Two other developing investigations:

November 14, 2016

A recreational activity of regularly snorkeling out to Statis Island at Seal Rocks opened an opportunity to become familiar with marine fish of the area, and examine changes in these assemblages over time.

The regular seasonal influx of tropical fishes from the north, mediated by incursions of the East Australian Current (EAC), causes the most notable changes in the fish assemblages and these are the focus of the investigation.

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It is the intention that regular repeated surveying during each influx season will provide evidence to link recruitment events with the arrival of the East Australian Current (EAC). Furthermore, maintaining these repeated surveys over the long-term (i.e. multiple influx seasons) will incrementally provide evidence of the influence of climate change - mediated through the strengthening of the EAC - on the range of tropical marine fish.

November 17, 2016

Having lived within a wet sclerophyll / palm forest for 27 years, various events with native animals have been observed. Some seasonal patterns are quite obvious, such as the spring arrival and late-summer departure of birds. However, there are many less obvious patterns underway, particularly those involving predominately ground-based animals such as wallabies, possums, koalas, bandicoots, dingos, foxes, brush turkeys and lyrebirds. These patterns are only distinguishable with large amounts of standardised observation effort, careful  data recording, collation and analysis. Of particular interest are predator-prey interactions, with the predominate predators being dingos and foxes. Patterns associated with these interactions are particularly difficult to confidently discern.

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With a strong desire to more fully understand what is going on around us, and with the advent of reasonably- priced scouting camera technology, an opportunity arrived in Christmas 2011 to start accruing highly-standardised observational data on the dynamics of the fauna on our property  - a gift of a scouting camera. Since  February 2012 the camera has been recording near-continuously across a track leading up to the mountain behind our house site. Within these pages are highlights of the key patterns that have been revealed so far.