It’s a simple philosophy. The things we share are the things we save. The topics we discuss are the topics we deal with. The ideals we neglect? They fade away.
What would you miss the most, if climate change made it disappear from your favourite natural area? That question is asked in the video above. The question is blunt but needs to be discussed. Why? Because we create the world of tomorrow from the thoughts we share today.
To discover what everybody else would miss, I posted the video on Twitter last week, using the hashtag #IWouldMiss. The wonderful responses are collated below. The messages are not at all gloomy. I read them as a statement of commitment and intent. These are the things we will work to save. Enjoy.
#IWouldMiss – Oceans, Beaches, Rivers and Wetlands
#IWouldMiss the splash of water in a stream riffle @IanLuntEcology
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Rebecca Lester (@re_lester) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology #Iwouldmiss The coastal wetlands, birdlife and the beach
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Jane Wray (@JanieWray) September 22, 2014
@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara #iwouldmiss how beautiful #Antarctica is right now covered in ice and all its inhabitants
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Dr Vic (@VicMetcalf_NZ) September 24, 2014@IanLuntEcology The sound of a creek trickling through the rainforest #IWouldMiss
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brian dodd (@bushboywhotweet) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology @AndrewCampbell2 the Mary and Kakadu wetlands and Billabongs would have to be up there #IWouldMiss
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Craig Ingram (@CraigIngram6) September 23, 2014
@IanLuntEcology @AndrewCampbell2 Clean water!
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The Legless Lizards (@legless_lizards) September 24, 2014#Iwouldmiss the intricate & colourful world beneath kelp MT @IanLuntEcology What would u most miss if it disappeared? pic.twitter.com/vkRVFqIlI6
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Prof Emma L Johnston (@DrEmmaLJohnston) September 21, 2014The sound of the ocean lulls me to sleep, and the smell of the sea and forest. @IanLuntEcology #Iwouldmiss pic.twitter.com/ytwaye9hxT”
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Vera Horigue (@VeraHorigue) September 23, 2014
@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara All the life in the sand at the beach. It's already less each year.
#FightfortheReef #auspol #climatechange
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MetasYbiLnjAnE (@sYbiLnjAnE) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara rivers in the Jagungal Wilderness, Kosciusko National Park.
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cormac farrell (@jagungal1) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara #iwouldmiss being able to show Miss4 temperate glaciers here
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Dr Vic (@VicMetcalf_NZ) September 24, 2014
#IWouldMiss the smell and sounds of a flooded woodland. The Coolibahs. @IanLuntEcology
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Megan Good (@MeganVeganGood) September 21, 2014@IanLuntEcology #Iwouldmiss the amazing rocks, beaches, foreshore of the Aus coast which will be under water with rising water levels
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Native Seeds Pty Ltd (@NativeSeedsPL) September 22, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara Freshwater. Because it makes everything (and everyone) grow.
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Emma Herd (@emmalherd) September 23, 2014#IWouldMiss – Birds of Many Colors
@IanLuntEcology Definitely the variety of birdsong & bird calls every day: it's the dominant soundscape here.
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Katharine Francis (@KatharineTace) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss the sound of the birds as I walk through the Australian bushland.
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Janet Morris (@Janet_Morris_) September 24, 2014#IWouldMiss the sky filling with restless, migrating honeyeaters in autumn. MT @IanLuntEcology: pic.twitter.com/5sqgBHec9U
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Carol Probets (@carolprobets) September 22, 2014#IWouldMiss Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, and the sound of frogs on warm spring evenings @IanLuntEcology: pic.twitter.com/8HR5vX3ejK
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Carly Monks (@_CarlyMonks) September 22, 2014
@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara #iwouldmiss penguins 'in our backyard' in #christchurch
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Dr Vic (@VicMetcalf_NZ) September 24, 2014@IanLuntEcology Can I say birds generally? They're all fabulous and the easiest way to get interested in wildlife.
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Dayna Andreussi (@daynaa2000) September 21, 2014@D0CT0R_Dave @JanetteMattey @IanLuntEcology Oh this is so sad. For me it's the bird chorus - the shrieking raucous bird chorus we get in Oz.
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Tracy Sorensen (@Squawkingalah) September 19, 2014Then there are things #IAlreadyMiss: 1) a really good dawn chorus not drowned out by Sulphur-crested Cockatoos...@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss
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Carol Probets (@carolprobets) September 22, 2014#IAlreadyMiss: 2) Many of the local Flame Robins @IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss http://t.co/w6alqH3kuw
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Carol Probets (@carolprobets) September 22, 2014Alas, the thing #IWouldMiss the most is the uplifting song of a grey shrike thrush MT @IanLuntEcology pic.twitter.com/gnzLTYmeP9
How about you?
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David M Watson (@D0CT0R_Dave) September 21, 2014#Iwouldmiss the creak of a gang gang cockatoo MT @IanLuntEcology What would u most miss if it disappeared? twitter.com/IanLuntEcology…
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emily nicholson (@n_ylime) September 23, 2014.@IanLuntEcology magpies (Aust) carolling #Iwouldmiss And clouds which I have seen hints may change w/#climate. Do I see changes, I worry...
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Sir John Salmond (@johnsalmond) September 22, 2014
@D0CT0R_Dave @IanLuntEcology I'd miss watching wrens, blue wrens especially, doing their thing, hopping & skipping around the place.
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Phil (@Phil_diCosimo) September 19, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara #IWouldMiss having our pair of resident Wedgetail Eagles watching for prey from our "Grandfather" tree.
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Helen Robertson (@RockyCape1) September 23, 2014#IWouldMiss the smell of the bush & birds singing after rain MT@IanLuntEcology What would u most miss...... pic.twitter.com/Bd6eqXHgZi”
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Bindi Vanzella (@bidgeewidgee) September 22, 2014@IanLuntEcology & #IWouldMiss all the birds & flora that remind me of #birdwatching with my Mum as a kid #bluewren #greythrush #glossodia
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Kate Blood (@BloodyK8) September 25, 2014#IWouldMiss – Healthy, Diverse Ecosystems
The thing #IWouldMiss the most - the variety (and similarity!) of behaviours and interactions of living things. Marvellous. What about you?
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Alan Stenhouse (@alanstenhouse) September 21, 2014. @IanLuntEcology Gondwanan / mesic relics being pushed off the margins of the land and from tops of outcrops and mountains #Iwouldmiss
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Grand Poobah Wagtail (@AngryWagtails) September 25, 2014
@Tim_Beshara @IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss the seasons as we once knew them.
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Alison Fairleigh (@AlisonFairleigh) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara #iwouldmiss Variety. CC bound to make ecosystems simpler.
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Agent Fynbos (@RK_ct) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology #iwouldmiss the beautiful, predictable nature of the changing seasons. Spring currently exploding in Vic!
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Lachie McBurney (@lach26) September 25, 2014#IWouldMiss the patterns and processes that make the area function pic.twitter.com/aGWSmTgYu3 @IanLuntEcology
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Tim Barlow (@TimBarlow3) September 22, 2014
#IWouldMiss photographing the diversity and uniqueness of our natural world MT @IanLuntEcology: What would u miss? pic.twitter.com/WztPmwDLEX
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Aaron Greenville (@AarontheEcolog) September 21, 2014#IWouldMiss – Amazing Critters, Big and Small
@IanLuntEcology Wombats
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Marita Mahony (@snow_gum) September 22, 2014@D0CT0R_Dave @IanLuntEcology our #Leadbeaters possum I think.
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Netty's Cat (@JanetteMattey) September 19, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara That Bogong moths no longer migrated from black soil country in the Darling Downs to the Australian Alps.
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Brent (@agora101) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss natural diversity & subtleties of indig #ecosystems & tiny landscapes within like #bryophytes #smotheredbyweeds
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Kate Blood (@BloodyK8) September 25, 2014
The things that #IWouldMiss would be the thousands that few value, but mostly those that we don't even yet know. @IanLuntEcology
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Nick Porch (@TheNickPorch) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology @DrEmmaLJohnston I would miss the greater glider in Royal National Park
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Gary Schoer (@gary_schoer) September 21, 2014#IWouldMiss seeing alpine lizards basking on sun kissed rocks MT@IanLuntEcology What would you miss?
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Damian Michael (@DrDMichael) September 22, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss Little(fairy) penguins,large lizards of all sorts,many small wildflowers that are almost gone anyway,frogs......
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chris b (@smoketoome) September 22, 2014#IWouldMiss our unique and amazing marsupials pic.twitter.com/1x1DSj2oG3 @IanLuntEcology
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Billy Geary (@billy_geary) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology twitter.com/IanLuntEcology… #IWouldMiss autumn fungi, need sufficient moisture to "fruit". http://t.co/M8xV6Dm8Jn
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Ben Courtice (@bencourtice) September 25, 2014#Iwouldmiss the sound of frogs calling at night. bit.ly/1oVLFO3 @IanLuntEcology
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Jodi Rowley (@jodirowley) September 25, 2014Tough to choose one thing however #IWouldMiss echidnas @IanLuntEcology when i see them it brightens my day twitter.com/IanLuntEcology…”
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Mary Bonet (@UpperLachlan) September 25, 2014#IWouldMiss the silence in rustling leaves & tiny insect dancers RT @IanLuntEcology twitter.com/IanLuntEcology…
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Manu E Saunders (@ManuSaunders) September 21, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tim_Beshara Squirrels!🐭🐾 They can make me laugh,smile and excited every day!
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Debby (@davis5010) September 23, 2014#IWouldMiss – Tall Trees and Colorful Flowers
#Iwouldmiss the leafy Melbourne trees which keep the city cool in summer, but are often lost during drought... http://t.co/NQYn085w70
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Anna Foley (@Anna_Foley_) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology #iwouldmiss the beautiful blue gums flourishing in the fertile soils of South Gippsland. Would not be the same without them
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David McAlpine (@dreamingscience) September 24, 2014@IanLuntEcology we would miss shade and food
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Transitions Festival (@TransitionsFest) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss the few BIG trees that survived the onslaught #strathbogieranges tinyurl.com/o6xfn59 http://t.co/e5jEwQc6mh
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Bertram Lobert (@bertbohosouth) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss oak trees
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Andy Sier (@AndySierUK) September 24, 2014If #ClimateChange made things disappear, the thing #IWouldMiss most is tall grand father trees of the Grampians, reduced 2 ash by #megafires
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Mike Stevens (@bushmanstevo) September 21, 2014#IWouldMiss Blooming colours of flowers in spring. MT What would u most miss if it disappeared? bit.ly/1rr2YfN @IanLuntEcology
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Glenda Wardle (@desert_ecology) September 21, 2014@IanLuntEcology @toolangi3777 @AndrewCampbell2 the tall trees of Toolangi http://t.co/aU8IglSz9D
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Madam De'K (@karenagold) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology Yes, #Iwouldmiss Acacias. So many beautiful spp. http://t.co/lfiRPHgn4I
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Matthew Smith (@smiffy) September 24, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss the grand old red gum paddock trees of western Victoria.
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Andrew Campbell (@AndrewCampbell2) September 23, 2014@IanLuntEcology #iwouldmiss the subtle beauty our native orchids & the moment when you spy the 1st before many 'appear from the background'
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Karyn B (@Karyn_A_B) September 24, 2014@IanLuntEcology
#IWouldMiss the #lovely cool green that surrounds us here @ the foot of The Berkshires, USA. http://t.co/bL346k3rmL
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Healthy-Life Kids (@healthylifekids) September 21, 2014@IanLuntEcology #iwouldmiss my kindred spirits Australian flora; unique, ancient, tenacious. The sunlight through leaves #bliss
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Cath Cooper (@Lomandra) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology @macpcwhiz #IWouldMiss the different aromas of the various gum tree species and the array of birds who inhabit them
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Susan McAlpine (@GoGippy) September 24, 2014#Iwouldmiss (I already miss) saltmarsh - beaded glasswort http://t.co/BrWI9utAgs
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Janet Bolitho (@PortPlaces) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology the overwhelming honey smell of the flowering mintbushes and fringe-mytles.
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Upupa epops (@Theobromaphobe) September 19, 2014#IWouldMiss – Nature’s Cathedral
#Iwouldmiss views of a forested landscape as far as the eye can see, unbroken by human disturbance, as if we were never here @IanLuntEcology
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Louise Durkin (@louisekdurkin) September 25, 2014#iwouldmiss the journey. My favourite natural place is next forest/desert/beach/hill/garden I haven't visited yet. http://t.co/40pKL49xaC
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Matthew Gill (@matthewjohngill) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss the smells of being away from surburbia. Plants. Earth. Life.
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Rads (@KiLeRaD) September 25, 2014#IWouldMiss the fragile but defiant beauty of nature- earmarked for desiccation. http://t.co/eeM3BDg3bo
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Wild About... (@wildaboutsydney) September 25, 2014Great idea @IanLuntEcology 4 me #IWouldMiss The smell of the forest on a hot summers day! pic.twitter.com/8vbR9G9TcM
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John G White (@JWhiteWildlife) September 23, 2014.@IanLuntEcology I would miss walking through the snowy Victorian forests on a cold and sunny winter's day. #Iwouldmiss #climatechange
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Anna Foley (@Anna_Foley_) September 25, 2014#Iwouldmiss peace, serenity and a place to escape from technology! @IanLuntEcology
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Carina Wyborn (@rini_rants) September 24, 2014@IanLuntEcology Negligible human impact & presence - hard to find that in e.g. UK. And #birds 🙂 #LimitsToGrowth
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Dr Alison Mitchell (@DrAliMitchell) September 21, 2014#IWouldMiss the sense of connection with the plants and animals around me & the sense of wonder they awaken in me, @IanLuntEcology
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ShapeOfThingToni (@Toni_Fish) September 21, 2014@IanLuntEcology #IWouldMiss sharing the beauty of the natural world with my children http://t.co/SmUJuYO3D0
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Warren Tomlinson (@WTBotanist) September 23, 2014#IWouldMiss the unique colour palette that changes from dawn to dusk & every day RT @IanLuntEcology pic.twitter.com/y3eM6IILz4
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Manu E Saunders (@ManuSaunders) September 25, 2014@IanLuntEcology (not behalf Tern_AusPlots) #Iwouldmiss the feeling of knowing my surroundings are unaltered by our in/actions, pure nature
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Sally O'Neill (@one_sal) September 22, 2014#IWouldMiss the sounds of the night forest twitter.com/IanLuntEcology… @IanLuntEcology
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x4media (@x4mediaLtd) September 23, 2014#iwouldmiss not knowing what I might see next MT"What would u most miss if it disappeared pic.twitter.com/EsxKCdcgRN" @IanLuntEcology
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Anne Brophy (@BrophyAnne) September 21, 2014
#IWouldMiss that blissful feeling of insignificance from standing in a giant forest or expansive desert... my communion @IanLuntEcology
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Ben Gooden (@GoodenBen) September 21, 2014@IanLuntEcology @Tern_AusPlots Peace and the opportunity that, one day, all will have access to clean air, water and food.
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Linda van Dulst (@lvan61) September 22, 2014#IWouldMiss … Everything!
@IanLuntEcology It's a hard question! I have slept on it and still thinking... there's lots I would miss!
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Ben Courtice (@bencourtice) September 25, 2014What would you miss the most, if it were to vanish from your favorite natural area?
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to everyone who shared their favourite natural things on Twitter. My apologies if I missed any. By the time you read this blog there will, undoubtedly, be more #IWouldMiss tweets on Twitter. I hope this blog encourages even more. The original photo of the red-tailed cockatoos is from Wikipedia and the wren photo is from the web.
The awe of it.
I would miss the dawn chorus of birds and the sound of frogs in a bubbling creek running over stones in a beautiful woodland.
The awe of it? Hi Cathy,e-mail me!
Neville
Vicarious pleasure knowing that pygmy possums still existed even if I cannot see them!
Thanks Cathy, Leslie & Max for adding more wonderful things to the list! Cheers Ian
The wow of my local, urban Flying-fox camp streaming out at dusk
Hi Deb, thanks very much for adding to the amazing list of things everyone would hate to lose. Best wishes Ian
Excellent post Ian – I really enjoyed reading all of these.
Thanks Els, I’m glad you enjoyed them, it was great to be able to collate so many fantastic tweets. Best wishes Ian