A short non-birding holiday
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia
I am sorry about the lack of posts here in the last few weeks. I’ve been busy, distracted, somewhat unwell, and occupied with other tasks. Life happens.
Last week we hitched up the caravan for a four night mini holiday in Victor Harbor on the coast south of Adelaide. We usually head down there for a few days this time of the year so my wife can attend the CWCI Convention there. This convention is enjoyed by Christian women from all over the state and even some come from interstate. Meanwhile, the respective husbands, including yours truly, sit around in the caravan park talking about all manner of things and generally solving the world’s problems. Sometime we even gather up the energy and go for a walk.
This time around it was different for me. I was recovering from dental surgery and was not feeling much like walking. I did a lot of sleeping and reading. I also had long chats to some of the men on some quite deep topics – about life, the universe and everything. It didn’t leave much time for birding.
I just made a sketchy list of the birds seen or heard from where we were in the caravan park. Not a great list but I was aware of a few birds. Probably the highlight was seeing four Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoos flying low overhead. Quite a nice species to add to my list for the weekend. I didn’t have the camera on me at the time. In fact, the camera didn’t even come out of its case all weekend. Now that’s unusual for me.
There was one other nice sighting. On the way home we saw about 50 Cape Barren Geese just south of home. Here’s a photo of one I prepared earlier.
Further reading:
- The birds of Granite Island, Victor Harbor
- Masked Lapwing, Victor Harbor
- Little Wattlebirds, Victor Harbor
- The Bluff, Victor Harbor
- Granite Island, Victor Harbor
Cape Barren Goose, Adelaide Zoo
A special visitor
Grey Shrike-Thrush
On Saturday I was sitting in my comfortable reading chair in my office. I was enjoying a coffee and reading a magazine that had arrived the day before. A sudden flurry of wings at the nearby window caught my attention. (My attention is very easily distracted by birds.)
A Grey Shrike-thrush had landed on the on the window sill barely a metre from where I sat. It pecked at something on the glass – probably an insect caught against the window – took a quick glance in my direction, and flew off to a nearby tree to eat his morning snack.
It is close encounters with our bird life like that which makes this such a wonderful hobby.
Grey Shrike-Thrush
Three days without birds
I’m back.
It has been a while since my last post. I’ve been here most of the time but I’ve been very busy coping with life. My studies have distracted me for many weeks now, but I can finally see the end of my course work.
Then I had a short stay in the local hospital. Kidney stones are no fun. Over that now, thank goodness. Then my wife had a stay in hospital. Between us we are keeping the local health services gainfully employed.
When I came home again I suddenly realised I’d gone 3 days without seeing a bird. There was a window in the room I was in, but the patient I was sharing with didn’t open the curtains much because he generally wanted to sleep. I knew there was something missing from my life those three days, and it wasn’t until I returned home to a garden full of birds that I realised what it was.
We are in the middle of winter now in South Australia and the bird life has diminished somewhat at present. Despite the cold conditions there is still enough activity around to keep one interested. That is one of the wonderful things about birding as a hobby. There will always be some birds around, and there’s always some form of activity. One just has to take a thirty second break from work and look out of the window to enjoy what is fluttering around or flying by. I’d certainly hate to work in an office where I couldn’t see out a window.
Enjoy the birds in your life.
Happy birding.
Birding can be an arresting hobby
Flowers of Eucalyptus porosa
I was almost arrested this morning.
Let me explain. We went for our normal early morning walk down the road along one side of our property. Part of this walk takes us past the external fence of the local prison complex. We think nothing of it every morning.
Along this stretch we had excellent views of about five Purple-crowned Lorikeets feeding on the flowers of the local mallee trees known as Eucalyptus porosa It’s a shrubby form of gum tree and quite common in this area. The photo above shows the flowers.
The lorikeets were quite unconcerned with our presence. In fact, I was able to watch one feeding at head height about a metre in front of me. It would have made an excellent photo with the first rays of morning sunlight highlighting the colours.
I was both pleased – and annoyed. No camera! And I do not yet have a photo of this species. Usually they are high up in the foliage feeding – or streaking across the tree tops at speed. Here was the ultimate photo opportunity – and no camera.
Ten minutes later we were home. I grabbed the camera and hopped in the car and drove to the same spot. Of course, Murphy’s Law – they’d flown off. All I managed was several shots of the trees and flowers. Then it all turned pear shape. Remember – this was right next to the boundary fence of the prison.
My actions immediately attracted the attention of the ‘boundary rider’ on his quad bike. Over recent months the prison has had a spate of people on the outside throwing tennis balls filled with drugs over the fence RIGHT WHERE I WAS STANDING! Talk about being a bit stupid. I had some quick explaining to do. He immediately reassured me that I certainly didn’t look like a drug supplier.
Whew! Talk about birding being a dangerous hobby!
Anyway – all’s weel that ends well! Except that I still don’t have a photo of that species!
Maybe next time!
Related articles:
- Lorikeets and flowering trees
- Rainbow Lorikeets
- Close views of Musk Lorikeets
- Great Birding Moments # 17
- Great Birding Moments # 19 Budgerigars
Flowers of a Eucalyptus porosa
Birding is a great hobby
Rainbow Lorikeet
Birding is a very cheap and relaxing hobby. You can pursue it almost anywhere . I once made a list of birds seen in church – through a nearby window – go figure. I’ve also made a list of birds heard while still in bed (while camping). I’ve even made lists of birds heard while sitting on the toilet.
You could say I’m a little obsessed.
As for being a cheap hobby, you don’t need any special equipment. Sure – you can buy expensive field guides and handbooks. The Handbook of Aussie birds (7 volumes) will set one back over $3000. Binoculars can cost from $125 to many thousands of dollars. Camera gear and travel can add considerably to costs – I spent over $6000 a few years ago to see and handful of species new to me on the slopes of Mt Everest (read about that on my travel blog).
But birding can be as cheap as looking out of the window to see a beautiful finch or wren hopping around the garden.
The hobby is whatever you want to make it.
If birding appeals to you can I suggest reading my series called How to be a Birder?