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2016 - World Yearlist Record Attempt (1 Viewer)

I was also thinking about which countries I'd pick to cover the Western Palearctic, as the itineraries differ quite strongly in that region. Highest on my list would probably be Azerbaijan, Finland/Varanger, Spain (incl Mallorca?) with Belarus, Morocco and SE France close seconds. Other favourites?
To see as many birds in as little time as possible, two days in Israel end of March would probably help a lot...
 
To see as many birds in as little time as possible, two days in Israel end of March would probably help a lot...

For sure! Although having seen the migration bottleneck at Batumi I wonder if the Caucasus region (Georgia/Azerbaijan) doesn't offer similar opportunities?
 
I suspect the answer to the question of best return for time is what four to six day period that you can pull off having started in the Netherlands and done UAE on the way out?

All the best
 
For sure! Although having seen the migration bottleneck at Batumi I wonder if the Caucasus region (Georgia/Azerbaijan) doesn't offer similar opportunities?

You can get most of those things in Israel, but an "owls and woodpeckers" trip to Estonia or Finland would definitely feature on my itinerary (as you'd get a shed load of other things in May there as well). Along with eastern Turkey (although for how much longer...?) and Spain for a few days, that's the WP sewn up. Slightly surprised that he's not doing a bit more in Ethiopia for the endemics. Most things along the Rift valley will be got in Kenya and he's missing the whole Nagele and Yabello area. Still, time is limited i guess
 
To cover the WP species on his declared itinerary so far he has:-
Netherlands - 01.01.16
(UAE - 02.01.16 & 03.01.16)
Netherlands - 01.04.16 & 02.04.16
Israel - 03.04.16 & 04.04.16

(UAE included for obvious overlap but in many locations he'll be seeing ubiquitous WP species, migrants, waders, etc.)

He flies to Casablanca on 29.06.16 and says that he will do 4 countries in five days in Europe.

All the best
 
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To cover the WP species on his declared itinerary so far he has:-
Netherlands - 01.01.16
(UAE - 02.01.16 & 03.01.16)
Netherlands - 01.04.16 & 02.04.16
Israel - 03.04.16 & 04.04.16

(UAE included for obvious overlap but in many locations he'll be seeing ubiquitous WP species, migrants, waders, etc.)

He flies to Casablanca on 29.06.16 and says that he will do 4 countries in five days in Europe.

All the best

That just doesn't seem enough to me. The WP is clearly not the greatest region, but it still has a lot of stuff very difficult elsewhere. Looking at his Madagascar itinerary, he'd be better cutting that totally and doing more in the WP.
 
That just doesn't seem enough to me. The WP is clearly not the greatest region, but it still has a lot of stuff very difficult elsewhere. Looking at his Madagascar itinerary, he'd be better cutting that totally and doing more in the WP.

It does seem overly short. Difficult to see how as a minimum, it would not justify from there Morocco for a day, Spain for a day, Turkey for three days & Finland with Norway for two days if he can.

Arjan starts off with New Year's Day in the Netherlands where he'll get several species that Noah did not see this year - perhaps Little Auk, Jack Snipe, Pink-footed Goose, Rock Pipit, Rough-legged Buzzard, Snow Bunting, Spotted Redshank, both Bean Geese, Bittern, Grey Partridge, Red-necked Grebe & Bewick's Swan.

Further in his two days in Israel, he will get most of the following that Noah will not see this year - Bar-tailed Lark, Blackstart, Crowned Sandgrouse, Egyptian Nightjar, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Hooded Wheatear, Hume's Owl, Imperial Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Macqueen's Bustard, Mourning Wheatear, Nubian Nightjar, Palestine Sunbird, Arabian Warbler, Sinai Rosefinch, Spotted Sandgrouse, Syrian Serin, Temminck's Lark, Thick-billed Lark, Tristram's Starling, White-eyed Gull & White-crowned Black Wheatear.

Noah did - Iceland (one day), Norway (four days), Turkey (four days), Spain (six days) & Germany (one day). (Iceland was cut short by travel problems and Germany was as a result of travel problems. From my armchair, he should have travelled more in Norway and gone north - too many misses there. He did exceptionally well in Turkey and he spent too long in Spain.)

Noah has seen all but 240 odd species on the WP List. Effectively you can strip out the seabirds, vagrants, Atlantic & Mediterranean Island species, Ural & Steppe species, limited range species & plastics and you get down to c120 true WP misses split 37 Northern species (highlighting the misses in the Norway leg), 23 Eastern European species, 8 Caucasian species, 24 North African species and 23 Israel targets.

All the best
 
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That just doesn't seem enough to me. The WP is clearly not the greatest region, but it still has a lot of stuff very difficult elsewhere. Looking at his Madagascar itinerary, he'd be better cutting that totally and doing more in the WP.

I imagine if you are going to do a global big year, and you are going to work continuously on that goal, at some level some choices are going to be about what is more fun not what is most efficient. If I had the choice of having a few extra days in Europe, upping my year list on birds that are largely similar to other species I either have already seen or will see later, versus time in Madagascar, with it's unique and weird stuff like ground rollers and vangas...I am going for Madagascar.
 
I imagine if you are going to do a global big year, and you are going to work continuously on that goal, at some level some choices are going to be about what is more fun not what is most efficient. If I had the choice of having a few extra days in Europe, upping my year list on birds that are largely similar to other species I either have already seen or will see later, versus time in Madagascar, with it's unique and weird stuff like ground rollers and vangas...I am going for Madagascar.

Possibly already - but definitely after next year - you'll only set the record by making the most efficient choices. That said, Madagascar has always looked fun:-

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcTmpvDO0I

All the best
 
True but at some level it has to be fun for the participant. And to be fair, I don't think there are nearly so many "fixed" strategies for a global big year as one for the UK or the ABA area. There is such a huge area to cover, and so few people will ever attempt it, that I don't know how how important the nitty gritty details are for the attempt.

This is like...what only the 2nd attempt, with another one next year? it could very well be another decade(or more) before we get another challenge.
 
Totally agree.

However, our idea of fun as birders often differs from other people's ideas:-

'This year wants no three-hour siestas or early afternoons. We were walking into the forest by headlamp at 5 o'clock this morning and returned to the lodge just before dusk.' (Day 339 of continuous birding - Noah Strycker)

The flexibility on future approaches for a record attempt is narrowing down in my view. The record at the end of this year will require an average of between 16 and 17 additional species per day. By the end of next year, it may be more than 17. (When unrealistic species are excluded that may be as high as 75% of realistic targets?)

In contrast, the variation in approaches that can be taken for a year of full time birding ignoring records is of course endless.

All the best
 
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I imagine if you are going to do a global big year, and you are going to work continuously on that goal, at some level some choices are going to be about what is more fun not what is most efficient. If I had the choice of having a few extra days in Europe, upping my year list on birds that are largely similar to other species I either have already seen or will see later, versus time in Madagascar, with it's unique and weird stuff like ground rollers and vangas...I am going for Madagascar.

I agree to a point, but if you're doing a year list and going for the record, no one else cares what fantastic experiences you may have, they want the number. A Blue Tit is worth as much as a Helmet Vanga. If you go to Madagascar you really should make it worthwhile. At the moment he only has Perinet listed (for 2 days), with another 2 days marked as '?'. Travel in Madagascar is difficult. He just won't realistically have time to go anywhere else, do some birding and get back to Tana in time for the flight out. So he's screwed basically. Perinet is fine, but has a restricted species list. I think he'd be better to do one day in Perinet, then either drive down to Ranomafana or even over to Ankarafantsika. Pretty mad distances and two days in the car, but if he wants to win...
 
I agree to a point, but if you're doing a year list and going for the record, no one else cares what fantastic experiences you may have, they want the number. A Blue Tit is worth as much as a Helmet Vanga. If you go to Madagascar you really should make it worthwhile. At the moment he only has Perinet listed (for 2 days), with another 2 days marked as '?'. Travel in Madagascar is difficult. He just won't realistically have time to go anywhere else, do some birding and get back to Tana in time for the flight out. So he's screwed basically. Perinet is fine, but has a restricted species list. I think he'd be better to do one day in Perinet, then either drive down to Ranomafana or even over to Ankarafantsika. Pretty mad distances and two days in the car, but if he wants to win...

I guess both Noah and Arjan will write books about their experiences and for this I guess Madagascar is way more interesting, than an additional day in mainland Africa. At least if you want to sell it to more than just the absolute hardcore birders

Maffong
 
I guess both Noah and Arjan will write books about their experiences and for this I guess Madagascar is way more interesting, than an additional day in mainland Africa. At least if you want to sell it to more than just the absolute hardcore birders

Maffong

No one cares about second place though ;);)
 
If I was inclined to "tear-arse" around the world at whistle-stop pace (which I'm not), in order to set a record that will be eclipsed probably sooner rather than later.

By the soon to be built (10 years away?), rocket-engined passenger "projectile"....basically anywhere on the planet (having the infrastructure to support) in 4 hours.

Then assuming I had a bulging cheque book plus a "year out", and an all consuming appetite for "temporary" immortality.
I think I would rather spend the time "hunting" out far flung places, in order to find species new to science!

If successful...one could name it!......now that's what I call real immortality ;)
 
If I was inclined to "tear-arse" around the world at whistle-stop pace (which I'm not), in order to set a record that will be eclipsed probably sooner rather than later.

By the soon to be built (10 years away?), rocket-engined passenger "projectile"....basically anywhere on the planet (having the infrastructure to support) in 4 hours.

Then assuming I had a bulging cheque book plus a "year out", and an all consuming appetite for "temporary" immortality.
I think I would rather spend the time "hunting" out far flung places, in order to find species new to science!

If successful...one could name it!......now that's what I call real immortality ;)

Really? I know a number of people that have found species new to science in many different orders including birds and mammals. I don't see anyone beating to their door to trumpet their immortality - no disrespect to them - I'm jealous of anyone who can spend more time enjoying nature than me.

All the best
 
Really? I know a number of people that have found species new to science in many different orders including birds and mammals. I don't see anyone beating to their door to trumpet their immortality - no disrespect to them - I'm jealous of anyone who can spend more time enjoying nature than me.

All the best

I assume in relation to immortality, Ken refers to the possiblity of eponymus naming of the new species though this is considerd vulgar these days?



Andy
 
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