ABA Big Year 2016 (1 Viewer)

[Mysticete]

I suspect Christian's game plan all along was to hit up SE Arizona in early June, which is a great time as all the migrants are back and breeding, and temps normally are not too bad. I suspect it's probably too late to decide to make a hardcore effort to win this year, since I don't think Christian has been twitching to the extent other people are.

And if you are going to be there anyway, why NOT go and see the local rarities, especially if they are first NA records.

 

[Nutcracker]

Wonder which of them is doing best in birds per $ spent??

 

[Paul Chapman]

Olaf as the Attu trip was at least 5,500 dollars more than Olaf's Alaskan pelagic.

All the best

 

[Jon Turner]

Olaf as the Attu trip was at least 5,500 dollars more than Olaf's Alaskan pelagic.

All the best

Shorely shome mishtake Paul?

 

[Paul Chapman]

Shorely shome mishtake Paul?

John Weigel and Christian Hagenlocher - http://www.zbirdtours.com/attu.htm

Olaf Danielson - http://zbirdtours.com/pelagic.htm

All the best

 

[njlarsen]

Shorely shome mishtake Paul?

I think what Paul was writing should read

Olaf as the Attu trip (which he did not participate in) was at least 5,500 dollars more than Olaf's Alaskan pelagic.

Niels

 

[Chris_D]

John has sorted the gremlins and his blog is up and running.

A cup of coffee, springwatch live camera showing a sparrow hawk ripping into prey and John's blog to read - a good morning.

No wonder he has seen so much he has been non stop. I wondered how he could appear in so many places so quickly on his list and can now see that - huge respect.

I hope they both keep the writing going without getting tetchy and going underground - this has gone from interesting but frustrating to a damn good race - looking forward to the rest.

Now about to work out how to donate to the Devils

 

[dantheman]

New blog post up -

http://olafsbigyear.blogspot.co.uk/


Cheery as ever! He saw the Far Eastern Curlew - he was up in Adak the day before the pelagic left, which makes sense really. Five coded birds added in total - some bonus birds but not the Mottled Petrel.

710 for the year so far!

 

[Paul Chapman]

This is going to be a fascinating scrap. Some grip backs there for Olaf but John will be doing the same on seabirds.....

To echo Chris' comments. If both carry on and keep us updated, this could go to the wire with the highest and second highest ABA yearlists of all time?

Kudos to John on bringing his IT/blog up to date.

All the best

 

[dantheman]

Presume people have checked out Olaf's rarity documentation page? -

http://olafdanielson.com/?page_id=808

Also the name 'Dorian Anderson' on the latest comments posted on Olaf's blog seemed familiar -

http://blog.aba.org/2015/01/an-interview-with-dorian-anderson-pedal-powered-big-year-champ.html

 

[Paul Chapman]

Olaf now is down to:-

Code 1 - 5 species:-
Wandering Tattler
Long-tailed Jaeger
Calliope Hummingbird
Red-naped Sapsucker
Nelson's Sparrow

Code 2 - 21 species:-
King Eider
Himalayan Snowcock
Dusky Grouse
Arctic Loon
Mottled Petrel
Buller's Shearwater
Manx Shearwater
Red-faced Cormorant
Pacific Golden-Plover
Common Ringed Plover
Wood Sandpiper
Bristle-thighed Curlew
Bar-tailed Godwit
Groove-billed Ani
Black Swift
Arctic Warbler
Bluethroat
Northern Wheatear
Bicknell's Thrush
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Baird's Sparrow

He has 65 Code 3 & above species.

IF it wasn't for the competition, the record would only require another 40 species - 5 Code 1's, 21 Code 2's & 14 Code 3+'s.........

All the best

 

[Paul Chapman]

Code 3+ seen by John but not Olaf - 17 species:-
Brambling
Rustic Bunting
White Wagtail
Eyebrowed Thrush
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Long-toed Stint
Gray-tailed Tattler
Common Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper
Red-billed Tropicbird
White-tailed Tropicbird
Hawaiian Petrel
Smew
Kelp Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Pin-tailed Snipe
Cuban Vireo

Code 3+ seen by Olaf but not John - 8 species:-
Red-throated Pipit
Rose-throated Becard
Great Skua
Trindade Petrel
Fea's Petrel
Hawfinch
Slate-throated Redstart
Plain-capped Starthroat

All the best

 

[njlarsen]

Code 3+ seen by John but not Olaf - 17 species:-
Brambling
Rustic Bunting
White Wagtail
Eyebrowed Thrush
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Long-toed Stint
Gray-tailed Tattler
Common Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper
Red-billed Tropicbird
White-tailed Tropicbird
Hawaiian Petrel
Smew
Kelp Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Pin-tailed Snipe
Cuban Vireo

Code 3+ seen by Olaf but not John - 8 species:-
Red-throated Pipit
Rose-throated Becard
Great Skua
Trindade Petrel
Fea's Petrel
Hawfinch
Slate-throated Redstart
Plain-capped Starthroat

All the best

This part seems a small difference by now ...

Niels

 

[Paul Chapman]

This part seems a small difference by now ...

Niels

Indeed. It could be tight. I believe John will have got Fea's Petrel back on his pelagics and got up South Polar Skua. Hopefully Olaf will be denting some of the Alaskan rarities - particularly the waders?

All the best

 

[Mysticete]

So assuming that Olaf was correct on those pelagic dates out of Hatteras (May 31st and June 1), and looking at the Patteson Pelagics blogs, it's likely that in addition to commonly seen Gulf Stream birds, John was able to get Fea's Petrel and White-tailed Tropicbird (assuming they didn't come by while he was in the bathroom, etc). No love on the Trinidad Petrel, so it looks neither Olaf or John were able to get an edge on these pelagics.

 

[Mysticete]

Whoops I see John already had White-tailed Tropicbird. So Olaf might have benefited more from the pelagics after all.

 

[Mysticete]

Garganey reported the other day from New York. Possibly something Christian will chase

It would be all sorts of amazing if Christian reduced his gap with the other folks by being able to chase birds they can't.

 

[Mysticete]

Also some good stuff reported from Gambell.

With the caveat I don't know the exact dates both folks have been there, or if they missed anything, here are some code 3+ birds reported recently (or at least ebird rarity alert worthy)

Arctic Loon
Common Greenshank
Common Chiffchaff
Eyebrowed Thrush
White Wagtail

 

[dantheman]

Garganey reported the other day from New York. Possibly something Christian will chase

It would be all sorts of amazing if Christian reduced his gap with the other folks by being able to chase birds they can't.

Think it could have been the recently reported bird resurfacing? Can't think Christian will alter his strategy that much, unless he's come into the money and can now fly around at will ... don't know where he'd be off to next though. He has added a few AZ birds such as the Slate-throated Redstart and Olive Warbler in recent days, but slow going still.

Think he may have left Alaska a little prematurely myself and at least hung around Nome for a bit longer perhaps?

Other birds I may have seen reported were also a Lapwing and a breeding pair of Eurasian Moorhen in Quebec (??). Aztec Thrush, Gray Heron and Kelp Gull etc don't seem to have been reported since? (But they may be around later I guess).

Also other shorebirds such as Red-necked Stint from Gambell in the last week I believe (another Pin-tailed Snipe would have been too early for the Big Year birders and expect John (I think he said in his blog he was up there for a week or so?) has gotten RT Pipit back by now.

It has all gone a bit quiet on the updates though, yes ...

 

[Microtus]

Does anyone have further information about this?

Other birds I may have seen reported were [...] a breeding pair of Eurasian Moorhen in Quebec (??).