Biodiversity Month

Photo of a small bird on a tree branch with leaves in the background

September is Biodiversity Month, a time to celebrate our unique flora and fauna. It also serves as a reminder to reduce our environmental impact to ensure the preservation of our biodiversity, benefiting both our native species and future generations.

This month, we're calling all nature lovers and citizen scientists to join us and learn about Kingston's biodiversity while contributing to important scientific research. Did you know that posting a few photos to the iNaturalist app can help fill knowledge gaps influencing our biodiversity?

In addition to a series of fun events, we encourage you to participate in the Biodiversity Month citizen science challenges, including the Biodiversity Blitz and the Great Southern BioBlitz. Discover your local natural areas and record your observations within the month of September on the iNaturalist app! There will be prizes up for grabs!

To get started, visit the iNaturalist website to download the app (from Google Play or App Store) to your smartphone and create your account.

These resources will help you get started on the iNaturalist App and make your first observation:

Videos

Events and workshops

Citizen Scientist walk and planting

Join our Conservation Officers for a Coast Care Community afternoon of 'nature discovery' on an iNaturalist citizen science walk! You will participate in revegetation planting along the foreshore reserve and learn how to become a citizen scientist with a smartphone! Plus, we will provide you with some free native plants to take home for your garden.

Date: Sunday 1 September
Time: 1 to 3pm
Location: Meet at the north side of Parkdale Yacht Club along the Bay Trail
Cost: Free

Register

Life gone wild

Join Angus Hamilton of Life Gone Wild and The Friends of The Grange for a 2 hour guided tour and morning tea for Birdwatching at one of Kingston's best-kept secret locations. Learn how to become a citizen scientist or simply enjoy the beautiful reserve and bird life.

Date: Saturday 14 September
Time:  10am to 12pm
Location: The Grange Bushland Reserve, 136-176 Osborne Avenue, Clayton South
Cost: Free

Register

Nestbox monitoring and survey

Join our Conservation Officers and the Friends of Bradshaw Bushland Reserve to see wildlife that have taken up residence in our nest boxes! Using specialised monitoring equipment, we’ll get to see exactly what is inside the nest boxes and record this important biodiversity data.

Date: Saturday 21 September
Time:  10am to 12pm
Location: Bradshaw Bushland Reserve 450 Nepean Highway, Mordialloc 
Cost: Free

Register

Walk and talk at Bradshaw Bushland Reserve

Join wildlife rescuer Janet Wheeler on a 'Walk and Talk' to discover the wildlife living in Kingston during these school holidays.

Discover some of the birds, reptiles, mammals and insects and explore a variety of habitats from the wildlife's perspective. You'll also learn about the changes you can make at school and at home to help protect and support wildlife.

Bookings are essential; limited spots are available. The activities are suitable for children aged 8 to 12 and their guardians.

Due to limited capacity, please cancel your ticket if you cannot attend to ensure someone else can join us on the day!

Event will go ahead regardless of weather conditions.

Date: Wednesday 25 September
Time: 10am to 12pm
Location: Bradshaw Bushland Reserve 450 Nepean Highway, Mordialloc
Cost: Free

Register

Challenges

Biodiversity Blitz

The Biodiversity Blitz is a friendly competition between participating councils to record the most species in their area. We encourage you to contribute to our ongoing knowledge of the natural world.

Date: 1 to 30 September
Location: iNaturalist app

Join Kingston's Biodiversity Blitz 2024.

View the Melbourne Councils Biodiversity Blitz Competition.

Great Southern BioBlitz

The Great Southern Bioblitz is an event throughout the Southern Hemisphere. Kingston partners with our neighbouring councils (as 'Greater Melbourne') to log as many species as we can to highlight the immense biodiversity in our region. By doing so, we are contributing to biodiversity research across the entire Southern Hemisphere!

Date: 20 to 23 September
Location: iNaturalist app

Join Kingston's Great Southern Bioblitz 2024.

View the Greater Melbourne’s Great Southern BioBlitz project page.

Prizes

Native plant collectables

Win a native plant for your garden or home with every verified observation milestone you reach! Once you upload an observation to the iNaturalist app, one of our Conservation Officers will review and verify it.

For your observation to count towards your total, each observation must be of a unique species. For example, 20 observations of a New Holland Honey Eater will only count as one observation towards your total.

  • 10 - 20 verified observations = 1 native plant
  • 20 - 30 verified observations = 2 native plants
  • 30 - 40 verified observations = 3 native plants
  • 40 - 50 verified observations = 4 native plants
  • 50 - 100 verified observations = 5 native plants
  • Over 200 verified observations = 6 native plants

Join Kingston's Biodiversity Blitz project page and start observing!

You will be contacted on iNaturalist at the end of the challenge with information on how to collect your prizes. Plants must be collected from Dingley Village from a select number of species.

Badge collectables

Win a badge for every verified observation milestone you reach! Once you upload an observation to the iNaturalist app, one of our Conservation Officers will review and verify it.

For your observation to count towards your total, each observation must be of a unique species. For example, 20 observations of a New Holland Honey Eater will only count as one observation towards your total.

  • 10 - 20 verified observations = New Holland Honey Eater badge
  • 20 - 30 verified observations = Dainty Swallowtail Butterfly badge
  • 30 - 40 verified observations = Common Eastern Froglet badge
  • 40 - 50 verified observations = Donkey Orchid badge
  • 50 - 100 verified observations = Chocolate Lily badge
  • Over 200 verified observations = Blue Star Lily badge

Join Kingston's Biodiversity Blitz project page and start observing!

You will be contacted on iNaturalist at the end of the challenge and badges will be posted to you.

When

  • Sunday, 01 September 2024 | 12:00 AM - Monday, 30 September 2024 | 11:59 PM
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