I’ve been an interested birder for a few years now, but 2022 took it to new heights. I’m a member of several Birding Facebook Groups and in one I was encouraged to use the eBird and iNaturalist apps. Both keep record numbers of what I’ve posted, the second being great for ID’ing birds, insects, plants, reptiles, etc.
Then I got invited to join a group that literally runs a challenge all year long – for the person who can photograph the most species in one year here in Victoria. This really egged me on. While I joined them late in the year, it did encourage me to take notice of the ‘lifers’, i.e. the first time I’d seen a bird and photographed it.
Facebook groups: Birds of Australia, Women Birders of Australia, Birds of Western Treatment Plant
In 2022 I photographed and ID’d 156 different species, mostly in Victoria, with over 50 lifers. Below is a list of birds I’ve seen and photographed since I began recording, originally in 2017 – although I’d forgotten about the app till encouraged to use it in earnest in 2022. The good thing is you can put in observations from earlier dates if you have the photos and their details, which I do. So you’ll see some dating back from 2015 on my full list at eBird. Those with asterisks * are birds I see on my own property throughout each year. Feel very blessed we get so many on our property. Total 62 so far.
Are you on a birding journey? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below 🙂
2024
235 Yellow Thornbill
234 Fuscuous Honeyeater
233 Red-backed Kingfisher
232 Spotted Harrier
231 White-winged Fairywren
230 Elegant Parrot
229 Apostle Bird
228 Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
227 Yellow-throated Miner
226 Rufous Songlark
225 Purple-backed Fairywren
224 Olive Whistler
223 Red-browed Treecreeper
222 Spotless Crake
221 Orange-bellied Parrot
220 Bassian Thrush
219 American Golden-Plover
218 Spotted Scrubwren
217 Glossy Black-Cockatoo
216 Western Whistler
215 Purple-gaped Honeyeater
214 Restless Flycatcher
213 Osprey
212 White-throated Needletail
211 Grey Goshawk
210 Australasian Gannet, Stony Point
2023
209 Red-kneed Dotterel, Lilydale Sewage Treatment Plant
208 Singing Bushlark, Western Treatment Plant
207 Red Knot, Lakes Entrance
206 Arctic Jaeger, WTP (very rare to see here)
205 Mallard, Horsham Wetlands
204 White-breasted Woodswallow, Horsham Wetlands
203 Glossy Ibis, WTP
202 Brown-headed Honeyeater, Selby*
201 Baillon’s Crake, WTP
199 Horfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, WTP
198 Little Penguin, The Nobbies
197 Australasian Bittern, WTP
196 Jacky Winter, Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve
195 Helmeted Honeyeater (Yellow-tufted), Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve
194 Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Serendip Sanctuary
193 Weebill, Serendip Sanctuary
192 Western Gerygone, Painters Island, Wangaratta
191 Hooded Robin, Little Desert National Park
190 Brown Treecreeper, Little Desert National Park
189 Freckled Duck, Braeside Wetlands
188 Long-toed Stint, WTP
187 Kelp Gull, Griffiths Island
186 Forest Raven, Cape Otway
185 Varied Sitella, Blue Lotus Water Gardens
184 Eastern Shrike-tit, Grants Picnic Grounds
183 White-necked Heron, WTP
182 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, WTP
181 Pacific Golden-Plover, WTP
180 Spotted Crake, WTP
179 Rufous Fantail, Alfred Nicholas Gardens*
178 Speckled Warbler, Bonnie Doon
177 Blue-faced Honeyeater, Gundagai
176 Magpie Goose, Braeside Wetlands
175 Tree Martin, WTP
174 Curlew Sandpiper, WTP
173 European Greenfinch, Royal Botanic Gardens
2022
172 Red-capped Plover, Western Treatment Plant (WTP)
171 Bar-tailed Godwit
170 Common Greenshank
169 Marsh Sandpiper
168 White-winged Black Tern
167 Rainbow Bee-eater
166 Buff-rumped Thornbill*
165 Black-fronted Dotterel
164 Little Tern
163 Whiskered Tern
162 Australian Hobby
161 Yellow-rumped Thornbill*
160 Satin Flycatcher*
159 Australian Pipit
158 Powerful Owl
157 Grey Currawong
156 Satin Bowerbird *
155 Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
154 Striated Pardalote*
153 Dusky Woodswallow
152 Super Lyrebird
151 Pallid Cuckoo
150 Little Grassbird
149 Fairy Martin
148 Fairy Tern
147 Eurasian Skylark
146 Fan-tailed Cuckoo*
145 Nankeen Kestrel
144 Blue-winged Parrot
143 European Goldfinch
142 Bell Miner
141 Brown Goshawk
140 Buff-banded Rail
139 Cape Barren Goose
138 Red-necked Stint
137 Brown Falcon
136 White-fronted Chat
135 Striated Thornbill *
134 Silvereye *
133 Yellow-faced Honeyeater *
132 Pied Currawong *
131 Australian Shelduck
130 Great Crested Grebe
129 Brolga
128 Sooty Oystercatcher
127 Yellow-billed Spoonbill
126 Swamp Harrier
125 Whistling Kite *
124 Striated Fieldwren
123 Flame Robin
122 Golden-headed Cisticola
121 Zebra Finch
120 Lewin’s Honeyeater*
119 Grey Teal
118 Blue-billed Duck
117 Common Blackbird *
116 Cattle Egret
115 Long-billed Corella
114 White-throated Treecreeper *
113 Crescent Honeyeater *
112 White-browed Babbler
111 White-winged Chough
110 Scarlet Robin
109 Brush Bronzewing
108 Little Eagle
107 Gang-gang Cockatoo *
106 Spotted Pardalote *
105 Red-browed Finch *
104 Crested Pigeon
103 Double-banded Plover
102 Pied Cormorant
101 Straw-necked Ibis*
100 Black-shouldered Kite
99 Australasian Shoveler
98 Pink-eared Duck
97 Painted Buttonquail*
96 White-naped Honeyeater
95 Australasian Darter
94 Sacred Kingfisher*
2021
93 Rock Dove
92 Eastern Whipbird
91 Eastern Yellow Robin *
90 Australian Pied Oystercatcher
89 Hooded Plover
88 Pacific Gull
87 Caspian Tern
86 Crested Tern
85 Black-faced Cormorant
84 Square-tailed Kite
83 White-bellied Sea-eagle
82 Australasian Grebe
81 Eurasian Coot
80 Collared Sparrowhawk*
79 Australian Reed Warbler
2020
78 Australian Wood Duck *
77 Pacific Black Duck *
76 Chestnut Teal
75 Spotted Dove *
74 Common Bronzewing*
73 Tawny Frogmouth
72 Dusky Moorhen
71 Australasian Swamphen
70 Masked Lapwing
69 Little Black Cormorant
68 White-faced Heron
67 Australian White Ibis
66 Royal Spoonbill
65 Peregrine Falcon
64 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo *
63 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo *
62 Australian King Parrot *
61 Eastern Rosella *
60 Rainbow Lorikeet *
59 Superb Fairywren *
58 Eastern Spinebill *
57 Little Wattlebird
56 White-eared Honeyeater
55 White-browed Scrubwren *
54 Brown Thornbill *
53 Black-faced Cuckooshrike *
52 Grey Shrikethrush *
51 Golden Whistler *
50 Olive-backed Oriole
49 Grey Butcherbird *
48 Grey Fantail *
47 Magpie-Lark
46 Little Raven *
45 Common Starling
44 Common Myna
43 Mistletoebird
2018
42 Emu
41 Wedge-tailed Eagle *
40 Black Kite
39 Laughing Kookaburra *
38 Little Corella
37 Australian Ringneck (Parrot)
36 Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
35 Singing Honeyeater
34 Inland Thornbill
33 Rufous Whistler *
32 Australian Magpie *
31 Australian Raven
30 Red-capped Robin
29 Peaceful Dove
28 Galah *
27 Crimson Rosella *
26 Red-rumped Parrot
25 White-plumed Honeyeater
24 New Holland Honeyeater *
23 House Sparrow
22 Black-tailed Nativehen
21 Pied Stilt
20 Banded Stilt
19 Red-necked Avocet
18 Great Egret
17 Little Egret
16 Musk Lorikeet*
15 Noisy Miner*
14 Willie Wagtail
13 Black Swan
12 Musk Duck
11 Hoary-headed Grebe
10 Silver Gull
9 Common Tern
8 Little Pied Cormorant
7 Great Cormorant
6 Australian Pelican
5 Nankeen Night-Heron
4 Red Wattlebird *
3 Welcome Swallow
2017
2 Hardhead (duck)
1 Azure Kingfisher