FW: Post card from Brian

["Brian Everingham" <>]

Postcard from Brian

World Environment Day 2005

Saturday, June 5^th was World Environment Day and this year the theme set aside by UNEP was Oceans, Dead or Alive. As the official website states

The World Environment Day theme selected for 2004 is Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive? The theme asks that we make a choice as to how we want to treat the Earth’s seas and oceans. It also calls on each and every one of us to act. Do we want to keep seas and oceans healthy and alive or polluted and dead?

The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2004 will be held in Barcelona, Spain in close collaboration with the Universal Forum of Cultures. UNEP is honoured that the City of Barcelona, the Catalan Regional Government and the Government of Spain will be hosting this important United Nations day.

My little effort to celebrate WED was a little less grandiose. I walked the beaches around Huskisson to the entrance of Moona Moona Creek, looked out over the pristine waters of Jervis Bay Marine National Park and admired the Sooty and Pied        Oystercatchers, the Australasian Gannets and the various Cormorants, terns and gulls plying their way, wondered if ever I could fit back into my wetsuit and dive these waters and just soaked in the winter sunshine.

Earlier that day Faye and I had been up on Barren Grounds Nature Reserve. This wonderful plateau of heath and cliff, rainforest and swamp is a birdwatchers’ paradise and we walked a loop of 20km with binoculars strapped firmly in place and eyes glued for the special species to be found along the way. Well, we did not find the rare Eastern Bristlebird but we sure had a wonderful day. We scared up a Boobook Owl who had hidden itself into a clump pf bracken fern for its roost and somehow had chosen the only patch right next to our footfall. It blinked and looked startled but stayed within eyeshot as long as we wished and we enjoyed a view we rarely see. We also watched and wondered at a flock of 30 or more Gang Gang Cockatoos, the males resplendid in their red combs, at 150 or more Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos, at a confiding and cooperative Pilotbird and at the most wonderful family of Beautiful Firetails we did eve r see.

However all these fell into insignificance when we walked out through the heath and scared up three cooperative Ground Parrots, one of which sat in the open on the path for as long as we wished, and when we also scared in the same vicinity a Collared Sparrowhawk. It flew in front of us, always below the height of the surrounding heath, using the track as a cover, waiting, and at one stage attempting to take a honeyeater on the way. We had its companionship for some distance and just loved its aerial antics.

And one more thing before I enjoy the soft afternoon light here in Engadine, I did actually celebrate WED on the Friday with my class of occasionally willing 13 year old Geographers. We went down to the back gate, looked at a place in the railway lands where there was a sign proclaiming “sensitive environmental area”, drew the acacia pubescens on site, described its location, discussed its threats and conducted role plays. Curiously no-one wanted to be the developer. All preferred the role of lone community conservationist. Maybe there is hope in civics and citizenship courses after all…. Despite the fact that while we were there on site a Rail employee drove through with truck and as he opened the gate we had the temerity to ask him if he knew what the sign on his property meant. He was honest, said no, and did say he probably should be told! Well, at least the sign begins the task of educating the workforce, does it not?

Happy World Environment Day everyone and I hope it has been productive for you as well.

Brian

Brian Everingham

PO Box 269

Engadine

NSW 2233

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0011 61 2 95209341

+0419260236 (mobile)