IS JULY THE WORST MONTH FOR BIRDING IN MELBOURNE?

Every year I like to see 400 Australian birds and every month I like to see 100. In summer this is not too hard. In winter it can be difficult. In the month just over, July 2024, I clocked up a miserable, miniscule 59 species. You'd be forgiven for thinking I wasn't trying. Every month I try to visit Banyule Flats, Wilson Reserve, Bourke Road Billabong and Darebin Parklands. I did all this in July. What's worse, I also visited Sherbrooke Forest. A lovely woman I'd met on my recent trip to the Pilbara had never seen a lyrebird, so, perhaps stupidly, I offered to show her one. It seemed very simple when I was in Western Australia. Back home in Melbourne, the cold weather was discouraging and the grey skies were dispiriting. Nevertheless, she came, and together we conquered. We visited Sherbrooke and saw a couple of lyrebirds: one male most obligingly displaying for us, happy to continue the show while we watched entranced. We also saw several wallabies, one very mangy wombat - but, very few birds.

One vocal whipbird proved very elusive and we came home without him on our list. All I added to my July list that day (apart from the lyrebird) were a Crimson Rosella, an Eastern Yellow Robin and a White-throated Treecreeper. The truth is that I often do not reach my 100 monthly target. In the last 27 years, I haven't seen 100 birds in July on 15 other occasions! That means I fail to achieve my objective more often than not! How depressing. Furthermore, the months with the lowest totals are not July at all. My worst months are (strangely) February, September and November. I cannot explain that. Spring and summer should have the highest totals. And, just to underline the fact, I am always trying. So, when someone tells you that they're trying to see 100 birds every month in Melbourne, do not assume it is easy! As I write, it is the afternoon of 1 August, and my August total is 31. Let's see if I can make 100 this month.