Living and Birding Gratitude: Not Superstitious

It has been ten days since the last blog, so I reckon a catch-up is in order.

When last I left y’all, we were heading south after the fantastic prawns in Ingham, QLD. Friday a week ago in Marlborough, QLD we pulled in to the caravan park and noticed oil dripping from the left back wheel hub. A call to the roadside assistance brought a slightly histrionic young man from Rockhampton who pronounced it as differential fluid. He said that we should not drive it and that no one would be able to touch it until Monday morning (weekends are sacrosanct). The RACV put us up at the caravan park motel. So Monday morning the mechanic (emphasis on “the”) in Marlborough diagnosed it at a glance (he did not even have to lean down to look at it closely). He said that it would be ready later that afternoon. I called RACV and they extended our motel to include Monday night. The wheel bearings had gone in that wheel and needed repacking in the others as well. Expensive, but not as expensive, or as much trouble in general as it could have been. I am grateful.

We were finally out of there Tuesday morning and after camping one night in Gin Gin, we arrived at Inskip Point early Wednesday afternoon and began our search for the Black-breasted Button-quail. Despite the fact that another birder had seen two males the previous Saturday at midday, we did not find any.

I do not want to become superstitious. I am already OCD (emphasis on the “O” for obsessing). I do not want to have to wear blue socks or some such thing when I look for a new bird. I do prefer (emphasis on “prefer”) to wear a PRBY apparel t-shirt when I am birding, but I do not consider that a superstition. It is just me being ready for my Lifer Selfie. What I am sort of bothered by is posting on the Facebook about the bird I am looking for before I have found it. There have been several times in the past when I have posted about a certain bird before I saw it, only to dip on the bird.

Lynn took a photo of me sitting on a log that I quite liked and she posted it on Facebook noting that we were pursuing the Black-breasted Button-quail. After being there at first light on Thursday until mid afternoon and then yesterday from about 9am (when the rain stopped) until mid arvo, we still have not seen, glimpsed, heard, nor even smelled one. The superstitious-ness is building and Stevie Wonder is doing a guest set in my head.

One of the methods is to sit quietly and watch an area with new platelets. I am sort of doing that here. But I am also resting my knee. Yes, it is still not right, and is worse than it was a few months ago.

We have covered that area from the roundabout to the point until I have memorized it. We have seen "new" platelets that should indicate the presence of the button-quail. We have had advice from excellent birders on methods for looking for them. We have tried them all. Repeatedly. I reckon Tim Dolby was once again spot-on. He said before ever we arrived here, “It is just a matter of stumbling on them. Allow time for several days perhaps.” And that is the advice that we are following. We are still here in Rainbow Beach (close to Inskip Point) waiting out the weather to go back down and see if we can stumble on them. I am very grateful that we can do that.

Here are a few photos from Inskip Point, Queensland. Cheers for now, I will keep y’all posted.