Can you identify a Painted Firetail or the Red Capped Plover? If so, you are probably a bird watcher. If not, it is never too late to get into it. In fact, the hobby has recently started to attract a new generation of enthusiasts.
To get started, you will first need to know the difference between birding, and twitching.
A twitcher is someone who will drop everything to go and see a rarity. A birder is someone who is quite happy to just watch that common Brown Honeyeater or Black Kite, and look for new behaviour.
As hobbies go, this one does not require much more than time, patience and a good bird guide. The best times of day are early in the morning or early in the evening and the more variety you have in the habitats you visit, the more you will see.
In our region, we are lucky enough to have several lovely spots, perfect for birding, birdwatching or twitching! The Outback Park at Outback at Isa is a good place to start. Grab a coffee from the Café, a copy of the bird watching guide from the visitor desk and make yourself comfortable in one of the many shaded areas available in the park.
Otherwise, you can head to Lake Moondarra, camp out next to the Georgina river in Camooweal, head to Mary Kathleen, Chinaman Creek or Rigby Falls.
If you are a seasoned bird watcher, you might even be able to spot the rarest two grasswrens in our region. To find the Kalkadoon Grasswren, try Mica Creek and the surrounding area. Drive 6km South from the CBD on the Dajarra Road and head up the hills. The Carpentaria Grasswren might be found 61km West from Mount Isa towards Camooweal. Travel 18km North along McNamara’s Road, stop at the cairn and make sure you record your findings in the visitor book.
Good luck and enjoy!
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