Phil Marley
As 2023 drew to a close, it was wonderful to gather and share highlights from another year.
And what a year it was. A full calendar of expeditions duly delivered. No bushfires or floods to derail the program. Lots of birds spotted and photographed. And many outings shared together. It was a good year.
Tradition has it that we start in the pub. So we dutifully assembled at our regular venue, the Terminus Hotel in North Fitzroy, to sup and sip. And, perched on bar stools, the tall tales began.
Two hours later, we reconvened at Fitzroy High School to continue, with a slide show providing visual evidence to support the tales. And what stories we were told.
We heard about wrens – the Striated Field, the Superb Fairy and the Rufous Grass.
We had parrots – Double-eyed Fig, Rock and Scarlet-chested.
We had birds with lunch – a caterpillar for a Fan-tailed Cuckoo, a fish for a Little Pied Cormorant, a Restless Flycatcher anticipating its catch and a Spotted Pardalote with a Brown Goshawk (guess which was lunch).
We had the foreigners – a Black Guillemot, a Greater Whitethroat and a Rock Pipit (all from the UK).
We swallowed tales about Woodswallows – Little, Masked, White-breasted and White-browed.
We were threatened – by the fierce eyes of a Brown Falcon and a Blue-winged Kookaburra, by an aggressive Bell Miner attacking a Sacred Kingfisher, by the psychotic expression of a Rufous Owl.
We revelled in photogenic favourites – the Emu, Laughing Kookaburra, Common Bronzewing, Little Raven, Silvereye, Yellow Spoonbill, Little Raven, White-plumed Honeyeater, Australian White Ibis.
And we envied the exotics and the hard to see – the Western Whipbird, the Red-lored Whistler, the Red-browed Treecreeper, the Short-tailed Shearwater.
We took flights of fancy – with an Australasian Darter and a Welcome Swallow – and were distracted by a Red-capped Plover protecting its patch.
We were delighted by the cute – Tawny Frogmouths with their goofy faces, a Musk Duck with chick.
And enchanted by the artistic – a White-faced Heron fading to white, a Rufous Whistler and a Scarlet Robin beautifully toned in, three Red-kneed Dotterels all in a row, a flight of Red-necked Avocets mirrored in water, a Red-capped Plover in a two-winged stretch.
Through it all, we loved the photos, heard the tall tales, enjoyed the lifers and shared in the experiences. It was indeed a good year.
Thanks once again to Peter Bennet for coordinating the evening, arranging the venues and presenting the slide show. And thanks to everyone for being part of the group and for presenting their photos and the stories behind them for us all to enjoy.
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