Hi Peter et al.,
Yes, I should have mentioned that about sand country and gibber- it heats up
faster than other habitats and reaches higher overall temps. Desert rivers,
gorges and to an extent Mulga woodland tend to be comparatively cooler and
facilitate birding up to the 11am cut-off. A good bit of fieldcraft in summer
is thinking-through where the birds will be on warm mornings: no point looking
for Eyrean Grasswrens on the sunward side of a dune! Of course weather can
always go the other way too- you occasionally get those freak overcast days
where the temps don't get over 30 all day- they are solid gold. Basic rule of
thumb is when its too hot for you, its usually to hot for the birds too!
To make the water drinking easier I strongly recomend a water bladder with a
hose such as 'camelback' or 'source' which either come in their own backpack or
you can fit inside your usual bag or scope tripod pack. These allow you to
carry up to 3 litres easily and allow you to sip it gradually as you go- your
body cannot absorb more than (roughly) 250ml every 15 mins so if you drink your
litre for the hour all at once at the end of the 60 mins not only will you feel
queer, you will pee out 3/4 of it and still be dehydrated anyway! Camelback do
military-grade insulated 3litre bladders under the 'maximum gear' label- a bit
expensive but worth every penny.
Mark Carter
0447358045
www.desertlife.com.au
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