So here's the list so far of all the birds I've identified this year.

Unlike the movie, I don't feel confident enough to identify birds by sound so I'm taking photos of the majority of them.  (things like sparrows and magpies for example I wasn't too worried about, but when it comes to waders that all look almost the same - photos are a must!).

Other members in my family are over the 100 mark already - mind you, they've done some travelling to find specific birds so I don't feel too bad.  With our new little hatchling at home I've been pretty much home bound, but as we work our way up to going for walks, this will soon change.

Okay, so, some of you may have seen the movie 'The Big Year' - it has Jack Black in it, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin.  It's set in the USA so we've decided to do our own right here in Aus.  My family is somewhat competitive so together, we're doing our own Big Year to try and spot as many species as we can starting tomorrow for a whole year.

There are between 760-800 bird species that we can find here in Aus.  There's no set number because there are so many migratory birds that head our way.

Now, we're based in Victoria where you can find over 220 species so... it might be a little ambitious, but I've set my goal.  250 birds is what I want to find in my big year.  Other relitives have slightly higher numbers, but this coming year, some of my family are on long service leave travelling around Aus so they'll have a little more opportunity to find some unique birds.

Anyway, why not try your own big year?  Set a goal, see what you can come up with, let me know how you go.  I'll be posting my progress here and will also be trying to get as many of them photographed as possible.  Let's see how we go!