Participants gathered at Fish Creek on Saturday morning to travel on to the Walkerville area. On a blustery day of scudding showers, the group of by then thirty naturalists inched along the Promontory Views Lookout track, botanising, birding and photographing. In flower were Woolly Xanthosia, Love Creeper, Prickly Moses, Swamp Paperbark, three mat-rushes, Tasman Flax-lily, Pale Sundew, various peas, Common Apple-berry and a patch of Common Bird-orchids.

The view from the lookout revealed the Walkerville lime kilns, Bird Rock, a choppy sea and the Prom misted out. Opposite the track entrance, a slashed block had a plethora of wildflowers: bauera, Pink-bells, heath, xanthosia, beard-heath, budding sun-orchids, leaves of onion-orchids and Purple-flags.

The weather precluded a visit to the main heathlands area, so the group headed to Walkerville North for a cuppa and walk into the caravan park, noting native weed species. Gary Wallis gave a brief overview of the geology of the area. Bird species seen included Sooty Oystercatcher, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Satin Flycatcher, Golden and Rufous Whistlers, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Crimson Rosella, Brown and Striated Thornbills.

Jenny Rejske and Terri Allen

Swamp Paperbark