2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (2 Viewers)

Andy Adcock · Oct 20, 2017

Nutcracker said:
Since Europe is more a political entity than geographical:

-Azores: Corvo and Terceira on American continental plate - included, part of Portugal
-Small Italian islands of Pantellaria, Linosa and Lampedusa (all closer to Tunisia than Italy) - included, part of Italy
-Caucasus: Including or excluding Georgia and north-east Azerbaijan? - excluded; the trad boundary is along the Caucasus crest, i.e., the southern border of Russia here. What one does about recent Russian conquests in Abkhazia, I don't know.

The other technical question, does one include France Outre-mer as part of Europe . . . after all, they use the Euro, and send MEPs the EU parliament . . . get Kagu and Kerguelen Tern on that European yearlist 3 :eek!:

I think the UK would have just as many overseas territories.

I personally wouldn't include the Azores as Europe whoever they belong to.

A

Nutcracker · Oct 20, 2017

flownek said:
Will Great Britain then be part of Europe after the Brexit?

Sorry I couldn't resist:-O

I thought about mentioning that, but knew I'd get stamped on if I did

Nutcracker · Oct 20, 2017

andyadcock said:
I personally wouldn't include the Azores as Europe whoever they belong to.

A

What about Madeira, Canary Islands, Iceland, and Svalbard? They're also offshore islands in the Atlantic . . .

Andy Adcock · Oct 20, 2017

Nutcracker said:
What about Madeira, Canary Islands, Iceland, and Svalbard? They're also offshore islands in the Atlantic . . .

Most of these aren't on the American plate though, how far in to the Atlantic do you want to go, surprised you didn't mention Greenland?

Despite relative positions, avaifauna is European in all the above.

A

Maffong · Oct 20, 2017

andyadcock said:
Most of these aren't on the American plate though, how far in to the Atlantic do you want to go, surprised you didn't mention Greenland?

Despite relative positions, avaifauna is European in all the above.

A

As are the Azores... Not a single american breeding bird, just lots and lots of vagrants

Paul Chapman · Oct 20, 2017

Maffong said:
As are the Azores... Not a single american breeding bird, just lots and lots of vagrants

Well a single one (historically).....

http://rothandb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/killdeer-breeding-on-azores-again-this.html

All the best

birdmeister · Oct 20, 2017

Maffong said:
Last year saw these species that weren't recorded in 2017 so far
Red-billed Teal
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Green Heron
Indian Pond Heron
Chinese Pond Heron
Cape Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Striped Crake
Vega Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Tufted Puffin
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Northern Flicker
Alder Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Asian House Martin
Sulphur-bellied Warbler
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler
Eastern Crowned Warbler
Taiga Flycatcher
Eversmann's Redstart
Hume's Wheatear
Arabian Golden Sparrow
Black-faced Bunting
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow

Sorry to go so far back in your posts, Maffong, but was there not an Eastern Kingbird somewhere in the UK earlier this fall?

Perhaps someone can confirm/reject this.

Paul Chapman · Oct 20, 2017

birdmeister said:
Sorry to go so far back in your posts, Maffong, but was there not an Eastern Kingbird somewhere in the UK earlier this fall?

Perhaps someone can confirm/reject this.

Last year.

Tennessee Warbler on Corvo today makes it three North American Warblers there today that I haven't seen in the WP and three they needed for their list. Have they gone back having got the Bullfinch?

All the best

Andy Adcock · Oct 20, 2017

Maffong said:
As are the Azores... Not a single american breeding bird, just lots and lots of vagrants

Agreed but surely the species were established when the islands were much closer to the European mainland?

I cannot be certain when I say this but, if the Azores are drifting furher away with tectonic shift, they'll eventually end up off the coast of Washington, will they still be European?.....I know, a bit silly but true?

A

Andy Adcock · Oct 20, 2017

Paul Chapman said:
Last year.

Tennessee Warbler on Corvo today makes it three North American Warblers there today that I haven't seen in the WP and three they needed for their list. Have they gone back having got the Bullfinch?

All the best

Get your arse out there then mate!

A

birdmeister · Oct 20, 2017

Paul Chapman said:
Last year.

Tennessee Warbler on Corvo today makes it three North American Warblers there today that I haven't seen in the WP and three they needed for their list. Have they gone back having got the Bullfinch?

All the best

Thanks. A mental lapse for me, I guess!

Mark · Oct 20, 2017

Paul Chapman said:
Last year.

Tennessee Warbler on Corvo today makes it three North American Warblers there today that I haven't seen in the WP and three they needed for their list. Have they gone back having got the Bullfinch?

All the best

No longer on Corvo apparently

Nutcracker · Oct 20, 2017

andyadcock said:
Agreed but surely the species were established when the islands were much closer to the European mainland?

I cannot be certain when I say this but, if the Azores are drifting furher away with tectonic shift, they'll eventually end up off the coast of Washington, will they still be European?.....I know, a bit silly but true?

A

No; of the 9 main islands, all but two are on the European Plate; they are locked in place with respect to Europe and have not moved at all. The two westerly ones (Corvo and Flores) are on the American Plate so are moving (very slowly!) away from Europe.

jenks86 · Oct 20, 2017

Nutcracker said:
No; of the 9 main islands, all but two are on the European Plate; they are locked in place with respect to Europe and have not moved at all. The two westerly ones (Corvo and Flores) are on the American Plate so are moving (very slowly!) away from Europe.

Yes, and the latter two are not getting closer to America as they are locked in place compared to the American Continent.

PedroNicolau · Oct 21, 2017

The killdeer thing was interesting for a second but soon it became clear that there was absolutely no evidence and was most likely a false rumour. So there are no confirmed records of any nearctic species breeding in the Azores. Iceland still holds that feat

What are they thinking at the moment? Are they even returning to Corvo? Why leave the island on the best period on the best location of the WP, with so many birders there, is something I don't think I'll ever understand.

birdmeister · Oct 21, 2017

Yellow-rumped Warbler on Terceira in the Azores this afternoon.

eBird checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S40033532

Species comments in the checklist say "found by a Swedish birder."

Is this the first one of the fall for the WP?

Paul Chapman · Oct 21, 2017

On Corvo yesterday that they have not seen:-
Tennessee Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler (2)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Scarlet Tanager
Grey-cheeked Thrush
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (4)

All the best

Paul Chapman · Oct 21, 2017

birdmeister said:
Is this the first one of the fall for the WP?

I believe so. Though a spring/summer bird in Wales.

All the best

PedroNicolau · Oct 21, 2017

It's interesting that the 20th of October two years ago also yielded a fall, if I remember carefully.
But yesterday you had tons of quality. We still don't have the big bomb of the year though. Where's that first for the WP?

Pedro Ramalho · Oct 21, 2017

Really bad decison to leave Corvo. ..

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