2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (6 Viewers)

List updated and surprisingly they got every single of the possible species (minus the Frigatebird, which seemed highely unlikely)
Now they could go to Kuwait in hope of Shikra and Purple Sunbird, but I'm not sure if either has been seen those past days

Maffong said:

List updated and surprisingly they got every single of the possible species (minus the Frigatebird, which seemed highely unlikely)
Now they could go to Kuwait in hope of Shikra and Purple Sunbird, but I'm not sure if either has been seen those past days

Click to expand...

Maffong

That is genuinely quite an impressive piece of logistics. They clearly went Tarrafal to Raso, from there to overnight camping on Branco to clean sweep the seabirds and then exited to Sao Vincente rather than returning to Tarrafal. As someone who has suffered two days on Sao Nicolau with cancelled flights to exit the island, that is a very clever move. Frustrating that we do not know numbers as I'd like to know whether the high numbers of Red-footed Booby on and around Raso remain and also the number of Cory's Shearwaters amongst the Cape Verde Shearwaters.

(Overnight on Branco is a standard move - see http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=795 - but I've not seen exiting via Sao Vincente before.)

The chance of Magnificent Frigatebird is Boa Vista (and they have been nowhere near there yet) so it will be interesting to see if they now go there from Sao Vincente to look for that at Curral Velho.

Excellent performance. Lists with some slight editing below:-

Sunday - 19th November:-
Tarrafal, Sao Nicolau, Cape Verde 08:08-08:47
Iago Sparrow Passer iagoensis
Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata orbitalis
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula

Tarrafal to Raso, Cape Verde 09:38-11:43
Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis
Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii
Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster

Raso, Cape Verde 13:17-14:12
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Raso Lark Alauda razae
Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis
Red-footed Booby Sula sula

Branco, Cape Verde 16:50-19:17 - overnight
Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Boyd's Shearwater Puffinus boydi
Cape Verde Storm Petrel Oceanodroma jabejabe

Monday - 20th November:-
Branco, Cape Verde 07:59
Boyd's Shearwater Puffinus boydi
Cape Verde Storm Petrel Oceanodroma jabejabe

Branco to Sao Vincente, Cape Verde 09:20-11:02
Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Calhau, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde 10:41-10:53
Iago Sparrow Passer iagoensis
Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis
Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Rock Dove Columba livia
Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde 11:06
Cape Verde Swift Apus alexandri

All the best

Maffong said:

List updated and surprisingly they got every single of the possible species (minus the Frigatebird, which seemed highely unlikely)
Now they could go to Kuwait in hope of Shikra and Purple Sunbird, but I'm not sure if either has been seen those past days

Click to expand...

The Shikra is most likely going to winter but the sunbird has not been seen since 7.15am on Saturday morning...

Pretty gripping stuff:-

https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=395435060890291&id=186249971808802

All the best

Paul Chapman said:

Pretty gripping stuff:-

https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=395435060890291&id=186249971808802

All the best

Click to expand...

I am getting a 'Page not found' error on your link.

Captain_of_Crunch said:

I am getting a 'Page not found' error on your link.

Click to expand...

So do I! I was just trying to link their latest picture:-

https://www.facebook.com/bigyearwp/

I failed to find any Red-footed Boobies on Raso in 2013 despite two trips to the island. There had been one adult seen shortly before our visit. Not sure if there is a specific place to look but already really gripped by tales of up to 40 this year!

All the best

"Rarities on Sao Vicente, Mindelo sewage ponds this morning. Wilson's Snipe and Intermediate Egret. One from Africa and one from America "

"Didn't they do well!" as Brucie used to say :t:

This is their most impressive leg for me. They've decided against Boa Vista for a chance at Magnificent Frigatebird but complete success on everything else plus six stellar rarities - Long-tailed Cormorant, White-winged Tern, Black Heron, Red-footed Booby, Wilson's Snipe and Intermediate Egret and only one night in Tarrafal. Remarkable.

All the best

I hadn't noticed until just now that they had deleted Long-toed Stint so currently 747 with 9 likely in the balance of the year:-
Houbara Bustard
Bolle's Pigeon
Laurel Pigeon
Fuerteventura Chat
Canary Islands Chiffchaff
Tenerife Blue Chaffinch
Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch
Yellow-billed Loon
Grey-headed Chickadee

The most obvious remaining rarities:-
Rüppell's Griffon
American Herring Gull
Radde's Warbler
Dusky Warbler
Pine Bunting

All the best

Yellow-billed Loon? Grey-headed Chickadee? Why the Americanisms? I don't think I have a single Anglophone bird book published in the UK (or Europe) that uses either name as standard. Indeed, relatively few reference the alternative name for White-billed Diver and none at all even do that for the 'chickadee'. Besides, shouldn't be written Gray-headed? Siberian Tit seems a better when discussing birds of the Palearctic not only because that's what the books on the area call it but also because most of its range is indeed broadly 'Siberian', the cap doesn't look grey (or gray) and "chickadee" is better reserved for uniquely American members of the family. Or have I just got out of the wrong side of bed today ?

John Cantelo said:

Yellow-billed Loon? Grey-headed Chickadee? Why the Americanisms? I don't think I have a single Anglophone bird book published in the UK (or Europe) that uses either name as standard. Indeed, relatively few reference the alternative name for White-billed Diver and none at all even do that for the 'chickadee'. Besides, shouldn't be written Gray-headed? Siberian Tit seems a better when discussing birds of the Palearctic not only because that's what the books on the area call it but also because most of its range is indeed broadly 'Siberian', the cap doesn't look grey (or gray) and "chickadee" is better reserved for uniquely American members of the family. Or have I just got out of the wrong side of bed today ?

Click to expand...

If I recall rightly, it's what's in IOC, they've been pressurised by Clements to conform to US standards recently. Also visible in e.g. jeagers instead of skuas, which if I remember rightly, IOC used to have in older versions. Might be worth asking IOC to amend these in view of BOU taking on the IOC list?

I think that I populated my spreadsheet originally from the Netfugl list:-

http://www.netfugl.dk/wplist.php

I'm certainly not typing out 1,000 names myself!

Edit - attached photos of Siberian Tit (Finland 25.05.14) and White-billed Diver (Orkney 01.05.17) to cheer John up.

All the best

Paul

:t: An elegant (and gracious) way of saying you agreed with John's alternative option.

John Cantelo said:

Yellow-billed Loon? Grey-headed Chickadee? Why the Americanisms? I don't think I have a single Anglophone bird book published in the UK (or Europe) that uses either name as standard. Indeed, relatively few reference the alternative name for White-billed Diver and none at all even do that for the 'chickadee'. Besides, shouldn't be written Gray-headed? Siberian Tit seems a better when discussing birds of the Palearctic not only because that's what the books on the area call it but also because most of its range is indeed broadly 'Siberian', the cap doesn't look grey (or gray) and "chickadee" is better reserved for uniquely American members of the family. Or have I just got out of the wrong side of bed today ?

Click to expand...

I dislike it too John but have been fairly roundly criticised each time I mention it. Unfortunately the Europeans are using American names (and accents) more and more so English names will I fear, eventually be replaced.

Great shots btw Paul, we drove up to the Arctic this summer from St Petersburg and Sibe Tit was on the target list but not a sniff.

A

Somewhat interesting and possibly unexpected stat: they have now ticked more species (16) in the Cape Verdes than in the Azores (14).

What was the total number of species 'missed' on Corvo by leaving 'a week (?) too early? Perhaps 10 or so? I assume was a NET reduction in the total they would otherwise be on?

What about the final total - 760-770 perhaps?

cheers, alan

They'll certainly surpass the 750, but what the final score will be is mostly up to their decision making and that isn't always very predictable as we've learned now I think.
I recently counted and got a number of ca. 815 species that were gettable this year if one had gone for each and everyone of them John Weigel-style. As I believe some of them must've been conflicting and dips would've been unavoidable I believe that 800 species could be the ultimate goal for future attempts, though I'm not sure how many there are to come, how deep their pockets will be and how much dedication they might have. We should all keep an eye open if there's suddenly an aussie guy turning up at rarity site next year

Maffong said:

I recently counted and got a number of ca. 815 species that were gettable this year if one had gone for each and everyone of them John Weigel-style. As I believe some of them must've been conflicting and dips would've been unavoidable I believe that 800 species could be the ultimate goal for future attempts

Click to expand...

Agree, I suggested such in an earlier post, an 800+ list would stand for a very long time I think.


A

A new blog post is up. It's interesting to see how they got Boyd's Shearwater and Cape Verde Storm Petrel, I'm not sure what to think of it yet...
http://www.bigyearwp.com/
Would like to hear opinions on that.

Maffong

Paul Chapman said:

I think that I populated my spreadsheet originally from the Netfugl list:-

http://www.netfugl.dk/wplist.php

I'm certainly not typing out 1,000 names myself!

Edit - attached photos of Siberian Tit (Finland 25.05.14) and White-billed Diver (Orkney 01.05.17) to cheer John up.

All the best

Paul

Click to expand...

Thanks, Paul, much appreciated as I need cheering up today even more than yesterday. The least of my troubles being that a visit to the dentist this morning revealed that tooth that was repaired earlier this year for £700+ (that's a decent pair o' bins!) now needs extraction.