My element
Mar. 11th, 2004 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gemfyreJust went for a wander around Herdsman Lake (read about it HERE).
Among many of the usual delightful birds I found two new species to add to my Life List. The glossy ibis, which kinda snuck up on me. I was trying to approach a bunch of coots (I mean, there must have been at least 100 of them!) grazing and I saw a five slightly different birds among them and went "Those aren't coots! They're glossies!" and proceeded to get all excited and take photos.
Also spotted among the black-winged stilts on a sand spit a small bird dashing around. I love my binoculars, I would never have seen it otherwise. The movement immediately gave it away as a dotterel, they have this weird little runrunrun across the sand. On closer inspection I identified it as a black-fronted dotterel, another newie for the list.
I am SO in my element with this stuff. I got of the car and got all squeebouncy and excited at possibly spotting new birds (and even moreso when I found them!) I could just sit for hours and wait and watch and spot. It's not birdwatching, it's nature geeking in general (I mean so far I'm really enjoying the microbiol labs because I have to think for myself, and working at the RSPCA is awesome, even if I have ruined a shirt). Birdwatching is probably just the most cheap and accessible of these hobbies, pity I can't find anyone else with my passion for it. Hopefully someone will pop up. I'd join Birds Australia but the membership fee is prohibitive. I wish you could be a member without paying all that money. Anyone know of any local, FREE (or nicely cheap) birdwatching clubs around Perth??
Among many of the usual delightful birds I found two new species to add to my Life List. The glossy ibis, which kinda snuck up on me. I was trying to approach a bunch of coots (I mean, there must have been at least 100 of them!) grazing and I saw a five slightly different birds among them and went "Those aren't coots! They're glossies!" and proceeded to get all excited and take photos.
Also spotted among the black-winged stilts on a sand spit a small bird dashing around. I love my binoculars, I would never have seen it otherwise. The movement immediately gave it away as a dotterel, they have this weird little runrunrun across the sand. On closer inspection I identified it as a black-fronted dotterel, another newie for the list.
I am SO in my element with this stuff. I got of the car and got all squeebouncy and excited at possibly spotting new birds (and even moreso when I found them!) I could just sit for hours and wait and watch and spot. It's not birdwatching, it's nature geeking in general (I mean so far I'm really enjoying the microbiol labs because I have to think for myself, and working at the RSPCA is awesome, even if I have ruined a shirt). Birdwatching is probably just the most cheap and accessible of these hobbies, pity I can't find anyone else with my passion for it. Hopefully someone will pop up. I'd join Birds Australia but the membership fee is prohibitive. I wish you could be a member without paying all that money. Anyone know of any local, FREE (or nicely cheap) birdwatching clubs around Perth??
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 11:09 pm (UTC)When I was little, my dad and I used to go out on the nearby lake in his little aluminum boat. It was my job to sit at the prow and make absurd observations and warnings. My favorite was "Coot alert! Coot alert!"
[/end pointless contribution]
no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 11:33 pm (UTC)They are funny little birds. I used to call them pencil birds because their white beaks reminded me of pencils for some reason.
They make the weirdest sounds.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 11:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-11 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 12:57 am (UTC)I'll check out Ornithology too.