Dynamics of birding

I find it amusing how it will often take me a long time to find a particular bird for the first time, yet once I have found it I seem to find them everywhere. This has happened with:

• Australasian Pipits (saw my first near Dampier recently, have now seen them 2 minutes from the office in an area I had looked before);
  
• Western Spinebills (first seen in Pinnaroo a few years back, we now have a family of them frequenting the backyard);
• Australian Reed-Warblers (seen first on a BAWA walk, now I see them in the reeds everywhere);
• Brown Honeyeaters (for years I thought they were small Singing Honeyeaters);
  
• Common Greenshanks (seen first on a BAWA walk, now I see them all the time in Dampier).

I suspect that the same will happen with the Little Grassbird and a few other conspicuous absentees from my list.

Help name my layout

My N-gauge model train layout is progressing well.  I spent a few hours tonight wiring block switches and covering foam with plaster-of-paris strips for the tunnel section.  The layout is predominantly 1970s-1980s British diesel but also tends to have anything else that catches my eye...

I think the layout needs a name (most others around the place, especially those on the web, are named).  Therefore, if you are reading this (I think at least a few people read this?) and have a suggestion please comment.  Thanks!

Progress?

"Trying" to transfer the firmware off a NOE card using Modbus. This was going to take over 12 days...

A few new birds for the list

• Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae), seen in the Dampier and Karratha area;
• Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica), seen in the Dampier and Karratha area;
• Purple-crowned Lorikeet (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala), seen at both Gnowangerup and Wagin;

The list is now at 173 174.