran local wildlife demonstrations with snakes, spiders and potoroos, conducted water-bug sampling from the Little Para River, created nature-art, and surveyed local birds and fungi. From Friday afternoon through to Saturday afternoon, scientists worked with the public to survey the local biodiversity. Surveys were conducted for: Frogs – looking for them and listening for their calls Birds – in the evening and the morning Mammals – tracks and traces during the day, and spotlighting at night Ants – both nocturnal and diurnal Bats – recording their echolocation with an AnaBat device Water-bugs – netting in the Little Para River and inspecting them under microscopes Insects – attracting them to a light trap Native plants – mapping their locations Weeds – spotting the nasties! Fungi – finding wild fungi Reptiles – looking under rocks and bark
Become a SciStarter Ambassador!
SciStarter Ambassador badge logo

Applications for Cohort 4 are open!

Libraries and community organizations need your help to spark excitement for citizen science and keep the momentum going!

The SciStarter Ambassador Program offers FREE training to volunteers ready to make an impact in their communities.

Ready to make a difference? Complete your application by March 14th to join the movement!