I've been thrilled to see an increasing number of opportunities for the community to be involved in biodiversity conservation. Like this Sunday 31st October, you could join in an Australia-wide Ibis Census. Or if you live in Western Australia, you could help by listening out for the the White-striped Bat. Or if you live in NSW you can help by taking this Community Wildlife Survey. The opportunities seem endless. There's also ClimateWatch, Earthwatch, Landcare, and Conservation Volunteers Australia. You can even become a Scientist for a day or help conserve Sydney Harbour National Park’s flora and fauna. A team of... Read more →

My third once in a lifetime sight was a mermaid! Can you see her? I can totally understand how lonely sailors dreamt up the Mermaid myth after spotting Dugongs. I’ve long been fascinated by Dugongs (sometimes called Sea Cows, or even the unflattering Sea Pig), so as soon as we knew we were going to Shark Bay I booked tickets on the eco-friendly 'Shotover' in the hope that I got to see a Dugong. We were so lucky - we saw dozens of Dugongs! Dugongs are listed globally as vulnerable to extinction and are also protected in Australia. The Sea... Read more →

My second 'once in a lifetime' sight from our recent western australian trip was Shell Beach, Shark Bay. I've dreamt of visiting this beach made entirely of shells since I was a child. It’s apparently one of only two such shell beaches in the world. It didn't disappoint. Not only is this one very pretty beach, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Feral Proof Fence of Project Eden runs through it. The fence excludes feral animals such as foxes and feral cats, making the Peron Peninsula a safe haven for numerous threatened species, including the Bilby, which are being... Read more →

Hello. I’ve quickly popped into this neglected space to explain its neglect. Regular readers will know I’ve been focusing on finding balance in my life. I’m determined to live a busy life, but to do it slowly. Does that make sense? Work has been a little hectic recently. But that’s good. My job seemed to become less important to me when Little Eco was born. Before her, threatened species conservation was my life. But once she came along I felt like I needed to focus on our home and our community. It’s taken at least three years, but I finally... Read more →

Little Eco and I were delighted to be greeted by this sweet little face when we investigated some rustling in our Banana plants this afternoon. How can I be annoyed that almost all our bananas have been gobbled up when the thief is this cute? It's a threatened Grey-Headed Flying-fox. As you can see, she (or he?) is sadly a little injured. Flying-foxes are social animals and they roost together. It was still daylight and she was alone - not a good sign. After looking closer at the photograph and seeing the injuries I went back out to take a... Read more →