It was a waiting game and test of patience… 10 eager birders in very dim light staring at a very small, muddy and unassuming water hole in the middle of the Northern Territory outback.

The dawn chorus starts, with Pied Butcherbirds calling in the distance and first light starting to hit the surrounding savannah grasslands.... you could feel the anticipation rise. Sure enough Double-barred and Crimson finches were the first to arrive, choosing their drinking location carefully. What happened next was truly remarkable, it was if the floodgates had opened and this waterhole was open for business.

The distinctive calls of Gouldian Finches, and various mannikins were heard as flocks flew above us and settled nearby. Scores of finches in their hundreds dropped in to drink, resembling leaves dropping from a tree on a windy autumn day. The hum from their wing beats was exhilarating.

Over 2,000 grass-finches comprising of 10 different species were observed within 2 hours that morning, truly a finch frenzy at its finest!

West Papua, in particular to see a Vogelkop Lophorina. Like most birders, I think Birds of Paradise are just amazing and if I was able to see a courtship dance being performed, I’m sure it would be mind blowing!

The colours and movement of a courting male are just outrageous and have been on the birding bucket list ever since watching David Attenborough’s documentaries. Of course it would be hard to just limit the experience to just one Bird of Paradise whilst over there when there are so many more to see in the region.

Birding plays a huge part of my life, both personally and professionally.
Birding is an intergenerational past-time for me, having learnt from my Nan and now teaching my daughters.

As a birding/photography tour operator, guide and tour leader in Australian and SE Asia, delivering sustainable birding tourism is critical to ensuring birds and their habitats are conserved for the long-term, and that our tours and guests contribute to the sustainable livelihoods of the many guides, other businesses and remote communities we benefit.

Bird guiding is a dream job, but not without its challenges when you are guiding guests with high expectations for specific or sensitive species. It can be quite stressful at times, but at the same time highly rewarding when you look around and see the incredible places birding takes you and sharing some amazing experiences with like-minded people along the way.

Birding is one thing I hope my passion never waivers from, especially when mixing business and pleasure. So far it’s only gotten stronger :)