Wilinggin–West Kimberley expedition

The Bush Blitz team has just returned from another successful expedition. From 18 to 28 July 2022, we investigated what lives in a remote part of Western Australia, approximately 500 km east of Broome.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Wilinggin Country, the Ngarinyin People, who gave the team a Welcome to Country, and thank the managers of the 3 properties we visited for their cooperation:

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary, managed by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) – also the location of base camp;
Parts of the Wilinggin Indigenous Protected Area that wrap around the western, northern and eastern boundaries of the Sanctuary, managed by Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation;
Wunaamin Conservation Park, managed by WA Parks and Wildlife Service

Staff from these 3 organisations, plus Wilinggin Traditional Owners and rangers, worked alongside our scientists to discover an amazing array of plants and animals. Scientists on this expedition came from the Western Australian Museum, Western Australian Herbarium, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the South Australian Museum, the University of Adelaide, Queensland Museum and the University of New South Wales.

WA Museum scientist Rod Eastwood was impressed with Wunggurr Ranger Logan Umbagai's skill catching a tiny Pale Pea-blue butterfly (Catochrysops panormus), that had previously eluded Rod.

Among the interesting findings are 7 pseudoscorpion species that are believed to be new to science. Congratulations to Dr Mark Harvey, Head of Department and Curator (Arachnids and Myriapods) from WA Museum. The discovery of important indicator species such as pseudoscorpions can help us understand more about Australia’s changing environment and the impact of climate change.

To see other images and videos from the expedition visit our social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. A report summarising findings of the expedition will be available on the Bush Blitz website in 2023.

Posted on August 3, 2022 03:46 AM by bushblitz