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Big Year in the Western Palearctic? (1 Viewer)

jurek

Well-known member
After reading two entertaining books about Big Years in America and Australia, I sstarted wondering. Did anybody ever do a Big Year in Europe or Western Palearctic? Not in Britain. A quick count suggests that it could take up to half year and 30k euro. And not, I am not tempted to do one.
 
After reading two entertaining books about Big Years in America and Australia, I sstarted wondering. Did anybody ever do a Big Year in Europe or Western Palearctic? Not in Britain. A quick count suggests that it could take up to half year and 30k euro. And not, I am not tempted to do one.

I have also been enjoying reading these titles recently, and I would like to encourage someone to do a big WP next year... I'll even offer sponsorship of about £10 in exchange for a book of your exploits once you've finished!...;)
 
in. A quick count suggests that it could take up to half year and 30k euro. And not, I am not tempted to do one.

30k Euro? and the rest! If you were going to twitch Azores, Cape Verdes' Kuwait, Britain & Ireland, Scandinavia - for vagrants, no matter where you were based I think 100 k Euro might be a minimum..

cheers, alan
 
Yeah if you were going to make a serious attempt, and nail all the regularly occurring birds as well as chase vagrants, you are looking at at more like 100K, and you better be prepared to spend most of the year doing it.

It would be certainly be an adventure...
 
Dan Chaney (dantheman) tried a "budget version" of this, which was why we did our "epic" Morocco trip a couple of years ago - he reached somewhere in the 500s from memory, and certainly didn't spend 30k euro - 3k probably nearer the mark! Haven't got time to dig out the threads, but I'm sure he wrote something about this; he's got a BUBO account with the species seen if anyone's interested.
 
I think I would be more inclined to do this as a pre-planned 'WP clean-up' trip, i.e. try to see all regularly occurring species, and fit-in vagrants as the opportunity arose while doing this. For a start, booking flights months in advance would cost a fraction of spur-of-the-moment twitching, and booking say 3 weeks in the Azores in October would get a good chunk of the Nearctic stuff. I think it would also be a more enjoyable birding experience than sitting next to the pager credit card in hand and hoping the next tick isn't £500 away.
 
Rather than chasing rarities in Norway or wherever, I think a Western Palearctic attempt is going to be more about nailing all the elusive residents and rare but regular migrants - rather than 'wasting time' chasing single vagrant species, I'd imagine the key to success would ensuring you are in critical areas at critical times, ensuring you hit Kuwait, the Caucasus, Azores, etc at the best times. Much of the region has basically limited rarity alerts anyhow, especially interesting areas at the extremes - Georgia, Middle East, North Africa, etc.

Edit: cross posted with DMW, basically saying the same.
 
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Rather than chasing rarities in Norway or wherever, I think a Western Palearctic attempt is going to be more about nailing all the elusive residents and rare but regular migrants - rather than 'wasting time' chasing single vagrant species, I'd imagine the key to success would ensuring you are in critical areas at critical times, ensuring you hit Kuwait, the Caucasus, Azores, etc at the best times. Much of the region has basically limited rarity alerts anyhow, especially interesting areas at the extremes - Georgia, Middle East, North Africa, etc.

Edit: cross posted with DMW, basically saying the same.

Whilst this is probably what any (most?)of us would do in order to make efficient use of money, I think if you were going to post a "really good" WP total you would need to add a good proportion of the commoner vagrants. Britain is probably a good place to be based for both Siberian and the commoner American vagrants but a birding / twitching (in case Owen reads this) trip to Corvo in October for 2 weeks would be essential. If you were going to post a really good total (what might this be?) I think you would need to clean up on the bog standard stuff at quieter times of year, leaving spring and autumn for vagrants.

The only question is who (if anyone!) has got the money and energy to do this? Mr Chapman perhaps...

cheers, alan
 
Ignoring introduced species, and with moderately conservative taxonomy (e.g. 3 crossbills, 2 redpolls), I reckon 700 would be a decent target for the WP.
 
This got a mention on the thread on Neil Hayward's ABA big year, and it was pointed out that a WP big year could run into language (and possibly visa?) difficulties which don't confront an ABA big year.
 
I think twitching one-off rarities may cost less money than expected. Practically the only part of WP with twitching news is Western Europe and it is well connected by roads and budget flights. Unless you are tempted to e.g. multiple trips to Shetland by helicopter. And in fact, most of "extreme rarities" in NW Europe are regulars elsewhere in the region.

Canaries, Azores, Iceland, N Scandinavia, Morocco, Corsica, Turkey, Egypt, Georgia, Kuwait - are are relatively unproblematic destinations.

Annoying might be an outbreak of civil unrest in the Middle East or North Africa, or unfanthomable politics in Russia to access N Urals.

Apparently Algerian Nuthatch is possible if you watch it without binoculars. Desert mountains of Sahara with e.g. Pygmy Sunbird are impossible. I think no birder went there since years.

And don't even make me dreaming of incredible vagrants which MUST occur in the practically untwitched southern and eastern borders of the region.
 
There is also the thorny question of which Western Palearctic, the one on the end papers of BWP or including Iran and the Arabian Peninsula? Mainland Yemen anyone?

Chris

Just a thought. You're standing right on the, say, eastern border of the WP and there is a uber mega 2 metres on the 'wrong' side. Would you really have the willpower? Honestly?

C
 
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There is also the thorny question of which Western Palearctic, the one on the end papers of BWP or including Iran and the Arabian Peninsula? Mainland Yemen anyone?

Chris

You'd have to do them, to futureproof your list in the event of any future agreeement on the WP boundary. One would presumably do Yemen in December...

cheers, alan
 
I don't think the WP is very realistic for a Big Year. I think you'd have to establish some boundaries, even arbitrary ones. For the ABA Big Year, Canada is included, but not Mexico, and even Hawaii is out. The boundaries are nowhere near the Nearctic boundaries.
 
There is also the thorny question of which Western Palearctic, the one on the end papers of BWP or including Iran and the Arabian Peninsula?
Prior to the inclusion this year of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, Dutch Birding's definition of the WP was the most restricted – completely excluding Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Mainland Yemen anyone?
Probably the best birding in the 'WP'!
 
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