Danika's Big Year 2020
8th Jan 2020, Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, Victoria - total 4
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Danika's Big Year 2020
15th Jan 2020, various locations along Great Ocean Road, Victoria - 3 species, total 7
Danika's Big Year 2020
16th Jan, various locations along Great Ocean Road to Mount Gambier - 17 species, total 24
No factsheet on Mallards
Welcome to the challenge, Danika. You have made a great start and have posted some lovely birds.Really like the Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo and the three swans.
Welcome Danika!
Hi Danika, and welcome,your off to a great start.
I think your Little Black Cormorant is a Little Pied Cormorant, Little Blacks are all black. I love your Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo.
Thanks for joining in, and look forward to some more soon.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Great to have you on board Danika. Looks like you are off to a cracking start as well. The Gannet is a bird we didn't have yet. Well done
Absolutely right, that was a typo on my part, it definitely should say pied - I'll fix that right up! Cheers, Danika.
Thanks :)
17th Jan 2020 - various locations, South Australia - 8 species, total 32
Can't see fact sheet for Greenfinch
Danika's Big Year 2020
18th Jan 2020, various locations, The Coorong, South Australia - 13 species, total 45
Your getting a great variety of birds Danika, looking forward to some more.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale, so far in January I've travelled over 2000km laterally from Melbourne to Adelaide and back through many different areas so that is definitely helping me out as far as variety goes :)
Danika's Big Year 2020
Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, Melbourne - 2 species, total 47
Danika's Big Year 2020
Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, Melbourne - 3 species, total 50
Danika's Big Year 2020
Beauchamp Falls, Otway Ranges, Victoria - 3 species, total 53
Off to a great start Danika. A wonderful variety of species there.
Danika's Big Year 2020
Beauchamp Falls, Otway Ranges, Victoria - 3 species, 56 total
Hello Danika - welcome to the Big Year challenge! You are certainly off to a great start, brilliant to have you with us and posting such a cool selection of birds :-)
Nice ones, Danika. Travel certainly does help increase the variety of birds. Between us, we are really seeing a variety of birds. If you get as far as Port Augusta, make sure you visit Arid Lands Botanic Gardens.
Sue, I would so love to see the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens! I narrowly missed a chance to see them mid last year, and I'm still sorry I did...maybe this year! I've got extra incentive now
Thanks Alex :)
Worth the effort as great birds present and easily seen & phographed at hides or cafe.
Danika's Big Year 2020
Birdsland Reserve, Belgrave, Victoria - 6 species, 62 total
I'm totally new to this challenge, I came about it by accident on the Birds in Backyards page and thought it sounded like a great way to use my photos which sit idly after I take them. I'm loving it so far, it's getting me out and about, and making me think about taking photos that I might not bother to take otherwise because it's "just another" so and so bird. This way I can concentrate on taking a better shot too.
I hope my tally system is working for other people, and I'm just removing and updating photos as I get better ones without noting that I'm doing so (and updating the species numbers and totals at the same time). I'm just using the tagging system for naming, if that works for everyone.
Thanks for everyone's encouraging comments so far, it's great to get to "know" you and if anyone is around Victoria maybe we'll actually meet up birding some day, or elsewhere on a birding trip - Danika.
Hi Danika, I think we are all enjoying having you here. Its a great opportunity to improve our photography while enjoying the great outdoors.
I think your doing fine, sometimes I post an additional imoroved photo leaving the original place. I usually just skip to the last post, so might not see any photos which you substitute. So long as you follow the rules at the top of the topic, what could possibly go wrong?
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I think that is why we are all here Danika, it adds a bit of focus to our outings, we are all working on improving our photography, and its fun sharing with others doing the same. Really good to have you doing this with us too :-)
I don't think there is anything wrong with how you are titling your pics in the mouseover captions. Personally I found I had to put in a bit of work to keep track once the numbers got up, so I prefer to list the number and species shown in each post, then I keep a little spreadsheet of all the birds I've posted, so I can always check if I've already posted it etc. That also might be helpful for compiling the final or running stats for the challenge for all participants. But whatever works for you is fine, its all about having fun and not making life hard.
When it comes to replacements with better shots - if you just replace the original without mentioning it, its unlikely that any of us will see your new and beautiful photo! Most of us will just review new posts. So why not post something like "Replacement for #50 - an even better Glorious Bizarrebird" so we can enjoy it :-) And then just get back to your regular sequence afterwards.
(I couldn't find the fact sheet for Glorious Bizarrebird)
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 7 species, total 69
Birdsland Reserve, Belgrave, Melbourne, Victoria - a day at the lake to add some water birds to the tally.
Thanks for the hints and tips on spreadsheets, adding replacement photos to current posts etc - I'll definitely take that on board!
Love your buff-banded rail, such a cool bird! You are setting a cracking pace Danika :-)
Thanks Alex, it'll die off no doubt. I'm lucky to work part time and the summer of travel really got me back into birdwatching. The Rail was a very exciting find, and super accomodating to photograph, what a darling.
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 1 species, 70 total
This little buddy and its friend are causing a right old stir at the moment but for $20 you can get a pretty reliable sighting at a location which is fabulous to visit in its own right, the Blue Lotus Water Gardens in Warburton, Victoria. I had 2 failed pass bys with some pretty impressive instructions from a previous visitor, and just before I gave up I sat down on a bench and came face to face with the very bird I was after. Then it very helpfully flew and landed right in front of me and sat for 20 seconds while I wildly took shots!! A lifer for me, yay!!
Very nice! Isn't it exciting to get a shot like that!
By coincidence, I saw one on the weekend too - first one in 2 years. I was swimming in the plunge-pool of a waterfall in the Kakadu, so despite having lugged my heavy camera and lens for 4 super-hot and sweaty kilometers, I didn't have it on me when the bird perched on a brach right above my head. Ah well sometimes you just have to chill out and enjoy watching wih eyeball Mk 1 - and now I can enjoy your photo instead :-)
Another nice group of birds, Danika and you are really getting those numbers up fast. We are all enjoying the variety and I also love the Buff-banded Rail. However the Azure KF is always a lovely bird to capture, well done.
The only suggestion I might offer is adding fact sheets which make a list of sorts at the end of the post and offer information about the bird. However a spreadsheet does make it much easier to keep track of posts as the numbers get higher. Enjoy the travel and enjoy the challenge, well done.
83, and it only just at the end of January, looks like our total species list is going to be large. Love all the photos. Stay safe and happy travels (I'm so jealous!).
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Ah Alex that's a difficult moment not having your camera, I sympathise, but yep sometimes you have to force yourself to sit back and relax and take it in with your eyes! What a magical moment to see the AK though, but I feel your pain having lugged your equipment all that way.
Here's another pic for you!
Thanks for the suggestions Sue, I'll try with the fact sheets - I initially had trouble adding them which is the only reason I haven't done so but I'll give it another shot
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 7 species, 77 total
Blue Lotus Water Gardens, Warburton, Victoria
Probably I am hitting it too hard too early but this time of year is usually the time that I get out and about the most; I promise I'll slow down over the winter!! I've just had so many great opportunities for birding lately and this one was terrific. Only an hour from home, can't believe I've never even heard of it before and I got 30 species easily in a couple of hours, including the darling Azure Kingfisher. So here's a few more to add to the list including the best sighting I've ever had of a pair of Mistletoe birds, and a cute baby Australasian Grebe...I'm in bird heaven this month!! I assure you this isn't a usual month for me. It's extraordinary and I'm loving it while it lasts, until I'm down to sparrows and crows. I hope you enjoy my unusually posed White-Naped Honeyeater!
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 6 species, 83 total
A weekend away at Ocean Grove in the rain still gave me a chance to check out Lake Connewarre in between showers for a remarkable mixture of land, water and shorebirds
Really getting out and about, Danika. Great to see such a variety still about after the fires. Love the Azure KF and the Mistletoebird. keep them coming.
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 2nd February (and one leftover from 1st February), 4 species, total 88
Barwon River, Barwon Heads, Victoria
Wow great variety of shots Danilka. Just to let you know, you are counting replacement shots again so you are out on your bird count. You are actually up to 87 not 94.
Some great birds Danika - the mistletoebird is great, and your headstanding honeyeater made me laugh. :-)
Suggest listing and numbering each bird as you post them, will make it much easier for you and us to keep accurate count.
Keep them coming, you are on a roll! It is great to see these different birds from your area, and share your enjoyment in all your new sightings
Thanks Alex :) I've tagged all of the birds with the tool in the upload section so if you hover over them the name appears. I didn't number from the start as I didn't realise some people used that system, and I've been deleting some old photos as I replace them so I don't think it would work to start now unfortunately. But I do see how its a good idea. I've been rechecking my count as I replace photos so I think we're good there.
I'm not counting replacement shots again, I'm deliberately going back and reducing my species and total counts on the original posts and then adding the replacement shots as new shots...I just counted my photos now (twice) and there are actually 95 photos. If you find that there are 2 photos of the same species definitely let me know but I am keeping track and I don't believe I've doubled up
Apologies Dev and Danika but I don't agree with either of you. I can only find one double-up (as others labelled as replacement) --- Brown Falcon as 4 and 87. The total count by my reckoning is therefore 93. An impressive number!
To clarify, I used Excel and copied the fact sheet list straight into a document but without keeping the formatting. Any that did not have fact sheets were added manually and there were a couple. That gave the total number and copying to another sheet to alphabetise found double-ups. At least that is how I did it. It helps as the numbers climb.
A very impressive variety of birds so please keep it up. We are all loving the posts.
Hi Danika, a very impressive list, and some nice photos, enjoying you work, so keep them coming. I am Currently the custodian of the wooden spoon with 36, but really glad that we have more members joining in the fun. Thanks.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
My apologies Danika, I see what you are doing, my bad. Your beautiful Azure Kingfisher is number 77 then you add 7 more which should take your tally up to 84 not 83 as you have but there is a double up of the Brown Falcon though. You have it at number 4 plus near the end. I now work out the tally to be 94. If you could just add a number at the top of the pic it would save admin and I a lot of time. I am trying to do stats for everyone, like how many birds we've seen together and how many uniquie birds everyone has seen and what birds we have all seen, just for a bot of extra fun.
Thanks everyone. I've checked my math and found the error, my bad! Maybe not the time to tell you that I'm a pharmacist...anyhoo, I take on board the idea of numbering but then what do I do if I want to replace a photo??
And thanks, I did miss the falcon double up - mixed now!
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 10 species, total 98
Royal Botanic Gardens and Kings Domain, Melbourne
If you have to drop your car off in the city at a bit after 7am, what better than to have the complimentary Uber drop you at the botanic gardens for some early morning birdwatching while you wait?? I had a fabulous time with a flock of Silvereye, easy shots of water birds, a surprise Cattle Egret encounter, a Myna up a palm tree, and delightful close ups with Bell Miners including one dinging its bell!
Danika's Big Year 2020 - 3 species, 101 total!
I noticed the Little Corella's were back at the local park when I was driving by yesterday so I thought I'd walk up and tick them off my list fairly easily. As I was walking I wondered what other locals birds I haven't thought to photograph yet and Crested Pigeon occured to me...luckily the Corellas flushed one out! And then, there was a Mudlark right there and I wondered, have I got one of those yet?? So tick tick tick!
Congratulations on your century Danika! Some great birds and good photos in that lot too.
I was in Melbourne yesterday, but canned a planned visit to Werribee, and given the heavy fog and smoke combined, I only just got out of the airport this morning before they strated cancelling flights - so that was probably a good thing. Looks like you got some nice blue skies for these shots. Onwards to 200!
They are great Danika. I didn't realise the Little Corellas have yellow underwing and tail, I have only ever seen them perched, wings folded and tail down.
A century, I presume not out yet? Looking forward to more.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
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