Well, that’s over now. Still the rest of the day to submit your results.

It’s fair to say that the whole of Australia has been covered this year. Including Cocos (Keeling), Christmas, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.
And including all but the worst desert.

A few gaps here and there. No birds from Birdsville. Or Yulara, Tanamai, Halls Creek, Marble Bar, Tiwi Islands.

I submitted less than previous years, 35 checklists as opposed to 53 last year. Much as I’d like to blame bad weather, Covid, and work on ABBC data processing, the real reason is that I’m getting older so tire out more easily.

The favourite bird I saw this year was black-fronted dotterel, just 600 metres from my house. It’s been about ten years since I last saw one.

mollwollfumble said:

Well, that’s over now. Still the rest of the day to submit your results.

It’s fair to say that the whole of Australia has been covered this year. Including Cocos (Keeling), Christmas, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.
And including all but the worst desert.

A few gaps here and there. No birds from Birdsville. Or Yulara, Tanamai, Halls Creek, Marble Bar, Tiwi Islands.

I submitted less than previous years, 35 checklists as opposed to 53 last year. Much as I’d like to blame bad weather, Covid, and work on ABBC data processing, the real reason is that I’m getting older so tire out more easily.

The favourite bird I saw this year was black-fronted dotterel, just 600 metres from my house. It’s been about ten years since I last saw one.

Prolly ten years ago, you saw a lot more than one.

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

Well, that’s over now. Still the rest of the day to submit your results.

It’s fair to say that the whole of Australia has been covered this year. Including Cocos (Keeling), Christmas, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.
And including all but the worst desert.

A few gaps here and there. No birds from Birdsville. Or Yulara, Tanamai, Halls Creek, Marble Bar, Tiwi Islands.

I submitted less than previous years, 35 checklists as opposed to 53 last year. Much as I’d like to blame bad weather, Covid, and work on ABBC data processing, the real reason is that I’m getting older so tire out more easily.

The favourite bird I saw this year was black-fronted dotterel, just 600 metres from my house. It’s been about ten years since I last saw one.

Prolly ten years ago, you saw a lot more than one.

Thinking back, I’d guess it was more like 20 years. I’ve only ever seen them in ones or twos. Back then I may have seen one where Bunnings now stands. I did see a pair on a distant beach. And possibly one or two at Westgate Park.

Most of the records from other observers are Good! More than 90% are as good as I could do. Observer quality has been improving each year.

… but …

Someone stuffed up royally in the image below. This is one of my favourite birding spots but I didn’t get to it this year.
Of those six, only “Australian Magpie” is correct. For “white tern” read “seagull”.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

Well, that’s over now. Still the rest of the day to submit your results.

It’s fair to say that the whole of Australia has been covered this year. Including Cocos (Keeling), Christmas, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands.
And including all but the worst desert.

A few gaps here and there. No birds from Birdsville. Or Yulara, Tanamai, Halls Creek, Marble Bar, Tiwi Islands.

I submitted less than previous years, 35 checklists as opposed to 53 last year. Much as I’d like to blame bad weather, Covid, and work on ABBC data processing, the real reason is that I’m getting older so tire out more easily.

The favourite bird I saw this year was black-fronted dotterel, just 600 metres from my house. It’s been about ten years since I last saw one.

Prolly ten years ago, you saw a lot more than one.

Thinking back, I’d guess it was more like 20 years. I’ve only ever seen them in ones or twos. Back then I may have seen one where Bunnings now stands. I did see a pair on a distant beach. And possibly one or two at Westgate Park.

Most of the records from other observers are Good! More than 90% are as good as I could do. Observer quality has been improving each year.

… but …

Someone stuffed up royally in the image below. This is one of my favourite birding spots but I didn’t get to it this year.
Of those six, only “Australian Magpie” is correct. For “white tern” read “seagull”.

54 species from our postcode.

What is the genetic diversity like I wonder.
Might be able to captive breed some of the birds but they may not be healthy long term as a species if they are too inbreed

We didn’t participate this year. Actually I forgot about it because I’ve been doing IDs on iNaturalist and concentrating on plants at the moment.

buffy said:

We didn’t participate this year. Actually I forgot about it because I’ve been doing IDs on iNaturalist and concentrating on plants at the moment.

I’m not good with organised stuff.

However, just yesterday recorded small numbers of painted honeyeater, zebra finch, bar shouldered dove, peaceful dove, common bronzewing pigeon, crimson chat, yellow robin, skylark, galah, blue-bonnet, ring-necked parrot, grass parrot, kestrel, black falcon. Healthy numbers of wagtails, apostle birds, dusky, masked and white faced woodswallows, white rumped miners and choughs. One owl impaled on Casella wines fence.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

We didn’t participate this year. Actually I forgot about it because I’ve been doing IDs on iNaturalist and concentrating on plants at the moment.

I’m not good with organised stuff.

However, just yesterday recorded small numbers of painted honeyeater, zebra finch, bar shouldered dove, peaceful dove, common bronzewing pigeon, crimson chat, yellow robin, skylark, galah, blue-bonnet, ring-necked parrot, grass parrot, kestrel, black falcon. Healthy numbers of wagtails, apostle birds, dusky, masked and white faced woodswallows, white rumped miners and choughs. One owl impaled on Casella wines fence.

Oh and a white winged triller. Would have been surprised to see it out in the dry country but the dam was full.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

We didn’t participate this year. Actually I forgot about it because I’ve been doing IDs on iNaturalist and concentrating on plants at the moment.

I’m not good with organised stuff.

However, just yesterday recorded small numbers of painted honeyeater, zebra finch, bar shouldered dove, peaceful dove, common bronzewing pigeon, crimson chat, yellow robin, skylark, galah, blue-bonnet, ring-necked parrot, grass parrot, kestrel, black falcon. Healthy numbers of wagtails, apostle birds, dusky, masked and white faced woodswallows, white rumped miners and choughs. One owl impaled on Casella wines fence.

Oh and a white winged triller. Would have been surprised to see it out in the dry country but the dam was full.

The Rufous whistler and the woddswallows plus the budgies, did I forget to mention them? They were the noisiest apart from the butcherbirds.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

I’m not good with organised stuff.

However, just yesterday recorded small numbers of painted honeyeater, zebra finch, bar shouldered dove, peaceful dove, common bronzewing pigeon, crimson chat, yellow robin, skylark, galah, blue-bonnet, ring-necked parrot, grass parrot, kestrel, black falcon. Healthy numbers of wagtails, apostle birds, dusky, masked and white faced woodswallows, white rumped miners and choughs. One owl impaled on Casella wines fence.

Oh and a white winged triller. Would have been surprised to see it out in the dry country but the dam was full.

The Rufous whistler and the woodswallows plus the budgies, did I forget to mention them? They were the noisiest apart from the butcherbirds.

Did I forget to mention the wood ducks and teal in the dam?

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Oh and a white winged triller. Would have been surprised to see it out in the dry country but the dam was full.

The Rufous whistler and the woodswallows plus the budgies, did I forget to mention them? They were the noisiest apart from the butcherbirds.

Did I forget to mention the wood ducks and teal in the dam?

Mailman’s Gap dam, Cocoparra NP.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

The Rufous whistler and the woodswallows plus the budgies, did I forget to mention them? They were the noisiest apart from the butcherbirds.

Did I forget to mention the wood ducks and teal in the dam?

Mailman’s Gap dam, Cocoparra NP.

Did also examine numerous wombat diggings as well as echidna. Spotted this perentie but it was a bit far up the tree for the phone camera.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

I’m not good with organised stuff.

However, just yesterday recorded small numbers of painted honeyeater, zebra finch, bar shouldered dove, peaceful dove, common bronzewing pigeon, crimson chat, yellow robin, skylark, galah, blue-bonnet, ring-necked parrot, grass parrot, kestrel, black falcon. Healthy numbers of wagtails, apostle birds, dusky, masked and white faced woodswallows, white rumped miners and choughs. One owl impaled on Casella wines fence.

Oh and a white winged triller. Would have been surprised to see it out in the dry country but the dam was full.

The Rufous whistler and the woodswallows plus the budgies, did I forget to mention them? They were the noisiest apart from the butcherbirds.

Heck, that’s a good collection.

> yellow robin

I managed a pair of those this year, I haven’t seen them in Melbourne away from Mt Dandenong before.

> common bronzewing pigeon, skylark, kestrel

I have had those in previous years, but not this year.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Did I forget to mention the wood ducks and teal in the dam?

Mailman’s Gap dam, Cocoparra NP.

Did also examine numerous wombat diggings as well as echidna. Spotted this perentie but it was a bit far up the tree for the phone camera.

Also saw a snake. Only the third snake I’ve ever seen in suburban Melbourne. Fourth if you include the Mornington Peninsula.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Mailman’s Gap dam, Cocoparra NP.

Did also examine numerous wombat diggings as well as echidna. Spotted this perentie but it was a bit far up the tree for the phone camera.

Also saw a snake. Only the third snake I’ve ever seen in suburban Melbourne. Fourth if you include the Mornington Peninsula.

It’s been a good season for snakes this year.

RB, that is not a Perentie :)

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Mailman’s Gap dam, Cocoparra NP.

Did also examine numerous wombat diggings as well as echidna. Spotted this perentie but it was a bit far up the tree for the phone camera.

Also saw a snake. Only the third snake I’ve ever seen in suburban Melbourne. Fourth if you include the Mornington Peninsula.

Yep. I saw a snake today. A live one that is.
There are many dead on the road where idiots skid on them deliberately.
One man said, got two snakes on the way here. Why? “Because anything that can kill me gets killed first”.

My held back reply was, “hope you have your window wound down and one gets flipped up into your lap”

Speedy said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

Did also examine numerous wombat diggings as well as echidna. Spotted this perentie but it was a bit far up the tree for the phone camera.

Also saw a snake. Only the third snake I’ve ever seen in suburban Melbourne. Fourth if you include the Mornington Peninsula.

It’s been a good season for snakes this year.

RB, that is not a Perentie :)

;) knew someone would look.

I don’t think I’m breaking confidence when I say that my analysis shows that up to 45% of magpies seen don’t exist, they’re duplicate birds – the same bird seen multiple times and reported in different surveys.

I’m struggling to figure out the mathematics needed to determine if one bird species is killing off another.

It has to do with correlation and anticorrelation. I’m lookiing particularly for cases of anti-correlation, where the presence of one bird species in sufficiently large numbers drives away another species.

But how to calculate this? And how to separate these cases from birds just living in different biomes, eg. coastal vs bush.

mollwollfumble said:

I’m struggling to figure out the mathematics needed to determine if one bird species is killing off another.

It has to do with correlation and anticorrelation. I’m lookiing particularly for cases of anti-correlation, where the presence of one bird species in sufficiently large numbers drives away another species.

But how to calculate this? And how to separate these cases from birds just living in different biomes, eg. coastal vs bush.

Dress up as a bird go to the areas in question and call out Ca-Caw! Ah Ah Ee Ee Tookie Tookie! Tookie Tookie

Cymek said:

mollwollfumble said:

I’m struggling to figure out the mathematics needed to determine if one bird species is killing off another.

It has to do with correlation and anticorrelation. I’m lookiing particularly for cases of anti-correlation, where the presence of one bird species in sufficiently large numbers drives away another species.

But how to calculate this? And how to separate these cases from birds just living in different biomes, eg. coastal vs bush.

Dress up as a bird go to the areas in question and call out Ca-Caw! Ah Ah Ee Ee Tookie Tookie! Tookie Tookie

Um yes. That possibility did occur to me. ;-)