Birding Blogs
The world of birds and birding is a fascinating one. The more I search on the internet the more wonderful web sites I find to look at. There are some impressive sites around, many with some excellent photos of birds. I have listed some of these sites on my links page.
Birding Blogs
There is a growing trend in birding circles to write blogs about one’s birding observations, blogs like this one. Many of them make very interesting reading and some entice one to return often. These are usually very well written and include beautiful photography. Surprisingly, my research has found that very few Australians have so far taken up the challenge to blog their observations. Am I at the vanguard of a movement?
Resource List
For those interested in the world of birding blogs a very comprehensive but far from exhaustive list of some blogs has been compiled by Charlie Moore whose blog is found here. Charlie has an enviable job for a birder; he is part of the Cabin Crew for British Airways and as such flies all over the world which gives him excellent opportunities to go birding in some exotic and wonderful places. “Sleep can wait – I’m going birding” seems to be his motto when jet lag beckons to bring him down.
The resource list he has compiled is found here. Note that this is on another web site and not part of his personal blog. I feel quite honoured to be featured on this list of over 100 birding blogs from around the world. The only other Australian blog is Duncan’s Ben Cruachan Blog of sightings in the Gippsland area of Victoria.
Birding Babylon Blog
Many birders take up their interest in birds early in life. In my case I was about 8 when I started observing the birds on the farm I called home. This was in the Murray Mallee district of South Australia.
Jonathan Touern-Trend
Jonathan started dedicated birding at the age of 12. In 2004 he was a 38-year-old Connecticut National Guard sergeant who was posted to Camp Anaconda about 40 miles north of Baghdad in Iraq. During the time he was stationed there he began observing the birds and other wildlife around him. Since he was working in intelligence no-one seemed concerned that he was often seen peering through his binoculars. He then recorded his observations in his blog. This has generated world-wide interest and gives one a completely different view of life there in the midst of a troubled country.
To check out this very interesting blog click here.
Silvereyes
Silvereyes are small dainty birds with a white eye ring, hence their name. They are relatively common and widespread throughout the Murraylands region of South Australia. In my experience they seem to frequent parks and gardens. This species always delights me when I see it and they can be quite tame and approach one with curiosity.
Unfortunately, they do not seem to like our garden for some reason. We only see them infrequently, and then only fleetingly. On several occasions I thought I heard their call but didn’t have the time to follow them up and check them out. I did see a small flock fly over head but they didn’t settle long enough for me to be sure.
That’s where my wife’s main interest has an advantage over my birding.
Flowers, and the plants they are attached to, don’t tend to fly off.
New birding links
No Comments »6th May, 2006; Category: General
I’ve been doing far too much surfing on the internet lately. The perils of broadband. Anyway, I keep on discovering all these wonderful sites about birding, many with very useful and interesting information and lots with wonderful photographs of birds.
I’ve had to be very selective about the sites I show on my links page. The list could reach into the 100s. I’ve recently updated my birding links section with some of my favourites and most visited.
To view my favourites go to the links section on the right.
Some Birds of Ireland
Last night I watched a program on ABC TV about some aspects of the nature of Ireland. It was called Ireland – Sculpted Isle. It featured some beautiful scenery of the island as well as some of the bird life.
There were some excellent shots of Gannets, Puffins, Redshanks, Curlews and Lapwings. They weren’t just quick takes to fill in between other shots; the camera lingered on the birds so that one got a really good look at them. This was particularly so of the Gannet shots, including the huge numbers at several nesting sites on some islands.
Loved the shots of the Puffins – such comical looking birds.