Have you see an endangered species in the wild? Would you like to keep native bees? How many birds come to your garden?
Join us and learn about our local native species – whether it’s enjoying wildlife encounters in your own garden or helping save threatened species in the bigger backyard of Port Stephens.
Close Encounters of the Bird Kind!
How many people reading this have been swooped by a magpie at this time of year – late winter/early spring? Yes magpie swooping season is upon us – but where I live, there hasn’t been a single incident that I know of. It’s really not that common but when it happens it can be very serious. Read more
Hands up if you feed wild birds in your garden?
Don’t feel guilty – you’re not the only one! At least one in three Australian households feed birds – whether they admit it or not! Perhaps there’s a way that people and wildlife can, and should, co-exist for the benefit of both. Read more
Close Encounters of the Bird Kind!
I heard a loud thud above my head and on looking around, I found a bar-shouldered dove lying on the ground feet in the air. It had crashed into our bathroom window and died almost instantly. Find out how window strikes by birds could and should be avoided. Read more
Citizen Science and the Port Stephens Dolphin Census
Citizen Science and the Port Stephens Dolphin Census By Iain Watt, Marine Parks Association and President EcoNetwork Port Stephens. The Port Stephens dolphin census has not been held since pre-COVID, … Read more
The ancient connection between Eucalypts and Koalas
Eucalypts are extraordinarily ancient – over 100 million years ago these flowering trees existed with the dinosaurs. Koalas are surprisingly ancient too – around 40 million years ago their evolution split from wombats that remain their closest living relative. Read more
Sister Cities to celebrate wetlands connection
The Councils of Port Stephens, Newcastle and Kushiro, Japan, will this year celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Sister Wetlands Agreement. The Port Stephens Sister Cities Committee aims to foster community awareness of, and participation in, the conservation of these crucial wetlands used as habitats for the Latham’s Snipe and other migratory species. Read more
NSW Shark Management Program in Port Stephens
The Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park protects some of the state’s most spectacular and rich marine biodiversity, including shark species. Sharks are a natural part of healthy oceanic and estuarine environments. Read more
Port Stephens – a land formed by fire and ice
Climbing to the top of Tomaree Head you are presented with a stunning view of a range of low hills extending to the north-west, surrounded by coastal lowlands and dunes that extend north and south to the horizon. To understand the geological history of our region, we must first look for current day analogues. Read more
Noisy, dangerous and intrusive – should jet skis be banned in Port Stephens?
As the number of licences for personal water craft (jet ski) increases, so does the number of hoons – not just behaving badly but sometimes endangering the lives of people and wildlife. So is this a case of the actions of a few jet-skiers giving them all a bad name, or … Read more
Update on Council’s Koala Projects
Port Stephens Council Koala Road Strike Project The Port Stephens Drive Koala Road Strike Mitigation Project delivered in partnership with the NSW Koala Program, aims to reduce Koala fatalities along … Read more