Author Archives: admin

Train Layout Progress

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I have been spending some time tinkering with the train layout lately. I find it relaxing at the end of the day. Here is a summary of the work in progress and completed:

  • I have completely removed the rather badly installed branch line track and started replacing it with a more professionally installed set of sidings and a small station. It is still a branch line but it only connects to the main line at a single junction. Eventually I plan to run separate power supplies to the main and branch lines to allow for the operation of two trains simultaneously (one train could run a continuous loop and the other perform shunting duties).
  • I have started improving the scenic elements of the layout. I still have lots of work to do here. I am finding the wall plastering putty to be quite useful in creating rock shapes. I am also starting to ballast areas of the track but I am less confident with that.
  • I have repaired the buffers (again) on the old Class 37 Diesel. I still have to finish painting the blue and yellow Class 31 and work out why the Class 08 shunter is misbehaving. The Class 08 shunter needs fixing as soon as possible – it’s Cameron’s favourite. The Class 31 was painted but I was unhappy with the result so have started again. I also discovered it could be taken apart – a fact that makes the paint job much easier!
  • As a result of these upgrades I still have a fair amount of wiring left to do. Time to get the soldering iron out again…

Another rambling update…

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Here’s an insight into what I have been up to recently:

  • Started basketball training again (with the intention to play a season on a team). I really need the exercise…
  • Still tinkering with model trains. I’m in the process of re-doing a whole heap of track work I did earlier in the year (or late last year) that I’m not entirely happy with. Contemplated (briefly) a new, much larger N gauge layout but decided to continue with the one I have been working on. Still acquiring random trains/rolling stock/buildings and other miscellanea. Lots of fun.
  • Not bird-watching/photographing anywhere near as much as I would like. Don’t like my chances of reaching 250 species by the end of the year (currently sitting on 215).
  • I have finally delved back into Mac programming. Just working on a simple project to start with but hopefully things will ramp up once I get familiar with it again. Seriously liking the new version of Xcode.
  • Still working (probably too much). Got to pay the bills somehow. While the downturn means less project work it does mean we are putting together a lot more quotations and proposals.

Road Trip

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A recent drive from Perth to Karratha yielded four new birds for my lifelist:

  • White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis);
  • Little Crow (Corvus bennetti);
  • Torresian Crow (Corvus orru);
  • Mangrove Grey Fantail (Rhipidua phasiana).

Separating the two crows required a fair amount of preparation (as far as I can see they look identical). I had located some mp3s of the calls of both of these birds (and also the Australian Raven for good measure) and loaded them onto my iPod touch. This enabled me to compare the live call to a few typical calls on the iPod. Thankfully the crows cooperated and treated me to textbook renditions of their voices.

I did the drive to help my brother-in-law Wes get his car back up to Karratha (he works up there at the moment).


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Google Maps reports this trip as 1,547 kilometres. These four birds take the life list to 215.

Rottnest Island Birding Trip

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On Saturday May 1st 2010 three of us (John Graff, Mark Newman and myself) headed to Fremantle to catch the ferry to Rottnest Island. We departed at 0730 and returned at 1645. The weather was overcast for most of the day. Our targets were the Rottnest specialties (Peafowl, Common Pheasant, Rock Parrot) as well as any waders or seabirds that happened to turn up.

We dipped out on Rock Parrot and Peafowl but had good sightings of both male and female Common Pheasant. We suspect that the Peafowl may have been culled out of existence (or any that are left are hiding really well). Given how common they used (and the fact that they stand out like a sore thumb) this is unusual. The following is my list for the day (Common Pheasant being my only lifer):
  • Common Pheasant;
  • Galah;
  • Welcome Swallow;
  • White-browed Scrubwren;
  • Red-capped Robin;
  • Silver Gull;
  • Silvereye;
  • Crested Tern;
  • Pied Cormorant;
  • Australian Raven;
  • Australian Shelduck;
  • Singing Honeyeater;
  • Brown Skua;
  • Laughing Dove;
  • Spotted Dove;
  • Eastern Osprey;
  • Australian Pelican;
  • Ruddy Turnstone;
  • Australian Magpie;
  • Caspian Tern;
  • White-fronted Chat;
  • Red-necked Stint;
  • Black-winged Stilt;
  • Grey Plover;
  • Banded Lapwing;
  • Pacific Black Duck;
  • Grey Teal;
  • Spotless Crake;
  • Australian Pied Oystercatcher;
  • Nankeen Kestrel;
  • Red-necked Avocet;
  • Australasian Gannet.
The Common Pheasant takes my list to 211 (bird 210 was a Wood Sandpiper that I photographed and needed a second opinion).

Review of iPod Touch Software I Use

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  • BirdSight AU (Natural Guides, LLC) – the only app I have paid for, unfortunately it cannot handle any strings with apostrophes in it (ie. Thomson’s Lake, a fairly basic bug in a database app I would of thought), otherwise this is a good app, would be better if there was a way to get all of the sightings out of it in one email (as opposed to one “observation” collection at a time);
  • Files lite (Olive Toast) – does what it does perfectly, highly recommended, I am seriously considering buying the full version;
  • Mactracker (Ian Page) – awesome, highly recommended, very slick interface;
  • TouchCalc (Alexander Clauss) – very good, I use it regularly;
  • To Do’s (AustinBull Software) – basic ToDo app, does what it needs to do well;
  • Sudoku (Mighty Mighty Good Games) – addictive;
  • Solitaire (MobilityWare) – very good fun.

Upgrading to Snow Leopard

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I have finally gotten around to updating the MacBook to Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6). Just running the Software Updates now (thank goodness we have decent broadband). I’ve still got to install some applications and copy across all my data but so far so good.

Also took the opportunity to upgrade the 120GB HDD to a 320GB HDD. Compared to the 12″ G4 PowerBook HDD changeout procedure the process was trivial (take battery out, remove panel fixed with 3 screws, pull HDD sled out, replace disk, put everything back together). This future-proofs my MacBook for at least a few years (hopefully).

Birds #208 and #209

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After the somewhat unsuccessful Cheynes Beach trip I had good birding day on Saturday picking up two new species:

  • On the BAWA walk at Woodman Point we saw Arctic Jaegers (Stercorarius parasiticus) – thanks to the crew that ran this walk! The majority of the jaegers kept very high up but a few passed by at low altitudes offering great views.
  • As the walk finished mid-morning I headed on to Herdsman Lake with John Graff and we located a pair of Red-kneed Dotterels (Erythrogonys cinctus). Thanks John!
I didn’t get any photographs of these – too focused on getting a good view of them. I don’t like my chances of hitting 250 by the end of 2010 (we are in April already) but I’m going to give it a shot anyway.