Top twitcher Sue Taylor happy as a lark over nerdy-birdy breakthroughs

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 9 years ago

Top twitcher Sue Taylor happy as a lark over nerdy-birdy breakthroughs

By Suzanne Carbone

While driving past the lagoons sprawled throughout the 10,500-hectare Western Treatment Plant in Werribee, "secret bird business" emerged. Given I haven’t sworn an oath on a packet of Trill bird seed, I will divulge that roads were closed because four orange-bellied parrots were roosting.

That’s ‘‘OBPs’’ for those in the know, and because they are the world’s most endangered species - with a population of 50 - protective birdwatchers don’t, shall we say, sing like a canary.

Bird watcher Sue Taylor at the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee.

Bird watcher Sue Taylor at the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee.Credit: Angela Wylie

A telltale sign that someone is a serious birdwatcher is their cone of silence and Trill in the four-wheel-drive. Sue Taylor also has the Swarovski binoculars, the military shirt, a notepad, pen, tea, coffee and biscuits. Ceramic cups, mind you.

And an acute sense of hearing. ‘‘Listen to the skylark!’’ she squeals, scurrying off to take a look. Another status symbol for birdwatching permit holders is ‘‘the key’’ to the gates at Melbourne Water’s birdwatching site, ranked the top in Victoria in her book, Best 100 Birdwatching Sites in Australia.

Mrs Taylor is a twitcher, a devoted birdwatcher who travels to remote parts of Australia to spot native species. She has ticked off 739 and is hot on the heels of her rival, who has 740.

Birdwatchers are the first to admit that their hobby is an obsession. Or as her husband and expedition driver, Roger, says bluntly about the ‘‘birdy-nerdy’’ flock: ‘‘They are all strange – slightly off. They are all a bit weird.’’

Far from offended, Mrs Taylor agrees: ‘‘He’s right! The hobby takes over your life.’’

At the age of 10, she won a competition by writing about the silvereye in The Bird Lover magazine. During a Ringwood State School excursion to the beach, her classmates went for a swim and she chased the crested shrike-tit.

The former public servant has written four books and it was her blog, atwitcherstale.blogspot.com.au, that led her to becoming a guest at the Bendigo Writers Festival on Sunday.

Advertisement

For those perplexed about a fixation with birds, Mrs Taylor is perplexed about a fixation with flowers. She says dismissively: ‘‘Flowers are lovely but they don’t move. I think because birds fly there is a sense of romance. It’s too easy to find an orchid. The whole things about birds is their freedom.’’

To the envy of the twitching community, Mrs Taylor had a ‘‘jump up and down moment’’ when she spotted six orange-bellied parrots while having a cuppa at Werribee’s ‘‘Borrow Pits’’ in 2007.

Mr Taylor wasn’t impressed: ‘‘It’s a remarkably boring bird – it just stays there.’’ You know you are an amateur when you mistake the blue-winged parrot for the orange-bellied parrot.

The ultimate is being free as a bird to set off on a pelagic,an off-shore adventure to places such as Ashmore Reef to find rare sea birds, one being jouanin’s petrel. For those inclined to make up sightings – these tricksters have a ‘‘reputation’’ – the Birdlife Australia Rarities Committee has guidelines on submitting rare birds. To keep tabs on the competition, birdwatcher Tony Palliser compiles a ladder, the highest ‘‘totals’’ being 862 and the least 604.

You know birdwatching is a big deal when, somewhere between Werribee’s countless lagoons and wetlands, there is a bench with a plaque dedicated to Doug Blood, the late bird photographer.

Mr Taylor already has a tribute for his wife: ‘‘She was the best-looking bird at uni.’’

Most Viewed in National

Loading