The Great Southern BioBlitz 2023 was my first ever serious BioBlitz; I had participated in the City Nature Challenge for Greater Adelaide in 2022 and recorded 185 Observations, but this year I wanted to go all in. For each day I planned at least one expedition to a different location, some of which I had never been to before. Sometimes when you see the incredibly high-quality photos some users upload, and they have thousands upon thousands of Identifications under their belt, it can make you feel out of your league. Which is why I’m here to tell my story, as a teenager who can’t drive and has no fancy cameras but a whole lotta enthusiasm. During the GSB I relied on my iPhone 8 and portable charger, a pair of $90 binoculars that I nabbed during a sale for only $30, a $20 macro lens that clips over my phone camera which allows me to take incredible photos of small organisms and plants, and my school backpack that I’ve had since Year 6.
On the first day, I spent the morning with Trees For Life at a mini-BAT (Bush Action Team) near Windy Point, and it was there that I got to meet my version of a celebrity, Alan Dandie, who I recognised as the main man who identifies my botanical observations on iNaturalist. Small world! The mini-BAT officially started at 9:30, but I accidentally rocked up a full 40 minutes early. I wasn’t planning on turning this trip into an expedition, but I decided to take my time walking up Cycle Track to fill the time. I saw—well, mostly heard—lots of gorgeous little songbirds that I had never seen nor heard before, including a Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus), and a Western Whistler (Pachychephala fuliginosa). I managed to photograph those two by putting my phone’s camera up to my binoculars.
With 30 Observations after 40 minutes, I was feeling pretty optimistic about my chances of beating my rival, @Saltmarshsteve (aka Stephen). At 11am I unfortunately had to leave the mini-BAT early to head off for the first actual expedition that I had planned: Going to the Botanic Gardens with my sister (@arraj on iNaturalist). I caught the train into the city to meet her and one of her friends, and for the next 2.5 hours we wandered the park together where I racked up another 76 Observations. Many of these were small invertebrates that I was able to capture the beauty of using my macro lens. My favourites were definitely this photo of a Greenbottle fly (genus Lucilia) feeding from one of the Botanic Gardens’ many gorgeous flowers, and a Spotted Amber Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata). At the Gardens alone we saw four species of ladybird beetles, the other three being the Yellow-Shouldered (Apolinus lividgaster) , Transverse (Coccinella transversalis), and the Large-Spotted (Harmonia conformis)
We parted ways once my sister’s parking ticket was soon to expire, but that didn’t stop me from Observing a dead Bogong Moth (Agrotis infusa) on the way home. The adventures didn’t end there, for that night I set up the UV lamp that Stephen had kindly allowed me to borrow. This method of using UV light to attract moths and other invertebrates to land on a white sheet or wall has many names, but my favourite is “skyfishing”. With an incredibly makeshift setup comprised of a white sheet thrown over three outdoor chairs and the lamp dangling from my dad’s ladder (you can find tips on how to set up your own rig here), I sat and waited for about an hour and Observed another 26 organisms, including two Brush Tail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). Both of which did not appear to have a single thought going on inside their heads.
On the first night, I was ranking number 1 in Adelaide with 137 Observations of 41 identified species, and 11th globally! Off to a good start.
The second day of the GSB coincided with a Pokémon GO Community Day, which for the uninitiated means that I had to walk around for a bit for a chance to catch a rare Pokémon (or several), and the best places to catch them are densely populated areas. It was on this day that I realised that me rushing up the 15 degree incline after the Trees For Life mini-BAT was very much a mistake, because from that day and for the next week my leg muscles were constantly aching. But hey, it was good exercise! I took the train back to the city in the afternoon with my friend and avid Pokémon GO player, Michael, for a slow walk along Karrawirra Parri, or the River Torrens, equipped with my binoculars and macro lens. I took photos of every organism I saw along the way, and among the ~74 Observations I made on that expedition, my absolute favourite was this utterly adorable member of the genus Opisthoncus. I have a very soft spot for jumping spiders, I mean just look at its little face!!
I also saw a Cowboy Beetle (Chondropyga dorsalis), which is a species that I personally hadn’t seen since a school trip to the Adelaide Zoo some 7 or so years ago. I have very fond memories of these clumsy, giant beetles flying into my terrified classmates while I was amused and in awe. Michael managed to spot a deceased one near the river’s sidewalk for me to add to my entomology collection!
I encountered quite the few little lizards on this day, including this Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink (Lampropholis guichenoti) which was so kind as to let me get extremely close and photograph it with my macro lens—which requires you to get within 6 centimetres of the subject, mind you! But by far the most revealing use of my macro lens was this tiny chelicerate, some form of mite or tick (Subclass Acari). Only once you really start staring closely at the bushes do you realise how many hidden organisms there are, all around you.
At around 6pm I went home, legs still in pain, and just like on the first day I set up my- I mean- Stephen’s UV lamp for a night of skyfishing. The turnout was much the same as the night before, including yet another Brush Tail Possum, and so many Argentinian Scarabs (Cyclocephala signaticollis), which are an invasive species here.
On the second night I was still coming in first place in Adelaide, now with 239 Observations, but I knew that my global rank was set to sharply slip as the rest of the world woke up to their first day. By the morning of the 26th, I was down in 26th place globally, and that dastardly Saltmarshsteve was just one spot ahead of me with 241 Observations. It was time to get serious if I was to beat him, so I set out to Randell Park in hopes of getting some new species under my belt, with a focus on vegetation. Unfortunately, my aching legs from Friday were doomed to be my downfall, for I did not have the strength to climb to the peak of the hill wherein the greatest biodiversity lay, and with only 50 Observations from that expedition I was feeling defeated. I saw yet again many more beautiful native birds that I had not seen before, but alas many were far too fast for me to have any hopes of photographing them, save for this Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)
As if to add insult to injury, a storm had been brewing the last couple days, and it was starting to break. The night of the 26th was so windy that no bugs could hope to fly in that weather. On the bright side, I had seen my first drone European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) at Randell Park, so that was cool. Weird lookin’ dudes.
I checked my phone on the morning of the 27th, Monday, to find that not only was @Saltmarshsteve with almost 200 more Observations than me, but also that I had dropped almost completely out of the top 50 in the global leaderboard. Not even my place as number 1 in Adelaide seemed secure, with user @whittie close on my heels. On this day I had planned yet another expedition with my sister to go to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, but alas these plans weren’t able to go through. I spent the morning frustrated, devising ways I could seek personal revenge against Stephen for usurping my throne, when my dad, seeing me in my distraught state, offered to take me to Belair National Park in the evening for one last expedition. Of course I took him up on that offer, spirits renewed, and for two hours he and I walked through the park, us both scanning bushes and trees for invertebrates and keeping our ears out for birds and other organisms. I Observed a whole range of plants, including beautiful natives and pesky invasives, tall trees and spongy mosses, and fauna ranging from adorable little weevils, brightly coloured flies, large bull ants equipped with intimidating mandibles, and spindly orbweavers, to waterfowl and a mob of Western Grey Kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) with little joeys. But the highlights for me were certainly the gang of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita) and Little Corellas (Cacatua sanguinea) who seemed to have no fear for my dad and I. Using my binoculars, I took many beautiful photos of these birds as they dangled and fed right above us, practically posing for the camera, including these brilliant photos of a Little Corella with a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo just behind it.
Over the course of these four days, I observed a total of 407 different organisms, from a variety of habitats and life strategies, covering at least 128 species. In reality, the species number would be much higher, but we need the help of other users to narrow down our Observations to the species level. I managed to hold onto my spot as the number one Observer in Adelaide, but across the continents I had been kicked down to 83rd place. The Great Southern BioBlitz is such a fun event, and helps us to realise the wealth of beauty and wonder that surrounds us all at every day of our lives, with the added benefit of capturing that beauty and wonder and upload it to a global, free database that can contribute to real conservation efforts and develop our understanding of ecology.
I’m a teenager—well, I was at the time of the GSB—who can’t drive, has no fancy cameras beyond the one built into my phone, and with very rudimentary knowledge when it comes to identification of anything that isn’t local butterflies or birds, and yet I was able to be the number one Observer in my city for this event!
And maybe, one day, I WILL defeat you, Saltmarshsteve...
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