[ad_1]
Update
October 22, 2018 09:35:06
Bird watching can be a relaxing hobby, a quiet time spent in nature enjoying the sounds and images of the avian world.
But the story of a national Twitchathon is different. Teams of bird watchers have planned thoroughly for weeks before embarking on a race to see or hear as many birds as possible within a predefined time.
Birdlife Australia organizes its annual national Twitchathon on October 27 and 28 at the end. National Bird Week.
In each state, sponsored teams with names such as Raven On, Gang-gang Gang, Dodgy Drongos and Budgie Smugglers will participate in this event to raise funds for bird conservation and research projects . 19659008] Mallee emu-wren "title =" Mallee emu-wren "width =" 700 "height =" 467 "/>
Photo:
The Twitchers of Victoria and South Australia will raise funds for the conservation of the emu-wren mallee. (Provided: Birdlife Australia)
Birdlife Australia project manager, Mick Roderick, said this year that there were three races to choose from: the intense 30-hour Big Weekend , the 12-hour Big Day and the 3-hour Birdathon.
"We have the weekend to find as many species as possible and this is a band of fun," he said.
"For us, bird watchers, we are as close to the sport as it is an opportunity to leave … and we have what we call a race of birds.
"The record for a 24-hour race was 252 species, established by our Hunter Home Brewers team in 2013.
" At the first 30-hour event last year the Dodgy Drongos registered a score of 264, setting the bar high in the new format. "
Birdguard Liam Murphy, on the north-north coast of New South Wales, is part of a 30-hour team and states that their journey had been carefully planned.
"It's pretty intense: a lot of driving, a lot of racing, but it's very fun," he said.
"This is the first year that we are engaged in the big race, so we start from the Nyngan-Cobar and finish on the coast."
M. Murphy said that there would not be much time to sleep.
"They set a new rule We must stop and rest for six hours [19659013]" As for bird watching in general, it is based on a system of honor. There is no point in cheating, it's really like cheating on golf, but over 50% of your team must see or hear the bird for it to be able to count. "
Fund to Help Endangered Species
M. Roderick said that funds raised at Twitchathon would be used to save endangered species, including honey eater and mallee
BirdLife Australia raises funds on behalf of the Regent, Australian National University ( ANU).
"BirdLife Australia and the ANU collaborate to implement nest protection measures when breeding a breeder of breeding turrets
" We find that things like opossums, gliders, currawongs and kookaburras actually make it difficult for the regents honey hunters to get the birds out of the nests, so just look for ways to stop these natural predators from reaching the nest and help this species out the chicks.
"If a species in danger of extinction can not reproduce and can not produce young The species is about to disappear, it's as simple as that."
A rare tern of foreign visitors rises just in time
Meanwhile, a rare shorebird from Alaska has made an important resurgence in Australia, just to time for the Twitchathon.
Last Mr. Murphy made the very first Australian sighting of the Aleutian Tern, which he noticed at Farquhar Inlet, in Old Bar, on the north-north coast of New South Wales.
This year, members of Mr. Murphy's Twitchathon team planned to finish Old Bar.
Fortunately, an Aleutian tern was spotted on the site a few days ago – the first sighting of this year.
M. Roderick said it was an important observation for bird researchers because few data were recorded on Aleutian terns.
"We are still learning what these birds do"
"Researchers in Alaska are very happy that birds have been found in Australia because there are very few data on their whereabouts during the austral summer. "
When you look in your garden, what birds do you see?
In anticipation of the Twitchathon, the annual count of Australian backyard birds will be held from October 22 to 28 and residents from all over Australia are invited to participate.
Roderick said the census, which was held for the first time in 2014, filled a knowledge gap.
"We do not have much reliable data on our urban and suburban areas, so the backyard bird count is an opportunity to collect bird data. Birds are not usually collected, "he said.
"So we're going to learn some really interesting things about what's going on with birds, where there's an interaction between humans and birds, it's really important."
The year last, over 70,000 people took part and counted more than 1.9 million birds.
The loud rainbow lorikeet has exceeded targets for four years. Last year, he was followed by the noisy miner, the Australian magpie, the sulfur crested badatoo and the galah.
"It's very entertaining," Mr. Roderick said.
"There is an application you can download Everything you need What you need to do is spend 20 minutes in your favorite parcel or even in your garden and literally record the birds you see or hear, "said Roderick.
"The rainbow lorikeet has become number one every year, so let's see if any of the others, or even something like the wagtail, could get noticed and get on the podium this year. "
Topics:
regional,
research projects,
science and research management,
town planning and development,
community and society,
animals,
human interest,
preservation,
environment,
birds,
animal science,
science and technology,
Port-Macquarie-2444,
Australia,
nsw,
United States,
old bar-2430,
Lake-cathie-2445
First publication
October 22, 2018 05:58:28
