Hi all,
I have had an interest in birds since I can remember! Im particullarly interested in BOP, I dont know much about other birds but I would love to learn!!
I have been living in england for the past 6 years and I loved flying the BOP in a sanctuary I worked in! I love looking at and taking photographs. I also own a cockatiel called Leo.
Thats me
Regards
-SakerF
Ps: I live in the yarra valley :P
From the stunning Yarra Vally Mountains!
Welcome to the forum SakerF. Birds of pray are one of the most fascinating creatures that occupy the sky. I hope to see more of them in the future. How amazing it would be flying a BOP.
Welcome SakerF. Hope you find lots of info in the forum.
It would have been awesome to fly BOP around. The Yarra River is quite good for birds and I live near it in the suburbs. I have seen quite a lot of birds so keep an eye out and you will find lots.
Cheers, Owen.
Hi SakerF, and welcome to our friendly forum. Living in the Yarra Valley, you will find lots of BOP, and in the areas of the State Parks you will find a wide variety of Owls. Can't wait to hear and see more from you!
M-L
Thanks all, for your welcoming words!
Owen, There are lots of birds here, I love just watching them sour and glide from tree to tree, or just on the thermals. It's a sight that I will never tire of!
Araminta, You will be hearing and seeing more of me, When I can Steal dads camera :P
From the stunning Yarra Vally Mountains!
Hi there SakerF. I've been a member for about 3 months & have been enthralled by other folks' observations of birds & their habitats. It's great to hear what's happening in other parts of Australia & compare it with what's happening in my part of the country which is the southeastern slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in SA.
Do you have an Australian bird identification book? If not, I think you'd find it extremely useful for identifying birds & finding out about their behaviour, ranges, habitat, what they feed on & on & on. A good pair of binoculars is a must if you haven't already got a pair. And plenty of patience because, like children, birds can often be heard but not seen. After a while you get to know where to look & before long you'll be identifying birds out of the corner of your eye as they flash by!
Welcome SakerF ... so I take it you are a younger member of the bird loving community then? great to see... and you will be able to learn a lot here and see some good shots of different sightings
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hi SakerF, I read,that you want to fly BOPs, if you live in the Yarra Valley, you shouldn't be too far from the Healsville Sanctuary. The best place to see them fly, they have them on show several times a day. It's a great place to go. Check it out on the net. They have very good vets , if you ever have questions about native animals, ring them!
M-L
Sorry SakesF, I have to do this a lot!? Here is the spelling for: Healesville Sanctuary! In case you look on the net. M-L
M-L
Birdie: yes, im not that old, ill be 17 on the 18th.
Araminta: I love Healsville Sanctuary! If I could be there everyday, I would be :)
Woko: I will get myself a bird book, are there any you recomend?
-SakerF
From the stunning Yarra Vally Mountains!
Pizzey & Knight and simpson & Day are both good field guides that I use and they are very helpful if you want to ID the birds you find. I also 'Where to see birds in Victoria' very helpful for places to see birds around Melbourne and the rest of Victoria so there are lots of good bird books out there.
Cheers, Owen.
Thank you, I will go and buy one :P
From the stunning Yarra Vally Mountains!
I have several field guides, SakerF. It would pay you to browse them & see which one(s) suit you best. The one I refer most to for information is Graham Pizzey: A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. I also use a lot Michael Morcombe: Field Guide to Australian Birds. Then there are P Slater: A Field Guide to Australian Birds & Simpson & Day: Field Guied to the Birds of Australia. These are all books you can carry with you (but not all at once unless you have long arms) while you're bird watching.
If you want something to hold down your papers in a strong breeze through your lounge room I can recommend Readers Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds but I think that's out of print now. You might pick one up in a 2nd hand book shop, tho'.
You'd probably be interested in Jack Cupper & Lindsay Cupper: Hawks in Focus but I haven't seen that in the bookshops for many years. It might be one to look for in the 2nd hand shops. And there are other specialist books like Ted Schurmann: Australian Waterbirds & Gerald Tuck & Hermann Heinzel: A Field Guid to the Seabirds of Australia & the World.
So there's lots to choose from, SakerF. Happy birdwatching!
Hey Woko....are you insinuating that the Readers Digest one is only worth being a paper weight ??? LOL ...or rather that it is a tad too large for a day trip in the bush ? I recently purchased it online for a very cheap price ( $20 I think) for such a beautiful hardcover and it is the most informative book I have read yet, the Field Guides are great ( I have two Simpson and Days , so one is permanently in my car and likewise that was purchased at the Post office at the time for $20 also. I was trying to use them only till a helpful person ( Tassie) suggested I might try to look for a bit more in depth info in a book such as that!!!
Up till then I had done most of my learning on here and other bird sites...as is the modern way, but I have to admit it is nice to sit with a beautifully illustrated hard cover and scroll through the pages at your leisure ..... reminds me of the "old days" ha ha ha..... you know...when kids read books instead of screens???
Sunshine Coast Queensland
What a fab. idea , to have 2 books, and keep one in the car! I might do the same with the camera! I got my replacement camera(LOL,thanks husband!!), so, as soon as the other one will be repaired, I could do that! BTW, I read a lot,and haven't watched TV for a very long time, and I listen to music while I read!
M-L
Yes but you are "different" Araminta from most people these days ... I have to admit I do both especially when I am not working .
Sunshine Coast Queensland
If you are more the techie sort and you have an ipod touch or an iPhone, you can buy Michael Morcombe's guide at iTunes for about $30:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/id397979505 I really like his illustrations and I haven't actually used it myself but it looks very promising with sound clips and everything. Digital things are more compact, saves a lot of paper and extra weight.
I use Pizzey and Knight's 8th edition which is handy and fairly comprehensive. Simpson and Day gives very good visual references though.
Taz
Aaahhh modern technology for the younger birders LOL
Did you know that Michael Morcombe used to be an art teacher years ago??? I met him as a photographer years ago and I was blown away at that time when I learned that he had illustrated his own book ( The Great Australian Birdfinder). Needless to say I was not into birds back then and didn't know that others did the same and the reasons why.
I cant imagine looking at everything on the small screen of an Ipod :)
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Geeez guys, get with the times ;D
iPod screen too small? No worries! Get an iPad :)
OMG Birdie I'm so jealous! His drawings are so detailed and intricate and I love the way he draws flight and tail feathers! Do you happen to know what medium he uses for his illustrations?
Taz
Yes, birdie,the Readers' Digest book is rather beautiful, isn't it? I bought it many years ago & find it a wonderful source of not only bird photos but information.
I find Morcombe's book is great for breeding information as well as bird illustrations & distribution maps.
(I hope you're following all this, SakerF!)
Obviously, 1 size doesn't fit all (which is 1 reason I have a number of field guides) & it's great to hear the various views of bird lovers on their field guide preferences.
I forget whether I've mentioned Robert Burton: Bird Behaviour. A great & intriguing read & a book I'd have on a desert island.
As for iPods & iPads: iQuit
iQuit, the newest brand from apple. Yeah seriously, Tazrandus is right, catch up with the times. After all, you are typing with a computer aren't you. But still, I find reading stuff on a phone as eye torture.
Having a wide range of field guides can be very usufel as you can see more varied opinions and illustrations. I find P&K field guide to be the best personaly.
Ha ha ....I wish this forum had a "like" button Woko ...love the iQuit comment. BUT... always try to stay abreast of technology as much as you can...... to be left behind would be terrible for me personally, and there are heaps of things I cant understand already!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
O.K. O.K. But keeping up with the latest takes me away from what I love doing most: watching birds & developing habitat for them. All this new technology is getting away from me, that's for sure. Fortunately, my wife, Ms Technology, keeps me reasonably on track when I flounder. iPlod this, app that,update the other. Grrrrrrrrrrr!
Ha ha ha ...behind every good Forum an there is an iWife :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland