2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (13 Viewers)

[Brian J Small]

This is an interesting piece (as ever) by Martin Garner - http://birdingfrontiers.com/2015/07/30/eilata-sand-martins/ - scroll down to eilata Sand Martins

B

and this - https://digdeep1962.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/riparia-martins-in-malaysia-what-are-they-part-2/

 

[Sam Bryo]

- Yes they were errors in identification apparently see link and attached.

many thanks Paul: a very interesting paper, and helpful w.r.t. the Kuwait bird

 

[Maffong]

Their first twitch was the dungeness Stejneger's Stonechat that turned out to be a European one. Ouch!
They just posted an itinerary for their UK tour on their blog
http://www.bigyearwp.com/
At least they got Green-winged Teal, eventhough luck wasn't with them for other ones. They'll try again tomorrow

Now at 185 species

Maffong

PS Actually 186 species, Ruppel's Weaver is still not on the IGoTerra list

 

[dantheman]

Seems a good move, and shows they mean business. Let's just hope they don't blow their entire budget buying same-day rail tickets in the UK!

What was it? £530 for a return from the Isle of Wight to Dundee?? Presume they'll get a hire car though! (And probably not go to either of those places).

Quote from their blog on Jan 1st -

"We have altogether 16 days of birding here, we will run short of hotspots. "

Perhaps they realised early on ...

 

[Maffong]

They'll try for Lady Amherst's, but looking at birdguides it hasn't been reported there since June. Is there nobody looking for it or has it maybe disappeared forever. Any chance they might find it?

Maffong

 

[Dave Ball]

They'll try for Lady Amherst's, but looking at birdguides it hasn't been reported there since June. Is there nobody looking for it or has it maybe disappeared forever. Any chance they might find it?

Maffong

Our (sole remaining?) male Lady A's (now Category C6 - formerly naturalised species approaching extinction :-C) resides inside a fenced vehicle test track. When calling it can be reasonably easy to hear, mainly early or late, and there are one or two points where it's possible to see it with luck. However, I would have thought it will not be calling much if at all yet and would be easier a bit later in the year.

I've put out an RFI on our local county news group in Beds asking if anyone knows more - some of our madder county year listers will probably be trying to get it, though to be honest I sometimes wonder if the species was ever really self-sustaining and whether it should ever have been added to the British list. At least it's not too far from any of the main London airports to try to pick up on the way from twitching more interesting species

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hopefully tomorrow may bring some of Lesser Yellowlegs, Ring-necked Duck, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Lesser Scaup, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Pacific Diver.

Including Ruppell's Weaver - 186 species, and for now on my categorisation, I get:-
Category 1 - 134/323
Category 2 - 34/229
Category 3 - 11/122 (Crab-plover, Lesser Sand-plover, Sociable Plover, White-tailed Lapwing, Richard's Pipit, Red-vented Bulbul, Hypocolius, Black-throated Thrush, Common Babbler, Bank Myna & Ruppell's Weaver)
Category 5 - 7/51 (Lesser Flamingo, Green-winged Teal, Crested Honey Buzzard, Pacific Golden Plover, Indian Roller, Buff-bellied Pipit & Hume's Warbler)

All the best

 

[Maffong]

Including Ruppell's Weaver - 186 species, and for now on my categorisation, I get:-
Category 1 - 134/323
Category 2 - 34/229
Category 3 - 11/122 (Crab-plover, Lesser Sand-plover, Sociable Plover, White-tailed Lapwing, Richard's Pipit, Red-vented Bulbul, Hypocolius, Black-throated Thrush, Common Babbler, Bank Myna & Ruppell's Weaver)
Category 5 - 7/51 (Lesser Flamingo, Green-winged Teal, Crested Honey Buzzard, Pacific Golden Plover, Indian Roller, Buff-bellied Pipit & Hume's Warbler)

All the best

And under my codes they get
Code 1 - 120/274
Code 2 - 38/208
Code 3 - 21/203 (Grey-headed Swmaphen, Crab-plover, Lesser Sand-plover, Red-wattled Plover, White-tailed Lapwing, Armenian Gull, Swift Tern, Namaqua Dove, Pallid Scops Owl, White-throated Kingfisher, White-eared Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Hypocolius, Finsch's Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear, Black-throated Thrush, Common Babbler, Isabelline Shrike, House Crow, Bank Myna & Ruppell's Weaver)
Code 4 - 8/84 (Lesser Flamingo, Green-winged Teal, Crested Honey Buzzard, Pacific Golden Plover, Indian Roller, Richard's Pipit, Buff-bellied Pipit & Hume's Warbler)


Maffong

 

[Paul Chapman]

Maffong

An interesting difference which encapsulates my key challenge with your system. Comparing White-throated Kingfisher with Common Babbler, both occur only within one of your defined regions (Category 3) but the first is found easily in at least three of the countries within that region whereas the other is found at one site in one country and can be tricky. Perhaps I would find it less challenging, if you introduced a Category 4 for those only occurring at one or a few sites within one region?

Edit - actually White-throated Kingfisher also in Egypt (Region 9).

(On a separate point, I believe Richard's Pipit may be Category 3 under your definition because there are regular wintering sites in Iberia?)

All the best

 

[Maffong]

Actually Richard's Pipit might even be a category 2 as it migrates in reasonable numbers through various regions, but as it is still treated as a vagrant in all of these regions (also in Spain), I'll keep it in category 4. However you're correct about the Kingfisher It also occurs in Cape Verde and thus is code 2
I imagine there are a few more such mistakes as I gave the codes by looking at my Collins guide, but both the middle east and Cape Verde are missing there, so I might have missed a few locations.

By the way, having Great Black-backed Gull and Laurel Pigeon in the same category isn't much better

Nevertheless I will look into a new code 4, but where exactly do you draw the line?

Maffong

 

[Paul Chapman]

It is not in Cape Verde. Are you thinking of Grey-headed Kingfisher? That is restricted to Santiago.

Richard's Pipit is not treated as a rarity in Britain. I've had two on my patch including a mid-winter record.

http://ebird.org/ebird/map/ricpip1?...mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2017

Happy to downgrade GBBG. Mine was an attempt to work out practical year-list challenges nothing more.

All the best

 

[Pedro Ramalho]

Actually Richard's Pipit might even be a category 2 as it migrates in reasonable numbers through various regions, but as it is still treated as a vagrant in all of these regions (also in Spain),

In Portugal Richards are a scarce wintering bird, but easy to find in winter on several places, flocks of 5-10 birds in some places.

Are you sure they are treated as a vagrant in Spain?

 

[magifrig]

In Portugal Richards are a scarce wintering bird, but easy to find in winter on several places, flocks of 5-10 birds in some places.

Are you sure they are treated as a vagrant in Spain?

Hi Pedro

I noted with interest earlier in this thread that Black-headed Munia is now extinct in Portugal as a Category C species. I think it was only added to the Portuguese list in 2006 or thereabouts, yet there have been no records since 2011. How can a self sustaining bird last for just 5 or 6 years?!

Isn't it time to admit that a mistake was made and remove this species from the Portuguese/WP list?

Cheers, Graeme Joynt

 

[Pedro Ramalho]

Hi Pedro

I noted with interest earlier in this thread that Black-headed Munia is now extinct in Portugal as a Category C species. I think it was only added to the Portuguese list in 2006 or thereabouts, yet there have been no records since 2011. How can a self sustaining bird last for just 5 or 6 years?!

Isn't it time to admit that a mistake was made and remove this species from the Portuguese/WP list?

Not really sure when the species was admitted to category C, but there is no confirmed sighting since 2009/10

The species was breeding long before the formal acceptance on category C, the “problem” was that the imports of wild birds to Europe where severely restricted after 2000, so the retail price for black-headed munia went from 5€ to more than 60€ (if exported to Holland) so basically the birds in Portugal were all caught to the cage bird trade.

 

[magifrig]

Not really sure when the species was admitted to category C, but there is no confirmed sighting since 2009/10

The species was breeding long before the formal acceptance on category C, the “problem” was that the imports of wild birds to Europe where severely restricted after 2000, so the retail price for black-headed munia went from 5€ to more than 60€ (if exported to Holland) so basically the birds in Portugal were all caught to the cage bird trade.

Incredible! Hadn't even considered that as a reason for their demise...thanks for the information Pedro.

Cheers, Graeme Joynt

 

[Maffong]

It is not in Cape Verde. Are you thinking of Grey-headed Kingfisher? That is restricted to Santiago.

Richard's Pipit is not treated as a rarity in Britain. I've had two on my patch including a mid-winter record.

All the best

Right and right. I got the kingfishers mixed up and Richard's Pipit is also not considered as a vagrant in Spain anymore (since 2005), so I shall downgrade it to code 2

I think, the difference between your categorisation and mine is that yours is based around Birders, while mine is based around birds

And what concerns the category C species: What other extinct introduced species are there in the WP? Black-headed Munia, Lady Amherst's probably soon. Is Erckel's Francolin still extant? How about Red-billed Firefinch?

Maffong

 

[ronaldnuiver]

Some nice thicks today:
Lesser yellowlegs, America Wigeon, Bonapartes Gull; Lesser Scaup , Ring-billed Gull

 

[Paul Chapman]

Excellent progress. So tomorrow's priorities presumably Pacific Diver and Hudsonian Whimbrel with maybe one eye on Ring-necked Duck before heading north for Dusky Thrush and thereafter presumably Black/American Scoter, Surf Scoter, etc...

The Tufted Ducks here - image 15 - are now labelled Tufted Duck and Ferruginous Duck but I'm still not seeing a Ferruginous Duck?

https://klacke.smugmug.com/Big-Year-WP-2017/Kuwait-January/

(The other two - Kestrel/Merlin & Desert(?) Lark/Graceful Prinia remain unaltered.)

All the best

 

[ronaldnuiver]

The third from the left? Behind the tufted Duck?

Excellent progress. So tomorrow's priorities presumably Pacific Diver and Hudsonian Whimbrel with maybe one eye on Ring-necked Duck before heading north for Dusky Thrush and thereafter presumably Black/American Scoter, Surf Scoter, etc...

The Tufted Ducks here - image 15 - are now labelled Tufted Duck and Ferruginous Duck but I'm still not seeing a Ferruginous Duck?

https://klacke.smugmug.com/Big-Year-WP-2017/Kuwait-January/

(The other two - Kestrel/Merlin & Desert(?) Lark/Graceful Prinia remain unaltered.)

All the best

The third from the left, behind the Tufted Duck?

 

[Paul Chapman]

The third from the left, behind the Tufted Duck?

Ronald

If the one almost totally obscured, at least it has an erect tail and apparent decent white undertail coverts, but I think that the slight tuft almost certainly rules out Ferruginous.

All the best