Birding and the Olympic Games
I spent some time watching the Men’s Cycling Road Race at the Beijing Olympic Games yesterday. It was freezing and showery all day here at my daughter’s place in Clare in the mid north of South Australia all day so it wasn’t conducive to getting out to do some birding anyway.
I figured that watching the cycling road race would have been a good opportunity of ticking a few birds of China – not that I’d be able to identify them. I don’t have access to a field guide to the birds of China. Still -with Phil Liggett commentating, an avid birder himself, there was a chance the cameras might focus briefly on a bird and he would comment on it, hopefully giving its name.
No such luck.
In fact, I didn’t see a bird at any time during the race. And then the result of the race was also disappointing – from and Aussie point of view. Same thing happened during the recent Tour de France – few birds seen during the three weeks of racing. Oh, well, all that means is that I’ll have to visit those places in person.
I didn’t think of that! I did, however, try Google Street View for birding along waterways and beachfronts. No luck, so far.
Google Street View is amazing – I wish they’d told me before cruising past our little piece of dirt – I’d have fixed up the front fence!!!!
Haven’t found any birds on it yet – I don’t want to become hooked on it. It could become a compulsive time waster.