Birding Targets (2012 edition)

Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata, Karratha, WA, Australia).  Successfully framed inside the mesh fence (and cropped).

At the prompting of Alan, here is a list of the birds that I am looking for at the moment.  I have included some species that are possible if I go to site with my new job.

• Freckled Duck (Stictonetta naevosa);
• Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea), I'm still checking all the Grey Teals I see;
• Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia), beginning to think these are fictitious;
• Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus);
• Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus);
• Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii);
• Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius);
• Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus), not sure how I've managed to avoid this one;
• Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus);
• Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus);
• Gilbert's Whistler (Pachycephala inornata);
• Little Grassbird (Megalurus gramineus), a somewhat embarrassing hole in my list;
• Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis), got to go check out that feral population in the hills...

Hooded Plovers

Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis, Lake Pollard, WA, Australia).  Image has been cropped and sharpened.

Thanks to the expert guidance of John Graff I finally caught up with a pair of these fantastic little birds - Hooded Plovers.  The 6km (round trip) walk to Lake Pollard was well worth the effort.  Also of note were the incredible numbers of Australian Shelduck (2500+) and Black Swans (1500+) on Lake Pollard.  These Hooded Plovers take my bird life list to 258.