2015 End of Year Overview from Jarowair

31st December 2015

END OF YEAR OVERVIEW FROM JAROWAIR

As another New Year approaches, I like to take the time to reflect on our journey over the last 12 months at Jarowair Our Patch. This year seems to have flown by, just like many others, and 

I am grateful that I have taken the time to upload posts on this blog throughout the past year. We are currently approaching the 10 year anniversary of the purchase of our little patch of bushland!  This will be a cause of great celebration - and anyone who knows me well, will realise what a feat it has been for me to continue blogging for 10 years consistently to create this chronological journal of our discoveries at our patch, Jarowair.  I look forward to sharing our 10 year celebration with you all in the coming month.

I must take the time to once again thank the wonderful people who help us with identifying new species of both plants and animals and who happily share their knowledge with us.  We are very blessed to have such a great network of knowledgeable experts. I am also thankful for our 'blog' family who support us with positive comments and feedback and educate us on the findings in their own areas of Australia and internationally. Happy New year to you all and may 2016 bring more discoveries and adventures.

J, B, C & K and the critters

Highlights from 2015 at Jarowair

• Owlet Nightjar Pair nesting in an installed nesting box  
• First sighting of a Small-eyed Snake
• Tawny Frogmouth Pair successfully raise three fledglings
• Powerful Owl torments our resident Bush-tailed Possums
• Masked Lapwings nest here for the first time 
• Jarowair used for 'soft-release' of Common Brushtail Possums in care
• Jarowair featured in the Wildlife Land Trust Newsletter "Wildlife Lands" Issue 16 in November 2015
• New Wildflower Discoveries including Flat Billy Buttons, Native Flax & the beautiful Pale-Grass Lily.

Beyond our patch Highlights from 2015...

• Brendon visited Cape York, with the Bob Irwin Conservation Team on a research and discovery trip in September
• Brendon and I had a weekend away at O'Reillys at Lamington National Park and were blessed to see a Fleay's Barred Frog in the wild!
• I started work on the Indian Myna eradication project with the Toowoomba Branch of Wildlife Queensland in conjunction with the Queensland Murray Darling Committee & Highfields Men's Shed.
• I was invited to meet famous environmental activist Erin Brockovich when she visited Australia and to introduce her to some of our cutest Koalas - what an inspiring passionate woman she is and it was an honour to meet her in person and to have some photos taken with her also.
• We all went to Mission Beach, North Qld for World Cassowary Day 2015
• I had a quick weekend visit to Rockhampton and got to have a little look around
• We visited Ballina in Northern NSW and saw Eastern Rosellas in the wild, visited Cairns, Kuranda and Barron Falls and had a weekend at the Sunshine Coast where we rescued a broadshelled turtle on the way. We went to Lake Broadwater Conservation Park and Bowenville Reserve near Dalby.
• We attended the opening of Stage 1 of the Koala Rehabilitation Centre at Geham, at which Brendon volunteered his time and talents, fundraising and building a massive outdoor enclosure.
• We both volunteered rescuing many koalas, and other wildlife species and ensuring they were passed onto carers and received expert help. I continued volunteering one day a week with local Koala and Wildlife Rescue and have again learnt and experienced a lot. 
• I continued my volunteer work as Group Co-ordinator with the Friends of Rogers Reserve in Highfields and we are looking forward to achieving some of our goals for this remnant patch of bushland in 2016 with the help of Toowoomba Region Council.  
• The Toowoomba Branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland has had a successful year and has hosted guest speakers and attended environmental events in 2015. I have continued on as my role as President and Newsletter Editor/Marketing manager for the following year and look forward to future projects being completed in this positive group of people educating others about the importance of wildlife preservation.
• Our daughter inspired us and educated us on the importance of researching the companies that make personal care products we use, to ensure they aren't tested on animals (or aren't using un-certified palm oil). 

Happy New Year from the Gray Family at "Jarowair"

We look forward to new discoveries and wildlife adventures in 2016!