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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 bird world. But the story is different when a national Twitchathon is running. Teams of bird watchers have planned thoroughly for weeks before embarking on a run to see or hear as many birds as possible within an allotted time. Birdlife Australia is holding its annual national Twitchathon on the 27th and October 28 at the end of the National Bird Festival In each state, sponsored teams with names such as Raven On, Gang-gang Gang, Dodgy Drongos and Budgie Smugglers will participate in the event to raise funds for research and bird conservation projects. Mick Roderick, Birdlife Australia project manager, said this year three races were on offer: the intense 30-hour Big Weekend, the 12-hour Big Day and the 3-hour Birdathon. "We have weekends to find as many species as possible and it's fun, it's fun," he said. "For us, bird watchers, it's closer to the sport. It's our chance to go and have what we call a bird race. The record for a 24-hour race was 252 species, set by our Hunter Home Brewers team in 2013. "At the first 30-hour event last year the Dodgy Drongos scored 264 points, setting the bar high. in the new format. Liam Murphy, the bird watcher on the north-north coast of New South Wales, is part of a 30-hour race team and said their course had been carefully planned. a lot of driving, a lot of driving, but it's very fun, "he said. It's the first year that we are participating in the big race. So we leave in the Nyngan-Cobar area to finish on the coast. "Mr. Murphy said that there would be little time to sleep." They introduced a new rule. We must stop and rest for six hours. As with bird watching in general, it is based on a system of honor. Cheating, it's no use, it's really cheating on golf, but over 50% of your team must see or hear the bird for it to count. "Funds to help potentially endangered species Mr. Roderick said the money raised this year by Twitchathon would be participating in projects aimed at saving endangered species, including the critically endangered Honeyle Regent. Extinction and the Emu-wren mallee.For the Regent Honeytree, BirdLife Australia raises funds for conservation work conducted by the Australian National University (ANU). "BirdLife Australia and ANU are working together to bring nest protection measures at Honey-Regents breeding sites, "he says." We see things like opossums, gliders, currawongs and kookaburras preventing Honey-Regents. " "to get the nests out of the birds. to prevent these natural predators from going into the nest and help this species to bring out its chicks. If a dangerous species can not breed and can not produce young then the species is about to disappear, it's as simple as that. A rare tern of overseas visitors rises just in time Meanwhile, a rare shorebird from Alaska has made an important resurgence in Australia, just in time for the Twitchathon. The last year, M 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 the NSW. This year, members of Mr. Murphy's Twitchathon team have planned their bird ran to Old Bar. Fortunately, an Aleutian tern was spotted on the site a few days ago – the first sighting of this year.Mr. Roderick said that it was an important observation for bird researchers because little data was recorded on Aleutian terns. "We are still learning a lot about what these birds do," he said. "Researchers in Alaska are delighted that birds have been found in Australia, because there is very little data on their geographical location, what summer in your garden, which birds do you observe?" Before the Twitchathon the annual Australian Bird Count will be held from October 22-28, and residents of Australia are invited to attend, and Mr. Roderick stated that the census, which was held for the first time in 2014, filled a gap in knowledge. "We do not have a lot of reliable data on our urban and suburban areas, so the backyard bird count is an opportunity to collect data from the past." These birds are usually not recorded in birds, "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 birds and birds. " h omme and birds, so it's really important. "Last year, more than 70,000 people took part and counted more than 1.9 million birds. The noisy rainbow lorikeet has been in the lead for four years. Last year, we were followed by the noisy miner, the Australian magpie, the sulfur crested cockatoo and the galah. "It's a lot of fun," said Roderick. "You can download an application – all you have to do is spend 20 minutes in your favorite parcel or even in your backyard and literally record the birds you see or hear," said Roderick. "The Rainbow Lorikeet has become the 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."
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First posted
October 22, 2018 05:58:28
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