Sunlit Australian eucalyptus woodland with dry bark and leaf litter shelter on the forest floor, natural daytime illumination.
Sunlit Australian eucalyptus woodland with dry bark and leaf litter shelter on the forest floor, natural daytime illumination.
Dense eucalyptus canopy view representing forest habitat survey areas in soft morning atmosphere.
Dense eucalyptus canopy view representing forest habitat survey areas in soft morning atmosphere.
Quiet Australian woodland glade featuring hollow logs, dry grass, and native bushland foliage.
Quiet Australian woodland glade featuring hollow logs, dry grass, and native bushland foliage.
Explore Project ECHIDNA
Discover Needles in a Haystack

— 19 July each year

— Brisbane · Friday 4 Dec. 2026

/ For Children, Families & Schools

World Echidna Day

Project ECHIDNA Workshop

Needles in a Haystack

A day to learn about echidnas and the places they call home. We are bringing together the story, community interest and conservation work under one invitation: Learn something.

Contribute something.

Protect something.

Nature Drones is planning a workshop to bring together people interested in echidnas, habitat, community observations and practical ways to investigate them. Field knowledge, thermal imaging and drones/UAS will be part of the conversation. Programme, venue and participation details will be shared when confirmed.

An illustrated echidna mystery is in development. Become the fifth Echidna Detective, follow the clues with four young investigators and discover why protecting the “haystack” matters.

—  Friday 4 December 2026 · Brisbane + online —

Project ECHIDNA (Drones) Collaboration Workshop

Echidnas can be detected with thermal drones. We now need to understand when and why detection works, what surveys miss, and how to develop a practical, repeatable method.

Bring together drone operators, echidna researchers, conservation practitioners, Traditional Custodians and people with local field knowledge to compare evidence and shape the next trials.

Workshop Highlights

Field Knowledge

Evidence Review

Useful Applications

Hands-on analysis of thermal signature logs recorded across dry eucalyptus forest habitats.

Practitioners share ground-truth observations, flight path constraints, and canopy navigation insights from ongoing bushland surveys.

Collaborative review of raw thermal drone footage to establish confidence thresholds and reduce false positive fauna detections.

Designing standardized aerial protocols that regional conservancies and land managers can deploy immediately in the field.

4 December

Primary Detection Spectrum