For me, the thrill of seeing the LBB Gull atop that festering rubbish pile
at the Broome Rubbish Tip on Saturday was more than proportionate to the
difficulty and expense to travel Sydney - Broome - TWICE! My initial trip
unfortunately overlapped with the first-known two or three day absence for
the gull from the tip since its discovery several weeks earlier. George was
incredibly helpful, and together we searched a range of potential Broome
hangouts for it, all to no avail. I spent a second day doing the same, and
returned home on the overnight killer-flight disappointed and a bit
defeated. So I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when George rang me up a
day later with the news that the gull was back at the tip. Unexpectedly the
wife OK'd a second assault, and I was back in Broome two days later. Full of
anticipation, I rang George from the Airport to get the latest intel. He
said that a big storm had hit the night before, and that the gull was
apparently absent from the Tip, and that for the first time, he was a bit
concerned about its whereabouts. Aughh. George met me at the tip ten minutes
later, and despite the usual scavenging flocks of Silver Gulls, Ibises,
Crows and Corellas, NO LBB Gull. I made a lap of the sewage treatment plant,
and various beach and shoreline locations, before returning to the tip late
that afternoon. What a relief to see that big beautiful rubbish-eater mixing
it up with the usual junk-yard scrappers. It's been described as a glorified
Kelp Gull by some, and 'scungy' by others, but all I could feel was love!
An unforgettable experience, and a chance to see a species that may not be
'see-able' again in Australia for a long, long time.
John
To:
"Tony Russel" < >
Subject:
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Broome
From:
John Tongue < >
Date:
Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:20:13 +1100
If people don't want to spend the money to go and see it, then don't.....
On 12/02/2013, at 1:04 PM, Tony Russel wrote:
> Richard, I'm with Philip on this. You skipped very quickly over the
> expensive bits !! For a start you used frequent flyer points !! The air
> fare from Adelaide (compulsorily via Melb) is around $400-800, and that's
in
> the cheap seats. Going on one's own the minimum accommodation cost
would
> be ca $120 per night. Then I'd have to hire a car for a couple of days -
> allow $120 for that, plus fuel. Oh, and I guess one would need to eat ,
> other than taking sandwiches. Allow another $50 for that even eating fast
> food ( which I don't). OK for some, but not for most of us. And all for
> one skungey bird which I've seen a hundred times in the UK. I don't think
> so.
>
> Tony
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> On Behalf Of Richard Baxter
> Sent: Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:48 AM
> To: Philip Veerman; birding-aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Lesser Black-backed Gull at Broome
>
> Philip,
> It doesn't always cost a fortune. I twitched the LBBG in Broome a
> few weeks ago with Mike and Rohan. The entire trip cost me $75. I used
> frequent flyer points, we shared a room and George Swan very kindly drive
us
> to the rubbish tip.
>
> Breakfast at Maccas and flew home.
>
> Cheers
> Richard
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 12/02/2013, at 12:02 PM, "Philip Veerman" <> wrote:
>
>> That sounds very sensible. This is not an attempt to be rude towards
>> Mike or anyone. However it also strikes me as amusing. Please take
>> this message as being towards the amusing and not get hung up on
>> arguing it. Sure, promoting tourism to Broome is great (I wish I could
>> afford to go, just maybe one day I might but it would be to see the
>> regular birds such as the massed wader migration). Then again for
>> those who think a Lesser Black-backed Gull is such a wonderful bird
>> (very exciting compared to other gulls), I wonder would it not be
>> easier (possibly even cheaper?) and more likely by going to Europe. I
>> have always thought I would rather see a Secretarybird on the plains
>> of Africa, where it is supposed to be, than on the streets of Canberra.
>>
>> More to the point, I just wonder how many readers of this line, if
>> they told their husband, wife, son, daughter, whoever, that they are
>> going to spend a huge amount to look for a Lesser Black-backed Gull at
>> the Broome tip and shown a picture of this fabulous beast, would
>> respond with a "no way, you must be loopy (or similar)". And that is
>> in the context that I'm 56 years old I have loved bird watching since
>> I was a young child and find myself recently married to someone who
>> has no idea and this week asked me if a penguin is a bird.
>>
>> Philip
>>
>> -----Original Message-----From:
>>
>> On Behalf Of Mike Carter
>> Sent: Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:50 AM To:
>> Cc: George Swann of Kimberley Birdwatching
>> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Lesser Black-backed Gull at Broome
>>
>>
>> The bird continues to be seen intermittently at the Broome tip. Anyone
>> wishing to see it should allow at least a couple of days to ensure
>> they coincide with its irregular visits.
>>
>> Mike Carter
>> 30 Canadian Bay Road
>> Mount Eliza VIC 3930
>> Tel (03) 9787 7136
>> ===============================
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