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TASMANIAN FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB INC.
established 1904.
BULLETIN
http://www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/tasfield.html
Editor : Don Hird.  (email dgh@dodo.com.au )
Bulletin No.  310  (quarterly) April 2003
The Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club encourages the study of natural history and supports conservation.  We issue our journal The Tasmanian Naturalist annually in October.  People with a range of ages, background and knowledge are welcome as members.
Contact Genevieve Gates (6227 8638) for further information or write to GPO Box 68, Hobart, 7001. 
Programme
General Meetings start at 7.45 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month, in the Life Science Building at the University of Tasmania.  Outings are usually held the following weekend, meeting outside the to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery entrance in Macquarie Street.  Bring lunch and all?weather outdoor gear.
If you are planning to attend an outing but have not been to the prior meeting, phone to check as to the timing of the excursion (with Genevieve Gates; 62 278 638 or Don Hird; 62 289 702).  Unforeseen changes sometimes occur.
Late Bulletin (!)  Unfortunately this Bulletin should have been issued last month but was unavoidably delayed; Don Hird, editor.
Thurs. 1 May 7.45p.m.:  John Gooderham will speak on the Freshwater Ecology of Hazlewood Lagoon.  The excursion for this talk will be held later in the year.
Sun. 4 May 10.00a.m. Depart from the Museum for an ephemeral pond near Richmond to look at Waterbugs; John is coauthor of the Waterbugs book.

Thurs. 5 June June 5th : Nathan Males, President of the T.L.C.(Tasmanian Land Conservancy) will talk about preserving Moulting Lagoon's Long Point. Nathan  is the President of the T.L.C. and will bring along an ecologist as well. T.L.C. is planning to acquire Long Point, which may then be an excursion venue, probably in September. 
Sat. 7 June 9.00a.m. Depart from the Museum for Seaford, an east coast property on Little Swanport inlet.  This is a great location for orchids, birds and other natural history.  Burrows of an as yet unidentified mammal will also be inspected.

Thurs. 3 July 7.45p.m.: Chris Cooper, coordinator of the (Mt Wellington) Mountain Festival will talk on the forthcoming Mountain festival and synopsis on 'Invertebrate'..
Sun. 6 July Excurs.  10.00 a.m.: This winter excursion will visit Bedlam Walls on Hobart’s eastern shore north of Geilston Bay.  It will be a general excursion including a visit to the documented aboriginal midden sites.

Excursion Car-Pooling Policy
We encourage car-pooling where possible.  Passengers should make a contribution to the driver at the conclusion of the journey; recommended rates are $5 for excursions of up to 50km radius, then an additional $5 for each additional 50km radius.

2003 Subs Now Overdue
If you haven’t already paid your subs please see our treasurer, Anna McEldowney.

In Spring 2004 the TFNC will celebrate its centenary.  To mark this milestone we plan to publish a book about the Club's history.  We have good records covering most of the hundred years, much of it housed in the Tasmanian Archives, but to add colour and interest to the book we plan to include photographs of camps, outings, memorabilia etc. as well as anecdotes and detail remembered by various club members. Janet Fenton, the club's librarian, has been contracted to write the book. If any members have reminiscences, photographs or memorabilia they would like to see included in this history, please contact Janet on ph 6239 6443 or fenton@southcom.com.au or write to the club (GPO Box 68 Hobart 7001).
Bird observers are anxious that numbers of all 4 species of Tasmanian Robins seem to be down.  Anyone interested in assisting with gathering information on this can obtain an observation sheet from the Robins and Swift Parrot survey.  Contact Sarah Lloyd, 999 Denman's Rd. Biralee, 7303, ph 6396 1380; email: sarahlloyd@iprimus.com.au

Excursion Reports 

Ninepin Point, Saturday 8th February, 2003

Seventeen members gathered at Ninepin Point Marine Reserve on a sunny, calm Saturday morning.  Conditions were good for snorkeling, with only a light breeze ruffling the water, and most starters ventured into their wetsuits to view life under the waves.  A rocky reef extends out from the point, offering a substrate for a colourful display of algae and sponges in bright pinks, oranges, yellows, greens and  browns, with plenty of crevices for abalone, shells, sea-urchins and small fish.   On either side of the reef the bottom drops away to a  flat substrate of rocks and sandy patches.  More larger fish were seen on the eastern side and off the end of the reef, swimming among the tall string kelp Macrocystis angustifolia.  Older fronds of brown algae were speckled with white encrusting bryozoans (lace corals).
Those on shore enjoyed pottering around the rock pools, watching Caspian Tern, and absorbing the view of Huon Island and Arch Rock and in the distance, Bruny Island and Adamsons Peak.

Sea weeds identified were: Champia sp; Griffithsia; Macrocystis; Chaetomorpha darwinii (green Mermaid's Necklace); Durvillea; Caulerpa; Dictyoperis muelleri; Eclonia (Cray Weed); Codium fragile; Ulva (Sea Lettuce).

Some members saw a group of three Long-snouted Boarfish Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, a large fish which grows to 610mm, marked with spectacular oblique dark and white stripes.  It has long venomous spines on the dorsal fin, which it raised on sighting a strange snorkler.  Other fish identified were Leatherjackets (Toothbrush and Brown Striped); Draughtboard Shark; Hula Fish (probably Yellow-headed Hula fish, Trachinops noarlungae); Perch (probably Butterfly Perch, Caesioperca lepidoptera); Blue-throated Wrasse  Notolabrus tetricus; Purple Wrasse  Notolabrus fucicola.  According to Edgar (1997) the latter 2 species sometimes interbreed. 

Other organisms seen included a small jelly-fish; Cartrut shell; Abalone; sea urchins Heliocidaris;  and Mysidacea shrimp.
Rock pools and tide line revealed  Ribbed Top shells; Orange-edged and other Limpets;  Cartrut Shell Thais orbita; Decorator Crab carapace; Waratah anemone Actinia tenebrosa; the encrusting tubeworm Galeolaria caespitosa and seastars Patiriella

Conditions remained calm into the afternoon and some people took to the water again after lunch. 

Fungi List ; March excursion to the Pagoda. (not many)
Panellus stipticus  Calocera sp.  Marasmius sp. horsehair.
Xylobolus illudens  Trametes versicolor  Coprinus sp
Ryvardenia cretacea  Australoporus tasmanicum  Polyporus “ blood red”
Pluteus cervinus

Pelverata Falls April 2003.
Fungi List ; April excursion to Pelverata Falls. (Kevin set us a quota of 50 species).
Russula lenkunya  Laccaria sp.  Mycena viscidocruenta
Rickenella fibula  Ascomycete…yellow disc on wood with greenish underneath.  Boletellus obscurecoccineus
Descolea recedens  Omphalina chromacea  Cortinarius sp…..pinkish brown
Fistulinella mollis  Collybia butyracea  Cortinarius archeri
Podoscypha petalodes  Heterotextus miltinus  Calocera sp.
Tremella mesenterica  Xylobolus illudens  Collybia “brown frilly”
Bolete with gold and orange pileus  Cortinarius sp. large, frosted, ochraceous  Tricholoma sp
Mycena sp. white , fragile with yellow hairlike stipe.  Stereum hirsutum  Mycena sp. “bleach sulcate”
David’s white on wood (unknown genus)  Panellus stipticus  Marasmius sp.pinkish brown, close gills, horsehair stipe.
Agaricus sp. pink  Spathulate yellow jelly on wood  Crepidotus applanatus
Mycena sanguinolenta  Tubaria sp.  Tremella fuciformis
Marasmius “angina”  Cortinarius sp. lilac phlegmacium.  Clavicorona aff. piperata
Leptoporus coriolus  Lepiota sp.  Mycena interrupta
Agaricus “brown speckles”  Mycena sp. very slender, long stipe, pink cap, bleach odour.  Entoloma “on wood with small spores”
Gymnopilus sp  Bolete with red brown cap, yellow pores and tubes, blueing when bruised.  Mycena sp. on wood,  crepidotoid, yellow or pink with iodine odour.
Cordyceps robertsii  Rhodocybe sp. small grey.  Mycoacia subceracea
Mycena “sticky date”  Hohenbuehelia sp. Oudemansiella radicata.
Marasmiellus affixus  Clitocybe semiocculta

Lunching Small Mammal (?)
While lunching at the impressive Pelverata Falls, a small mammal was observed foraging on the scree slope on the eastern side of the creek near the end of the walking track.  It appeared to be a rodent the size of a large house mouse, and repeatedly emerged from cover to resume foraging after retreating for cover.  My best guess is that it was a house mouse as this species naturalises in bushland, especially near places like picnic sites such as The Springs on Mt. Wellington.  Other possibilities would be a juvenile velvet rat, or a pseudomid.  Don Hird

Photographic Competition
Cassowaries, kangaroos and seal pups are preparing to strut their stuff 
… for a modelling fee. 

A unique new photographic competition, ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year – 2004, is putting native flora and fauna of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea in the frame. And profits from this annual competition will be donated to conservation organisations to preserve natural habitat for native flora and fauna.
ANZANG Nature is an organisation focused on the unique natural heritage of the bioregion of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea – continents and islands flung from the great southern continent of Gondwana Land over 50 million years ago in which, due to long periods of isolation, remarkable flora and fauna have evolved.
ANZANG Nature chairman Dr Stuart Miller said the organisation wished to highlight the region’s extraordinary legacy by encouraging the photography of the region’s nature and wilderness, raising public awareness of its natural heritage, and providing financial support for nature conservation in the region. 
“Profit from the competition and exhibitions is to be donated to conservation organisations actively purchasing and managing natural habitat in the region for the express purpose of providing sanctuary to native flora and fauna,” Dr Miller said. 
“A lot of conservation action in the past has focused on specific species such as the panda or the tiger. I think people are beginning to realise that although it is important to focus on endangered species, it is just as important to preserve their environment, containing all its complex biodiversity, for species to live naturally.”
ANZANG Nature will select and exhibit the highest quality photographs of animals, plants and landscapes taken in the region. Total cash prizes worth $17,000 are being offered for winning photographs in nine different sections. The competition is open to all photographers, amateur or professional, of any age or nationality.
Animals and photographers will benefit from the new ANZANG Nature competition but so too will nature lovers. All winning and highly commended entries will form a major exhibition to be displayed in public museums and galleries nationally and internationally. Its tour starts at the Western Australian Museum in October 2004.
Dr Miller said the rewards of the competition were aimed squarely at plants and animals but regional tourism could receive a boost after the exhibition raised the profile overseas of the natural wonders on offer here.
The nine competition categories are: Animal Behaviour, Animal Portrait, Botanical Subject, Underwater Subject, Wilderness Landscape, Threatened or Endangered Animals or Plants, Black and White, Computer Enahnced Photography and Junior Photography for entrants under 18 years of age.
Judges will consider the photographic technique, and the aesthetic, artistic and unique quality of all images. The overall winner of the competition will be the photographer of the image judged the best of all nine section-winning images and will be named ‘ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year – 2004’. The overall winner will receive $5000 in addition to the $1000 section prize. 
The closing date for entries is May 1, 2004, giving photographers a full cycle of seasons from which to choose their subjects.
Sponsorship is being sought from corporations, organisations and individuals who support ANZANG Nature’s aims. Supporting sponsors will be recognised throughout the competition and associated exhibitions.
For more information about ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year – 2004:
visit the website: www.anzangnature.com
or contact ANZANG Nature on telephone: +61 (0)8 9321 3685 or mobile +61 (0) 408 511724
or email: compete@anzangnature.com

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