Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
Sure did. Wonderful display flight.
Steve
Steve
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
What's been your "Best ever find" under "challenging" conditions? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter KenM
- Start date
John o'Sullivan
Well-known member
I also just remembered Mark Turner rummaging about in the bottom of a bag on the way back to Leeds and pulling out a pair of dry socks. The socks looked wonderful.
Mark and Jane and I had gone to Norfolk for a very very wet biirding weekend. I don't think anything in the car other than the socks was dry. I ticked Baird's sand at Titchwell, the place was saturated. Even the Baird's looked miserable.
Mark and Jane and I had gone to Norfolk for a very very wet biirding weekend. I don't think anything in the car other than the socks was dry. I ticked Baird's sand at Titchwell, the place was saturated. Even the Baird's looked miserable.
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Definitely this http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1102828&postcount=47 as it was on a romantic anniversary non-birding boat ride with my partner, and not the time to suddenly notice what as far as I'm aware was Southeast Asia's first auk. Not to mention that there was no way of persuading the boat driver to stop for it.
KenM
Well-known member
Clearly with your partner in-tow Larry!....you avoided an "aukward" moment. :-O
Steve Keen
Well-known member
Lightweight!!
In 1991 I spent March-August in Eilat, most of July being spent working 10 hour days labouring on building sites. Usually with a hangover B
Steve Keen
Well-known member
But easily toughest work for one bird was in eastern Venezuela for Harpy Eagle: a 25 km each way walk through tropical forest ( usual story, 100 degrees heat, 100% humidity) carrying two days' supply of water (about 20 litres pp) and food, tent, etc. Arrived half an hour before dark, eagle seen on the nest. Pitched the tent, a small two man tent for two of us and luggage. Woke the next morning to find jaguar prints in the sand of the track outside the tent, watched the eagle some more then did the walk back.
On the plus side the bags were a lot lighter at the end of the trek!
On the plus side the bags were a lot lighter at the end of the trek!
jurek
Well-known member
When I was in Venezuela, we watched Harpy Eagle nest only 1 km from the nearest house, and 200 m from the edge of the clearing. The guide took landowner's son to show him the eaglet, to make him interested. How the times change...
I had a rainy observation elsewhere in Venezuela. We got completely soaked and descended along the local road. In front of us there was a large lichen-covered tree trunk. As we watched, the tree suddenly collapsed from the weight of the absorbed water.
And a male Venezuelan Sylph appeared from nowhere, landed 2 meters away and started watching us in the pouring rain. Pure magic.
I had a rainy observation elsewhere in Venezuela. We got completely soaked and descended along the local road. In front of us there was a large lichen-covered tree trunk. As we watched, the tree suddenly collapsed from the weight of the absorbed water.
And a male Venezuelan Sylph appeared from nowhere, landed 2 meters away and started watching us in the pouring rain. Pure magic.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
KenM
Well-known member
Am beginning to feel suitably "out-challenged" by many of the posts!....What with Snowcocks at elevation and Harpies in the neo-tropics, too much for me! However I must disagree with Richard as far as the posts are concerned, because I'm thinking.....it's a case of the "murre the better".
jurek
Well-known member
No need, British Isles are on the world's topmost league in rain!
I still remember the view from Snowdon in the smallest details. It was white fifteen feet around, and Herring Gulls were on top of the mountain. 
Couple of trips spring to mind
Going via Ushaiha to Antarctica via Falklands and South Georgia for Penguins, Skuas, Albatrosses, etc. but when we got to Buenos Aires airport baggage handlers were on strike. Told we could label and load our own luggage but there were about 40 of us in the party and only Sarah and I and one other couple were young and fit enough to do it. Long story short after lots of hard work got plane loaded and took off. The plane then burst a tyre and damaged a wheel on take off - we circled the airport for a couple of hours burning fuel as emergency crews assembled on the ground, we were even on local TV, saw it on the phone, a couple of locals on board were praying etc as we practiced brace position but of course we landed safely and they eventually fixed the plane. We took off 5 hours late and with ship already due to have sailed - fortunately we had a well connected pair with us who knew the owner of the ship from the House of Lords and persuaded him to hold the ship in dock for 6 hours. Mad dash at other end and in our cabin as ship set sail - straight to bed with no safety briefing (or travel sickness pills / patches) and awoke in the Drake Passage with huge seas and hurricane force winds (everyone from our late arriving group of 40 being sick) and Sarah not even able to look at first BB Albatross. First Wandering Albatross soon made up for things and things got better despite a few rough days and we saw all targets except Emperor Penguin.
Another hard work bird was Long-tailed Ground Roller, left Berenty to head to spiny Forest of Madagascar. Let down by booked driver at Toliera and no organised guide at airport but got to Paradaiso Hotel not far from a local spiny forest reserve. It was unusually hot even by the coast (104 I think). We arranged for a boat to take us up coast to near the reserve but for some reason I can't remember we were totally packed wrongly (think we thought it was 30 minutes on boat and few minutes walk, then back). After a couple of hours we had seen Sub-Desert Mesite and other targets but no sign of Cuckoo-Roller - I then threw a bit of a strop around how this whole holiday would be a total disaster if I didn't see the bird (I was a complete idiot as we had seen just about every other major target), around mid day having found a few local kids to help in the search we found a brilliant Long-tailed Cuckoo-Roller even photographed it in the shade. We both got back to the Hotel but both suffered sun stroke and quite bad dehydration and kept totally in the shade for the next two days, even when we got to our camp at Ampijora a couple of days later we were still pretty wimpy.
Going via Ushaiha to Antarctica via Falklands and South Georgia for Penguins, Skuas, Albatrosses, etc. but when we got to Buenos Aires airport baggage handlers were on strike. Told we could label and load our own luggage but there were about 40 of us in the party and only Sarah and I and one other couple were young and fit enough to do it. Long story short after lots of hard work got plane loaded and took off. The plane then burst a tyre and damaged a wheel on take off - we circled the airport for a couple of hours burning fuel as emergency crews assembled on the ground, we were even on local TV, saw it on the phone, a couple of locals on board were praying etc as we practiced brace position but of course we landed safely and they eventually fixed the plane. We took off 5 hours late and with ship already due to have sailed - fortunately we had a well connected pair with us who knew the owner of the ship from the House of Lords and persuaded him to hold the ship in dock for 6 hours. Mad dash at other end and in our cabin as ship set sail - straight to bed with no safety briefing (or travel sickness pills / patches) and awoke in the Drake Passage with huge seas and hurricane force winds (everyone from our late arriving group of 40 being sick) and Sarah not even able to look at first BB Albatross. First Wandering Albatross soon made up for things and things got better despite a few rough days and we saw all targets except Emperor Penguin.
Another hard work bird was Long-tailed Ground Roller, left Berenty to head to spiny Forest of Madagascar. Let down by booked driver at Toliera and no organised guide at airport but got to Paradaiso Hotel not far from a local spiny forest reserve. It was unusually hot even by the coast (104 I think). We arranged for a boat to take us up coast to near the reserve but for some reason I can't remember we were totally packed wrongly (think we thought it was 30 minutes on boat and few minutes walk, then back). After a couple of hours we had seen Sub-Desert Mesite and other targets but no sign of Cuckoo-Roller - I then threw a bit of a strop around how this whole holiday would be a total disaster if I didn't see the bird (I was a complete idiot as we had seen just about every other major target), around mid day having found a few local kids to help in the search we found a brilliant Long-tailed Cuckoo-Roller even photographed it in the shade. We both got back to the Hotel but both suffered sun stroke and quite bad dehydration and kept totally in the shade for the next two days, even when we got to our camp at Ampijora a couple of days later we were still pretty wimpy.
Last edited:
Mick LeMere
Member
The hardest bird ive worked for is a Great northern diver. I heard there was one on a nearby lake so i set off to find it. However it was a miserable wet winter day so the ground was soft, slippery mud. Im in a wheelchair so this is not ideal conditions, not only making it much harder to go over but the mud sticks to my wheels and gets on to my hands which makes gripping the wheels harder and my binoculars needed a wash after that. To make matters worse i decided to bring my dog with me who was attached around my waist and pulling towards every goose on the lake. She is well trained to not pull but with all the geese distracting her that training was out the window.
I make it all the way to the other side of the lake which isnt the smallest and get blisters on my thumbs for the effort. I got the Diver, after at first thinking it was an immature Cormorant. I also saw my first Mipits on my way, making for 2 lifers that day. It is then i realise there is another car park nearer the bird but i didnt know it was there or how to get it but it would have been about 3-4 times easier to get there, but wouldnt have passed the Mipits so every cloud...
The next day i go to my local reserve, with nice hard paths making for an easier ride. I happened to turn up coincidentally at the exact same time as a certain Diver, i managed to see it for a fraction of the effort! But then i wasnt to know my earlier voyage was to be unnecessary.
I make it all the way to the other side of the lake which isnt the smallest and get blisters on my thumbs for the effort. I got the Diver, after at first thinking it was an immature Cormorant. I also saw my first Mipits on my way, making for 2 lifers that day. It is then i realise there is another car park nearer the bird but i didnt know it was there or how to get it but it would have been about 3-4 times easier to get there, but wouldnt have passed the Mipits so every cloud...
The next day i go to my local reserve, with nice hard paths making for an easier ride. I happened to turn up coincidentally at the exact same time as a certain Diver, i managed to see it for a fraction of the effort! But then i wasnt to know my earlier voyage was to be unnecessary.
KenM
Well-known member
You could sell the "film rights" Dandsblair, and make a bloody fortune out of that Epic. :t:
Gets my vote for trial and effort Mick.....I promise I'll never whinge again. :t:
Similar threads
