Stuart Goodwin
Well-known member
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...
This is one of the difficulties of trying to sent a record for a pastime. A House Sparrow has the same result as a bird of paradise or Spoonbill Sandpiper. To achieve the most birds, once you have seen a species move on. To someone with a interest the temption is to savour the experience.
One way to maximise the time in the field would be to fly/ travel at night.
Regards
Stuart