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What is the birding capital... (1 Viewer)

H

helenol

Well-known member
Spurred on by a post I've just read by Tim Allwood, mentioning "the bird capital"...

Where would you say the birding capital of

England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
is?

This thread also applies to various other parts of the world by the way!
 
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according to the "old" Atlas of Breeding birds, Thirlmere in the Lakes was home to the most breeding species in England. Whether or not that makes it the birding capital is anyones guess. Not too many hides down that way, you gotta get out and get hiking to see anything

mamo
 
I don't know about the birding capital of individual countries but I would say that the birding capital of the WORLD is England. To the best of my (very limited) knowledge birdwatching as a hobby started in England and so did the more serious science of Ornithology. Correct me if I am wrong.
 
Isn't it more Titchwell nowadays, Jane?

I'm not sure if Scotland has a birding capital. The best places are mostly very remote so there usually aren't many birders there. The only place I've seen quite a few birders on a regular basis is Musselburgh.
 
tom mckinney said:
Andrew, I'd say Stornoway is Scotland's new birding capital!
Click to expand...

And here's me thinking that being based in the Boat of Garten / Findhorn Valley area is one of the most productive.
 
The stretch of coast between Holme and Cromer, in Norfolk, is surely still the centre of British birding. Titchwell has probably gone ahead of Cley, but the whole area is still teeming with birders.
 
There are plenty of places in Scotland that are very good for birding but the trouble is that not many people live in most of these areas. I used to live in Islay, which is one of the better places, but there were virtually no other birders that lived there and a twitch consisted of me going out and trying to find the bird myself. I guess this is the reason nobody has mentioned the Scillies as the birding capitol of England. It's a claim you could make in October or when something really good turns up, but not year round because they're hard to get to and there aren't many resident birders.

I suppose when I think of a birding capitol, I'm thinking of somewhere that most people in the country are able to go to regularly - a sort of 'centre' - and not necessarily the best place. Even though I've lived in Scotland for seven years, I've still never been to the Western Isles.
 
For the Isle of Man it would be the Langness peninsula/Derbyhaven bay area.

(Some older twitchers might know it with the Calandra lark a few years back.)
 
In Majorca, S'Albufera is surely the capital. I prefer Salinas de Levante-Salobrar de Campos area though, much less people.
 
Depends on what you mean by 'capital', I guess.

It's hard to say, in the US, because of the size. But two of the big contenders would have to be Cape May, NJ and Hawk Mountain, PA -- both major birding destinations, but for different reasons.

I've heard that San Diego County in California has the highest number of different species of any county in the US.
 
Fifebirder said:
Isn't it more Titchwell nowadays, Jane?

I'm not sure if Scotland has a birding capital. The best places are mostly very remote so there usually aren't many birders there. The only place I've seen quite a few birders on a regular basis is Musselburgh.
Click to expand...

Fair Isle!!!!! Why did I forget that! If not the captial of British Birding then the Catherdral!
 
Norwich and to a lesser degree Norfolk must have the most 'active' birders in UK...if not the world.....per capita

I could name names but will save the embarrassment. Lots of young birders come here for the Ecology course at UEA.....loads of birders (incl. many authors, tour guides and artists of especialy oriental bird guides) have been thru UEA or moved to Norwich just for the general birding scene. Plus the Birding World Crew are up on the north coast....and then there's Titchwell etc...
 
Although I have yet to visit the site, 'Sunub Waste Disposal Site' Muscat, Oman, has been called the Eagle capital of the world. "From mid October Eagles arrive from Central Asia, peaking in the first half of November when often over 100 eagles and even more vultures can be sitting on the hillsides. Many stay throughout the winter, returning north in March. The reason for the gathering of raptors is the daily dumping of offal from the slaughter houses. Majority of eagles present will be Steppe eagles also to be seen are Greater spotted, Imperial and Tawny, numerous Egyptian vultures and a few Lappet faced vultures. Occasional vagrants have included Pallas's fish eagle and Black vulture". Put just this one site together with all the other sites throughout the country (468 species on the Oman bird list) and you have a country that in itself must rate as a 'Capital of Bird watching'.
Quotes from the 'Birdwatching guide to Oman' [www.birdsoman.com]

Colin
 
well, RBA HQ is 500 m down the road, there are as I mentioned lots of folk active at a very high level (writing papers, leading tours, field guide illustration and authorship) not to mention lots of 'normal' birders too, plus birding world based in cley, several birders doing bird-based Phds at UEA....numbers are impossible to say of course but compared to places/counties I've lived in before (which have had no-one or one/two people doing any of the above) I'd say there's no competition at all.

Tales of a tribe gives an indication of birding fanatacism in Norwich in the 70s and 80s and it's pretty much the same now......long may it continue
 
you might be right Tom......can't remember the last time i had need to go to Yorkshire....has there been any good birds up there these last few years....races of RB Fly and suppressed Hawk Owls notwithstanding ?

I used to love that warm reception you'd get at Spurn and Flannelborough....(Sic)
 
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