Review
BIRDERS
WORLD (UK)
Birding
Australia by Lloyd Nielsen. 2002. 161 pages.
Maps. Softback.
With
lower air fares and more carriers, birders are
increasingly seeing Australia as a viable
destination, some on dedicated and extended birding
trips but many on family holidays, either to visit
relatives or as tourists, though in both these
cases with the expectation of some days' birding.
Having been to different parts of Australia on
trips which fit into this latter category three
times in the last five years, the problem as always
with any birding abroad is knowing where to go,
where to stay either for the whole stay or for
short visits, and how best to see an acceptable
range of birds. There are a number of 'where to go'
guides available in this country - Where to Find
Birds in Australia, Bransbury, 1987 (recently
reprinted), now getting a bit dated, although still
informative; Where to Watch Birds in Australasia
and Oceania, Wheatley, 1998, which is rather
abbreviated with, in my experience, some
inaccuracies; and The Complete Guide to Finding
the Birds of Australia, Thomas and Thomas,
1996, which is really an extended trip report.
There are also a number of regional and local site
guides, but these are generally only available in
Australia. There therefore remains a real problem
about getting up to date and reliable information,
not only about where to go, but also about the
logistics of both extended trips or short
visits.
Lloyd
Nielsen's Birding Australia is intended to
plug this gap, a task which it carries out
successfully; I would have no hesitation in
recommending the book to birders making either a
first or a repeat trip to Australia. Nielsen is an
experienced birder throughout Australia,
particularly in Queensland; formerly a wildlife
guide at the legendary O'Reillys in Lamington
National Park, he has previously authored Birds
of Lamington National Park and Environs (1991),
and more recently Birds of Queensland's Wet
Tropics and Great Barrier Reef (1996), both
incidentally books well worth obtaining if
intending to visit either area. With a colleague,
he also discovered a resident population of Pacific
Swallow in the Wet Tropics, a new species for
Australia.
The
book starts with a general introduction to birding
in Australia, covering climate, field guides,
national regional and local site guides, and other
printed, audio and video material. This is
particularly useful for first time visitors. I
would agree with his conclusion that the best field
guide is Pizzey and Knight's Field Guide to the
Birds of Australia, but the best for use in the
field (despite its age) is The Slater Field
Guide to Australian Birds. His review of the
existing national site guides referred to above is
fair, concluding that they all have their faults.
Despite this conclusion, the review is helpful
since you can still use the guides, but bearing in
mind the reservations expressed, making sure that
any intended destination is cross checked. The
concluding section of the book provides further
general birding information, covering organised
tours, birding organisations, journals,
observatories and a list of useful websites. There
is also a general 'facts for visitors' section,
including information on driving, travel and health
- particularly useful for first time
visitors.
The
main part of the book, though, takes each of the
main visitor destinations, eg Cape York, the Wet
Tropics, Brisbane and the South West in Queensland,
Sydney and environs and the Riverina in New South
Wales, Melbourne and environs in Victoria, and
provides detailed information on each of them in a
standard format. One of the principal advantages of
Nielsen's choice of the areas to cover is that the
birding information relates to destinations which
can be reached relatively easily from the main
population centres. Each section contains a general
description of the area; and a list of the key
species and endemics, together with a brief list of
good birding locations. Detailed information on
these locations can be found in the national and
regional site guides, referred to above. However,
the real value of Nielsen's book is the additional,
practical, information he goes on to provide in
these sections - best time to visit; suggested
itineraries; climate and getting about (especially
whether a 4WD is needed); birder targetted
accommodation, and other accommodation; guiding
services, tours, organisations and websites. There
is also a section on pelagics.
As
far as I'm aware, this range of information is not
available anywhere else, even on the various
websites. One of the real problems especially with
the contact information which comprises a large
part of this book, is ensuring its accuracy in the
first place and then keeping it up to date. From an
overall reading of the book, and then checking
places I've already been and places I have already
researched for my next trip. Lloyd Nielsen has
certainly achieved the first. And as far as I can
see, he has also achieved the second - two places I
had in in mind to visit, which are in all the site
guides as the places to stay in Cape York (in
Queensland), Pajinka Wilderness Lodge and Lotus
Bird Lodge, Nielsen advises are closed for 2002,
saving me considerable time finding that out for
myself. For birders on family holidays into which
they can squeeze some days' birding, this is a
particularly valuable source of information,
identifying both localities and accommodation for
short trips from their main centre of stay. It also
provides information on guiding services, some of
which are linked to accommodation; this I have
found is an especially good way to see well a good
list of species, which the short term visitor might
otherwise struggle to see. It is also information
which I have in the past found particularly hard to
obtain.
At
first sight the cost of the book may appear
expensive for a 160 page spiral bound paperback.
But it is being privately printed, in order to
ensure that it can be kept up to date. Given the
savings in time and effort (and money) generated by
having all this information in one place when
planning a visit to Australia, I think it is good
value for money and well worth the cost. My only
moan is that it wasn't available for my earlier
trips to Australia; I will certainly use it, with
confidence, for future trips.
Lloyd
Nielsen's book is not enough on its own to plan a
trip to Australia, but it should be the first on
the list of books obtained by any birder
considering either an extended, dedicated, trip to
Australia or short trips as part of a longer family
holiday.
Iain
R Roberts
MD.B.3.Review1 - 27/8/02
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