Unleaded Petrels going for 8th Twitchathon win.

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Mick Atzeni
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Unleaded Petrels going for 8th Twitchathon win.

Post by Mick Atzeni »

Folks

The Birds Queensland Twitchathon is on this weekend. It's their annual fund-raiser for Queensland bird conservation-related research. Your now legendary local team, the Unleaded Petrels from Toowoomba Bird Observers, will be going for the trophy again this year. The Pat McConnell-led Unleaded Petrels have won the Birds Queensland Twitchathon 24-hr event seven times in the past! This year Pat, Kath O'Donnell, Ken McKeown and myself will make up the team.

In this year's Queensland Twitchathon, sponsored teams record as many species as possible within ANY 24-hour block (previously always noon to noon) anywhere in the State. There are also shorter, less arduous categories to participate in. No flights allowed. And no crossing state borders!

It's a heady exercise in planning, time optimisation, local knowledge, identification skills (including calls) and team work as there must be a majority concensus on every species identified. It's about knowing when to cut your losses and move on to the next site. It's about spotlighting along back roads before bed, then rising in the wee hours to drive further afield for birds not found locally, or catching the high tide for the waders.

But most of all it's about being a vehicle for helping Queensland's threatened bird species through your sponsorship. All monies raised go to selected bird research projects chosen by a Birds Queensland Committee.

For an inside look at twitchathons, don't miss the ABC show "Chasing Birds" tomorrow (Thursday) night.

You can sponsor the Unleaded Petrels either for a set amount or on a "per species" basis. If the latter, then work on around 200-220 species in 24-hours. All donations over $2 are tax-deductible. To register your pledge, go to:

.://..surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9 ... 4YmQ_3d_3d

Please circulate to kindred spirits.

Thanks

Michael Atzeni
on behalf of the birds and the ULPs
Last edited by Mick Atzeni on Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Michael Atzeni
7 Woden St, Murphys Creek 4352
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Twitch update

Post by Mick Atzeni »

Folks

Haven't heard the final results yet but we ended up with 191 species, a competitive total but perhaps not enough to win. We tried something different this year but missed a few easy bush birds locally in the process. Strategy was sound though. And already tweaked for next year's!

Some of the more unusual records were Squatter Pigeon, Red-chested Button-quail and Little Bronze-cuckoo. Most surprising was a Black-faced Monarch in the native garden bordering the bird-hide at Lake Galletly, UQ Gatton. That would be a first for there I'd say. Maybe a first for Gatton??

Thanks to those who generously sponsored the team. Will be in touch directly and send you an exclusive report as our way of saying thanks. It's not too late to donate; every bit helps.

To register your pledge, go to:

.://surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9POt7 ... 4YmQ_3d_3d

Watch this space for final results.

Cheers
Michael Atzeni
7 Woden St, Murphys Creek 4352
Mob: 0499 395 485
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Birds Qld Twitchathon Results

Post by Mick Atzeni »

Hot off the press ... the TBO's Unleaded Petrels have done it again with their haul of 191 spp in 24 hours - a bit low by their standards - still proving to be enough to win this year's Birds Queensland Twitchathon from a field of 20 teams.

Well done team!

Below are the 24-hour driving category results.

First - 24 hour driving
Unleaded Petrels Patrick McConnell - Kath O'Donnell, Ken McKeown, Michael Atzeni. 191 spp
Second - 24 hour driving
Shifty Shags Sheena Gillman - Doug Dow, Ros Loundon, Dave Stewart. 183 spp
Third - 24 hour driving
Bushed Turkeys Marion Roper - Mel Stewart, Bryan Tynan. 157 spp
Fourth 24 hour driving -
Coolum Kites Peg Whiteoak - Pat Deece, Becky & Geoff Shelton, 127 spp
Fifth - 24 hour driving
Dangerous Drongos Valda McLean - Linda Unwin,Graham McLean, Bill Wohlrab 120 spp
Sixth - 24 hour driving
Pleasant Coucals Judy Hewett - Gladys Carmen, Frances Cottrell-Dewar, Shirley Rooke, Janet Wish-Wilson 113 spp
Seventh - 24 hour driving
Café Coucals Esther Townsend - Robyn Cross, Mark Roberts 98 spp
Eighth - 24 hour driving
Eye Spies Judith Giles - Kim Herbert 83 spp

First- 24 hour driving - Assisted new twitchers
Grey Crowned Babblers Margaret Cameron - Ted and Jan Ringrose 166 spp
First- 24 hr Driving - within BCC.
4 Roseate Cockatoos David Niland - Margaret Clark, Rod Brown, Owen Jones 151 spp
First - 24 hour driving - New Twitchers
Scrubby turkeys John Holt - Marion Hawkins, Rod Cox, Alan Crawford, Russell Sharman. 116 spp
Second - 24 hour driving - New Twitchers
Hambirders Jill Brown - Ruth Matchett, Ian Brown. 115 spp
First- 24 hour driving, Non B.Q members
Ninox Nutters Justin Watson - Nicole Lechner, Brad Drews, Erin Watson. 142 app
Special Award, twitchers most distant from Brisbane
Highland Rollers Barker, Edna - George Barker (Clermont) 108 app
Michael Atzeni
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Post by Russell »

Congratulations!! Very well done.
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The winner's list

Post by Mick Atzeni »

For those interested, the Unleaded Petrels recorded the following 191 species in this year's Birds Queensland Twitchathon.

Emu
Australasian Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Australian Pelican
Little Black Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant
Australasian Darter
White-necked Heron
Eastern Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
White-faced Heron
Little Egret
Eastern Reef Egret
Cattle Egret
Striated Heron
Nankeen Night-Heron
Australian White Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Royal Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Magpie Goose
Plumed Whistling-Duck
Wandering Whistling-Duck
Black Swan
Australian Wood Duck
Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal
Pacific Black Duck
Pink-eared Duck
Hardhead
Musk Duck
Eastern Osprey
Black-shouldered Kite
Whistling Kite
Brahminy Kite
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Little Eagle
Nankeen Kestrel
Australian Hobby
Brown Falcon
Brown Quail
Red-chested Button-quail
Purple Swamphen
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Australian Pied Oystercatcher
Black-winged Stilt
Red-necked Avocet
Masked Lapwing
Red-kneed Dotterel
Pacific Golden Plover
Red-capped Plover
Black-fronted Dotterel
Latham's Snipe
Bar-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel
Eastern Curlew
Common Greenshank
Terek Sandpiper
Grey-tailed Tattler
Ruddy Turnstone
Great Knot
Red-necked Stint
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Silver Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Crested Tern
Whiskered Tern
Rock Dove
Spotted Dove
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Squatter Pigeon
Peaceful Dove
Bar-shouldered Dove
Galah
Little Corella
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Cockatiel
Rainbow Lorikeet
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Little Lorikeet
Eastern Rosella
Pale-headed Rosella
Red-rumped Parrot
Blue Bonnet
Australian King-Parrot
Red-winged Parrot
Brush Cuckoo
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
Little Bronze-Cuckoo
Eastern Koel
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Pheasant Coucal
Eastern Barn Owl
Southern Boobook
Tawny Frogmouth
Azure Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra
Collared Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Rainbow Bee-eater
Dollarbird
Horsfield's Bushlark
Tree Martin
Fairy Martin
Welcome Swallow
Australasian Pipit
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
White-winged Triller
Varied Triller
Golden-headed Cisticola
Australian Reed-Warbler
Tawny Grassbird
Willie Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Rufous Fantail
Black-faced Monarch
Leaden Flycatcher
Jacky Winter
Eastern Yellow Robin
Crested Shrike-tit
Rufous Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
Grey-crowned Babbler
Eastern Whipbird
Red-backed Fairy-wren
White-winged Fairy-wren
Superb Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
White-browed Scrubwren
Speckled Warbler
Brown Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Weebill
White-throated Gerygone
Mangrove Gerygone
White-throated Treecreeper
Brown Treecreeper
Mistletoebird
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Silvereye
Brown Honeyeater
Scarlet Honeyeater
Lewin's Honeyeater
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Mangrove Honeyeater
White-eared Honeyeater
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
Fuscous Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
White-naped Honeyeater
White-throated Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Little Friarbird
Noisy Friarbird
Striped Honeyeater
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Noisy Miner
Yellow-throated Miner
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Olive-backed Oriole
Australasian Figbird
Magpie-lark
Apostlebird
White-breasted Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
Australasian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Torresian Crow
Australian Raven
Common Myna
Common Starling
House Sparrow
Diamond Firetail
Plum-headed Finch
Zebra Finch
Double-barred Finch


The biggest dip? White-winged Chough!

Cheers
Michael Atzeni
7 Woden St, Murphys Creek 4352
Mob: 0499 395 485
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