Bird Word: Month List
Month list: a list of all the bird species seen by a birder in a particular month.
I am a self confessed list maker.
- I make lists of things to do.
- I make lists of things I’ve done.
- I make lists of things I have.
- I make lists of things I’d like.
- I make lists of places I’ve been.
- I make lists of places I’d like to visit.
- I make lists of books I’ve read.
- I make lists of…
I think you get the picture.
It’s almost (sic) an obsessive, compulsive thing.
Birding lists:
Birding was made for people like me. So many lists can be made in the pursuit of this hobby. I can make all kinds of lists:
- A list of birds seen each day.
- A list of birds seen each week.
- A list of birds seen each month (a month list).
- A list of birds seen in each year (a year list).
- A list of birds seen in my lifetime ( a life list).
- A list of birds seen in each location I visit to go birding (a site list).
- A list of birds seen on television, or on films.
- A list of birds for each state I have visited (a state list).
- A list of birds for each country I’ve been ( a country list).
- I can even make a list of BIRDS I HAVE NOT SEEN YET.
Database:
When I bought a specialised database for my bird records I was in heaven. All these lists now meant something – they had a purpose. I joyfully add new data to this ultimate list of lists. The computer can generate for me any kind of list I want in seconds.
- A list of every time I’ve seen a particular species.
- A list month by month or year by year for a location.
- A list of places I’ve been birding.
- A total list of all the birds I’ve ever seen.
- A list of dates I’ve been birding.
- Etc.
- Etc.
I don’t think I’m sick – just a tad obsessed.
Further Reading:
- Bird word: A life list – another article on this fascinating topic.
- Glossary of Bird Words – read more articles in this series.
Yellow Rosella
17 Comments »20th August, 2007; Category: Parrots and Lorikeets
Yellow Rosella
On my recent visit to Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia I saw several Yellow Rosellas. This is a species I have not observed very often. This photos on this post are not brilliant but they are the first and only shots I have of this beautiful species.
The Yellow Rosella is a race of the Crimson Rosella. The Crimson Rosella is a bright red in colour. Similarly, the orange coloured Adelaide Rosella found in the Mt. Lofty Ranges of the Adelaide area in South Australia, is also a race of the Crimson Rosella. The Yellow Rosella and the Adelaide Rosella are known to interbreed in the Mannum-Morgan region where their ranges overlap.
Yellow Rosella
Yellow Rosellas are found primarily along the Murray-Darling River systems. Their preferred habitat includes eucalyptus woodlands and nearby grasslands but usually near water. I have once recorded this species here in Murray Bridge, well downstream than any other known record.
Click on the photos to enlarge the image. Further Reading:
- Birding on a trip to Loxton
- Blue Bonnet Parrots
- Adelaide Rosella – with photos
- Eastern Rosella – another colourful parrot
UPDATE: Below is a better photo taken a few months later in New South Wales.
Yellow Rosella
Birding in Loxton, South Australia
6 Comments »19th August, 2007; Category: General
On my trip to Loxton last Monday I made time for a little birding along the river front near the caravan park. I only had about a half hour late in the afternoon. Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia is about three hours by road north east of Adelaide.
Australian Pelican, River Murray, Loxton
The visit was rushed and not very productive as far as birds were concerned. I did manage to get the above photo of an Australian Pelican cruising the shallows near where I parked. Other birds seen in the vicinity include:
- Australian Wood Duck
- Pacific Black Duck
- Little Raven
- Galah
- Yellow Rosella
- Little Corella
- Little Black Cormorant
- Silver Gull
- Unidentified Tern (possibly Gull-Billed Tern)
- Crested Pigeon
- Rock Dove
- Australian Magpie
- Australian Magpie Lark
- White Plumed Honeyeater
- Red Wattlebird
- Noisy Miner
- House Sparrow
- Common Starling
- Welcome Swallow
- Striated Pardalote
- Wren (heard – possibly a Superb Blue)
River Murray at Loxton, South Australia
This photo shows the low level of water in the Murray River at present. The reeds in the middle right of the photo are normally quite green and in the water. The whole river system needs several years of above average rainfall and snowfalls in the catchment areas to replenish the water to its normal levels.
Birding on a trip to Loxton
No Comments »18th August, 2007; Category: General
I wrote yesterday about my recent trip to Loxton and the Blue Bonnet Parrots I saw along the way.
Over the years I have become very observant of the various species of birds encountered while I drive. It sharpens my observation skills while at the same time proving to be a very frustrating birding experience. Many a time I’ve wanted to stop and look at something but have been unable due to being in a hurry or some sort of time schedule. There is much too much hurry in this world. We all need to stop and smell the roses – or in this case – look at the birds.
As I drove along early last Monday morning I was enthralled by the drifting fog along the road. Visibility was still quite good so I didn’t need to modify my speed too much, but it heightened my alertness, which is good.
By far the most common bird observed on the two hour journey was the Australian Magpie. These are often seen in twos and threes on the side of the road, on fences or feeding in the nearby paddocks. This journey took me through the transition zone between the White Backed and the Black Backed subspecies (click here for more details). I saw both.
Also very common were the many Little Ravens on the side of the road and in the paddocks. I may well have seen some Australian Ravens too, but I didn’t stop to check them out. White Winged Choughs were also common all along the route. Several times I saw a Noisy Miner fly across the road in front of the car, along with the occasional Red Wattlebird and Singing Honeyeater.
Singing Honeyeater
One of the surprises of the trip was the almost total absence of Willie Wagtails. I’m sure they were there in good numbers; I just didn’t see many. More common were the Red Rumped Parrots and Mallee Ringnecks flying across the road in front of the car. Even the Common Bronzewing Pigeons were more frequently encountered than the Willie Wagtail. Strange.
Another delight was to see a single Grey Butcherbird sitting on the fence near the road. Several times I also saw a Grey Currawong flying along through the trees.
Grey Currawong
Other species observed as I drove along included:
- Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike,
- Galahs,
- Australian Magpie Larks,
- House Sparrows,
- Common Starlings,
- Welcome Swallows,
- Crested Pigeons,
- Rock Doves,
- Nankeen Kestrel
- and one Black Shouldered Kite.
That makes quite a nice list of species seen.
Blue Bonnet Parrots
3 Comments »17th August, 2007; Category: Parrots and Lorikeets
Earlier this week I drove to Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia to attend a funeral. Loxton is almost exactly 2 hours drive from here in Murray Bridge. It was like going home because I grew up on a farm in the Loxton district and went to high school there.
The road to Loxton traverses a large portion of the farming area known as the Murray Mallee. This name is derived from the Murray River meandering along to the north and the predominant plant species of the area, the various forms of shrubby eucalypt trees known as mallee trees. Many mallee trees line the roadside verges, along with melaleuca bushes and a wide variety of smaller shrubs and bushes.
At one point alone the road I was delighted to see a pair of Blue Bonnet Parrots fly across the road in front of the car. As I was travelling at about 100kph at the time I couldn’t stop to get a photo. I fact, I do not have a photo of this species in my collection.
Blue Bonnet Parrots
This colourful parrot species has a wide distribution in the drier regions of northern Victoria, western New South Wales and the mallee areas of South Australia and Western Australia. It is common in some areas within its range but in my experience it is uncommon but widespread in most of its range.
Habitat:
The preferred habitat of this species includes open woodland, open mallee, native cypress pines, mulga, acacia and open grasslands.
The bird in captivity:
The Blue Bonnet is a popular cage bird and three subspecies are kept in captivity. The most common is the Yellow Vented Blue Bonnet. Both the Red Vented Blue Bonnet and the Narethra Blue Bonnet are rare in captivity.
Links:
- The see several beautiful photos of this lovely species click here.
- Mallee trees – for more information about mallee trees read this article.