Birds

I’ve had close connections to the Colac/Otway region for most of my life. My aunt lives in Colac, and our family would often holiday in Apollo Bay. It is a tradition that I’ve continued as an adult. Now my visits are less about swimming and sandcastles, and more about discovering wildlife.

I was excited when I discovered this book. It focuses on a smaller geographic area than other guides about the region and goes into more detail. It isn’t as comprehensive as I would have liked; however, it’s a useful addition to your bookshelf if you frequently visit the area.

[Read more…] about Book Review: Colac Otway Birds

I was so overwhelmed when I first started birdwatching in 2015. There was so much information online on various blogs, social media sites and e-bird. Where To See Birds In Victoria was one of the first birdwatching books that I bought, and it has been a much-used resource during my journey. It is a brilliant primer for birdwatching and gives you a broad overview of many sites in Victoria.

It’s the first book I use when researching a new area and one of the few I always take with me.

How Is The Book Structured?

The book is organized into eight key regions of Victoria: The Victorian Mallee, greater Wimmera, north-central Victoria, western Victoria, Geelong, Melbourne, Gippsland and Far Eastern Gippsland. Each section has dedicated chapters dedicated to specific birding sites or areas. Some of these sites are quite large, such as the Great Otway National Park and Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula.

Each chapter has a brief background on the region, information on how to get there, accommodation and facilities, and the key birding sites in that area.
There is also a Bird Finding Guide at the end of the book. It listed each species in Victoria and give a short explanation of how common it is and where to find it. The guide was so useful. I was able to go through the book and discover some of the species I was after and create a bit of a bucket list. I’d notice similarities and then look up specific locations and plan an adventure.

Some chapters were too brief

Some chapters focus on just 3-4 locations, whereas others, like the Greater Geelong chapter, have 13. As a newbie, I found that the chapters that covered more sites weren’t comprehensive enough. Balyang Sanctuary got one short paragraph and, due to seasonal changes, was a bit outdated. This is to be expected; external forces such as bushfires and climate change have changed the birds behaviour. The brevity meant that there were times in the field when I was in over my head. This isn’t a fault of the book, as no statewide guide can cover everything. I’d recommend using this guide as your first reference point, and then using additional resources like ebird and Facebook for the best chance of finding birds.

Do I recommend it?

Definitely.

This book is intended to be a starting point, and it very much serves that purpose. However, the guide shouldn’t be the sole source of information when going on trips. It would be best if you used the book to get an overview of the birding opportunities in an area and use that as a starting point for further research. Use it to create a shortlist of locations.

If you are birding in only one or two regions of Victoria, a more specific guidebook may be more relevant. Alternately, you can check out the local Birdlife office for resources.

I’m critical of the book only so people can make the right decision when buying it. I would have learned a lot more in a shorter time if I’d used it the right way.

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I first became obsessed with birds when I was in primary school. I got a pet cockatiel and set about learning as much as possible about cockatoos. I learned the scientific name of many of my favourite species such as cockatiels, galahs and rosellas.

Ten-year-old me struggled. I devoured what few books our local library had growing up. This is the type of book I would have really enjoyed. The authors explain the history behind the scientific names for the families, species and orders of Australian birds. These histories explore the challenge new naturalists faced, the previous names and the influence of the indigenous names for species. It is packed with so many information that a reader would likely learn something new with each reading.

How is the book structured?

The book is separated into two main ‘chapters’: passerines and non-passerines. A ‘passerine’ is a bird that belongs to the order Passeriformes; an order that comprises of two-thirds of living birds in the world. The remaining orders were combined into their own chapter. In both chapters, the various species are then organized into their family. The order is listed next to the family name.

The species in each family section is then organized into genus and species. Information about the bird names is given for family, species and genus. All the genera are listed at the start of the section, which can be overwhelming for the new reader. There also is no page breaks after each family.

What information is given about each species?

The book covers all of the species of birds in Australia, including the extinct ones. This is an amazing feat when you consider that 55 species had been adding to the national list in the 6 years between the publication of the first and second editions. The species information lists their common name, scientific names and other names they would be known by. All three types of names are given descriptions. In some cases, such as the crimson rosella, the authors discuss the names of the more prominent subspecies. These descriptions vary in length

It is meticulously researched; the authors went through a lot of historical records. Readers will learn how the names changed over time and how the current species names came into use. For instance, the name ‘paradise parrot’ was chosen as a marketing term. It’s the type of book you need to delve into over multiple sittings.

Do I recommend this book?

Sadly, no. It is a great book and one that you can learn a lot from, however, it isn’t essential reading. The beginner birdwatcher would get a lot more out of 1-2 dedicated field guides and a guide to finding birds in their region.

I do recommend this book as a gift. It brings so much joy and would remain in any naturalists library for a long time. It just isn’t the most practical purchase for the amateur naturalist.

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