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Well, my first year of serious birding has ended,
and man what a year it was. The great thing is the next year will be just as
exciting because I will be working 2500km away AT a world famous bird
observatory.
The hightlights
- Seeing a pair of
endangered Hooded Plovers on the tip of the Eyre Peninsula.
- Finding a pair
of Barking Owls at my parent's house. I'd lived there for 14 years and never
ever seen an owl. I visit after having been moved out for a few months and chase
a pair of owls around the neighbourhood and ID them as Barking Owls. My parent's
live about 5-10km from a national park and there is a small reserve down the
road, but still it was VERY surprising to find them there.
- Being surprised by a pair of Tawny Frogmouths
roosting in a burnt out tree at Perry Lakes. I was able to get close
enough to get a good photo with my cheap digital camera.
- Visiting Herdsman
Lake many many times and getting a list of 70+ species for that lake alone.
-
Watching a Buff Banded Rail forage in the mud by the river for 5 minutes or
more. Best look I've ever gotten of a Buffy Rail.
- Going on the CALM camp
down south and surveying around there. I got a bunch of new birds down there
including the long sought after Yellow-Breasted Robin.
- Going on a pelagic
trip out past Rottnest and getting to see loads of Albatrosses and great birds
like Storm Petrels.
- Visiting Lake McLarty, sloshing through water and mud
and getting EIGHTY species in one day! Utterly amazing.
- Visiting people's
properties in York and Pickering Brook and seeing all the awesome birds on
their properties.
Maybe more as I think of them.
Belinda (from Perth)
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