Monthly Archives: February 2012

Birding Targets (2012 edition)

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Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata, Karratha, WA, Australia).  Successfully framed inside the mesh fence (and cropped).

At the prompting of Alan, here is a list of the birds that I am looking for at the moment.  I have included some species that are possible if I go to site with my new job.

  • Freckled Duck (Stictonetta naevosa);
  • Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea), I’m still checking all the Grey Teals I see;
  • Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia), beginning to think these are fictitious;
  • Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus);
  • Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus);
  • Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii);
  • Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius);
  • Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus), not sure how I’ve managed to avoid this one;
  • Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus);
  • Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus);
  • Gilbert’s Whistler (Pachycephala inornata);
  • Little Grassbird (Megalurus gramineus), a somewhat embarrassing hole in my list;
  • Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis), got to go check out that feral population in the hills…

Hooded Plovers

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Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis, Lake Pollard, WA, Australia).  Image has been cropped and sharpened.

Thanks to the expert guidance of John Graff I finally caught up with a pair of these fantastic little birds – Hooded Plovers.  The 6km (round trip) walk to Lake Pollard was well worth the effort.  Also of note were the incredible numbers of Australian Shelduck (2500+) and Black Swans (1500+) on Lake Pollard.  These Hooded Plovers take my bird life list to 258.