FW: [canberrabirds] Big Year 2012 Congratulations

["Geoffrey Dabb" <>]

I wish the ACT tickers well and like to hear how they are getting on.  I like to tell visiting birdwatchers “Keen tickers who make a determined effort can get over 200 species in the ACT in a year”, which is now true enough.

 

I have no ACT list myself, whether for a single year or overall.  If I made a best effort to work out an overall list it wouldn’t be all that impressive  -  no more than 230, I’d think.

 

I have a mental list divided into 3 parts –

 

RARITIES I HAVE DEFINITELY SEEN IN ACT eg

 

Avocet

Black-eared Cuckoo

Black-chinned Honeyeater

Little Egret

Musk Lorikeet

Black Kite

Pectoral Sandpiper

Long-toed Stint

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Diamond Dove

Both Babblers

 

Then there are SPECIES I KNOW I HAVE NOT SEEN IN THE ACT

 

Grey Falcon

Any buttonquail other than Painted

Letter-winged Kite

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Chestnut-rumped Thornbill

 

Then there are a few species I have certainly seen around the general area, but I really can’t remember whether in the actual ACT –

 

Red-backed Kingfisher

Black Falcon

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Fork-tailed Swift

Turquoise Parrot

 

Then there is the problem of escapes and their descendants and individuals ambiguous in that regard

 

Zebra Finch

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo

Budgerigar

Emu

Cockatiel (not seen by me in ACT)

 

And the problem of ferals, particularly established ones

 

Peafowl

Guineafowl

Ducks mallard XX

Muscovy XX

Domestic geese

 

Best wishes to anyone doing a list for 2013, at whatever level

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Tuesday, 1 January 2013 9:09 AM
To: 'Scott Ryan';
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Big Year 2012 Congratulations

 

G’day Scott and all,

 

Do you know what Brendan’s “top” species were?

 

Just out of curiosity, are there any rules or “governing bodies” that vet records for these sorts of exercises or is the whole thing done on “trust”? I know when I have done “twitchathons” that there are rules to be followed, and that teams I have been in have followed these rules completely. Does anyone know what the OFFICIAL record is for the ACT, where records of vagrants etc have been through the rarities committee?

 

So far my ACT 2013 list is ............... Australian Magpie and Pied Currawong but I did sleep in this morning – I can hear a Common Blackbird calling, does that count?. That’s 208 (207 with the blackbird) to go to beat Brendan ....!!!

 

Happy New Year all,

Mark

 

From: Scott Ryan
Sent: Tuesday, 1 January 2013 7:42 AM
To: m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");">
Subject: [canberrabirds] Big Year 2012 Congratulations

 

Happy New Year, Canberra Birders!!

 

Just a quick note to say a big congratulations to Brendan Sheean on his first crack at an ACT 'Big Year'.

 

I believe his final tally was 209, a very impressive total, & I believe second only to Milburn for the year.

 

Well done to all & happy birding for 2013. Lets hope this year may bring us some rarities again :-)

 

Scott Ryan