Intro
My interest in birds is inexplicable. I have absolutely no idea why I can feel my mind spark up every time I hear a whistle, see a flurry of colour or even overhear a conversation in which birds are mentioned.
Birds, for me, are that one interest that never faded. When I was very young, so young I don’t remember my exact age, my Mum purchased for me the Complete Book of Australian Birds published by Reader’s Digest. I immersed myself in that guide so entirely that even though I now own and have read countless other references, when someone mentions a species to me, the corresponding mental image i conjure is still more often than not the corresponding photograph in the book!
I do not drive so most of my birding is done in locations that can be reached on foot or with public transportation, excluding the odd journey to somehwere special when my partner kindly drives me there! I would be lying if I suggested I do not desire to travel to many far away birding locations, but at the moment, I am satsified exploring the teeming birding areas available to me at a stone’s throw. It’s one of the perks of living in the tropics.
Most Memorable Birding Moment
The obvious choice here must be the rarest or most peculiar sighting I have made but I am not a keen ‘twitcher’, so although exciting, it is not why I bird. No, the most memorable moment was when I was still in high school. My Mum and I went out for a daytrip to the Macquarie Pass National Park and I had hopes of seeing a Superb Lyrebird, as I had seen them here a few times in the past. After about an uneventful hour heading up to the main waterfall, I had all but given up on the Superb Lyrebird when I noticed a splash of colour up ahead. Excited, I crawled along the rainforest floor to a log and spotted a rather sizeable flock of Wonga Pigeons! While certainly not a common bird, they were apparently common enough in the area, and the sight of them breathed a new life into my birding.
Birding Objectives
I have not completely figured this question out yet. I enjoy doing surveys and keeping records, but at the moment this is limited to a personal endeavour. I have been to university and even have a deferred placement waiting for me, but I am not sure if that avenue is of any interest. Unfortunately, while I hold this position, I don’t think there is a future for me, as far as a career is concerned, in birding. So, at the moment, I am happy to keep birding as an enjoyable and all encompassing hobby.
