Author: R Bruce Richardson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781913679248
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
More Australian Birding Tales takes up where the author's very successful first book, An Australian Birding Year, ended. In this new book Bruce Richardson describes his further birding adventures, which take his total 'life list' from 672 to 759, well exceeding his initial target of 700 species. He delights in finding new 'lifer' species, whether they are common but not yet seen by him or mega rarities, but he also glories in the fact that his birding trips take him to stunning parts of Australia that he wouldn't normally have visited. He travels through the outback, takes the ferry over to Tasmania, makes several pelagic expeditions and goes on a memorable trip to Cocos/Keeling and Christmas Islands. He describes his travels with humour, and intersperses the ticks and the dips of birding with personal anecdotes of a life lived through good times and bad. Although reaching the 700 species target was a milestone, for Bruce birding is equally about the vibe, the good friends he makes along the way, and his exploration of the glorious Australian countryside. He certainly does see some cool birds though.
An Australian Birding Year
Author: R. Bruce Richardson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781912081387
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 372
Book Description
A highly personal account of a phenomenal, once-in-a-lifetime adventure that saw Bruce and his wife, Lynn, embark on a year of travel and birding across the entire continent of Australia in a camper van. Their aim was to see as many birds as possible together in the year. It began with a fly-past of two Gang-gang Cockatoos and ended with a first-ever sighting of a Northern Shoveler with 637 other species in between. His humorous stories describe the ups and downs of the experience from overcrowded campsites and boggy tracks to great pub meals and surprise encounters with birding friends; from the missed birds to the triumph of spotting a 'lifer'. The book is more than a list of birds and how Bruce and Lynn got to see them, it also describes the evolution of their relationship and the wonder that they both had in discovering the stunning countryside of Australia.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781912081387
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 372
Book Description
A highly personal account of a phenomenal, once-in-a-lifetime adventure that saw Bruce and his wife, Lynn, embark on a year of travel and birding across the entire continent of Australia in a camper van. Their aim was to see as many birds as possible together in the year. It began with a fly-past of two Gang-gang Cockatoos and ended with a first-ever sighting of a Northern Shoveler with 637 other species in between. His humorous stories describe the ups and downs of the experience from overcrowded campsites and boggy tracks to great pub meals and surprise encounters with birding friends; from the missed birds to the triumph of spotting a 'lifer'. The book is more than a list of birds and how Bruce and Lynn got to see them, it also describes the evolution of their relationship and the wonder that they both had in discovering the stunning countryside of Australia.
Flight of the Budgerigar
Author: Penny Olsen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780642279606
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
The Budgerigar is arguably Australia's best-known bird. At the same time, it is so ubiquitous that not everyone knows that it is Australian. Nor do many realise that the multicoloured bird that comes to mind--not to mention today's super-sized, extravagantly coiffed show budgie--is as different from the free-living original as a chihuahua from a wolf. Far from the cosy domestic lives our pet budgies live today, the native budgerigar has lived millennia of boom-bust cycles in the arid inland of Australia. Life was often short; if they were not fodder for predators, they starved or had to struggle their way to districts closer to the coast. For the Warlpiri and their Arrernte neighbours around Alice Springs, the Budgerigar (in its ancestral form) was a totem animal, featuring in art, ceremonies, songlines and legends. Since 1840, when ornithologist John Gould took living specimens to London, this little parrot has been on a remarkable journey. The Budgerigar was Australia's first mass export; its story includes British queens and nobles, Japanese princes and Hollywood stars. It has won the hearts of British spies and world leaders, including Churchill, Stalin and Kennedy. Taking the reader from the Dreamtime to the colonial live bird trade, the competitive culture of the showroom and today's thriving wild flocks, Flight of the Budgerigar is the authoritative history of the Budgerigar, written by respected ornithologist Dr Penny Olsen, and lavishly illustrated in full colour.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780642279606
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
The Budgerigar is arguably Australia's best-known bird. At the same time, it is so ubiquitous that not everyone knows that it is Australian. Nor do many realise that the multicoloured bird that comes to mind--not to mention today's super-sized, extravagantly coiffed show budgie--is as different from the free-living original as a chihuahua from a wolf. Far from the cosy domestic lives our pet budgies live today, the native budgerigar has lived millennia of boom-bust cycles in the arid inland of Australia. Life was often short; if they were not fodder for predators, they starved or had to struggle their way to districts closer to the coast. For the Warlpiri and their Arrernte neighbours around Alice Springs, the Budgerigar (in its ancestral form) was a totem animal, featuring in art, ceremonies, songlines and legends. Since 1840, when ornithologist John Gould took living specimens to London, this little parrot has been on a remarkable journey. The Budgerigar was Australia's first mass export; its story includes British queens and nobles, Japanese princes and Hollywood stars. It has won the hearts of British spies and world leaders, including Churchill, Stalin and Kennedy. Taking the reader from the Dreamtime to the colonial live bird trade, the competitive culture of the showroom and today's thriving wild flocks, Flight of the Budgerigar is the authoritative history of the Budgerigar, written by respected ornithologist Dr Penny Olsen, and lavishly illustrated in full colour.
More Tales of a Low-Rent Birder
Author: Pete Dunne
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780292715721
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
". . . as the birding community has grown, the gulf between what the beginner knows and what the expert knows has also grown wider and wider. That's one of the reasons why Pete Dunne's writings are so valuable. Pete is undeniably a top birder, but he writes most of his material for people who are not. . . . In Dunne's birding world, shared interest is the only coin of the realm, and even the rank novice is greeted with respect." —from the foreword by Kenn Kaufman More Tales of a Low-Rent Birder brings together twenty-five recent essays that originally appeared in major birding publications. In these pieces, Pete Dunne ranges from wildly humorous to sadly elegiac, as he describes everything from the "field plumage" of the dedicated birder to the lingering death of an accidentally injured golden plover. Running like a thread through all the essays is Dunne's love and respect for the birds he watches, his concern over human threats to their survival, and his tolerance, even affection, for the human "odd birds" that birding attracts. Truly, these essays offer something for everyone interested in birds and the natural habitats our species share.
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780292715721
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
". . . as the birding community has grown, the gulf between what the beginner knows and what the expert knows has also grown wider and wider. That's one of the reasons why Pete Dunne's writings are so valuable. Pete is undeniably a top birder, but he writes most of his material for people who are not. . . . In Dunne's birding world, shared interest is the only coin of the realm, and even the rank novice is greeted with respect." —from the foreword by Kenn Kaufman More Tales of a Low-Rent Birder brings together twenty-five recent essays that originally appeared in major birding publications. In these pieces, Pete Dunne ranges from wildly humorous to sadly elegiac, as he describes everything from the "field plumage" of the dedicated birder to the lingering death of an accidentally injured golden plover. Running like a thread through all the essays is Dunne's love and respect for the birds he watches, his concern over human threats to their survival, and his tolerance, even affection, for the human "odd birds" that birding attracts. Truly, these essays offer something for everyone interested in birds and the natural habitats our species share.
The Big Twitch
Author: Sean Dooley
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741159164
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 335
Book Description
One man's quest to realise a boyhood dream and break a national record. Sean Dooley seems like a well adjusted, functioning member of society but beneath the respectable veneer he harbours a dark secret. He is a hard-core birdwatcher (aka twitcher'). Sean takes a year off to try to break the Australian twitching record - he has to see more than 700 birds in twelve months. Travelling the length and breadth of Australia, he stops at nothing in search of this birdwatching Holy Grail, blowing his inheritance, his career prospects and any chance he has of finding a girlfriend. Part confessional, part travelogue, this is a true story about obsession. It's about seeking the meaning of life, trying to work out what normal' is, and searching for the elusive Grey Falcon (the bird, not the car). Sean's story of how he followed his childhood dream of becoming a national champion is both inspiring and ridiculous. Could this be the most pathetic great achievement in Australian history?
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741159164
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 335
Book Description
One man's quest to realise a boyhood dream and break a national record. Sean Dooley seems like a well adjusted, functioning member of society but beneath the respectable veneer he harbours a dark secret. He is a hard-core birdwatcher (aka twitcher'). Sean takes a year off to try to break the Australian twitching record - he has to see more than 700 birds in twelve months. Travelling the length and breadth of Australia, he stops at nothing in search of this birdwatching Holy Grail, blowing his inheritance, his career prospects and any chance he has of finding a girlfriend. Part confessional, part travelogue, this is a true story about obsession. It's about seeking the meaning of life, trying to work out what normal' is, and searching for the elusive Grey Falcon (the bird, not the car). Sean's story of how he followed his childhood dream of becoming a national champion is both inspiring and ridiculous. Could this be the most pathetic great achievement in Australian history?
Lapwings, Loons and Lousy Jacks
Author: Ray Reedman
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1784270938
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 550
Book Description
The Lapwing once had many regional names; the Loon has a British-American identity crisis and the respectable-sounding Apostlebird is often called a Lousy Jack. Why do bird names, both common and scientific, change over time and why do they vary so much between different parts of the English-speaking world? Wandering through the scientific and cultural history of ornithology takes us to the heart of understanding the long relationship between birds and people. Lapwings, Loons and Lousy Jacks uncovers the stories behind the incredible diversity of bird names, explains what many scientific names actually mean and takes a look at the history of the system by which we name birds. Ray Reedman explores the natural history and folklore behind bird names, in doing so unlocking the mystery of the name Scoter, the last unexplained common name of a British bird species.
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1784270938
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 550
Book Description
The Lapwing once had many regional names; the Loon has a British-American identity crisis and the respectable-sounding Apostlebird is often called a Lousy Jack. Why do bird names, both common and scientific, change over time and why do they vary so much between different parts of the English-speaking world? Wandering through the scientific and cultural history of ornithology takes us to the heart of understanding the long relationship between birds and people. Lapwings, Loons and Lousy Jacks uncovers the stories behind the incredible diversity of bird names, explains what many scientific names actually mean and takes a look at the history of the system by which we name birds. Ray Reedman explores the natural history and folklore behind bird names, in doing so unlocking the mystery of the name Scoter, the last unexplained common name of a British bird species.