gemfyre | My element

Just 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??