My Birder Ink

On 7 March, 2024 in the joyous company of 9 other ecstatic birder friends on Dauan Island, Queensland, I beheld the Papuan Hornbill, Rhyticeros plicatus. I knew that I would get a tattoo of that bird.

Back in Victoria, my buddy James traced and drew the hornbill’s head from a scope-phone pic taken about 700 metres from the perched bird. Then Zac at Shinto Studio traced one of my photos of it in flight and positioned it beside the head. On Wednesday 27 March the tattoo was inked onto the inside of my left forearm. I love it!   

Zac inking the Hornbill 

Ever since my 700th Australian bird, Amytornis barbatus (Grey Grasswren) tattoo in August 2018, getting a Lifer Tattoo had become an important part of seeing a particularly meaningful bird. It is like an ultimate version of Lifer Pie. It is Lifer Ink and it is reserved for very special birds. It became a significant part of my birding experience. I had not gotten any ink since Feb 2020 just before Covid and I did not realise how much I had missed it. 

This bird brought my birder ink back. It is the most meaningful and special bird of my birding-life. To quote Richard Baxter it is, “The mega of all megas, there will never be another bird to beat it.” That is my opinion as well. The mega of all megas, MOAM. At least for Australian birds and for me (and quite a few other birders).

Speaking of my ink, As I am writing this, I realise that I don’t know exactly how many birds names and or illustrations of some sort I have on my arms. I will now attempt to ‘inventory’ my birds (not counting the compass rose, ‘b;rd’, the Whale Shark, Troopi, or Kon-Tiki, just the birds). I am doing this at 5 something in the morning while I am having a vestibular migraine, but this is what my brain feels like doing at this point, so here we go. Now I finally have an answer when someone asks, “How many bird tattoos do you have?” Fifteen.

1. Amytornis barbatus 700 (Grey Grasswren) 

2. Polytelis alexandrea (Princess Parrot) 

3. Elanus scriptus (Letter-winged Kite) 

4. Pedionomus torquatus (Plains Wanderer) 

5. Atrichornis rufescens (Rufous Scrub-bird) 

6. Neophema chrysogaster (Orange-bellied Parrot) 

7. Ardeola bacchus (Chinese Pond-Heron)

8. Phylloscopus borealis (Arctic Warbler) 

9. Turdus obscurus (Eyebrowed Thrush) 

10. Ficedula Mugimaki (Mugimaki Flycatcher) 

11. Accipiter gularis (Japanese Sparrowhawk) 

12. Amytornis housei (Black Grasswren) 

13. Ardea purpurea (Purple Heron) 

14. Psophodes nigrogularis (Black-throated Whipbird) 

15. Rhyticeros plicatus (Papuan Hornbill)

A few are just the Latin name and some have an illustration as well. But they all have a story and they are all meaningful for me. Some of the tattoos that are only the name are not quite as ‘big a deal’ in my mind as the ones with illustrations. I liked the idea of adding some names of cool birds interwoven amongst the larger tattoos to help tie the whole thing together a bit. This was pre-Covid when I was getting ink somewhat regularly. I even created a Facebook group called, "Birder Ink".

Mirror selfie in Zac' studio last Wednesday

The next bird going somewhere on my left arm will be Northern Rockhopper Penguin. That was a special bird indeed. 

I will also get something for the Juan Fernandez Petrel as well as the Tufted Duck and a few others. I was just looking back at my list and I am inspired. Now I am going to choose photos to accompany my words as I do. Yes, this has made dealing with the migraine a little better. I hate to even mention them, but it is an integral part of what’s going on with me this morning.

Sending love as I do ❤️