Lived Experience Forum

[TuxedoCat]

very sweet @Adge @Shaz51 

[DelicateUnit]

Hi all! Beginner birdwatcher here. I moved to country victoria this year and we are surrounded by an abundance of bird life. I’ve mostly been making friends with a community of king parrots and rosellas but there are so so many others out there. 

Does anyone know of a good resource for learning bird calls? As has been mentioned, I hear many more than I see and it would be lovely to know who is speaking 🙂

[tyme]

Awesome hobby @DelicateUnit  🙂

I can't say I'm a fan of birds lol

[Bismuth]

Hi @DelicateUnit  . Birdwatcher with 25 years experience here. Although you can find most bird calls on the internet by searching “<bird species> call” (e.g., “Sacred Kingfisher call”), and the Bird Observers Club of Australia (now Birdlife Australia, they joined with Birds Australia) used to produce cassette tapes with bird calls on them so there may be a similar thing on CD now, the absolute best way to learn bird calls is to hear a bird call, find the bird making the call and identify it for next time. This is really slow as you can’t always find the bird, but you’ll get the best results that way. I remember years ago, it took me weeks to find a particular bird making a call, ha! Turned out to be an Olive-backed Oriole. It’s super rewarding when you find the bird, and you’re very likely to remember it.

[bluegum]

Hi @Bismuth,

My highlight from this weekend just gone by was hearing a lyrebird repertoire for the first time (in my almost 50yrs) whilst bushwalking near Medlow bath, NSW. It felt like the most magical thing in nature to hear in real life. 

We didn't see the bird, but there was no mistaking the songster as he continued rolling through a succession of currawong, black cockatoo, white cockatoo (poorly), kookaburra, whip bird, and another songbird we couldn't name. 

thanks for starting this thread!

[TuxedoCat]

this brought a real smile to my face @bluegum ❤️ It sounds like a wonderful experience

[Bismuth]

@bluegum  That sounds wonderful! There’s a place in the Dandenong forest in Victoria called Lyrebird Walk. It ain’t lying, you practically have to kick them out of the way at certain times of the year! They are quite numerous and so used to people walking the track that they are easily spotted, I saw a male displaying there about 4 years ago, shaking his feathers and singing up a storm. Incredible birds.

[bluegum]

@Bismuth that sounds awesome!

Thanks for the tip, I would like to go to Lyrebird Walk one day 🙂

Hope you are having a good dday.

Bluegum

[TuxedoCat]

I saw this tweet on the weekend and found it very relatable! 

As an almost-30-year-old, it really made me laugh

On another note, what has everyones birds and/or birdwatching produced? @bluegum @Bismuth @DelicateUnit @Shaz51 @Adge 

[DelicateUnit]

little friend visits most mornings 🥰