Upcoming Events
Join us looking for and learning about all sorts of local native wildlife. Most events are free for members, but please register through TryBooking to let us know you're coming.
Have our events appear on your compatible calendar automatically using our iCal feed: 
Many of our events have limited numbers. If you have to cancel, please let us know. That gives someone on the waitlist a chance to come in your place.
Join Friends of Native Wildlife for a nature walk and survey through Sandringham. We will look for Common Bronzewings, Spinebills and other birds and insects, and you will learn about the bat boxes we have set up for habitat for microbat species. We will finish with a tour of Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary with the expert volunteers who work there.
The walk will be about 3 km on some rough and uneven ground and narrow paths as well as pavement. We walk in all but extreme weather conditions.
Meet at George St Urban Forest entrance opposite Talinga Rd in Sandringham (map) , Melway 77 B12.
Wear: sturdy walking shoes, warm clothing and a hat.
Bring: water, sunscreen and a sense of humour. Binoculars are helpful for spotting birds and keen eyes for close up insects. Hopefully a rain umbrella will not be required.
Children under 16 accompanied by an adult please.
Free for FoNW members.
Limited places available.
Join Friends of Native Wildlife to discover the tiny critters in the Tulip St Pond next to Sandringham Family Leisure Centre.
Waterbugs, or fresh water invertebrates, are small animals found in healthy water. Many are the larval forms of insects we know well in their adult form, like dragonflies. Waterbugs are an important food source for frogs, fish and other animals. The range of waterbug species we find can give a clue about the health of the water: specific species are vulnerable to different types of pollution.
Children accompanied by an adult please.
Free for FoNW members (join here).
Photo: Water Strider (Tenagogerris euphrosyne) by John Tann
Educational Talk with the Bee Man Clancy Lester.
Come along and learn all about native bees/pollinators and how you can look after them in your local area.
Hear from Clancy Lester, a native bee nerd, science communicator, and founder of @BeesandBlossoms.Aus, dedicated to pollinator conservation and public education. Clancy is an ABC Trailblazer, a Wattle Fellowship alumni and is passionate about nature, while creating a love and appreciation for bees and other bugs.
Free community event.
Microbats are everywhere, but they are small and difficult to see. They come out as the sun sets to hunt for insects using echolocation.
Join Friends of Native Wildlife at Cheltenham Park to look for these flying mammals. Wander around with us and our bat detectors as the sun sets. The detector allows us to hear their ultrasonic calls. If you are really lucky, you might even be able to see them flying in the dark.
Come on a guided walk around Rickett's Point with Friends of Native Wildlife, welcome the waders, and experience the variety of marine and bush birds and other wildlife living here.
Come and join us looking on the foreshore for Rakali, our only semi-aquatic mammal besides the platypus.
As the sun sets, these quiet and secretive natives come out looking for food. We'll start the evening with some information about the Rakali, including how to recognise signs they're in the area. Then we'll wander a short distance along the foreshore, trying to catch sight of these elusive mammals.