jvj

Recently in the journal I find myself talking more and more about birds. I enjoy bird watching--it's like fishing, you can do something and nothing at exactly the same time--but what I'm unsure about is how interesting this is to other people.

Any thoughts?

I have a similar joy with gardening. While the kids are playing around, tackling each other (and me), I get to rip away at weeds. Weeding really is, without doubt, a cathartic experience. Clears the mind. Ready for another night of coding, reading Cavern on the loo, trying to figure out how to create the next facebook .

Do you have a favourite set of birds? With weeding, I have a favourite set of weeds. I love pulling out milk-thistles .. heh heh. It's nice, because you feel like you've accomplished something holding this stalk and clod of dirt with little roots all over the place.

As a teen, I had an aviary. It was a blast watching the little tackers fly around. Budgies, finches .. canaries i think. Nothing extra special.

Stargazing. Before our baby daughter was born my husband and I regularly whipped out the old telescopes and go set ourselves up for the night, try to identify as many celestial bodies as we could.

Since moving to Australia, also like watching birds. We have many beautiful parrot related birds here. Most are monogamous, so when you see a pair together it kind of gives you that fluffy romantic feeling.

Witchary :: whereabouts in aus are you? I was once part of the great and noble queensland bloodline, but for the other 2/3rds of my life have been a new south welshman. Sydneyite for the last while.

theUnguru wrote:Witchary :: whereabouts in aus are you? I was once part of the great and noble queensland bloodline, but for the other 2/3rds of my life have been a new south welshman. Sydneyite for the last while.

Down in Melbourne mate. We came here 9 years ago from South Africa. We were here for 2 and a bit years before going to NZ for 5 years. Moved back here around 2 years ago.

South Africa. Nice. I've got a number of friends (we use the same Dev Tool) over in Capetown. And a few in NZ too.

Do you, having lived in the three greatest rugby nations (heh heh, any bites?) .. follow the Rugby?

-- sorry for hijacking the thread --

My apologies too...

I am the ultimate Tri Nations gal. I just take the side of whoever is winning. I can never lose.
Down here in Victoria they are not big on rugby though, which is a pity. It's all AFL.
Thank goodness for cricket! Once again I just run with whoever is winning, whcih is never poor old NZ.

I got my Chickadee Level Pin this summer. I do lots of birdwatching at my park, including the Bald Eagles. I also do serveral birdy programs as well. One of which ties in birdwatching and gardening and how one can lead to the other. So I likes the birdys and the gardening. And I LOVE the Birdchick's blog.

We also do starwatching programs on an island out on the lake. Excellent view from there and no artificial lights to mess stuff up. I haven't led any of those - I'm not comfy driving the big boat around in the dark.

polijn wrote:I got my Chickadee Level Pin this summer. I do lots of birdwatching at my park, including the Bald Eagles. I also do serveral birdy programs as well. One of which ties in birdwatching and gardening and how one can lead to the other. So I likes the birdys and the gardening. And I LOVE the Birdchick's blog.

We also do starwatching programs on an island out on the lake. Excellent view from there and no artificial lights to mess stuff up. I haven't led any of those - I'm not comfy driving the big boat around in the dark.

Okay Polijn I really want your job.

@ witchary - the pay isn't that great, but it has its rewards. if i had a degree in anything, the pay would be better, and i'd be full time (year-round) with benefits like housing, insurance, and retirement. It's fab, though. Right now I work for the state, but eventually I'd like to work in one of our National Parks doing the same thing.

Take a look at the National Association for Interpreters. (I'm one of their Certified Interpretive Guides.) It is here for the US, but they've branched out a lot and do lots of work around the world. Maybe there's a place like this on your side of the planet.


The only thing I think I'd enjoy more would be a job where all I had to do was read good books. *edit* Or play video games.

Good stuff Polijn. Thanks for that.

That is a cool job Polijn. Someday Ill get out of the cubicle. I hope.

I've only ever seen a Cardinal one time while I was working in Nebraska. I was a housekeeper for a small motel.It was outside the room off to the side edge of the lot. There was a tree there. When I looked up I saw the bird and it simply flew away.

My interest in Druidism and animals at the time made it capture my thougts for a few days.


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A bit too late to reply perhaps but bird watching is a small hobby of mine. Where I live (Perth , WESTERN AUSTRALIA - but dont hold that against me though) and literally from my front door step I can usually see a mating pair of eagles that live in the hills. I dont know what breed they are but they are awesome to see circling in the sky.

Around here we also have Nankeen Kestrels (hundreds of these), Barking Owls, Black Cockatoo, Kookaburras etc Not to mention the black swans they are found on the Swan river (I have no idea why they called it that). There is a wetlands regeneration area close by that I sometimes go to that has hundreds of birds to watch. I might go back there since I bought the new digital SLR