Capertee Valley and the Wild-Bird-Magazine
The Wild-Bird-Magazine - Wild-Bird-Watching In Capertee Valley
I live in what is regarded as the best bird watching location in Australia with over 200 species recorded in the Capertee Valley. This list of species includes the severely endangered Regent Honeyeater; the Turquoise Parrot; the Swift Parrot; the Plum-headed Finch and the Barking Owl to name just a few that are endangered and under threat. We are also proud supporters of the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Plan.
Follow the links to some very useful information on the best bird watching locations and some useful routes to follow and areas to check out so that you enjoy your Capertee Valley trip
Capertee-valley Bird Watching Information - Check out the information on your next trip
Visit the Capertee Valley for the best Bird Watching – Check this Information Out
Visit the Capertee Valley and other locations for the best Bird Watching vacations
Visit Ecuador and read this great trip report and birding expedition - Part 1
Visit Ecuador and read all about this expedition - Part 2
Bird Watching and the Wild-Bird-Magazine
People have been watching birds since they looked skywards and marveled at the grace and beauty and wondered how birds soared through the air. The Romans actually considered them omens, and believed that the future could be predicted from the bird calls. Having been a seafarer myself for several years birds and superstition also go hand in hand. One bird is known and named by sailors as Mother Carey’s Chicken is called the sailors friend and warns of an approaching storm and it is supposed to be unlucky to kill one. The legend says that each bird carries the soul of a dead sailor. Most people no that it is considered very bad luck to kill an albatross
Bird watching is now becoming one of the most popular hobbies and pastimes there is. In the USA alone they now estimate that 51 million people now engage in bird watching. Various studies also say that bird-watching is now the fastest growing hobby in the world. Personally I really like the isolation and solitude of bird watching, as carries with it a certain intimacy with the birds, and sometimes one feels a little guilty. All About Choosing Your Binoculars All you need to know about choosing your set of bird watching Binoculars, how they work and important buying tips in the Wild-Bird-Magazine.
The Wild-Bird-Magazine - Bird Watching in Wild Habitats Many people like to watch a favorite species or one particular interest and some bird watchers look to look at a range of birds. Nothing beats the careful and targeted observation of a relative rare species. Bird watching isn’t all easy, and requires the development of a few basic walking and hiking skills; for extended trips some camping and climbing skills, and even some water skills if you canoe or kayak in wetlands or streams and rivers. The Wild-Bird-Magazine will give you lots of useful information. Bird watching has to be one of the healthiest hobbies there is, you get close to nature and it is non-destructive to the environment. To go into an area to observe birds creates risks for them. The basic rules are that you maintain a low visibility, make very little noise, and just try and blend in with the surroundings. Keep the noise down when you are photographing and don’t get too close to nesting areas. It doesn’t matter if watch woodland birds or look at seabirds, don’t disturb them. Click on the link to learn more about wild habitat bird watching in the Wild-Bird-Magazine
Birds of Prey – Raptors
The Bird of Prey is also called a raptor and include the Falcons, Eagles, Hawks, Kites and Owls. Watching raptors often requires some physical effort and serious hiking to mountainous areas or gorges and cliffs, but these treks are worth the effort. Raptors have distinct physical characteristics that include a hooked beak and large talons that are used to catch and hold on to prey with. The largest raptor in the US is the enormous California Condor, which has a wing span of some 9 feet and can weigh up to 23 pounds (11kg). Down at the lower end of the spectrum is the tiny Elf Owl that weighs in at only 1.5 ounces (50 grams). The fastest raptor around is the Peregrine Falcon that can dive at an incredible 200 mph. The wild-bird-magazine for all about bird-watching
In North America there are some 30 plus species and many sub-species of raptors. The raptor can be found in a diverse range of habitats that includes forests, alpine-tundra, temperate rainforests, deserts and grasslands. Another raptor is the owl which can make for fascinating bird-watching if you don’t mind staying up late. The owl belongs to a species category that consist of mainly nocturnal birds that are classified as Strigiformes. This species order is split into a further 2 groups which are called the Tytonidae or Barn Owl and related species, (there 18 known species), and the Strigidae which includes round 194 owl species. Owls also inhabit a wide range of terrain that includes everything from dense forests to the open plains and prairies. Click on the link to learn more about raptor watching in the Wild-Bird-Magazine
Birds Facing Extinction
BirdLife International has stated in it’s annual assessment that the total number of bird species that are considered to be threatened with extinction is now 1,212. When this is combined with the number of near threatened species, this gives a total of 2,000 species in serious trouble, and that is more than 20% of earths remaining 9,775 species. The list includes several species from Europe for the first time, which includes the European Roller which is key populations in Turkey and European Russia and these have shown a sharp decline. BirdLife also stated that 179 species were categorised as critically endangered with 18 species in Australasia. The list includes the Azores Bullfinch which is one of Europe's rarest songbirds with now fewer than 300 remaining. On a more optimistic note the Ivory-billed woodpecker was sighted in the United States for the first time in many decades. Out in the Seychelles the magpie-robin has reduced to just 12-15 birds on one island by 1965, and they have recovered a little to over 130 birds when some were relocated to small, predator-free islands off Africa's east coast. New Zealand's has two species that have moved close to joining another five that are already extinct due to the affects of the introduced rat population explosions in 1999 and 2000. This has resulted in the loss of two populations of yellowhead and almost made extinct the orange-fronted parakeet which now numbers in the tens. The wild-bird-magazine for all about bird-watching The destruction of habitat and alien predators are the two greatest threats to global bird species, and more than 20% of bird species is facing a short or medium-term of joining the dodo, the great auk and some 129 other bird species known to have become extinct since the year 1500, not to mention all the others we don’t know about. The wild-bird-magazine will bring you details of how to help.
LATEST NEWS! Rare Bird in Darwin All birders or twitchers as they are known in Australia are flying to Darwin to look at a bird that has been blown in by the recent cyclone (hurricane) The bird is a Javan Pond Heron and this has taken up refuge in a northern Darwin suburb drain. This is the first official sighting of the species in Australian history. The wild-bird-magazine for all about bird-watching
Rare parrot found in Qld, Australia after 130 years
A rare (extinct) bird has been observed in Southern Queensland, some 130 years after the last sighting. The naturalist and wildlife cinematographer John Young located the bird after a 10 year quest. The bird was located in rugged forests in southern Queensland. The bird is named the blue-fronted fig parrot, and this is a sub species of the double-eyed fig parrot.
DO YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE A SHORT FACTUAL ARTICLE ON A SPECIES OR SOME OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION ON BIRD WATCHING IN THE WILD-BIRD-MAGAZINE? Email me with your Wild-Bird-Magazine in Word File Format to mrcruisine@yahoo.com Useful The wild-bird-magazine Resources
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