Month: March 2013

Port Fairy Vic Proposed habitat loss.

Hi all

Thought it important to get this message out there.

Port Fairy wetland under threat. Advocacy Alert

Every year, from spring to early autumn, large numbers of Latham’s Snipe congregate at the Powling Street Wetland System in Port Fairy, Victoria. This 7.5 hectare wetland is well recognised as the most important known site for Latham’s Snipe in Australia. But the wetland is also prime waterfront real estate and the Federal government has just given the green light to a proposal to subdivide 2.5 hectares of the Wetland System for residential housing – despite the fact that the snipe are protected under the EPBC Act and several international migratory bird agreements.

However, the developer must also gain approval for the subdivision under Victoria’s planning laws. BirdLife Australia has joined with the South Beach Wetlands and Landcare Group to campaign against the development but we will need your help.

Once the developer’s plans are submitted to the Moyne Shire Council, we would like members to write to the Council opposing the development. There is a very short timeframe for commenting on this and while we will post information on our website, we’d be very interested in hearing directly from members who’d be interested in joining our campaign – particularly residents of south-western Victoria. If you would like to help us please contact Jenny Lau jenny.lau@birdlife.org.au so we can keep you updated on this campaign. ===============================

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Greetings from Bird Uganda Safaris

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Dear Birding Friends, I hope you are well and that you are finding the birds wherever you travel.

We have been very busy training new guides in Uganda and promoting young birders here. When they see and learn to appreciate the riches of Uganda’s wildlife, kids are excited that they can earn a modest living sharing their country’s natural heritage with others. Please follow me on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/birduganda.safaris)to see photographs of these young guides and excited pupils. I am very proud to be developing Uganda’s tourism capacity and we aim to offer world class hospitality every step of the way.

We are also preparing for a spring and summer full of tours to discover the birds and primates of Uganda. I have been guiding bird and wildlife tours for 19 years and in between tours I always miss my time in the field with birdwatchers and primate lovers. I love the fact that what I do changes lives. I would be happy to host you and your friends again on the following two tours.

23-Day Biodiversity Tour with Bird Uganda: January 10 to February 1, 2014 » 25-Day Hardcore Birding Tour with Bird Uganda: Dec 13 2013 to January 6, 2014 »

We have spaces available in both, so please visit our website or hit reply to learn more.

Good birding, and I hope to see you in Uganda soon! Sincerely,

Herbert Byaruhanga, Bird Uganda Safaris Ltd, www.birduganda.com

Bird Watching Uganda Ultimate Birding in Uganda Including Mammals, Primates, Wildlife & Culture.

Bird Uganda Safaris is a leading bird watching tour operator that is dedicated to professional birding and wildlife safaris throughout East Africa especially in Uganda and Rwanda.

Herbert Byaruhanga (Team Leader) will be at the British Bird Watching Fair in the UK: (16 – 18 August 2013 – http://www.birdfair.org.uk/) and Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival; Texas – USA (06 – 10 Novemeber 2013 -http://www.rgvbf.org). He will be available to answer questions, chat or any relevant tourism details you need about Uganda; traveling, touring, birding, culture, tourists sites, tourist guides etc. Take this chance; I will be moving around and I can come to you and answer your questions.

As you know, word-of-mouth recommendations are the best way to earn new customers, so if you traveled with Bird Uganda Safaris before and enjoyed it, would you mind telling your birding friends about us, perhaps through an email forward or a social media mention? It will take only a second and I would be most grateful. And if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. Welcome to Uganda. *Read More About Herbert Byaruhanga » *

http://birduganda.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ee6ea079dc&id=4e31fb19dd&e=b7664a4750 Experienced Bird Guides Our bird guides know all the hidden places of incomparable challenges of finding skulker and most sought after birds, and the beauty of Uganda. Our experienced tour leaders will ably attend to the needs of each participant on the trip, whether you are a novice birder or have experience; we encourage feedback and work towards your satisfaction. *Click here to Contact Us * Primates among Bird Watching See the great apes of East Africa believed to be the closest animals to humans; gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda is believed to be the best wildlife experience in Africa. Gorillas live in families consisting of about 25-35 members with a leader; the silver back. You can’t afford to miss trekking these gentle giants at least once in a life time! Uganda Primate Tour and Birding, Gorilla Trekking Chimpanzee – 15 days East African Wildlife Tour

East Africa is known to have large concentrations of wildlife; an African wildlife tour is so productive here – there is so much of wildlife to meet you! The geography of East Africa is often stunning and scenic; shaped by global plate tectonic forces that have created the Great Rift Valley, East Africa is the site of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, the two tallest peaks in Africa. Visit our Website

Sent to info@birduganda.com — *why did I get this?* unsubscribe from this list| update subscription preferences Bird Uganda Safaris · Kampala, Central Region, Uganda · Capital Shoppers, Nakawa Kampala, Uganda · Kampala 256 [image: Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp]

Panasonic DMCFZ200

I purchased mine in October, after my FZ150 was dunked during a wader survey on Wavebreak Island.

Youtube has an excellent series by Graham Houghton on the FZ200.

This one on manual focus –

Kind Regards, Judy

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Vanguard Binoculars

We are considering the purchase of Vanguard binoculars to replace our old ones (Bushnell & Vortex) stolen from our car a week ago. They seem to have some very good reviews overseas but we are wondering if anyone here is using them. If you have any experience – good or bad – please contact us direct or via birding-aus if you feel others would benefit from your comments. Thanks Brian & Meg ===============================

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Panasonic DMC-FZ200?

Has anyone on the list had any experience with a Panasonic DMC-FZ200 for birding? With a Leica lens that is the equivalent to a 25-600mm at a constant f:2.8, it looks like a handy camera to carry in the field. The review on dpreview.com is pretty good.

Carl Clifford

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GREY WAGTAIL at Windy Harbour (south coast WA)

Hi all, Mike Bouette and others saw and photographed a Grey Wagtail at Windy Harbour swimming beach boat ramp on Thursday (28/03). Very nice looking bird! Cheers,John ===============================

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Unusual duck at Western Treatment Plant

Hi all

Has anyone noticed an unusual shelduck or similar at the WTP recently? I saw one late yesterday. It wasn’t the white-breasted Chestnut Teal that has been making birders do double-takes. This was female shelduck-size (perhaps a little bigger), had a very rich reddish-brown breast and neck, and a bright white face. The crown and back of the head were dark. It looked to me like a Cape Shelduck (aka South African Shelduck). Does anyone know if they are kept in collections in Victoria? I can’t imagine it would be a wild bird that arrived independently.

It was with Austraian Shelduck at the northern end of the pond immediately to the north of Western Lagoon 1. When a Whistling Kite put the Aus Shelduck up, this bird and about 4 Aus Shelduck stayed. Within a couple of minutes all the shelduck and this bird had departed.

I did get a photo but the bird was so far away that it doesn’t show any details, just a few blobs of colour. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has seen this bird, or who sees it over the next few days.

Russell Woodford Geelong ===============================

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