Sunday 12 March 2017

The Second Worst Birdwatcher in the World

On 1 January 2002, Sean Dooley set off to see 700 species of Australian birds. His first tick was a sooty owl in Bunyip State Park, Victoria. His last bird was a little bittern in a suburban park in Brisbane. By the end of the year, he'd traveled all over the country and spotted 703 species. He recorded his birding adventures in The Big Twitch, a lovely, gently funny book that I've read three or four times.

Now, I'm the second worst birdwatcher in the world modesty prevents me from claiming the title of worst, but, yanno so I'm planning a much smaller project. My goal is to see quite a few birds. I'm not setting a target, but I'll be happy with 300 species. My joy will increase with each successive tick beyond 300. And if I hit 400, I might well require medical attention.

My bird list is over there → (I'm not sure where it is if you're looking at the mobile version.) It's currently at 141 species, split between Far North Queensland and Tasmania. I've planned a few small trips for the year, so let's see how this goes.

First tick of the year: brush-turkey