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The Big Dip

To: Frank O'Connor <>, "" <>
Subject: The Big Dip
From: Charles Hunter <>
Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2014 02:15:26 -0800 (PST)
Hi all,

I have driven to Capertee Valley, NSW 5 times from Sydney to try and see a 
Regent Honeyeater to no avail (always after recent sightings).

About a 400km return trip (so over 2000km in total across 5 trips).

I have also driven to locations (based on  tips on Birdline 
http://www.eremaea.com/) 3 times to locations in the Hunter Valley NSW and 
Western Sydney.

I am yet to see the bird!

That's my biggest "Dip" or is it "bogey bird"?

(It was easier finding a Noisy Scrub-bird at Two Peoples Bay in WA!).

Cheers,
Charles Hunter
Bronte, NSW




On Friday, 3 January 2014 9:04 PM, Frank O'Connor <> wrote:
  

I am sure any twitcher has missed a few.  My biggest are :

1. I recently went to 80 Mile Beach south of Broome and missed the 
Nordmann's Greenshank. This was a WA, Australian and life (in that 
order) dip for me, and a wader which are among my favourite families.
2. I flew to Cairns (from Perth) to go to Cooktown for the 
Slaty-backed Gull but 400mm of rain closed Cooktown.  I was 
successful two weeks later.
3. I have driven to Busselton (~3 hours) and Geraldton (5+ hours) and 
failed to find Grey Heron (in Sean Dooley's big year).  A WA and 
Australian dip.
4. I was helping on the annual February wader count on Rottnest 
Island several years ago, when a Ringed Plover was seen on the count 
near Preston Beach (1+ hours S of Perth).  It was seen again on the 
Sunday, but had gone by early Monday when I tried.  A WA and Australian dip.
5. I drove to Greenough River (5- hours N of Perth) and dipped on the 
Grey Phalarope seen two days earlier. A WA, Australian and life dip.

But then I think of all the successes and think I have been very 
lucky. Fairy Pitta, Red-legged Crake, Sabine's Gull, Semipalmated 
Plover, Red-throated Pipit, Franklin's Gull, Black-tailed Gull, 
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Kelp Gull, Northern Pintail, Eurasian 
Wigeon, Latham's Snipe, Chinese Pond Heron, Rosy Starling, Grey 
Wagtail all in WA.  Laughing Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, American Golden 
Plover, Stilt Sandpiper, South Island Pied Oystercatcher, Northern 
Shoveler, Javan Pond Heron, White (Black-backed) Wagtail, Hudsonian 
Godwit, Forest Wagtail, Grey-headed Lapwing, Tricolored Grebe (Little 
Grebe at the time), Tiger Shrike, Eurasian Teal and Red-billed 
Tropicbird elsewhere in Australia.  And then being lucky to be in the 
right place at the right time for Blue & White Flycatcher, Eurasian 
Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Little Stint, Blue Petrel, Red-rumped 
Swallow, South Polar Skua, White-tailed Tropicbird, Sooty Albatross, 
Grey Petrel, Oriental Reed-warbler, Arctic Warbler, Forest 
Kingfisher, Tricoloured Grebe, Black-naped Tern, Leach's 
Storm-Petrel, White Wagtail all in WA.

Twitching is a very different type of birding.  It teaches you 
patience, being thorough, knowing what you are looking for, learning 
its habits, etc.  Plus you get time to look at all the other species 
while searching for the target, while all the time knowing that it 
may no longer be there ...


_________________________________________________________________
Frank O'Connor           Birding WA http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au/
Phone : (08) 9386 5694              Email :  


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