Hello – news@csiro is coming to you from Pormpuraaw on the western side of Cape York.

Weather Report: bloody hot and bloody humid.

We are here with a group of CSIRO ecological scientists who are running a couple of projects across the Cape.

Tropical Ecologist Dan Metcalfe and his teams are here to talk with indigenous land and sea rangers about land management issues including scrub burning regimes, invasive species (weeds, pigs and wild cattle) management and vegetation monitoring.

They will also be setting up small animal traps to see what critters are about.

Another team of scientists are going to show a new remote controlled helicopter equipped with video and infrared cameras to take aerial shots of vegetation and monitor what changes may happen over time.

They are also hoping to use it to take a look at crocodiles without getting near snapping jaws.

We have just arrived so will keep you updated during the week.

Below is Dan checking out a fire in scrub just outside Laura.