Ralph Stadus has had many birding highlights this year. There's been watching ospreys as they plunge down and snatch fish out of waters around Minnamurra, and the unique experience of watching a pelican steal a fish from a Little Pied Cormorant by taking the smaller bird into its bill until the cormorant gave up its catch! That’s the thing about birding, no matter what you've already seen or already know, there’s always more to see and more to learn. And the Illawarra Birders club offers the opportunity to do so, surrounded by like-minded people.

Ralph, who is the president of the Illawarra Birders, first became interested in birding (the observation of birds in their natural habitat), when he was young. He says, "When I was at school, the Gould Bird Club was alive and well. One in two primary school students in Australia used to belong to it." But it wasn't until he moved to a farm on Berry Mountain and a friend suggested that he start keeping a 'bird list' that his interest tipped over into an obsession. 

"Bird watching is part social, part intellectual and part outdoor activity. It really keeps the brain ticking over as well, as you're out in nature, walking around in the fresh air. It really is a lovely pastime," he says.

The Illawarra Birders club is based in Coniston and has been in operation for about 12 years. Currently it has about 120 members throughout the Illawarra, with some from as far afield as Nowra, and  several who don't live locally but who do travel to the area. Unlike Fight Club, where the first rule is you are not allowed to talk about Fight Club, Ralph is happy to discuss what goes on behind closed doors in the monthly meeting. "We normally have a guest speaker for that, we also cover what people have been seeing and some bird ID questions."

But it's the regular walks and events where the club really shines. As Ralph explains, "We have a number of very experienced members who are always happy to teach newer members the differences between birds and where to find them ... If you just go out on your own with a field guide it can be really challenging to determine one bird from another or where you might find particular birds." 

There's also a bi-monthly newsletter that runs to about 20 pages and an SMS alert system where members can opt in to receive notifications of any rare or unusual sightings that might have popped up. For example, members recently received an alert that a Powerful Owl, a species classed as 'vulnerable' in NSW, had been spotted in a local parkland. 

As evidence continues to mount that being around birds is good for your mental health, any day out birding is a day well spent. But there's really something special about those more unusual encounters, especially when you can share them with someone else. Ralph says, "The highlight of birding is when you get a really quality viewing of something, often doing something unusual ... I was walking up at Barren Grounds with another member and we counted 48 yellow-tailed black cockatoos and they all flew over us so that was pretty special."

To find out more, including how to join and details about upcoming excursions, head to Illawarra Birders