In response to poor Philip Veerman, and those trying
to re-educate him in the ways of pelagics:
It's been said that these trips aren't for the
beginner. Having said that, we've all got to start
somewhere, and no matter how many birds you've seen on
dry land, nothing prepares you for seabirds. Light
conditions and the constant movement of the boat, not
to mention the difficulties of identifying many of the
birds themselves, present a constant challenge to even
the very best observers. So there really is no
substitute for first-hand experience, and then
practice. I've been coming out on boats for 12 years
now, and it's taken about that long to build up some
degree of proficiency.
But, as has also been noted, we're not running a TAFE
course here. These are trips for the seabird
enthusiast, organised and "led" (in the loosest
possible sense) by other seabird enthusiasts. Sadly,
we don't see as many new birds as the first-timers,
but we keep coming out, because we never know when an
Amsterdam Albatross (or, in my case, a Light-mantled
Sooty) is going to turn up.
On a good day (and there's been plenty of good days
this winter) pelagic trips are a fairly chaotic
affair. I'm happy to take the time to explain the
differences between the various all-dark shearwaters
when the going is slow - for anyone that wants to
know. It becomes harder when you become convinced that
a Magenta Petrel is hiding behind "that wave about 2
o' clock, half-way to the horizon".
Still, I do well remember my first forays out to sea.
And I sympathise with the beginners invariably on each
boat, as they struggle to get to grips with what must
be the most unnerving of birding experiences. I mean,
think about it for a moment, pelagic regulars. They're
asking themselves questions like, what is this thing
called the continental shelf, and will the water be
calmer there? Who are these strange people who seem to
have devoted their waking lives to the study of
"hooded effects" and "foot projection"? And why is the
skipper giving me dark looks every time I peel a
banana?
I'm thinking more and more that a small book needs to
be written specifically about seabirding in Australia.
The field guides are invariably hopeless, yet every
time a new bird is sighted, the novice birder
dutifully thumbs through the pages, wondering why the
bird they just saw does'nt look like any of the
pictures. Hint: they're crap! I've been thinking about
putting something amateurish together myself, that can
be printed up and distributed to needy birders before
each trip, which would be relevant to the season,
location etc.
So Philip, tell your friends not to lose heart. I'm
sure their experience is not uncommon. As for
yourself, it's getting a bit late in the year for Cape
Petrels, although there's been SO MANY this past
winter that I daresay you may still see a few
late-goers if you join us on a boat within the next
month. Failing that, you'll just have to wait 'til
next winter. Hopefully it'll be just as good as this
one.
I had to chuckle at Hazel's suggestion that there
should be an assessment form, though. And what with
all that spray flying, waves bucking, people vomiting
and the general hubbub, who can blame the poor dear
for failing to tell the difference between an
albatross and a storm-petrel?
To paraphrase a soon-to-be-late political leader,
seabirds f###### rule. See you on the Sandra K.
Andrew Stafford
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