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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andy in West Oz" data-source="post: 1239786" data-attributes="member: 48602">I'm only getting into birding, or more correctly, making the time to do something that resembles birding but my wife and I always enjoy watching birds we happen to come across in our travels i.e. passers-by at scenic lookouts etc.  On a trip to Kalbarri in Western Australia in January of last year, we were on a cliff lookout taking photos when Jodi asked what bird was sitting on a cliff ledge.  I could see a speck but through the 300mm the speck became a dot that was definitely an Osprey.  Still have no idea how she spotted it as the bird sat there for the entire 15 minutes we were there.  That evening, she did it again when on a river cruise.  Approaching the turn around point upstream and recovering from two Osprey flypasts, Jodi, pointing to a dead tree in the shadow of live trees shielding the rapidly setting sun, said there was something big roosting.  Again, the 300mm made out a raptor from 100+ metres and the badly lit photos and digital zoom afterwards revealed a Whistling Kite.  I would never have seen it.Earlier on the same trip we had been driving to Monkey Mia and I was in the passenger's seat, head down, making a note of a glimpse of a Little Eagle.  As I was makingthe notes Jodi said, "Did you see that?".  When I asked, she said a Wedge-tail had "flushed" from the scrub on my side and headed straight at the car before peeling away.  Twisting to look back I couldn't see anything but was reassured later by our friends in the car behind who said it was spectacular...Of course I've seen many Wedge-tails but never tire of them.</blockquote>

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