The pintail was reported again in Florida today, could still notch another up yet ...if he fancies a second stab at the bird
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Neil Hayward's ABA 2013 Big Year (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter brd
- Start date
rockfowl
Mark Andrews
I'm not convinced regarding the Sparrowhawk but yesterdays Great Skua report here - http://blog.aba.org/2013/12/neil-hayward-does-it.html
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Congratulations Niel, provisionally!
Hope he's not wasting his last days in Florida ...not reported as far as I know. Says me sitting in southern Florida failing to find Fulvous Whistling Duck.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Florida? What are you doing there? Surely the risk level is insufficient for you?
Happy New Year tomorrow mate.
John
Certainly a tad tame compared, but having travelled to the furthest point north on the American road network in late summer, fancied the southernmost point for winter :t:
Besides, it was the only major chunk of the US that I had yet to visit, so still held quite a few new birds for me.
Captain_of_Crunch
YVdpep_re64
I think what is even more remarkable about his list this year is that he more or less only had 10 months in which to beat the total. If at the start he had chosen to do the Big Year from ay March 1st 2013 to end of February 2014, he would still have another few weeks and would certainly beat 750 (and possibly reach 755?). Or does the Big Year have to take place in one calendar year?
Mysticete
Well-known member
generally people use calendar years, but it's not a fixed rule (at least yet).
But yeah...that Neil did so well with no advance planning (relatively fewer pelagics than a lot of contenders, and not bothering with Alaskan spring vagrants) and not chasing a bunch of rarities at the beginning of the year, is pretty amazing.
Jay Lehman did pretty well too...not sure his final count but it's plus +730. If life hadn't intervened and he didn't put off going after code 1 or 2 species for so long I think he would have probably have blown Neil out of the water.
But yeah...that Neil did so well with no advance planning (relatively fewer pelagics than a lot of contenders, and not bothering with Alaskan spring vagrants) and not chasing a bunch of rarities at the beginning of the year, is pretty amazing.
Jay Lehman did pretty well too...not sure his final count but it's plus +730. If life hadn't intervened and he didn't put off going after code 1 or 2 species for so long I think he would have probably have blown Neil out of the water.
dantheman
Bah humbug
Absolutely cracking effort, no doubt about that. And congratulations well in order.
My two penny-worth thoughts ...
Komito's record, from the info linked to earlier (eg number of actual rarities as opposed to splits) kind of holds the upper moral high ground in terms of all time achievement imo. I don't know how many of the potential splits he saw that year, or how many he knew about, but the reality is that whilst some of them may have been a bit awkward, the majority would have been bread-and-butter birding for someone to get, and a level playing field of seeing how many he would have gotten if he had known about them and I guess he would have would be to backtrack and work out what he would have got if he'd gone for them. Maybe another 30/40/50 'species'? I guess you could say it was his fault for not second-guessing potential splits and the importance they might have 20 years down the line in terms of listing, but there is certainly less kudos involved (and pleasure/difficulty) in ticking a closely related and almost identical species over a rare and hard to get vagrant. I'm sure others have said this already?
I don't really know why there is still the 'possible +1 category' hanging over the possible Eurasian Sparrowhawk. From the photos and descriptions seen so far I'd imagine that it should have very very little chance of being accepted as a National first for the USA. Either something is wrong or I've misread the situation and in fact first rate observations/descriptions have been made (which I don't think is the case).
My two penny-worth thoughts ...
Komito's record, from the info linked to earlier (eg number of actual rarities as opposed to splits) kind of holds the upper moral high ground in terms of all time achievement imo. I don't know how many of the potential splits he saw that year, or how many he knew about, but the reality is that whilst some of them may have been a bit awkward, the majority would have been bread-and-butter birding for someone to get, and a level playing field of seeing how many he would have gotten if he had known about them and I guess he would have would be to backtrack and work out what he would have got if he'd gone for them. Maybe another 30/40/50 'species'? I guess you could say it was his fault for not second-guessing potential splits and the importance they might have 20 years down the line in terms of listing, but there is certainly less kudos involved (and pleasure/difficulty) in ticking a closely related and almost identical species over a rare and hard to get vagrant. I'm sure others have said this already?
I don't really know why there is still the 'possible +1 category' hanging over the possible Eurasian Sparrowhawk. From the photos and descriptions seen so far I'd imagine that it should have very very little chance of being accepted as a National first for the USA. Either something is wrong or I've misread the situation and in fact first rate observations/descriptions have been made (which I don't think is the case).
Mysticete
Well-known member
I don't think the taxonomy was that big a boost...there have been something like 8 new species from splits and 4 new exotics.
Keep in mind Sandy Komito got 30 ish year birds on Attu, which is hard to visit nowadays, especially for extended stays. I figure Neil not being able to camp out in the best place in North America for Asian strays cancels out any benefit he got from changes in taxonomy
Keep in mind Sandy Komito got 30 ish year birds on Attu, which is hard to visit nowadays, especially for extended stays. I figure Neil not being able to camp out in the best place in North America for Asian strays cancels out any benefit he got from changes in taxonomy
dantheman
Bah humbug
Looks like I did indeed misread the article a bit
- http://blog.aba.org/2013/12/hayward-vs-komito-a-look-at-the-playing-field.html9 splits mentioned. That is an exhaustive list?
"In 1998, Sandy Komito saw every Code 1&2 species possible: 622
In 2013, Neil Hayward’s combined total of Code 1&2 species is: 666"
Are the majority of these 44 species re-assigned from code 3 then, or something else?
Looking slightly further down the article (and bolstering my recollection), it does look like it took a lot less effort, time wise and in seeing rarities, to reach NH's list total. You'd kind of want the record to get broken and broken again as more effort/more rarities were seen, rather than less effort and less rarities seen, other wise there is a danger of it all becoming a little meaningless, perhaps?
wrt your second comment, I know that is a factor, although I think it has also been mentioned that the island is still fully accessible. It always was hard - you just had to have money and make sure you get on the list. A bit of rough camping/sleeping under a canoe or something and I'm sure no-one has no excuses ... (admittedly you still need the 'right' weather and other birders to contribute to finding stuff.)
Anyway ...
Mysticete
Well-known member
yeah not sure where all those extra code 1 and 2 species are coming from, although I thought I remember that Great Gray Owl was a code 3 species, so most of those have to be coming from downgraded birds. Even Greg Neise wasn't sure, and is in the process of looking it up.
Attu can still be gotten to by chartered boat. Originally that was something like a 10,000 dollar trip, which didn't necessarily include fuel. Zugunruhe runs tours out there, and it' now down about $7500 (not including flight to Adak from the mainland). They don't stay on the island (no intact facilities) and the tour runs 15 days, 6 of which are on a boat just getting to and from the island. So yeah you can visit Attu, but it costs more and and you get about 1/3 as much time on the island as used to be possible
Attu can still be gotten to by chartered boat. Originally that was something like a 10,000 dollar trip, which didn't necessarily include fuel. Zugunruhe runs tours out there, and it' now down about $7500 (not including flight to Adak from the mainland). They don't stay on the island (no intact facilities) and the tour runs 15 days, 6 of which are on a boat just getting to and from the island. So yeah you can visit Attu, but it costs more and and you get about 1/3 as much time on the island as used to be possible
Ratal
Well-known member
I just spat my coffee all over my tablet. People looking at me funny on the train right now.
LESS EFFORT?
Seriously? LESS EFFORT?
You Sir have to be out of your mind to denigrate such a life changing amount of sheer hard slog that went into that 'accidental Big Year'.
193,000 miles over what, 177 flights?
I expect no less than 800 species from your 2014 effort if its such a slack effort.
Similar threads
