Bird Word: Lifer
- Lifer: the first ever time that a birder sees a species of bird it is called a “lifer” or a “tick”.
When you are new to the world of birding and birdwatching, nearly every bird you see is a “lifer” or a new tick in your bird note book or field guide. As the years go by it becomes increasingly hard to find new birds to add to your list. To overcome this there are several courses of action:
- Take a holiday in a different part of the country. For example, when I go to Queensland I am sure I will have no trouble adding some 50 or more lifers to my life list. This is because I’ve never been there and there are quite a few birds best seen there (or are not seen anywhere else in Australia).
- Take a holiday in another country. When I went to Nepal in 2005 it was my first overseas trip (see my blog called Trevor’s Travels) so almost every bird I saw was a lifer. Great stuff.
- Enjoy the common birds. I take delight in even the most common of birds that surround my house and which I see every day. I get to know the regulars in my garden and my ears are easily tuned in to anything unusual or different.
- Give up. Start another hobby like stamp collecting… no – that’s not an option.
- Check out other words and terms about birds and birding by going to my Glossary of Bird Words.
- See also another article on this topic here.
Crested Pigeon
New contact form for this blog
No Comments »4th August, 2007; Category: General
A new feature on this blog for my readers is a Contact Form.
This will now be a constant feature on the side bar under the Contents heading. It is for my readers who wish to contact me via email for whatever reason – rather than leaving a comment or question in the comments section.
The usual comments section will remain of course. And you can also subscribe to my RSS feeds for both posts and comments. This facility is also on the sidebar.
Kalij Pheasant, Central Zoo, Kathmandu
Do birds have sense of smell?
One of my readers contacted me via email today to ask the question: “Do birds have a sense of smell?” It’s a really good question and one I’d never really given much thought to.
Thanks to Bev for this question. (You are the first to use my contact form – see the sidebar.)
Do birds have a sense of smell?
The short answer is yes, they do.
The long answer is more complicated.
The upper mandible (beak) is pierced by the nostrils. Usually the nostrils are near the base of the bill. Relatively few birds are known to use the sense of smell in their search for food; indeed in most species the sense of smell seems to be poorly developed. (Quoted from the book “Birds: their life, their ways, their world” published by the Reader’s Digest in 1979)
So they can smell but most species do not rely on this sense much at all.
Birds that have a good sense of smell
There are always exceptions to the rule!
Some birds do have a highly developed sense of smell. The New Zealand Kiwi, for example, has nostril placed near the tip of the bill and this enables it to smell its food as it probes the earth and leaf litter. The kiwi has a double whammy; not only does it have very poor eyesight, it is also mostly nocturnal in its habits. Having a fine sense of smell is a definite bonus if you are a Kiwi (the bird, not the people of New Zealand!).
I also remember a sequence on “The Life of Birds” videos featuring David Attenborough where he hides a piece of rotten meat under the leaf litter deep in a rainforest. Within minutes the local Turkey Vultures had found the hidden meat, even though they had been several kilometres away.
Likewise some seabirds are able to smell great distances:
For example, fulmars can smell fish oils from up to 25 kilometres (15 miles) downwind, so when these oils form a slick on the sea surface as a result predatory fish and mammals attacking shoals of fish and squid underwater, the fulmar are quickly at the scene to forage for food. Other sea birds can smell a pheromone that fish give off when stressed. (British Garden Birds website)
Conclusion:
Birds do have a sense of smell, but most rarely use this sense. Some species, however, rely heavily on their sense of smell for their survival.
Acknowledgment:
Thanks again to Bev for this very interesting question.
An unexpected birding trip
2 Comments »2nd August, 2007; Category: General
I was busy doing some writing on one of my other blogs this morning when the phone rang. It was the boss of my friend Keith. I sometimes do relief driving for Keith on his courier round of Murray Bridge here in South Australia. His boss wanted me to do an emergency delivery from here in Murray Bridge to just north of Adelaide. I didn’t mind stopping my writing to do this job even though it would take out just over three hours of my day. I enjoy doing it because the company pays so well for me to have a lovely drive into the city and back.
Birds along the Freeway
I didn’t see all that many birds along the freeway in the city. The most common species appeared to be the Australian Magpies feeding on the grass verge of the road and in nearby fields. I was disturbed by the number of dead magpies; road kills are a real problem here in Australia. Little Ravens strutted across the road and along the fence lines and out in the fields. At one stage I thought I might collect a Willie Wagtail as it swooped across the road chasing an insect, but the bird flicked out of the way at the last moment. Several small flocks of Galahs crossed the road high above the freeway as we drove along.
Birds through the city
While driving through the city on the way to our destination I had to concentrate on the driving; it was only while waiting at the traffic lights that I was able to pay any attention to the birdlife. Small flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets seemed the most common species. I also noticed quite a few Noisy Miners flying between trees and bushes near the road. The introduced Spotted Turtle Dove appeared frequently on fences, footpaths and parklands, along with their native cousins, the Crested Pigeons. There also seemed to be many Australian Magpie Larks everywhere too.
Wetlands
As we approached our destination we passed an extensive area of wetlands. Storm water from nearby suburbs drains into these wetlands. We were driving too fast to see anything of note. In fact, a solitary flying Silver Gull was all I managed to see. I did ask my wife to produce a Glossy Ibis, a species I’ve not yet seen in the natural environment. She didn’t oblige.
Destination
At our destination I was not able to linger long in the extensive gardens surrounding the building where I delivered the parcel. I did see several Masked Lapwings feeding on the lawns, along with a large flock of House Sparrows. Along the road leading to the building I saw more Noisy Miners along with several Red Wattlebirds.
Return Journey
On our return journey I managed to add a Nankeen Kestrel to the list; this particular bird was being harassed by a very persistent magpie. Probably the highlight of the trip home was the Collared Sparrowhawk gliding low over the ground as it crossed the road less than twenty metres in front of the car. Another highlight was a single Sulphur Crested Cockatoo sitting on a light pole. This is always a delightful species to see.
Distressing sight
Perhaps the most distressing sight of the whole journey involved two species. An Adelaide Rosella had fallen victim to a passing car and was lying on the roadside. It is always sad to see this beautiful bird become a road kill. A Little Raven, however, was taking advantage of its misfortune and was steadily picking over the remains.
Conclusion:
It was a rushed trip we went on today. We didn’t stop anywhere to specifically go birding. Despite this I saw a long list of beautiful birds. It sort of made up for the lost writing time.
Related articles:
- Many of the birds mentioned in this article have separate articles about them – often with photos. Just click on the species name.
Birds in the News #93
The latest edition of Birds in the News #93 features an award winning photo of a beautiful Rufous-tailed Jacamar.
There’s also news of the owner of a trout hatchery who was fined a hefty sum for shooting several hundred protected birds that were robbing his fish.
And there is other news about birds from many parts of the world.