Best place in Europe for a short birding trip in June? (1 Viewer)

[Gladiator96]

What's the issue with late June? Most bird species wouldn't be on the move yet.

1) Hot
2) Breeding season practically over - no singing/displaying/etc.
3) As you said no migration

 

[Bewick]

1) Hot
2) Breeding season practically over - no singing/displaying/etc.
3) As you said no migration

Even without migration, the variety of birds that you are able to see in the Med is still greater then what is provided in central europe.

 

[01101001]

I didn't expect Finland to look so good in June: https://ebird.org/hotspots?env.minX...6&env.maxY=57.39300378344225&mr=on&m=6&yr=all. The map is also good to check other potential destinations.

 

[Mysticete]

To be fair, if I went to Finland the priority would be more Wolverines than birds, since that is a pretty cool critter that is incredibly hard to see anywhere else.

 

[01101001]

Don't they live in America, too?

 

[raymie]

Don't they live in America, too?

Yeah but you'll never them here.

 

[Bewick]

Yeah but you'll never them here.

Wouldn't there be tours in the US for the same purpose?

 

[Mysticete]

Wouldn't there be tours in the US for the same purpose?

Baiting isn't done in the US and Canada, and in fact I think possibly illegal. I know people occasionally run into them in Alaska, but even then people only rarely do so. For instance, there are certainly no tours targeting them

To get you a sense of the odds, the average home range of a wolverine is anywhere from 100-600 square miles, and in the lower 48 there are probably something like only 100 animals distributed across the northern Rockies and Pacific NW. I know of people who have lived inin Wolverine territory for decades without a single encounter.

Finland really is a special case, hence why everyone goes there for their Wolverines.

 

[Farnboro John]

Baiting isn't done in the US and Canada, and in fact I think possibly illegal. I know people occasionally run into them in Alaska, but even then people only rarely do so. For instance, there are certainly no tours targeting them

To get you a sense of the odds, the average home range of a wolverine is anywhere from 100-600 square miles, and in the lower 48 there are probably something like only 100 animals distributed across the northern Rockies and Pacific NW. I know of people who have lived inin Wolverine territory for decades without a single encounter.

Finland really is a special case, hence why everyone goes there for their Wolverines.

Finland also holds a slew of European woodpeckers among other well-represented groups. Last year I had Three-toed Woodpecker (and Great Spot, but I'm fairly sure Mysticete has got that) at The Bear Centre where I saw Wolverine. Fieldfare, Redwing, Spotted Flycatcher also on site and Red Squirrel, Bank Vole, Brown Bear (=Grizzly) and the cosmopolitan Red Fox.

John

 

[cajanuma]

I think your budget and the duration of your trip should also play into your choice of destination.

I've not done a lot of European birding outside of Italy, so I don't have much comparative experience, but my best non-Italian birding in Europe was in Extremadura, Spain, in spite of it being both during a very poor time of year for vocal activity (early September) and under extreme weather conditions (afternoon highs around 110 F). It would be very easy to find cheap flights from the UK to Madrid or other Spanish cities, and car rental and accomodations are inexpensive. Plus you wouldn't have to do too much driving, so if you only had 3-4 days you could still cover the area thoroughly. At least here in southern Italy, there isn't that much drop-off in vocal activity between early and late June, so I don't think it would be a major issue in Spain, either. I guess the wildcard would be the weather, as 100+ degree heat would definitely be possible in late June.

I've not been to Finland so can't speak from experience, but my impression is both that the distances involved and the costs would be quite a bit higher than Spain or Mediterranean Europe.

And just to suggest an alternative destination, flying into Rome then spending a few days in Abruzzo would certainly get you some really good Mediterranean and montane birds (things like White-backed Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Rock Partridge and White-winged Snowfinch) plus a very good chance of Brown Bear and a decent shot at Wolf. Adding a day on the coast south or north of Rome would get you a fair variety of waterbirds. You'd be hitting shorebird migration at its low ebb, but most Tringas are on their way south already, so things like Spotted Redshank or Marsh Sandpiper would be realistic targets.

 

[skahde]

In case you find yourself lacking the time or energy to travel anywhwere further away from Belgium just have a visit to the Het Zwin Sanctuary near Knokke on the northern coast of Belgium. It won't be much different from the english side of the channel but at least you could spent some hours birding in a nice environment without too much effort put into it.

 

[Mysticete]

In case you find yourself lacking the time or energy to travel anywhwere further away from Belgium just have a visit to the Het Zwin Sanctuary near Knokke on the northern coast of Belgium. It won't be much different from the english side of the channel but at least you could spent some hours birding in a nice environment without too much effort put into it.

I'll keep it in mind.

Just to be clear, this is me feeling things out. Unfortuantely due to skyrocketing rent and inflation, I suspect I will have to move next summer, so I don't even know if I will be able to go to the conference, nevermind anywhere else in Europe.

 

[jurek]

Good luck with our money! For years I birded mostly when I had time, not in the best season for a given country. Especially in the Mediterranean in mid-summer. And it is still possible to have a great holiday and very good bird list!