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Neil Hayward's ABA 2013 Big Year (1 Viewer)

Paul Chapman said:
What are the taxonomic changes - gains and losses - since the 1998 record? How many would that have added to Sandy Komito's total?
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Don't know the answer, but such attempts have to be on the basis on the status quo at the time - many factors change over the years, not least the far better bird alerts today. I guess changing taxonomy has to be considered just one of those factors.

Additionally, Komito may not have bothered with races, etc, anyhow that were later to become species. Likewise, Neil is probably basing his strategy on full species too. Anything which gets split or lumped in subsequent years just can't be part of the race.
 
Apparently there is a possible Roadside Hawk in South Texas as well.

So, assuming he can get on an east coast pelagic and has perfect luck, the following species are available to him:

Great Skua
La Sagra's Flycatcher
White-cheeked Pintail
Roadside Hawk
Hook-billed Kite

With several more weeks to go...

That has him tieing the big year record without the Aplomado or provisionals. With those he will be at 751 or 752 (depending on the Eurasian Sparrowhawk)!
 
Post Sandy Komito relevant splits:

Blue Grouse = Dusky and Sooty Grouse

Sage Grouse = Gunnison and Greater Sage Grouse

Canada Goose = Cackling and Canada Geese

Bean Goose Taiga and Tundra Bean Geese (although the odds of anyone getting both in the same year are pretty remote)

Common Snipe = Common and Wilson's Snipe

Xantu's Murrelet = Scripps' and Guadalupe Murrelet

Whip-poor-will = Mexican and Eastern Whip-poor-will

Winter Wren = Pacific and Winter Wren

Tufted Titmouse = Tufted and Black-crested Titmouse

Sage Sparrow = Sagebrush and Bell's Sparrow

Exotics removed/gained

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet - removed
Crested Myna - removed

Purple Swamphen - added
Nanday Parakeet - added
Rose-faced Lovebird -added
Common Myna - added
Nutmeg Mannikin - added
 
As a leveller though, wasn't Attu 'easily' visited in Komito's day ....basically unvisitable these days, no? That's the equivalent of knocking Fair Isle off the birding map of Britain :)
 
Mysticete - many thanks very interesting. I wonder how many of those additional dozen or so targets (if any) he saw.

Jos - I appreciate all your comments and the rules by which they play. It's their game. But mine was a genuine question as I was unaware of changes in ABA taxonomy in the last 15 years.

If I had a crack at Adrian Webb's record I'd be working out whether he had seen something later split so I knew whether at the end of the year I had seen more species than him rather than recorded a higher number by a different parameter. (I'd also be converting his list to a BOU number - time to dig out that copy of Birding World!) Finally I'd try during the year to cover off splits - the Wren subspecies, Subalpine Warbler subspecies, etc. I appreciate what we are talking about here is trying to do that sort of thing on a Western P scale rather than a far more limited British and Irish scale. A far more imposing area over which to contemplate chasing non-guaranteed targets.

All the best
 
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I think part of the reasoning on why splits are not retroactively added back into year lists is that many times the documentation just isn't there for older checklists. In addition to that problem, sometimes splits don't work the way people think they will, or the identification criteria isn't fully developed until after the split.
 
Jos Stratford said:
As a leveller though, wasn't Attu 'easily' visited in Komito's day ....basically unvisitable these days, no? That's the equivalent of knocking Fair Isle off the birding map of Britain :)
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That rather emphasises Neil's achievement this year, wouldn't you say?

Though at risk of going slightly off-topic, how strongly does Fair Isle feature in big British Isles year lists (and are AW and LGRE's lists British Isles or UK?)

John
 
He grabbed the La Sagras and is now heading to the White-cheeked Pintail

With the Aplomado Falcon and the three provisionals, he is now tied with Sandy Komito

Keep in mind that not only did he NOT go to Attu, but he also didn't go to the Pribilofs or Gambell in Spring, and he only decided that he was doing a big year in like March or so, so he missed some lower 48 rarities like Spotted Redshank. In other words he rather severely handicapped himself compared to Sandy Komito, and still looks like he will beat the record.
 
Yeah the Sparrowhawk is going to be a tough sell.

Apparently after trying for the Pintail, he is now planning to head back up to Alaska since there is a Rustic Bunting coming to a feeder. It was coming to feeders since the 11th, but not reported (i.e. he could have grabbed it after Adak!).

No clue yet if he got the pintail?
 
Yeah I hope for his sake no one finds anything he needs in Alaska next week!

Sounds like he might have dipped on the Pintail (that bird has become a nemesis for him!)
 
Mysticete said:
Yeah I hope for his sake no one finds anything he needs in Alaska next week!

Sounds like he might have dipped on the Pintail (that bird has become a nemesis for him!)
Click to expand...

This is going to sound ludicrous but I saw one at Disney in 1988. Are they common in captivity?

John
 
Jos Stratford said:
Think he needs to get the Pintail and one more ...wouldn't say the provisional Sparrowhawk is a certainty (not that I have actually seen the photographs!)
Click to expand...

If anyone is in touch with him via Facebook or twitter, perhaps suggest to him that he shouldn't rely on the "Sparrowhawk". Fingers crossed for the Brambling!

cheers, alan
 
I am curious as to why all of you seem to be rooting for Hayward. Is Komito disliked?
 
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Farnboro John said:
This is going to sound ludicrous but I saw one at Disney in 1988. Are they common in captivity?

John
Click to expand...

They are common in captivity, but they are also common on the Bahamas and move around and some are doubtlessly genuine vagrants to Florida. The Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee determined that a WCPI last year at the same site was a genuine vagrant.
Andy
 
I would be rooting for anyone trying to beat the ABA big year record, even if it was Sandy Komito trying to beat his own record

Records exist to be broken, and a lot of people predicted that Sandy's would NEVER BE BROKEN. So for people who are excited about the concept of big years, this is interesting.
 
Mysticete said:
I would be rooting for anyone trying to beat the ABA big year record, even if it was Sandy Komito trying to beat his own record

Records exist to be broken, and a lot of people predicted that Sandy's would NEVER BE BROKEN. So for people who are excited about the concept of big years, this is interesting.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that answers my question (which was an honest one BTW; I wasn't trying needle anyone).
 
One thing that strikes about Neil Hayward's record attempt is the sheer number of flights he has taken (160 plus at this stage). This got me thinking as to what his radiation exposure would be from all the flying.

Using the values on this interesting chart (http://xkcd.com/radiation), it seems he would have a minimum exposure of about 6.4 mSv (40 micro Sv per flight x 160) or about 6 times over the limit recommended by the EPA (1mSv). Still, he would be relieved to know he is still some way off receiving a fatal radiation dose (8000 mSv) B :)

Not exactly bird related I know, but something to consider when doing something like this...
 
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