How many lifers seen in a single day? (1 Viewer)

[jurek]

I saw 40 in Ethiopia and 47 in Papua New Guinea.

I really miss not being with a friend who arrived in South India half a day before me. It was his first visit to Southern Asia and he told me he seen 70+ lifers that morning.

 

[Jon Turner]

I need to look up my records of Costa Rica, Australia and Uganda....

I thought one day I had 70 ish....

EDIT: Oz was about 62 on the day with Chowchilla on the Atherton Tablelands.
First day in Uganda scored 72

Both in 2014.

Will look up Costa Rica when I get home next week.

 

[Jim M.]

I had 91 my first day in Africa--eastern South Africa to be more precise. This appears to be the highest total posted so far. Before counting, I expected Africa would be the best place to rack up a big total since the birds are often easy to see and there are many species.

Second is my first trip to the neotropics--64 in Costa Rica. Third is my first trip to South America--63 in Ecuador on the west slope of the Andes, including Tandayapa lodge and its hummingbird feeders.

 

[Maroon Jay]

77 is my best, which was on my first day in Australia.

I wonder if 77 is the record for lifers in one day?

 

[Maroon Jay]

I had 91 my first day in Africa--eastern South Africa to be more precise. This appears to be the highest total posted so far. Before counting, I expected Africa would be the best place to rack up a big total since the birds are often easy to see and there are many species.

Second is my first trip to the neotropics--64 in Costa Rica. Third is my first trip to South America--63 in Ecuador on the west slope of the Andes, including Tandayapa lodge and its hummingbird feeders.

91 might be the record. Going once, going twice.

 

[lammergeier05]

My first day in South Africa is tomorrow! But I chose to loop back through the more biodiverse eastern section and start in the more arid central section (also arriving midday) so I’m more likely to go for a personal best of 50 than push 90+.

 

[jurek]

By the way, I count lifers seen every day of the trip. Most lifers are almost always on the first full day. Rarely, another day matches the first, if one moves to a completely different habitat. Ethiopia was an exception - most lifers were in the middle of the trip.

 

[bonxie birder]

I think I beat you all. I hired a guide for my first full day of birding in South Africa. Got a phone call the evening before to say that he couldn’t make it and he was going to send a friend along instead, would that be ok? So Peter Ryan turned up next morning and around Cape Town, Darling, Paarl and Sir Lowry’s Pass, we saw 138 species of which 96 were lifers. Glad I didn’t turn him down.

 

[Maroon Jay]

I think I beat you all. I hired a guide for my first full day of birding in South Africa.

Yes Bonxie, 96 might be the record.

 

[cajanuma]

Around 70 on my first day in Cameroon, traveling from Douala to Nyassoso at the foot of Mount Kupé, which was also my first time in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Turns out this wasn't my best total of lifers in one day, as I had 74 on my first truly full day of birding in Ethiopia at Bishangari Lodge, which was also my first time in East Africa. I would think that 100 lifers or more should be possible even for a well-traveled birder if their first day in Sub-Saharan Africa is somewhere in savanna habitat in East Africa, where seeing 150+ species in a day is easy, and the vast majority of these would be lifers.

 

[Jonny721]

I managed 53 lifers in my first full day in Costa Rica last month which was my first time birding in the Americas.

 

[Mysticete]

I am not sure if this is the maximum number, but it is the most since I have used ebird religiously, and can easily check this (It would be a very laborious task to go through my actual lifelist, which has dates but is arranged in taxonomic order): 45 lifers on my first full day in Panama, on June 25th 2021. That was my first full day of birding in the Neotropics, so nearly everything outside of a few waterbirds was a new species.

Hopefully I can top that in Ecuador this June!

 

[Maroon Jay]

That was my first full day of birding in the Neotropics, so nearly everything outside of a few waterbirds was a new species

That's the beauty of going somewhere new. Especially a continent that you have not been to before.

 

[raymie]

18 on my second day in Arizona between Sweetwater Wetlands and Madera Canyon.

 

[connorco]

I got 76 on my first day traveling in Costa Rica on my second trip to the Neotropics.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I am currently:-

Thailand - 68 - 6th November 2022 (first day in south east Asia)
Uganda - 55 - 4th March 2019 (first day in sub-Saharan Africa)
Thailand - 53 - 7th November 2022 (second day in south east Asia)

The Thailand total may reduce as I did go on a cricket tour to Sri Lanka in 1985/86 and there is a list of birds around here somewhere... Not a very long one.

I plan to beat that total at least once or twice next year. Hopefully...

All the best

Paul

Subject to sorting out my eBird with some missing species historically, Costa Rica added two joint seconds and a sixth:-

Thailand - 68 - 6th November 2022 (first day in south east Asia - Phra Phuttabat Noi Temple, Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, etc)
Costa Rica - 57 - 20th February 2023 (sixth day of trip so remarkable - Carara NP)
Costa Rica - 57 - 15th February 2023 (first day in Central America - Bougainvillea, La Paz & Cinchona)
Uganda - 55 - 4th March 2019 (first day in sub-Saharan Africa - Entebbe Botanical Gardens & Mabamba Swamp)
Thailand - 53 - 7th November 2022 (second day in south east Asia - Khao Yai NP)
Costa Rica - 50 - 16th February 2023 (second day in Central America - Bougainvillea, Casa Tangara, Providencia Road, etc)

All the best

Paul

 

[Pash44]

81 - first day in Myanmar around Yay Aye Kan reservoir with ace guide Ko Pan
80 - Queen Elizabeth NP in Uganda

Both early on in the birding journey!

 

[chowchilla]

I need to look up my records of Costa Rica, Australia and Uganda....

I thought one day I had 70 ish....

EDIT: Oz was about 62 on the day with Chowchilla on the Atherton Tablelands.
First day in Uganda scored 72

Both in 2014.

Will look up Costa Rica when I get home next week.

I didn't know we'd had such a mega day! I seem to recall we saw over 100 species that day.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Subject to sorting out my eBird with some missing species historically, Costa Rica added two joint seconds and a sixth:-

Thailand - 68 - 6th November 2022 (first day in south east Asia - Phra Phuttabat Noi Temple, Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, etc)
Costa Rica - 57 - 20th February 2023 (sixth day of trip so remarkable - Carara NP)
Costa Rica - 57 - 15th February 2023 (first day in Central America - Bougainvillea, La Paz & Cinchona)
Uganda - 55 - 4th March 2019 (first day in sub-Saharan Africa - Entebbe Botanical Gardens & Mabamba Swamp)
Thailand - 53 - 7th November 2022 (second day in south east Asia - Khao Yai NP)
Costa Rica - 50 - 16th February 2023 (second day in Central America - Bougainvillea, Casa Tangara, Providencia Road, etc)

All the best

Paul

A new first place for me with 78 - 12th November 2023 - Brisbane (my first day in Australasia) having landed at Brisbane Airport at around 8am including Red-necked Avocet, Royal Spoonbill, Rainbow Bee-eater, Torresian Kingfisher, Mangrove Honeyeater, Mangrove Gerygone, Southern Boobok, Tawny Frogmouth, Australian Masked Owl, etc.

😀

All the best

Paul

 

[Dortmundbirder]

Ecuador Wild Sumaco 50 Lifer after 2 weeks already in the country (day was mental with over 150 species observed)
Ecuador Mindo 59 Lifer on Day 2 in Ecuador
South Africa: Johannesburg - Kruger NP 68 Lifer (my first time in Sub-Saharan Africa)