This is a just a short note to acknowledge the ongoing work of this project's many observers and identifiers. We have now surpassed 3000 observations, and the identification of 500 species now appears within reach. Observations of nocturnal species are likely to achieve that goal.
Here are the basic statistics, as of 21 Feb 2021:
3,347 observations
464 species
208 identifiers
48 observers
When a sighting of a species of conservation concern is made to iNaturalist, its geographical location is automatically generalised. This can result in the record not appearing in projects where it otherwise would. During the development of this project, at least three species of conservation concern have been recorded on or around the Port Noarlunga reef. This post lists those species, and would benefit enormously from any additions you can make.
1) Western blue groper – Achoerodus gouldii (Vulnerable globally, IUCN Red List)
2) Giant Australian cuttlefish – Sepia apama (Near threatened globally, IUCN Red list)
Please leave a comment below if you’ve made an observation of a species of conservation concern in this project area that hasn’t appeared in this project and doesn't yet appear on the list above.
Contributors (myself included) seem to be taking a more targeted approach to reporting sightings now, which has seen our species count shoot past 350 species in the past few weeks. A special mention is due for @mtank for his recent interest in small intertidal organisms... and to @cobaltducks for his wonderful shots of Onkaparinga bird life.
While @mtank has done some good work with the identification of some ascidians and sponges, more work needs to be done on both fronts. In terms of discovery, nocturnal animals remain a priority for anyone in possession of a decent dive torch (or two) and a full length wetsuit!
Project coverage geographically is greatly improved on last year, with more sightings now in from the outer wall of the barrier reef and southern section. There will inevitably be some wildcard rewards for those swimming out to the reef over sandy bottom, as those habitats don't tend to attract much attention (though they still support life).
An extra special nod goes to any members who made project contributions during the City Nature Challenge, April 24-27... your records have already been swept up by that collection project and will be showcased in that time-locked project for posterity.
Keep up the good work!
Hello fellow observers and identifiers! If you've been watching this project grow in 2020, you might have noticed that we have shot past 2000 observations now, and are creeping towards 350 species (we're at 343 today). My own sighting contributions have slowed, as I now focus on sharing observations of less commonly reported species only, or observations where the image quality is higher than existing records for a species (in the project).
I've also been doing some desktop admin on iNat's database, most recently adding a number of common names to invertebrate species which appear in the project to make it more user-friendly to newcomers. These have mostly been common names for some ascidians and molluscs. More work remains to be done on this front, but you'll now see as you scroll down the species list that many more species have a common names in place.
Species recently added to the project have come from a range of taxa, from small crustaceans (nod to @mtank ) to some more conspicuous invertebrates (like Pentagonaster duebeni, or as I like to call it, the bath-toy sea star) and a large barnacle, and even some fishes. The white-barred boxfish had me scratching my head, as it had some features common to Shaw's cowfish, but I eventually solved the riddle and identified it. It's interesting to note that the white-barred boxfish is one of a few species found at Edithburgh that have also been observed at Port Noarlunga, but no further north in Gulf St Vincent.
Our collective coverage of the project area has improved greatly in the past six months, and I wish to thank you all for your many and varied contributions, as always.
The Port Noarlunga project is charging ahead, and just today leaped past our 300 species milestone. The leap followed a substantial extension of the boundary of the "Onkaparinga river estuary"... one of the two "Places" that combine to form the total project area. The extension captured for the first time, observations made from beyond Port Noarlunga proper, including the wetlands, banks and oxbows of the river, all the way up to Old Noarlunga. Taxa include fishes, birds and marine invertebrates.
Anyone would be forgiven for thinking at a glance that the boundary extension was a case of boundary creep gone mad, but the decision to extend upstream was carefully considered. Firstly, I sought local knowledge about the extent of saltwater infiltration upstream, and was told that the salt water reached as far as Old Noarlunga. I tested this by making several visits, where I observed barnacles, mussels and sea snails living in the intertidal zone, and tasted the water and determined that it was indeed closer to sea water than fresh. I then referred to a recently-acquired book entitled "Port Noarlunga - An endearing coastal town 1840-1998" by Lisa Martella, which states that "the Onkaparinga estuary extends 10.5 kms inland from the sea at Port Noarlunga to a deep pool or oxbow lagoon adjacent to Old Noarlunga township."
Meanwhile, the recent spell of hot weather is making night snorkeling ever more appealing, though explorers need to be mindful of Jimbles (box jellyfish) which feed at night near the water's surface, typically over sandy bottom. Dropping onto the reef from the jetty is a good strategy for avoiding these, or entering the water from the jetty's midway stairs. The seaward end set of stairs that was lost in a storm in late 2018 is due for replacement in February 2020.
Personal highlights among recent observations and identifications include @cobaltducks records of various birds upstream, a delightful encounter with a Western blue groper on the northern outer wall of the reef (still awaiting uploading), and a nocturnal sighting of a Cobbler wobbegong made on the inshore limestone shelfing reef. Special thanks also go to @marinejanine for digging through her archives and adding a few more invertebrates to our ever-growing catalog of local life.
Yesterday the Port Noarlunga project shot past another milestone: 1500 observations! The most recent batch was a set of photographs I took back in 2015 when I was just a very occasional visitor to the reef. On closer inspection of the images, I found a couple of nice surprises... one was a St Vincent's nudibranch crawling onto a Euryspongia sp. sponge, and the other was a Dusky morwong with what looks like a Western cleaner clingfish attached to its flank... probably providing the service it's named after.
In terms of exploration effort, you'll see some more data points have been added for the reef's southern section, and there are more to come. The southern section of reef is rewarding to explore, particularly for a snorkeler, as it is generally shallower than the northern section (as one might expect, being nearer to the mouth of a river). If the depth profile has changed in recent times, it would be worth investigating flooding events to cast possibilities about the timing of major silt-dumps.
The main frontiers as I see ahead for exploration and discovery on the reef now would appear to be nocturnal (many otherwise rarely seen crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms become active at night).. and sightings from the deeper, darker grottos of reef wall. The reef's boulderous structure creates a multitude of shaded areas of various size, many of which would require a diver to access, and ideally, nice bright video lights (given than the northern section of reef can b 7m+ to seabed).
Our species count has gradually increased to 274, with sponges and alga being the least resolved groups. Another great thrill of the week past was the observation of a sub-adult Western blue groper (possibly two similar aged individuals, or one individual observed twice) on the outer wall of the reef, south of the jetty. As you're probably well aware, these are slow-growing, site-attached fish that are protected by "no take" status in both SA gulfs to aid their recovery.
Thanks to everyone for their contributions to their project, including all the taxonomic discussions as we try to make sense of the less studied (in recent times at least) groups of organisms.
As the diving/snorkeling season is now upon us, I'm thrilled to see a wave of new observations added to the project area.
Special thanks must be given to @davemmdave for his keen eye for detail and making uncommon sightings... his recent visit to Port Noarlunga is a reminder of the power of a new perspective and pair of eyes! I'd also like to acknowledge @hfb for her assistance with algae identification from the USA, and @mtank for his work trying to make sense of that poorly studied group: ascidians.
Sponge, algae and ascidian identifications remain problematic, but represent a significant proportion of the biota of the project area. This area is ripe for private study and expert assistance.
Our geographical coverage of the project area continues to improve, with the largest data gap now being the southern section of reef which lies beyond the path of most divers who visit the area. This can be accessed from shore, but not easily by weak swimmers, as the round trip would likely involve a swim distance of roughly a kilometre, much of which is over uninspiring sandy bottom.
Thanks to everyone who's participated in sharing their observations and identifications to date... this project is streaks in front of any other on the Onkaparinga coast, with the exception of Aldinga Bay (which is competing on species count). The Aldinga Bay project does cover a much larger geographical area, but is also fortunate to receive regular contributions from the keen eyes of @wamoz .
If you'd like to see how sighting data is accumulating across the Onkaparinga region, check out this project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/onkaparinga-coastal-projects
Another project milestone has just been reached... 200 species!
Our 200th and 201st species to be added to the project were Pycnoclavella sp. (a colonial ascidian) and Caulerpa flexilis (Fern caluerpa), both found in the southern section of the barrier reef by snorkeling out from shore.
I've been exploring these areas recently to gain an impression of the structure of the reef there and to make new flora and fauna observations for the project. I would encourage any other keen participants to broaden their horizons and help us fill some of the many data gaps by exploring these and other less visited areas of Port Noarlunga's waters.
Another excellent way to improve your chances of bolstering the project's species count is to explore at night, when nocturnal species become active and if we're lucky, give us a chance to photograph them.
2019 is off to a flying start here at the Port Noarlunga iNat project. We just recorded our 150th species, following some nocturnal observations made by myself ( @danimations ) in the Onkaparinga estuary. The highlight of the late night snorkeling session was this encounter with a small group of very active pipefish.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19386188
Only 11 observers have contributed to the project to date, and we'd love to see this number increase. Port Noarlunga is a hugely popular place for beachcombing, snorkeling and aquatics... there must be plenty of potential contributors who would love to participate in the year ahead!
Thanks for all your contributions in 2018, and please help spread the word to help this project blossom.
