I finished reading Ballara when we returned home. When reading about the climate, geology and biology of the property, I was transported back to my High Science lessons. Your explanations were clearly written, not too technical.
My heartfelt congratulations to you on the publication of your book, Ballara! It is a fascinating and well written volume.
A meticulous and expertly crafted journey of discovery, drawing a plethora of threads into a rich tapestry. Such an artful and meticulous distillation of thousands of hours of 'hard graft'. Generous acknowledgement of significant individuals and their work, THROUGHOUT the text. Refreshing. Finally, linking La Nina and the SOI to your recorded data was a masterstroke.
An amazing achievement and a fascinating, well-written book. Interesting to read about Stephen and his dedication to ornithology and to get an insight into your backgrounds and motivations. And to understand the complexities of the study.
I wasn't sure how I would cope with a book on bird watching but picked it up and never put it down. I became immersed in the natural history of our area. The geology I found fascinating and the explanation for metamorphic rocks at Guerrilla Bay which is now in the middle of a tectonic plate and were once 5km underground mind-blowing. Even the settlement of Moruya was interesting because you know the families. Probably the most impressive feature was the team effort and commitment necessary to obtain and analyse so much data.
I have to say, you've quite blown me away! It's a terrific read, I sat up with it until midnight last night. I'd just like to congratulate you, first on your extraordinary achievements over such a long period, and second on the book. What an amazing life Stephen had, I would love to have met him. But for you to take up where he left off, and to follow the work with such tenacity and dedication. Then there was your ENSO and SOI moment. Amazing! For me, the ending was very poignant in that you had both virtually reached the end of your tether, well satisfied with how much you had achieved, yet knowing there was even more to be done in the future.
I have just finished reading Ballara and I must say you have produced a remarkably interesting piece of work that (much to my surprise) I found quite easy to read and which held my attention throughout.
Congratulations - it's a great achievement, not only for you and Stephen to have carried out such an amazing study but also to have written it up in such a rich and informative way. Stephen would be pleased I think as you both should be. The SOI story in particular is quite extraordinary. The implication that the bird community hasn't recovered from disturbance even after 125 years is confronting in terms of what's required to sustain land and biodiversity, even if not surprising.
Well I thoroughly enjoyed reading your account of the fieldwork and the ground breaking SOI connection on breeding patterns at Ballara. I have now read every page, and what an achievement ! It should inspire any budding naturalist. I feel privileged to have been given a tour of the 10hectares by Stephen back in the 80s and your efforts to bring his work to relevance and perspective with all that data, plus your extensive records must have been such a painstaking effort. You did well to keep it to a manageable size.
