Port Phillip region nature calendar
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Melbournes warmest average month 25.9ºC
Melbournes sunniest days: Average 9 sunshine hours
Melbournes least humid month 3pm Av 47%
Blue Bubbler (Catostylus mosaicus) jellyfish bloom starts, continues to June - peak Feb-May [dry, warm, still weather is favourable for bloom]
FEBRUARY
Melbournes driest month: Median 32.6mm
Melbournes fewest cloudy days, Av: 9.7 days
Melbourne's warmest average day of the year Feb 7 Av: 27.0ºC Median: 25.4ºC
Bay's warmest sea surface temperature month
Pick tomatoes!
Albacore Tuna in Bass Strait (till April)
Australasian Gannets leave Bay
Coast Banksia (banksia integrifolia ) begins flowering
MARCH
Bay temperature peaks Feb 27-March 1 (22ºC)
Southern Bluefin Tuna in Bass Strait (till July)
Mushrooms and Fungi start to appear (till July)
APRIL
Autumn peak of ocean wave consistency (to May)
Calamari (till August)
Migrating wading shore birds depart for Northern Hemisphere
Short finned eels (Anguilla australis) move from creeks to Bay - early April full moon (often Easter). e.g., Balcombe estuary Mt Martha
MAY
Melboures cloudiest month: Av 18.1 cloudy days
Last occasional seabreezes
Dominant longsore drift southwards until October (sand accumulates on northern side of headlands/groynes)
Spider Crabs arrive en masse at Rye Pier to moult on the full moon; late May/early July
Coastal White Correa (Correa alba) begins flowering
JUNE
Melbournes most humid month; 3pm Av humidity 63%
Winter northerlies starts
Occasional Southern right whales in Bay during migration along ocean coastline (Jun-Nov); calving at Logans Beach Warrnambool
Albatross arrive near southern end of the Bay
Echidna breeding season starts (till September)
Australian Salmon (till August)
Garfish (till August)
Dolphins more frequent in the north of the bay
Crappy cappuccino milk froth (till Sep) as milk proteins change due to cold season shift from grass to grain fed dairy cattle!
JULY
Melbournes Coldest month av: 13.5ºC
Melbourne's Coldest day, 11 July Av: 12.9ºC Med: 12.9ºC
Australasian Gannets arrive in Bay to breed/fish for pilchards often diving
Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana) starts to bloom
AUGUST
Bay's coldest month
Bay temperature lowest August 14-27 (11ºC)
Melbournes most rain days: average 11
Start of the silver gull (seagull) breeding season (to October)
Little Penguin (Spheniscidae Eudyptula minor) breeding [at St Kilda] commences later in month; peak in November. Feed on anchovies and pilchards at top of bay.
Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) starts to bloom
Ibis breeding season starts
SEPTEMBER
1 September Wattle Day!
Spring and annual peak of ocean wave heights and consistency (August to October)
Winter northerlies come to an end
Coast Tea tree (Leptospermum laevegatum) begins flowering
Magpie swooping season begins!
OCTOBER
First weak seabreezes
Melbournes wettest month: Median 65.7
Peak Pelican breeding on Mud Island
Occasional Snapper
NOVEMBER
Cup Day: plant tomatoes!
Cup Day: Snapper start biting - but really once temps get to 16ºC
Coastal Tea Tree in full bloom
Garfish and Whiting start
Mutton birds (Short Tailed Shearwaters) arrive from Northern Hemisphere looking for food
Migrating shore wading birds arrive from Northern Hemisphere
Blue whales occasionally in Bass Strait (Nov-May)
Australian Fur Seal pups wean and may appear on some beaches in southern parts of the Bay
Dominant longshore drift northwards until April (sand accumulates on southern side of groynes/headlands)
DECEMBER
Peak of the sea breeze season in first weeks
Thunderstorm season (till end of March)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo peak birthing season (but can breed anytime)
Coastal Tea tree in bloom
Hooded Plovers begin breeding on ocean beaches
Dolphins more prevalent in the south of the bay
Yellowtail Kingfish/King George Whiting/Mako Sharks/Flathead (till March)
Gummy Sharks (till April)
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http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/fishing-and-hunting/recreational-fishing/fishing-locations/go-fishing-port-phillip-bay
http://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/7949
http://www.oem.vic.gov.au/Assets/986/1/ChangesontheCoastlineofPPBBookforWeb2011.pdf
http://eol.org/pages/777872/details (kangaroo)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna
https://www.facebook.com/ParksVictoria/posts/704239036302725 (spider crabs)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_dotterel
http://magicseaweed.com/Gunnamatta-Surf-Guide/535/ (wave consistency)
http://content.buoyweather.com/news//news/portland-wave-climate-buoyweather-blog_92589 (portland wave heights)
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/204234/ARI-Technical-Report-206-A-survey-of-colonially-breeding-birds-on-Mud-Islands.pdf (mud island biordlife)
http://frdc.com.au/research/Documents/Final_reports/1999-138-DLD.pdf (blue bubbler jellyfish)
http://www.earthcarestkilda.org.au/get-involved/penguin-research/ (penguins)
http://www.visitmelbourne.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Activities-and-attractions/Nature-and-wildlife/Wildlife-and-zoos/Whale-watching.aspx (whales)
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2003/07/03/2578547.htm (wattles)
eels: http://www.berg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Creek-18.3-June-2014.pdf
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/foragers-find-time-flies-when-youre-having-fungi-20120428-1xruz.html