Bird studies
August 3rd, 2011
Boat Harbour send off
WELL, IT WAS very miserable taking my last looks at those little Red-necked Stints and the cormorants and the gulls and terns of Boat Harbour today as I wrapped up my role in the survey project. Walking down the trail to the beach, my old friend the Australian Kestrel was there, just as he has been every week these past 5 or 6 years, but this time to say farewell. The pipits and cisticolas were there in force and the fairy-wrens were all very active too, bobbing about in the newly regenerated acacia scrub. I sensed that they had a mood of celebration as the breeding season approaches. Just to confirm the coming breeding season, the aural backdrop was filled with much trilling from the growing number of Fan-tailed Cuckoos making their ominous presence felt – I had a very nice view of one sitting on a fenceline when driving in to the top car park. more »
July 31st, 2011
A Chapter Ends . . .
EVER SINCE returning to Sydney from Broome in 2005 I have been threatening to move up to the NSW north coast. As the time comes to make good my threat, to make that move to peaceful Tyalgum, west of Murwillumbah, I am reflecting on what I have achieved in the past 5 or 6 years of residence in Sydney. Certainly, I have led many birding tours for nature lovers from all over the world, I’ve led many courses and workshops on shorebirds and bush birds, enjoyed Sydney’s best National Parks to the max and given dozens of presentations on birds to various community groups. I hope that I’ve helped to boost the enjoyment of nature and birding aspirations for many. I’ve been fortunate enough to have introduced a number of people to what will hopefully become a lifelong obsession . . . and, of course, I’ve completely indulged in my hobby of Butterfly photography! I can’t ask for much more than the privilege to do these things and I am grateful to all who have given me the opportunity to do so. But now it’s time to say farewell and quickly take stock of two special projects . . . more »
July 10th, 2011
Lessons from bark foragers
ANYBODY WHO regularly visits the Australian bush and has an eye for birds will tell you that many Australian birds will spend a little time foraging on the bark of trees and some will spend a fair bit of time foraging on the bark of trees. However, there are only three groups of birds which are totally dedicated to making a living off the bark of trees. Interestingly, although they are only distantly related, they have all devised similar social strategies which can probably tell us a thing or two about the profitability of foraging on bark for a living but may also have some important lessons for helping us understand the viability of remnant bush plots, appropriate management practices and forming better planning guidelines. I think that this is an area crying out for further study . . . more »