Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Has Mandarin got a self-sustaining population in the Western Palearctic outside England?
All the best
All the best
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2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter JeroenVanheuverswyn
- Start date
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Parts of Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland. Not sure about numbers.
Dortmundbirder
Well-known member
jogresh
Bimble and patch
Ha, I'm trying to pretend that I didn't do that thing a few years back ... plus I didn't go to Kuwait, and don't actually recall twitching anything outside of Cornwall in the UK, apart from a few geese? So it was a pretty feeble attempt really
Hudbrel - anyone using that term should be 'removed' lol.
Not feeble at all - i found it interesting and entertaining. Does Red Grouse count as a twitch?
So it seems they didn't go for the Hudbrel as its nailed on on the Azores..
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Nutcracker/Dortmundbirder - many thanks
Status on Azores to 2014 here:-
http://www.birdingazores.com/?page=rarebirddata&id=-1
Are there other records suggesting a different and more regular status?
All the best
Status on Azores to 2014 here:-
http://www.birdingazores.com/?page=rarebirddata&id=-1
Are there other records suggesting a different and more regular status?
All the best
magifrig
Well-known member
Hi Paul
I've been 6 times in autumn and only ever seen one......
Cheers, Graeme Joynt
DanielDoer
Well-known member
I think it could also be noteworthy to have Pink-footed Goose in the bag (of course not as important as in the "historical" ABA Big Year by Sandy Komito et al.!!). Because apart from Netherlands (where this species can also be amongst the hardest to get in winter) that species is just a passage visitor in many other parts of continental Europe - and I would guess there are better and more important places than these sites to go birding in autumn
...DanielDoer
Well-known member
I am a little bit amused about the theoretical discussion about Hudbrel here. Does anybody know exactly that they didn't try to get it when they were in Cornwall and just weren't successful? There has been no blog post and no further information about that day in facebook yet...
DanielDoer
Well-known member
The actual discussion about the strange Sand Martin in Kuwait on the facebook page goes in direction to Pale sand Martin!!! That would be a great ingredient of a WP Big Year to have a first record for the WP "in bag"!!!
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
I guess special from a continental viewpoint, but it's by far the most abundant goose wintering in Britain - a fairly hard bird to miss, actually. Somewhere around a third of a million of them.I think it could also be noteworthy to have Pink-footed Goose in the bag (of course not as important as in the "historical" ABA Big Year by Sandy Komito et al.!!). Because apart from Netherlands (where this species can also be amongst the hardest to get in winter) that species is just a passage visitor in many other parts of continental Europe - and I would guess there are better and more important places than these sites to go birding in autumn
We search through flocks of thousands of them to look for the odd Whitefront or Tundra Bean
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
They record all of the sites visited and put full species lists out which shows that they didn't try I believe? (There have been a few inaccuracies on these but the timings and locations on the relevant date appear pretty conclusive.) It may be that the period to 12.18pm includes looking for it however.
16th January 2017
Jubilee Pool, Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom 07:45
European Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Marazion Bay, Cornwall, United Kingdom 08:31-12:18
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Black-throated Loon Gavia arctica, 2
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus, 10
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, 5
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus, 20
European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis, 15
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata, 20
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, 70
Little Egret Egretta garzetta, 1
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, 10
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
White Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii, 1
Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula, 1
Eurasian Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus, 2
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Common Loon Gavia immer, 5
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca, 2
Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica, 1
Razorbill Alca torda, 400
Dunlin Calidris alpina, 4
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula, 10
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto, 1
European Robin Erithacus rubecula
Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
Common Blackbird Turdus merula
Mew Gull Larus canus, 1
En route, England, United Kingdom 12:15-12:45
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo, 1
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis, 20
Marazion Marsh, Cornwall, United Kingdom 12:22-12:23
Great Tit Parus major, 1
Dunnock Prunella modularis, 1
RSPB Ryan's Field, Cornwall, United Kingdom 12:29
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna, 1
Haldon Forest, Devon, United Kingdom 13:48
Eurasian Magpie Pica pica
Heriot's Bridge, Chew Valley Lake, Somerset, United Kingdom 16:10-16:46
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris, 1
Greater Scaup Aythya marila, 5
Common Merganser Mergus merganser, 15
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, 15
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, 10
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
Gadwall Anas strepera, 5
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
Mute Swan Cygnus olor, 15
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus, 10
Common Pochard Aythya ferina
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Canada Goose Branta canadensis, 10
Great Egret Ardea alba, 1
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope, 10
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus, 5
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata, 5
Northern Pintail Anas acuta, 10
Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus, 1
All the best
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Is there now a feature which is said to be suggestive of that identification?
All the best
Dortmundbirder
Well-known member
I guess special from a continental viewpoint, but it's by far the most abundant goose wintering in Britain - a fairly hard bird to miss, actually. Somewhere around a third of a million of them.
We search through flocks of thousands of them to look for the odd Whitefront or Tundra Bean
A Strange Island you have there
Their detailed lists for the 16th include an entry for Marazion Bay from 08:31 to 12:18 which includes the Pacific Diver, towards the end of the list, plus a typical selection of birds which would be present out to sea or on the beach there. Following this there are short visits to Marazion Marsh and Ryan's Field, then en-route stuff. There is no mention of Perranuthnoe where the coves the Whimbrel has been present at are, though as it's only a short distance east of Marazion I guess they could have considered a visit there to be part of the same list. However, I interpreted the three and three quarter hours as spent looking for the diver, as it is generally difficult, I could of course be wrong, I have been (1968 I think it was - no, just kidding).
It will be interesting to see their full blog entries for these days, I guess they have spent their evenings driving for the last couple of days with no time to write. Wonder if going for the (dodgy?) Hooded Merg, which is on the west side of Scotland, means they are making for the Islay or North Uist ferries?
Alwin van Lubeck
Member
As per Facebook they will be heading home for a few days and then to Svalbard. I would have loved to see them go to The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark for a couple of days. Blyth's Pipit, Bufflehead, Ivory Gull and Siberian Accentor would have made great additions.
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Only two mammals? I've not been trying, but have had 8 already this year.
One must be Homo sapiens; anyone know what the other is?
Welsh Peregrine
Well-known member
Jird, as per earlier comments....
lewis20126
Well-known member
Pale Sand Martin
From what I call seen, the bird in the images does look like the plates of PSM shown in eg Rasmussen's Indian Guide, eg indistinct breast band, merging with grubby throat. I recently saw what we took to be true Sand Martins in Gujarat, India rather that anything that looked like the plates of PSM in Rasmussen, despite PSM being (apparently) the more likely species according to that reference.
To add to my own confusion, PSM in China, which must I think be PSM on range, just look like Sand Martins to my eyes.
I haven't done any image searches and don't have much experience of PSM, but rather suspect it is one.
cheers, alan
From what I call seen, the bird in the images does look like the plates of PSM shown in eg Rasmussen's Indian Guide, eg indistinct breast band, merging with grubby throat. I recently saw what we took to be true Sand Martins in Gujarat, India rather that anything that looked like the plates of PSM in Rasmussen, despite PSM being (apparently) the more likely species according to that reference.
To add to my own confusion, PSM in China, which must I think be PSM on range, just look like Sand Martins to my eyes.
I haven't done any image searches and don't have much experience of PSM, but rather suspect it is one.
cheers, alan
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
The jird and a hedgehog species was photographed at one point from memory. I am sure that these are just incidental species of interest for their records rather than anything comprehensive.
The attachment is linked up thread but may interest you in light of these comments.
All the best
Paul
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Alwin
I interpreted their comment as they will be going to Svalbard on their usual itinerary (July 6 to 10) rather than now. Good to see that they got the Surf Scoter.
All the best
