Wow! Congratulations John! An incredible effort - really well done!
Paul Dodd
Docklands, Victoria - though currently in Costa Rica
Sent from my iPhone
On 31/12/2012, at 7:28 PM, John Weigel <> wrote:
> Thank you Scotty and Dave, it has indeed been a very 'big' year.
>
> Just a quick wrap-up of the final death-throws of the year. I was lucky
> enough to not have latest attempt to fly into Melaleuca from Hobart
> cancelled. That was the good news. The not as good news is that I only saw
> one pair of OBPs, and I couldn't help but wonder what the feeling might be
> like should I visit the site again in say five or then years.
>
> After missing White-throated Nightjar at several well known spots, I decided
> to take the best shot - being well known haunt at Samsonvale Qld in backyard
> of colourful birding identity Tom Tarrant and Marie. Tom and Marie were
> incredibly helpful, and seemingly more determined than myself to ensure
> success. Unlike previous visit a month or so earlier, when rained out, the
> regular suspect WTNJ arrived an hour or so after sunset. Relief.
>
> After putting in a couple of days at home for Christmas, my understanding
> wife allowed one last week for that bad-boy of the wetlands, Australasian
> bittern. Chased it at a range of SA and western Vic hotspots, but of course,
> post-breeding summer is not a time for great expectations. Despite the best
> support and assistance from Mr Bittern of Portland, Vic, Rob Farnes, and Mt
> Gambier birdo Bob Green, I came up with only 'bittern disappointment', giving
> the game away last night with the onset of New Year's fireworks over
> Portland, and a bittern-sweet (sorry, once was enough, I know) end of an
> absolutely unforgettable year. Absolutely exhausted after untold kilometres
> trudged through waist deep swamp. Unfortunately lost I-phone number two for
> the year by forgetting to remove from pocket.
>
> In the end, my year-list count appears to stand at 745. This is two lower
> than the count might have been if I hadn't realised last week that the new
> IOC list shifted the Christmas Is 'Variable' Goshawk back to Brown Gossie,
> and because I reached a decision to not count the Ostriches I sighted at
> Barham NSW - though this is no judgement of anyone who does feel confident of
> the feral status of that population. An additional frustrating reality that
> there were four or five 'almost good enough' sightings that I couldn't quite
> turn into ticks, and another half dozen that I really should have seen (e.g.
> should have nailed A. Bittern in winter). Despite practically joining the
> Navy, there are another four or five pelagic species that I really should
> have seen. But with only three mainland breeding species left unseen (A
> Bittern, Western Ground Parrot and Night Parrot), I take a great deal of
> comfort in knowing that I did give it everything I had in the tank, and then
> some.
>
> Thank you to everyone who helped me out this year. Virtually everyone who
> owns a pair of bins! I'll do my best to thank you all personally over the
> coming days or more likely weeks, when I readjust to normal life. A special
> thankyou is due to my co-worker Tim Faulkner. Without Tim's help there is
> certainly no way my 'Big Year' would have happened, and my species list would
> have been far shorter.
>
> I'll make a priority of getting the blog updated with trip reports for at
> least some of the amazing places and adventures of the past few months, and a
> range of summary stuff, including lists of species and subspecies seen in
> 2012, on both IOC and C & B templates. In the mean time, please accept my
> sincere wish for a wonderful 2013 for everyone on Birding Aus and in the
> wider birding hobby. You are most certainly on the right track.
>
> John Weigel
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