One year's birds uploaded
Posted on July 21, 2010Every day I upload a few birds from my life-list. I'm rather obsessed with the list, as those of you who know me can attest. However, I certainly wouldn't class myself with either a twitter or a top class birder. I'm just… obsessed with my little list.
And little, though it is, it is a lot of work to upload these lists. Trying to re-read some of the old notes, and trying not to get caught up in day-dreaming about the adventures of the past.
One thing that stands out to me each time I go through it is how much running around I did back in those days. We thought nothing of it to ride 80 kilometers to Knysna, out to the heads to do birding, party all night, ride back to George and sleep. I would see a bird in one place, and then over the next weekend, see one somewhere else totally different. I loved moving around. And it is rather amazing that I carried on with that sort of life for say 8 or 9 years.
My early tour guiding was crazy. We really preferred to be on the road. At times my binos were sort of like getting dressed. I remember cooking dinner for guests with my binoculars still around my neck.
Ah, the good old days. Then posh lodges and babies happened. Now the adventures are different. But certainly I do hope that my kids get the bug, at least a little.
Anyway, the birds, my first year Bird number one: Amethyst Sunbird - Zuurberg at Addo Elephant National Park 29 October 2010 (my wife moans that I remember it better than I do our anniversary… not true) One year bird: Olive Woodpecker - At Gwaribos, Teirkop (Meiring help me out with the Afrikaans spelling please), outside George at Saasveld, where I studied Nature Conservation with some crazy people. sandcurves.com/birdlist/. Once I have the whole thing up (I'm almost a third of the way through my list), I'll make it search-able by date and country and stuff like that - throw some Django at it.
