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2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter JeroenVanheuverswyn
- Start date
For me no RB fly and Rosy starling only in the south. But maybe.
As for NW Kazan, the only baseline I have is the proposed Birdfinders tour. I think they were hoping for the two larks ( WW & Black), Long-tailed Shrike, Red-headed Bunting & Sykes warbler. The latter they have already got in Kuwait.
There is also a possibility of black headed penduline fit.
Even if they get half of these it will seem like a good decision
Frenchy
Well-known member
Cat A Pheasant. Reason enough, surely... ;-)
(R-b Fly should be very easy around Kazbegi)
Maffong
Well-known member
Probably they hope for Black and White-winged Lark, Yellow-breasted and Red-headed bunting, Long-tailed Shrike and as you said Demoiselle Crane and Black-winged Pratincole. I guess I'm forgetting something and probably chances to find something exceptional are always existing too
Concerning species such as Güldenstädt's Redstart and others I will check again, as I used the wrong filter for Georgia
Concerning species such as Güldenstädt's Redstart and others I will check again, as I used the wrong filter for Georgia
Jon Turner
Well-known member
We saw Black-winged Pratincole and Demoiselle Crane in Eastern Turkey a couple of years ago. Depends what they want by then, They have plenty of time to target species.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
New post:-
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/2017/05/13/wrap-up-egypt/
New album:-
https://klacke.smugmug.com/Big-Year-WP-2017/Egypt-in-May/
Due to leave tomorrow and Georgia Tuesday:-
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/itinerary/
All the best
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/2017/05/13/wrap-up-egypt/
New album:-
https://klacke.smugmug.com/Big-Year-WP-2017/Egypt-in-May/
Due to leave tomorrow and Georgia Tuesday:-
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/itinerary/
All the best
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
To remain at 750 pace, I reckon 600 by end of Cyprus (9 June), 630 by end of Russia (1 July) and 660 by end of European clean up (30 July). How hard will they be able twitch before Madeira in August and afterwards in September......
All the best
All the best
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Paul, whilst I agree this should be their target, I can't see them quite hitting these numbers. It is becoming a numbers game.
They have got 35 additions in the first half of May and these included 18 out of 21 targets you listed, saying 17 were general migrants. These pick ups are becoming more difficult. (They have seen most of them now).
Looking at Maffongs list, there are 50 species for this leg. Some eg Dotterel, Great Snipe etc I don't think are realistic. But if they get them here, they won't be additions for Urals and Kazakhstan.
Without knowing their detailed itinerary it is unclear if they will do the seawatching needed for the tubenoses.
I would not be surprised if they fall a little short of these numbers.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Agreed. Although I am still surprised they didn't go for Nutcracker, willow ptarmigan, and maybe even Stellers eider in Estonia during their quiet start to the year. Hitting Gullfest in Varanger is the only major change I would do from their route so far. (Apart from a nagging doubt on Cape Verde)
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Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Yes, I can confirm they have not been for me :king: 3
But it's an easy bird to get in the Alps, and the Pirin & Rila Mts in Bulgaria. All they need to do is visit a subalpine forest with Pinus cembra (Alps) or Pinus peuce (Bulgaria) in late August or September when the cones are ripening - could easily be done in a single day.
DanielDoer
Well-known member
I think Nutcracker will be a side product in the Urals - or even already in Georgia where they will go next...
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
There or thereabouts I think........
I got 40 targets for Georgia, Turkey & Cyprus and I'm expecting 100% success for them:-
Yelkouan Shearwater
Dalmatian Pelican
Bearded Vulture
Cinereous Vulture
Red-footed Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Eleonora's Falcon
Caucasian Black Grouse
Caucasian Snowcock
Caspian Snowcock
See-see Partridge
Cyprus Scops Owl
Brown Fish Owl
Bimaculated Lark
Radde's Accentor
Güldenstädt's Redstart
Cyprus Wheatear
Kurdistan Wheatear
Ring Ouzel
Marsh Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Olive-tree Warbler
Green Warbler
Mountain Chiffchaff
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Iraq Babbler
Krüper's Nuthatch
Eastern Rock Nuthatch
Wallcreeper
Rosy Starling
Pale Rock Sparrow
White-winged Snowfinch
Red-fronted Serin
Asian Crimson-winged Finch
Mongolian Finch
Common Rosefinch
Great Rosefinch
Cinereous Bunting
Grey-necked Bunting
Black-headed Bunting
I got 34 targets for Kazakhstan and Russia (of which I expect them to miss a couple but hopefully less than half a dozen):-
Demoiselle Crane
Black-winged Pratincole
Great Snipe
Pin-tailed Snipe
Swinhoe's Snipe
Oriental Turtle Dove
Oriental Cuckoo
White-winged Lark
Black Lark
Olive-backed Pipit
Black-throated Accentor
Thrush Nightingale
Siberian Rubythroat
Red-flanked Bluetail
White's Thrush
Lanceolated Warbler
Common Grasshopper Warbler
River Warbler
Paddyfield Warbler
Blyth's Reed Warbler
Booted Warbler
Greenish Warbler
Arctic Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Azure Tit
Grey-headed Chickadee
Long-tailed Shrike
Spotted Nutcracker
Long-tailed Rosefinch
Rustic Bunting
Little Bunting
Yellow-breasted Bunting
Pallas's Reed Bunting
Red-headed Bunting
Svalbard and the European clean up (Spain, Italy, France, Germany, etc but excluding the later planned Portugal trip) has an additional 30 targets:-
Scopoli's Shearwater
Sacred Ibis
Swan Goose
Muscovy Duck
King Eider
Rock Partridge
Reeves's Pheasant
California Quail
Northern Bobwhite
Red Phalarope
Long-tailed Jaeger
Ivory Gull
Sabine's Gull
Thick-billed Murre
Little Auk
Atlantic Puffin
Yellow-headed Amazon
White-rumped Swift
Marmora's Warbler
Balearic Warbler
Dartford Warbler
Moltoni's Warbler
Iberian Chiffchaff
Mediterranean Flycatcher
Red-billed Leiothrix
Corsican Nuthatch
Italian Sparrow
Citril Finch
Corsican Finch
Snow Bunting
As I say, it then becomes a case of how much twitching they can produce pre-Madeira as they'll need 35-40 vagrants from now once you factor in likely seabird misses.
All the best
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Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
No chance in Georgia, they don't occur there.
Good chance in the Urals, they'll need to find a Pinus sibirica forest. The only difficulty is that they're very secretive when nesting so may not be easy when they are there - far easier in late summer / autumn.
If they are home in Sweden at any time in August or September, generally fairly easy then. If all else fails, they also occur at feeders in winter in some some places in Scandinavia.
Frenchy
Well-known member
Nutcracker was very easy when i was there in June 2015. Several birds seen every day along the Ural ridge i seem to recall.
Frenchy
Well-known member
Are they actually going to the polar Urals? If not, then they can forget Pin-tailed Snipe and Pallas's Reed Bunting. Swinhoe's Snipe is, AFAIK, pretty much unknown anywhere in the WP. They must be there, and i bet they wouldn't be too hard to find if you had free rein to go searching, but i don't think they are on the standard Urals circuit. Likewise Yellow-breasted Bunting is now very difficult anywhere, Black-throated Acc is difficult (lots of Dunnocks up there now) and Siberian Tit is not easy there either.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
In short, no idea but as they followed up on the African Grey Woodpecker sightings, I wouldn't put it past them to follow up on last year's sightings of Pin-tailed Snipe and Pallas's Reed Bunting:-
http://www.netfugl.dk/ranking.php?id=wp&mode=hhhb&species_id=329
http://www.netfugl.dk/ranking.php?id=wp&mode=hhhb&species_id=883
I suspect they'll have whatever gen is available. It will be interesting. They've only really dipped Shikra, Goliath Heron & African Skimmer so far.
All the best
Frenchy
Well-known member
Seeing the African Grey Woodpecker is a lot easier than this Russian stuff! Just getting to the polar Urals requires a fair amount of forward planning (check out http://www.caligata.com/tripreports/en/polar-ural-venaja-18-6-2-7-2016 for a taster), and people know where the Blk-throated Acc is, it's just very hard to find.
dantheman
Bah humbug
That looks eminently do-able and reasonably comparable? ... but time, permits, travel assistance (vehicle hire) perhaps the issue. Need to have it sorted and enough time - presumably not much chance of a group turning up and just winging it!
