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A group of birdwatchers arriving at a nature reserve on the New South Wales Mid North Coast has spotted one of the country's rarest birds before even leaving the car park.

The group had just got to Jolly Nose Mountain Bike Park in the Queens Lake Nature Reserve recently, when an eagle-eyed twitcher spotted a critically endangered regent honeyeater.

According to BirdLife Australia, there have only been five reports of the bird in the Port Macquarie area in the past decade.

Hastings Birdwatchers conservation officer Peter West was one of the few people among the group of about 20 who had seen the species before.

A Conservation-Bred Regent Honeyeater and Chick
(Supplied: Lachlan Hall)

"We got out of the car and the first thing someone said was, 'There's a regent honeyeater,'" Mr West said.

"To be honest I didn't believe they were telling me the truth, but it was true.

"The lady who organised the morning had a plan, which went out the window, and I don't think we got very far from the car park at all."

Mr West said they saw two regent honeyeaters in the reserve south of Port Macquarie, feeding with other types of honeyeaters in the trees.…

ONE OF THE VERY BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR CHILDREN - Especially an Only Child - IS LET THEM HAVE TIME OUTDOORS. LET THEM EXPLORE. NATURE IS GOOD FOR THEM - NOT SO MUCH TECH. TOO MUCH TECH IS BAD FOR THEM. IT'S ACTUALLY COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. ESPECIALLY TO THEIR IMAGINATIONS. SO CONSIDER INTRODUCING THEM TO SIMPLE DISCOVERIES OUTDOORS HEY?

Kids NEED To Explore - Don't Limit Their Imagination

Children’s Indoor Lifestyle Stunts Their Imagination
Sydney Morning Herald

The way we have allowed our housing market to develop means that most of our new our homes are extraordinarily close together (“Ban kids from social, but what will they do outside?”, September 14). They are designed to look inwards; there is no scope for seeing wider horizons. And with this comes a tendency for a narrowness of imagination and vision. This means that Daisy Turnbull’s point is well made. Where are the backyards to play in? Where are the creeks to dam? Where are the places to cycle to? It would be nice to think we can turn this around, but for many this will not be possible.
Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls

Daisy Turnbull manages to capture the plight of many of our children and their use of free time.…

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By Janet Vargas - Independent Natural Health Research 30+ Yrs

Like someone so rightly said: Oats are Naturally Processed, Oats are OATS. 100% No Preservatives, No Additives, No Colourings. They are Uncomplicated REAL Food that Nourishes with “NO Extras” Frugal Food, Cheap to Buy!

And you can add whatever you like – you know what’s in there.

So if you’re going to “Cut things on the Budget” don’t downsize on Healthy Nutritious Meals, cut out those Sugar Laden and Artificially Coloured Ultra-Processed devitalised “Cereals” those Con Artists charge you the Earth for instead.

What an Absolute RIP-OFF and you’re taking them home, one after the other, Friends? And half the time, it’s because you weren’t brought up with OATS wonderful Oats OR your Kids have been Targeted by the Cunning guise of those Shrewd Manufacturers. Yes, they deliberately target your Kids with those endless Ads (so many rounds a day/evening) because they Know they will “Nag You” until they get what they want!

Don’t these Cereals cost a fortune Now? And there’s all manner of Packets for the Grown Ups to be irresistibly drawn to as well – specialty lines with “Nut Clusters” in them, and all the rest of it:)

With a Price to Match.…

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MANY PEOPLE WANT THEIR KIDS TO BE BRAINY OR SUCCESSFUL WHEN THEY GROW UP.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WILL SHOW YOU A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY TO HELP YOUR KIDS THAT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY OVERLOOKED OR EVEN UNDISCOVERED BY MOST PARENTS IN THIS DAY and GENERATION.
I HOPE YOU GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT - IT COULD MAKE A LOT OF DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR CHILDREN. SO MANY PARENTS THESE DAYS, HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP ON HOURS OF TV ETC AND AN ABSCENCE OF NATURE. IT HAS NOT EVEN BEEN CONSIDERED BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE. IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT BACKGROUND TO PASS ON, WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THOSE WHO DO and BRING THEIR KIDS UP THAT WAY. SHALL WE GO?

From Rain Or Shine Mamma

When we think of learning, our mind immediately tends to conjure up images of classrooms, desks and text books. After all, school is the epitome of learning and an institution that most of us send our kids to in order to gain essential skills. But historically speaking, schools are a new phenomenon.

For hundreds of thousands of years, in hunter-gatherer societies, children learned the skills they needed to survive and thrive by playing and exploring on their own.…

EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOOK AFTER THEIR MENTAL HEALTH IN THIS STRESSFUL AGE. THIS BENEFITS OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH AS WELL. MENTAL HEALTH and PHYSICAL HEALTH ARE MORE CLOSELY RELATED THAN WE REALIZE BECAUSE FOR A VERY LONG TIME EVERYTHING WAS THOUGHT OF (and treated) AS SEPARATE BY THE MEDICAL PROFESSION BUT NOT SO BY NATURAL PRACTITIONERS LIKE NATUROPATHS - THEY SEE THINGS AS INTERRELATED. LETS SEE WHAT THIS WRITER FROM Positive.News HAS TO OFFER US, SHALL WE?

1. Move: it’s a mental health super booster

Your mind as well as your body get a mood-boosting workout from physical activity. It releases feelgood endorphins, reduces stress hormones and aids relaxation. Research shows it can be 1.5 times more effective than counselling and medication at managing depression. Short, high intensity exercise works best, but experts say all forms of physical activity are beneficial – and no one’s suggesting you have to sign up to a marathon unless you want to.

“Create opportunities to move,” suggests psychologist and wellness expert Lee Chambers. “Station things further away, park further away from the entrance and take the stairs. Let the blood flow to your brain.”

2. Sleep: don’t sideline the shut-eye

Just as important as physical activity is getting enough rest.…

Modern Agriculture has done us no favors, with it's unnatural methods of Farming.
And bombardment of Chemicals - from NPK Fertilisers to Weedicides and Pesticides, which only become necessary when the Laws of Nature have been violated. Modern Agriculture works against Nature instead of with it. Big Monocrops are bad for the Soil and disruptive to our Ecosystem. believe it or not

This is not Old School Methods which rely on Crop Rotation, preserving Goodness in the Soil by planting different Crops alternately that complement each-other; allowing Crops to be plowed into the Soil after harvest, which
Enriches the Soil with Vital Nutrients instead of stripping it of it's own Nutrition.

YOU WILL DISCOVER IN THIS POST, IN TIMES GONE BY, THERE WAS A VAST ARRAY OF EDIBLE PLANTS
(much more variety) growing than we have available today. the absence of them has really restricted our food choices and also affected the Ecosystem.

Excerpts from 50 Foods For Healthier People And A Healthier Planet

Globally we rely on a small range of foods. This negatively impacts our health and the health of the planet. Seventy-five percent of the global food supply comes from only 12 plant and five animal species.…

By SunnySkyz - Based on Survey!

A new study suggests that frequent gardening may be linked to increased health benefits.

According to the study posted on ScienceDirect, gardening just two or three times a week maximized the benefits of better wellbeing and lower stress levels. Gardening Encourages Family Togetherness, and it Keeps You Company if you live on your own too - I love to do this, my plants are great company. Folks, you don't have to have a lot of Plants to do this!

Benefits Of Gardening - Discover Them

The research explored why residents engaged with gardening and the extent to which they recognized any health benefits from the activity.

A questionnaire was distributed electronically within the UK, with 5,766 gardeners and 249 non-gardeners responding. Data was collated on factors including garden typology, frequency of gardening and individual perceptions of health and well-being.

"This is the first time the 'dose response' to gardening has been tested and the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the more frequently you garden – the greater the health benefits," said Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing fellow and lead author Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui. "In fact gardening every day has the same positive impact on wellbeing than undertaking regular, vigorous exercise like cycling or running.…

From The Guardian Website - Past Edition

Dawn Chorus Day is a good time to celebrate the benefits to mental and physical health of birdsong.
Let us all speak up for protecting the different Species of Birds needing our voice.

A Beautiful Nightingale Photo by National Geographic

When I hear the first willow warbler of the spring, the first cuckoo, or the first booming bittern on my local patch, I feel an enormous sense of comfort and satisfaction. As the poet Ted Hughes wrote about the annual return of swifts, “They’ve made it again, which shows that the globe’s still working…”

It’s International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday 5 May, and this year the RSPB has released a single of birdsong (currentlyat number 11 in the charts) as part of a campaign to draw attention to the situation facing British birdlife. Populations of once-common species such as the house sparrow, starling and swift are falling fast, while the nightingale, turtle dove and grey partridge are rapidly sliding towards extinction in Britain.

Climate change, intensive farming and pollution are just some of the genuinely existential threats to the future of our birds.…

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By Janet Vargas - Owner of this Website

Have you ever had the pleasure of watching Ducks in a Park with a Lake or by a Riverside somewhere? They are friendly little creatures. And they look so Cute, the way they walk with their colorful little web-feet - especially when they congregate close to your feet when you're feeding them.

Practice Care When Feeding Ducks In Parks And Lakes

I've had this experience in a few places through the years (3 Riversides and 3 Parks with artificial Lakes in total). They're such peaceful and happy creatures, and quite friendly, when they get to know you.

There's some things we need to know about Feeding them. And I hope for my little Friend's sake that everyone reads this because in a little Park with a small lake nearby, where I go to have some quiet Nature relaxation, many visitors including myself, like to Feed the Ducks. They welcome the free food that comes their way and get quite excited - pecking and nibbling away:) It's a really nice experience. They're such happy little chappys.

Something came to my attention 5-6 years ago, that Feeding Ducks Bread is actually Not Good for them, and most of the people who feed ducks in the Parks etc give them bread.…

Researchers in Germany have found that a one-hour walk in nature reduces
stress-related brain activity.

The amygdala is the brain region involved in stress processing. It has been shown to be less activated in people who live in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature.

Nature Walks Are Good For Your Brain

However, no study so far has examined the causal effects of natural and urban environments on stress-related brain mechanisms.

"But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be disentangled, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions," says Sonja Sudimac, predoctoral fellow in the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience (LMGEN) and lead author of the study.

To address this question, researchers from LMGEN examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Berlin's Grunewald Forest and a busy city street using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The results of the study revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.…