And The Birds Shall Lead Us

I have called it our Great Adventure, our Big Adventure and our Little Big Year. We are close to its beginning. Lately I’ve been saying, our Grand Adventure. Whatever we call it, it is going to be amazing. I also have no delusions about it being easy or comfortable. We will do our best to route our travels so as to avoid extremes in weather. We will be brand new to this lifestyle and we have so much to learn, but learn we will. Many thousands of Aussies our age and older (often referred to as the Grey Nomads) live in their motor homes, campervans and caravans traveling full time. And if they can do it, we damn sure can! I am so grateful for this opportunity. Just wow.

     

We have large foldable maps of Oz, so I reckon this beauty will remain on the wall of the kitchen here in the US awaiting our return. 

Once again, I will mention that we are not, and I am not, doing a full-on Birding Big Year. BUT we are birding our way around Australia… for a year… I would be an idiot not to keep count of the species for that 12 month period. So, it is a big year list without the craziness of a big year effort. We will not be flying across Oz to chase vagrants… ever. But we will bird as we travel the whole of Australia. Over the year we will have circumnavigated (and bisected) this amazing continent. We will see many of the wondrous Australian iconic sights. And yes, the birds shall lead us. Grateful much? Indeed I am.

     

And the Birds shall lead us...

I cannot live without purpose. I would honestly wither and die. So the birds, and yes the “list” is the carrot ahead of the cart for me in our coming adventure. It is the underlying “purpose.” I have no delusions of grandeur for achieving a high big year number; as I have said, I am not doing that! I have a simple goal to see a lot of birds and that is plenty enough of a carrot to dangle ahead of me. Such is birding, listing, and the joys of making your own rules. I am grateful. 

The planning table is all (mostly) packed up. That's 12.5 lbs of weight there in maps and notes (5.6 kilos).

I will continue to Blog and Facebook about our travels as regularly as time and internet permit. So please come along with us and share in this adventure. Many of you will already be there in our hearts anyway. I am grateful.

As Carl Sagan said, “Be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." I plan to make the most of this opportunity!  And occasionally (and only occasionally) there will be ice cream!

Coffee carmel cookie ice cream, yes it is insanely delicious.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.