jklee@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (James Lee) (07/23/90)
I am planning to travel to Australia in September to stay for
about 3 weeks (attending conferences), and I was hoping to do
a bit of birding. Being totally unfamiliar with this country
(let alone, its birds!!), I was hoping if anyone had any suggestions
for:
(a) places to go
(b) field guides to get
One conference is in Adelaide (for about 1 week), and the other
is in Canberra (also for 1 week). I also have a free week in
between the two conferences. Any suggestions for places to go
in and around these cities, as well as spots slightly further abroad
would be most welcome. I was also hoping to visit Alice Springs
and Melbourne.
Thanks for your help. If anyone else is interested, let me know
and I'll summarize the responses.
jim
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Lee (jklee@phoenix.Princeton.EDU) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dept. of Geological & Geophysical Sci. * THERE ARE STRANGE THINGS DONE *
Guyot Hall * IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN ..... *
Princeton University * - Robert Service *
Princeton, NJ 08544 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) (07/23/90)
In article <1358@idunno.Princeton.EDU> jklee@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (James Lee) writes: > I am planning to travel to Australia in September to stay for > about 3 weeks (attending conferences), and I was hoping to do > a bit of birding. Being totally unfamiliar with this country > (let alone, its birds!!), I was hoping if anyone had any suggestions > for: > (a) places to go Once again I can only recommend you to write to: Steve Whitehouse 5 Stanway Close Blackpole Worcester WR4 9XL England He has several good tripreports on Australia. The American Birding Association also have some tripreports, I'm not sure if they have any on Australia. There is also a site guide book available on Australia, maybe you could get it over there? I know it's available from England, don't know about the states. The name is 'Where to find birds in Australia' by John Bransbury. > (b) field guides to get There are two recent fieldguides, both seem to be pretty good, as I haven't been to Australia I can't say which is better. Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds (Slater, Slater and Slater) 1986. $ 27.50. Available from ABA (toll-free 800-634-7736). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (Simpson and Day) 1989. 11.95 pounds sterling (in the UK). Not available from ABA? The larger handbook from which this field guide was derived is available from ABA. Maybe our Australian expert could tell us which of these (or any others) are the best in the field? Annika Forsten, Abo Akademi, Finland misan@ra.abo.fi
wvenable@spam.ua.oz (Bill Venables) (07/23/90)
In article <MISAN.90Jul23092244@ra.abo.fi> misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) writes: [..] > >There is also a site guide book available on Australia, maybe you could get >it over there? I know it's available from England, don't know about the >states. The name is 'Where to find birds in Australia' by John Bransbury. > Yes, this is quite a good book, but remember that Australia is almost as big as continental USA, (excluding Alaska), and this is quite a big book. Sorry I don't have the details to hand, but I can get them if anyone wants them. Email me? >> (b) field guides to get > >There are two recent fieldguides, both seem to be pretty good, as I haven't >been to Australia I can't say which is better. > >Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds (Slater, Slater and Slater) 1986. >$ 27.50. Available from ABA (toll-free 800-634-7736). > >Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (Simpson and Day) 1989. 11.95 pounds >sterling (in the UK). Not available from ABA? The larger handbook from >which this field guide was derived is available from ABA. > >Maybe our Australian expert could tell us which of these (or any others) >are the best in the field? > Australian expert? That's Andrew Taylor. (How're y'goin' Andrew?) However IMHO both are quite good. I have and use the second, (Simpson and Day) even though it's just a bit big for carrying in the field. It has quite a bit of useful life cycle information in it additional to the field guide. The American Publisher is listed as: Viking Press Inc., 40 West 23rd Street, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 0 670 90072 9 -- Bill Venables, Dept. Statistics, | Email: wvenable@spam.ua.oz.au Univ. of Adelaide, South Australia. | Phone: +61 8 228 5412
wvenable@spam.ua.oz (Bill Venables) (07/23/90)
In article <350@spam.ua.oz> wvenable@spam.ua.oz (that's me) writes: > > Viking Press Inc., > 40 West 23rd Street, New York, NY, USA. > ISBN 0 670 90072 9 Oops! That should be "Viking Penguin Inc.". The rest is OK. Sorry. -- Bill Venables, Dept. Statistics, | Email: wvenable@spam.ua.oz.au Univ. of Adelaide, South Australia. | Phone: +61 8 228 5412
grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (07/25/90)
>In article <1358@idunno.Princeton.EDU> jklee@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (James Lee) writes: > > Path: unify!csusac!ucdavis!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ncar!mephisto!udel!princeton!phoenix.Princeton.EDU > From: jklee@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (James Lee) > Newsgroups: rec.birds > Date: 22 Jul 90 20:26:28 GMT > Sender: news@idunno.Princeton.EDU > Organization: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey > Lines: 26 > > I am planning to travel to Australia in September to stay for > about 3 weeks (attending conferences), and I was hoping to do > a bit of birding. Being totally unfamiliar with this country > (let alone, its birds!!), I was hoping if anyone had any suggestions > for: > (a) places to go > (b) field guides to get > > One conference is in Adelaide (for about 1 week), and the other > is in Canberra (also for 1 week). I also have a free week in > between the two conferences. Any suggestions for places to go > in and around these cities, as well as spots slightly further abroad > would be most welcome. I was also hoping to visit Alice Springs > and Melbourne. > > Thanks for your help. If anyone else is interested, let me know > and I'll summarize the responses. > > jim > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Jim Lee (jklee@phoenix.Princeton.EDU) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > Dept. of Geological & Geophysical Sci. * THERE ARE STRANGE THINGS DONE * > Guyot Hall * IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN ..... * > Princeton University * - Robert Service * > Princeton, NJ 08544 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to Rich Kane at New Jersey Audubon. I believe he led a trip to Australia about a year ago. -- -Greg Pasquariello grp@unify.com
rim@csadfa.cs.adfa.oz.au (Bob McKay) (08/03/90)
If you're visiting Adelaide, you mustn't miss Lake Alexandrina and the Coorong - large wetland areas around 100m SE of Adelaide. Other than that, I don't know Adelaide well, and have no specific recommendations. Around Canberra: well, you'd be here around breeding season, so there should be lots to interest. Best recommendation is too mail McComas Taylor, GAT852@csc.anu.oz.au, who is heavily involved in the Canberra Ornithological Group. Particular areas of interest nearby: Lakes Burley Griffin (waterbirds) and George (waterbirds and raptors); Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (waterbird reserve, mixed captive/wild flocks), high country species; and take a trip down to the Bateman's Bay area (coastal birds and wet coastal mountain range species). Depending how you're getting between Adelaide and Canberra, you may wish to stop off along the Murray River on the way - inland birds that you won't see in either Canberra or Adelaide. Don't have any detailed info, though Bob McKay Phone: +61 6 268 8169 fax: +61 6 268 8581 Dept. Computer Science ACSNET,CSNET: rim@csadfa.cs.adfa.oz Aust. Defence Force Academy UUCP: ...!uunet!munnari!csadfa.cs.adfa.oz!rim Canberra ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA ARPA: rim%csadfa.cs.adfa.oz@uunet.uu.net
dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) (08/20/90)
In article <1790@ccadfa.adfa.oz.au> rim@csadfa.cs.adfa.oz.au (Bob McKay) writes: > > If you're visiting Adelaide, you mustn't miss Lake Alexandrina and the Coorong >- large wetland areas around 100m SE of Adelaide. Other than that, I don't know >Adelaide well, and have no specific recommendations. In my opinion, the *BEST* birding around Adelaide is the ponds of the St. Kilda saltworks, just a few miles north of Adelaide. Both kinds of stilts, and in July large numbers of northern shorebirds, plus lots of the other local waterbirds. And, if you have time, you must drive east to Berri and Renmark, along the Murray, near the New South Wales border, for a good taste of the malee. Or a little south, in Victoria, but still quite accessible from Adelaide by car, Wyperfeld National Park. David Mark dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu