Michael's Big Year 2022

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AbbyGrace
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Nice shots Michael. You are finding some neat birds!

Alex Rogers
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Some great birds Michael, and so exciting to see lifers! Aren't pelagics fun? I'm keen to do more next year as well. 

michaelrt71_1
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Still trawling for local birds, checking against last years list. Unlikely to travel for the remainder of '22, so I will keep hunting in the Illawarra.

163. Rufous whistler - performing some great tunes while I was in Thirlmere lakes NP checking out wildflowers. Midday, so the light's a bit harsh.

164. Brush turkey - hanging out at the local botanical gardens.

165. Australasian Figbird - hearing these 'ping' at the top of trees before I eventually caught one wobbly photo.

Update on the Kestrel - lots of fun as 3 hunting the headland during a walk from Minnamurra.

Upgrade on satin bowerbird.

Waratah bonus - flowers back in force after fires hit Thirlmere lakes and then floods blasted through lately. 

dwatsonbb
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Micheal, some lovely shots there. I love the Rufous Whistler, the Kestrel and who can go past that eye on the Satin Bowerbird.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

sue818
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Have to agree with Dale, those are lovely shots, Michael. I'm still hoping to get back to Barren Grounds again but the weather has not helped. Good luck hunting as the migratory birds are coming back and anything could turn up.

michaelrt71_1
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Walked up from Werri beach towards Kiama on the headlands and found a lifer bouncing around. Quite surprising.

166. Domestic Duck - a big one compared to the pacific duck (thanks Karen for the reminder in the stats sheet). 

dwatsonbb
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Another lifer and a another wasted shutter count - haha, the only reason I take domestic ducks and some other species is to give me another number here.

Love the Little Grassbird, I haven't been able to,locate them here yet. The fox just chilling is also a nice photo, thankfully no foxes in Tasmania yet!

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

karentwemlow
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Oh that is a big duck hey?! Glad the list helped, I have some really common backyard birds that I've missed. Not great to see a fox, I get them on my property every now and then, but luckily not too often.

Little Grassbird would be a lifer for me too, well done!

sue818
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Pleased the fox seemed to be missing out!

Michael, not wanting to spoil your life list but I'm getting more of a Pipit feel than Little Grassbird. Looks a bit big and markings not quite right plus the location looks better for a Pipit as the Grassbird is usually very close to the water. Any other shots?

michaelrt71_1
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Hmm. I thought it might be a pipit too, but something turned me away from that (can't remember what it was now). Just checked my other photos and agree with you - much more like a pipit.

Back to 165. Sorry, folks for mucking up the stats.

sue818
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No worries, Michael. It can be difficult to decide on ID at times. I suggest editing your post so the Domestic Duck is 166 and the Pipit becomes an extra photo. Your list is correct at 166 (not 165). 

michaelrt71_1
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167. Red Knot - Koona bay, before work. Hanging out with some bar-tailed godwits.

Bar-tailed godwit the next morning, better light. 161

168. Azure Kingfisher - Tallawarra foreshore, outflow/inlet, nice and protected.

Ospreys - at least 5 in this area (Tallawarra), nesting in a old power pilon for the past 5 years apparently. 142.

Strange pelicans - one just dropped vertically into the water, no gliding, quite comical. (1)

Sacred Kingfisher - better shot, possibly same bird from earlier in the year from Jerrara Dam. 41

Marsupial -Jerrara

Monotreme - Jerrara

dwatsonbb
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Wow Michael some great shots. Love the Kingfishers, and those pelicans are also cool. Thanks for posting.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

sue818
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Some lovely shots, Michael. Love both Kingfishers and the flight shots but the extras are so cute too. 

michaelrt71_1
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Thanks Dale and Sue.

I am running short of my target and unlikely to escape beyond the Illawarra before New Year, but I am still enjoying the photography and local birds. The following are from a new local spot Raven St Ponds.

I am hoping I have at last found the little grassbird, Sue, but I am less hopeful of my official worst EBC of the year for a blurry Latham's Snipe. ;)

169. Black-fronted Dotterel - very excited to see these (lifer!), as they were the reason I checked out this spot.

170. Latham's Snipe - not quick enough to get a better shot as it walked away (lifer - seen but never photographed). Feather pattern on the back and nothing else similar found in the area.

171. European Goldfinch - Blurry, but easily recognisable.

172. Little Grassbird - (lifer) once seen up close I could tell the difference with the pipit - smaller like the cisticola, but with the pale eyebrow of the pipit. Bouncing across the water in the second shot to feed little ones in the reeds.

A slightly closer shot of the snipe,

then some evry obliging cisticola's (56) for an upgrade.

Nice morning light for the first time in a long time. 

dwatsonbb
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Well done Michael, some lovely shots. The Snipe would be the correct ID for that specimen in my humble opinion, as you said, not much else it could be.

If your planning on rejoining the challenge next year, you should be able to get repeat photos of the Black-fronted Dotteral, as my experience is I can most often locate them in the same spot many times over.

Cant comment on the Grassbird for ID, that would be a lifer for me.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

sue818
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I agree with all your IDs, Michael. Congrats on the lifers! That locale sounds more like Little Grassbird territory as well. Some nice shots of an elusive little bird and the Cisticola. A good spot to explore.

AbbyGrace
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Nice shots Michael! Thanks for your photos in 2022.

TommyGee
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Congratulations Michael on getting the Little Grassbird at last! That little bugger is the bane of my life, I hear them all the time but I can NEVER see them, or at least not for more than a split second at distance. Nicely done :) and congrats on a great year, you've got a lot of great birds and photos over the journey.

michaelrt71_1
michaelrt71_1's picture

Cheers folks!

All the best for 2023 :)

sue818
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All the best for 2023, Michael. It has been fun and perhaps we will finally meet up in your wonderful backyard. Thanks for all the great birds and comraderie

karentwemlow
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Great total for 2022, thanks for sharing! You have so many great birds around your local area.... I will need to expand my horizons this year and try some other areas of Sydney. All the best for 2023.

Alex Rogers
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Well done Michael, great total and some really fresh birds for us :-) Good luck in 2023!

michaelrt71_1
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Ignore. Not submitting anything folks. Trying to figure out Flickr so my photos aren't so tiny and grainy...

Variegated fairywren

dwatsonbb
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Looks like have figured it out Michael, a couple of great shots there. Just wondering how you put them here without the link to Flickr?
All my photos link back to my Flickr account if you click on them.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

michaelrt71_1
michaelrt71_1's picture

I left-click on the photo in photostream

Left click the download button so the sizes pop-up.

Scroll up the size list until the one you want is higlighted (in gray on my PC).

Right click on that size to be given new copy options, from which I chose (left-click) 'Copy Link address'.

Then a new comment box in BIB forum, I choose the screen+ icon, to the left of the special character icon (the Omega).

Then paste the link address into the URL box. Hit 'OK' then it appears below...hopefully.

michaelrt71_1
michaelrt71_1's picture

dwatsonbb wrote:

Looks like have figured it out Michael, a couple of great shots there. Just wondering how you put them here without the link to Flickr?
All my photos link back to my Flickr account if you click on them.

I don't know if the size is too big for the forum though; also this method doesn't allow me to click on the images to get a little slideshow.

dwatsonbb
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Thanks for that Michael. Might just keep going as I am then. I usually copy any paste the photo using the URL code, which is found by clicking on the arrow which points upward and to the right, just to the left of the download arrow. If you click on my photo it takes you to my Flickr page, which is no issue to me.

Thanks again.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

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