Special Interest Groups
The club currently has two special interest groups.
Botany Group
The Botany Group was established in 1994 for members keen to further their skills in plant and fungi identification and the science of botany. It usually meets on the Saturday following the monthly general excursion, either in the field or in a member’s home for study of species identification or of botanical topics such as plant taxonomy. The group maintains an extensive club database of plant lists, and conducts survey work to provide plant lists for community groups. In recent years, members actively participated in an extensive program of survey work in Wilsons Promontory NP to monitor the long-term effects of fire on the park’s plant communities.
If you enjoy seeing and learning about plants and fungi, having a day out in the bush, and the company of a friendly group of people, please join us.
Botany meetings or field trips generally start at 10:00 am.
What to bring: Morning tea/nibbles, lunch, chair, sunscreen, insect repellent, water and a hand lens if you have one.
If you have books or other resources that are relevant to the subject of the meeting, please take them with you as we often try to identify specimens in the field or during the lunch break.
The annual program of group activities for the Botany Group can be found here.
Bird Group
The Bird Group meets at least once a month from February to December at various good birding sites. Experienced bird watchers lead the group, but no experience is necessary to take part. All folk who like to look at birds and learn more about their behavior are welcome.
We usually bring lunch and may continue observing at the same or another location in the afternoon.
The group also does surveys where we count and record how many birds are seen. Every three months we do a bird count at Morwell Bridge next to the original course of the Morwell River, at a site closed to the general public.
Our annual four-day bird count at the end of November surveys at least ten sites around the Latrobe Valley.
All sessions start at 9.00a.m. unless otherwise shown.
What to bring: Morning tea/nibbles, lunch, chair, sunscreen, insect repellent, water and binoculars. When we visit industrial sites, you need to wear long pants and boots or gaiters. In 2023 these are our EA Wetlands survey days and any visits to water treatment plants.
The group has a telescope which is brought to sites when potentially useful.
No Excursions on Code Red or Catastrophic Fire Danger Days. Check with the leader if the forecast is very bad (eg. high winds, extreme heat or cold, heavy rain creating dangerous conditions) as the day may be cancelled.
The annual program of group activities for the bird group can be found here.