Hi Everyone,
The thread on twitching came at the same time as a request from a birding
friend for a snippet about my first sighting of a Common Sandpiper. I think
it's worth sharing with you.
When people say to me apologetically that they are "just beginners", I look
upon them not with pity or superiority, but with envy. Read on.
"
> I'm looking forward to receiving your paragraph (or two) surrounding your
> discovery of the Common Sandpiper.
The Common Sandpiper occurred at Buckley's Hole in the early years of my
birdwatching career. In those days the local bird group used to have a term,
"doing a Jill Dening", because of my unrestrained excitement whenever I
would see a new bird. No doubt on that day I did a Jill Dening, because all
I can recall about the event was my excitement, and a small, brown bird
teetering at the other side of the lagoon on the exposed mud. I can't even
be sure who was with me, but I believe it was the late Bev Durrant. As I
recall this event, I am reminded how wonderful it was to be a beginner
birdwatcher, with one exciting sighting after another for years."
So if you're a beginner lurking there in the shadows of birding-aus, make
sure you enjoy every new sighting to the hilt, because after you've seen a
lot, you can never do all that again, you have to go on to other aspects of
birding to get your highs. The first can only happen once.
Cheers,
Jill
--
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Qld
26º 51' 152º 56'
Ph (07) 5494 0994
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