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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (1 Viewer)

Decisions, decisions... staying in Egypt they are missing Red-winged Blackbird and Dark-eyed Junco in Britain and Black-browed Albatross in Germany - all likely not repeatable...
 
jurek said:
Decisions, decisions... staying in Egypt they are missing Red-winged Blackbird and Dark-eyed Junco in Britain and Black-browed Albatross in Germany - all likely not repeatable...
Click to expand...

Junco long gone. Blackbird difficult/v expensive to access. Albatross definitely a good target tho!
 
Also a blog post about travelling in general
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/2017/05/11/traveling-sleeping-eating/

Next stops are Georgia (3 nights), Turkey (17 nights) and Cyprus (1 night).
These will be their targets, bold ones are must gets
Caucasian Grouse
Caspian Snowcock
See-see Partridge
Scopoli's Shearwater
Yelkouan Shearwater
Dalmatian Pelican
Bearded Vulture
Cinereous Vulture
Demoiselle Crane
Eurasian Dotterel
Great Snipe
Red Phalarope
Black-winged Pratincole
Cyprus Scops Owl
Brown Fish Owl
Red-footed Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Bimaculated Lark
Mountain Chiffchaff
Green Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Paddyfield Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Olive-tree Warbler
Common Grasshopper Warbler
River Warbler
Iraq Babbler
Krüper's Nuthatch
Eastern Rock Nuthatch
Wallcreeper
Rosy Starling
Ring Ouzel
Thrush Nightingale
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Cyprus Wheatear
Kurdish Wheatear
Pale Rockfinch
White-winged Snowfinch
Radde's Accentor
Asian Crimson-winged Finch
Mongolian Finch
Common Rosefinch
Red-fronted Serin
Grey-necked Bunting
Cinereous Bunting
Black-headed Bunting

It seems to me, that they won't need all the time that they have planned for Turkey as they'll have much more than 1 day per target species. I wonder if they should/will cut off some days and go twitching instead?!

Maffong
 
I agree that 17 days in Turkey seems longer than absolutely needed. A couple of days in Poland would surely make sense at this time of year?
 
Poland would get them problem-less Aquatic Warbler at least, freeing time to twitch later. Although optimal probably would be breaking time to twitch extreme rarities turning up anywhere in the region.

I liked their travel planning advice! Two things I never figured out myself: how to produce a plan for scarcer birds without spending enormous amount of time planning (there are birds with no single must-go hotspot but turning in many places at lower probability)? And renting car, how to be sure of insurance, instead of zillion extra charges added in last minute?
 
Paul Chapman said:
Well five days left. Can they have another crack at Yellow Bittern & Goliath Heron?

Assuming that African Skimmmer is now off the agenda, the remaining Egyptian priorities are:-
Saunders's Tern
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
Senegal Coucal
Streaked Weaver

All the best
Click to expand...

Well, they've got them all so must surely be off to get their bins now!:t:
 
The south eastern form of Dupont's Lark margaritae is said to occur in North West Egypt, has anyone (WP birders?) ever looked for it here or elsewhere in its range?

Its been tentatively elevated by the HBW passerine taxonomy work which proposes "Margarita's Lark" as being 'notably distinct' requiring further research, particularly on vocal differences and whether there are intermediates between the two recognised forms.

A step too far for a western pal yearlist probably, but interesting non the less.

(Has it occurred in Spain? ...and another photo)
 
GDK said:
The south eastern form of Dupont's Lark margaritae is said to occur in North West Egypt, has anyone (WP birders?) ever looked for it here or elsewhere in its range?

Its been tentatively elevated by the HBW passerine taxonomy work which proposes "Margarita's Lark" as being 'notably distinct' requiring further research, particularly on vocal differences and whether there are intermediates between the two recognised forms.

A step too far for a western pal yearlist probably, but interesting non the less.

(Has it occurred in Spain? ...and another photo)
Click to expand...

According to this paper - https://www.researchgate.net/profil...us_duponti/links/0c96051dd2fb013712000000.pdf - it is accessible in central Tunisia.

It is an interesting paper and suggests that Margarita's Lark is more than worth looking for, though there is a discrepancy between the range they assign to margaritae and that given by many other authors. E.g. HBW state, 'Algeria (S slopes of Atlas Mts E to Biskra), SE Tunisia (S of Gabès and the chotts), N Libya and coastal W & C Egypt'. However, they clearly say they sampled margaritae from the 'only place where the species is known to exist today in Tunisia (Tu:
34400N, 830’E).'

I would suggest the birds seen in Spain are not margaritae, but worn duponti.

B
 
Thanks both.

The paper is an interesting read. It suggests only one (known) population left in Tunisia (restricted to 90km2), and birds from the southern populations 'having shifted their range northwards'.

It is a shame they didnt sound record any, especially given the comment/ref. regarding populations in eastern Libya in HBW. Or maybe the research is still ongoing.

Cheers,
 
Maffong said:
Also a blog post about travelling in general
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/2017/05/11/traveling-sleeping-eating/

Next stops are Georgia (3 nights), ......
These will be their targets, bold ones are must gets

It seems to me, that they won't need all the time that they have planned for Turkey as they'll have much more than 1 day per target species.

Maffong
Click to expand...

Sorry Maffong, but not sure why you didn't list Caucasian Snowcock, Guldenstadts Redstart and Great Rosefinch in the next targets

Looking at the list and what I saw in Georgia, the immediate targets if limited to route to Kazbegi would be;
Caucasian Grouse
Bearded Vulture
Cinereous Vulture
Mountain Chiffchaff
Green Warbler
Wallcreeper
Ring Ouzel
White-winged Snowfinch
Common Rosefinch
Red-fronted Serin

I also wouldn't be surprised if they got a few others still needed on their list - perhaps Black-headed Bunting, Red-footed Falcon, Hobby etc

This then leaves the rest for Turkey, as you say.

The big timing risk is the mountains - you can loose days if the weather closes in and for the top three there is no alternative and then in Turkey the same can then be said for Caspian Snowcock, Raddes Accentor and Asian CW Finch.

I think they will learn from the Yellow Bittern episode and assume they will be held up by something and therefore plan to stick to their itinerary.

However only time will tell.
 
DMW said:
I agree that 17 days in Turkey seems longer than absolutely needed. A couple of days in Poland would surely make sense at this time of year?
Click to expand...

I am not sure why you are suggesting Poland? Apart from Aquatic warbler there is nothing else I believe that suggests this. If this is the case (and in their minds they have said this is their reason for going to Portugal in the autumn), perhaps they should wait for the Urals trip and if they miss Azure tit, they could get both in Belarus.
 
Brian J Small said:
However, they clearly say they sampled margaritae from the 'only place where the species is known to exist today in Tunisia (Tu:34400N, 830’E).'

B
Click to expand...

I suspect the only reason they say this is there have been no birders in Algeria, Libya and the west of Egypt rather than no birds. But without the former you just don't know.
 
Brian J Small said:
However, they clearly say they sampled margaritae from the 'only place where the species is known to exist today in Tunisia (Tu: 34400N, 830’E).'

B
Click to expand...

Muppit17 said:
I suspect the only reason they say this is there have been no birders in Algeria, Libya and the west of Egypt rather than no birds. But without the former you just don't know.
Click to expand...

I read that as saying "this is the only site in Tunisia where the species occurs" - no suggestion that it's the only site anywhere that it occurs :t:
 
Muppit17 said:
I also wouldn't be surprised if they got a few others still needed on their list - perhaps Black-headed Bunting, Red-footed Falcon, Hobby etc

This then leaves the rest for Turkey, as you say.
Click to expand...

And perhaps Rosy Starling and Red-breasted Flycatcher?

I'm intrigued by Kazakhstan - June 11th to 15th - http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/itinerary/ - is that where they are likely to get Black-winged Pratincole and Demoiselle Crane?

What else is there that is realistic in the WP portion?

All the best
 

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