Best city for birding (1 Viewer)

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 15, 2006

So what's the best city for birding? First of all a few criteria I reckon we should stick to:

1. It should be a reasonably sized place (maybe a population over 100,000?). A crofting township on Fair Isle is a bit too small.
2. The birding that it's good for should be either within the city or very close by. Don't argue that somewhere's good because it's next to the motorway and you can get everywhere else to twitch stuff easily.
3. It should be good for both a wide range of regular and breeding birds and rarities.

We can obviously do this on different scales i.e. best in Britain, best in the world.

When I get round to it I'll make the case for Aberdeen, unless someone else wants to do it instead.

StuartReeves · Apr 15, 2006

Andrew Whitehouse said:
When I get round to it I'll make the case for Aberdeen, unless someone else wants to do it instead.

Well as I have an Aberdeen list of over 200 species maybe I could give it a go. Aberdeen is right on the Scottish east coast with a good headland for migrants and seawatching, a small estuary for waders, a number of parks for breeding passerines, and a variety of other habitats. Its extensive rarity list includes Swinhoe's Petrel, Greater (or was it Britain's first Lesser?) Sand Plover, Least Sandpiper, Ross's Gull, Alpine Swift, Citrine Wagtail, Pied; Desert and Isabelline Wheatears, Lesser Grey and Woodchat Shrikes, Collared Flycatcher, Red-rumped Swallow and no doubt many others that I have forgotten. It's hard to think of a UK city of comparable size that could rival that little lot.

Stuart

Mynydd Merlin · Apr 15, 2006

Interesting thread you've started here Andrew - bit unfair on us country folk though!
Anyway, I'll start if off for Bradford (UK) - only city I've lived in for a short time. Not much going for it except for the winter flocks of starlings coming in from the fields to roost overnight - quite spectacular! Thousands of birds whirling in perfect harmony around the city centre buildings at dusk.

At a guess, I would reckon Bristol (UK) will probably rate fairly high - why else would Bill and cronies spend so much time filming around there?

Edward · Apr 15, 2006

I think almost 600 species have been recorded in and around Nairobi but I wouldn't recommend walking around the place with bins. Or walking round the place without bins for that matter. But there are some outstanding places nearby and the best way to view the city is to see it rapidly getting smaller in your rear view mirror as you head off for Magadi or the Nairobi NP.

However, Australia's best birding city, Brisbane, is definitely my personal favourite. It's a nice laid back place with extensive mudflats (wader heaven) and mangroves one side of the city, and subtropical rainforest on the other side, and some open country further inland. You can even do pelagics. The day record within the city limits is around 220 species I think.

E

Chris D · Apr 15, 2006

For warblers and pizza, ya gotta go with New York (in May--central park). Well, if you like that kind of pizza. For cool honeyeaters and meat pies, Brisbane rules. Not sure if the pie thing is everyone's delight. Cairns is getting big, not sure of 100,000 though. I'd agree with Edward on Brisbane. Then there's all those big bats wingin' about at dusk.

Mynydd Merlin · Apr 16, 2006

Whoa! I thought the idea of Andrew's was to nominate your 'Home City'. Since Edward lives in a place that only has one town (Rejkavik or something like it?) it was obvious he'd go for a warm and exotic place. If we want to play like that, how about Dubai? Take a walk around the Creekside Park, Mamzaar Beach or Jumara - Anyone out there from Dubai want to comment?

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 16, 2006

Merlin - doesn't have to be your home city, although it helps if you're reasonably familiar with it.

Stuart - you forgot Belted Kingfisher! I'd also add that Aberdeen has excellent flocks of seaduck, sometimes including Surf Scoter and King Eider and some good cliff nesting seabird colonies (saw four species of auk in or around cliffs in the south of the city the other day).

delia todd · Apr 16, 2006

I don't DO cities :-C

Fortunately I can see the best birding bits of Portsmouth :t:without going right in. It must be up there somewhere as one of the best cities for birds. With Farlington Marsh, Langstone Harbour and Chichester Harbour on one side, Portsmouth Harbour on the other and the ferry trip to the Isle of Wight.

I don't twitch, so can't give you a list of the mega-rares seen there but it's a superb area all year for breeding and wintering birds.

D

Darrell Clegg · Apr 16, 2006

StuartReeves said:
It's hard to think of a UK city of comparable size that could rival that little lot.

Stuart

Plymouth!

In Plymouth and the very local environs we've had:

Ross' Gull x 3
Bonaparte's - erm lots
Spotted Sand - at least 3
Desert Warbler
Hume's Warbler x2
Laughing Gull x3
Franklin's Gull
Terek Sand
Semi-p Sand
Least Sand
Wilson's Warbler!!!!!!!
Red-flanked Bluetail
Chimney Swift
Black-headed Bunting
Roller
Desert Wheatear
Spanish Sparrow
Gyrfalcon

Then there's the commoner stuff

White Stork
Icterine Warbler
Honey Buzzard
Melodious Warbler
Pallas' Warbler
Kumlein's Gull

etc. etc.

Within the last month there has been Night Heron and Black-winged Stilt.

Weymouth also has a pretty good record

Darrell

Edward woodwood · Apr 16, 2006

ok, I'll go global

on my old local patch within the city of Jakarta (17 million people plus) i used to get
Milky Stork
Long-toed Stint
Pintail Snipe
Red-necked Stint
PG Plover
Black-winged Starling
Eastern Curlew
Sandplovers

odd rarity like Oriental Plover etc... a great city too once you began to appreciate it's own special 'charm'...

Cusco and Puerto Maldonado in Peru are pretty decent!

Darwin in Australia has some great waders add cracking endemic local stuff

In UK, Norwich aint bad... a pub half full of mega keen birders on a fri night can't be bad...

Tim

Steve Lister · Apr 16, 2006

I hate cities and the best thing to do in one is get out fast!

But if I had to choose a city to go birding in then it would be Delhi , not for the rare birds that you might see but just for the numbers and variety that are present in the city. The banks of the Yamuna river can yield 100+ species in a day quite easily.

Steve

weather · Apr 16, 2006

I'm bias, but it would be hard to beat Cleveland, Ohio!

A quick trip too Lake Erie in the fall will reveal a plethora of Duck, Grebe, and Waders. When you've had your fill of the water fowl, a quick trip too downtown will often surprise you in the spring with the twenty or so Warblers that visit the trees and shrubs around the buildings and statues. You can also spend a little time trying to find the Peregrine Falcon that nest on a ledge of the Terminal Tower. When you get tired of the noise of the city, you can always go too one of the huge cemeteries that are just a stone throw away. There you will be awarded with a species list of over three hundred!...

Mike

Edward · Apr 16, 2006

Mynydd Merlin said:
Whoa! I thought the idea of Andrew's was to nominate your 'Home City'. Since Edward lives in a place that only has one town (Rejkavik or something like it?) it was obvious he'd go for a warm and exotic place. If we want to play like that, how about Dubai? Take a walk around the Creekside Park, Mamzaar Beach or Jumara - Anyone out there from Dubai want to comment?

I'm not sure that Andrew meant that you have to nominate your own city, although it should be one you are reasonably familiar with, hence Brisbane which I know fairly well. Whilst I wouldn't dream of claiming that Reykjavik is as "birdy" as Brisbane then it does have its attractions such as wintering Gyr Falcons and King Eider, more white-winged gulls than the rest of Europe combined, Harlequins on the river in spring, breeding Great Northern Diver, Whimbrels singing from the lampposts in summer and plenty of vagrants (Swainson's Thrush, Fox Sparrow and Belted Kingfisher spring to mind) and I've seen things like Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Steller's Eider just ouside the city in the last couple of years. It's a lot more exciting than my home town of Stockport anyway.

Chris D said:
For warblers and pizza, ya gotta go with New York (in May--central park).

Sounds good, Chris, I'll be spending a lot of time in Central Park in May.

E

buzzard12 · Apr 16, 2006

Dublin is pretty good, cut my teeth there. Waders and wildfowl at Bull Island are outstanding, as are the large seabird colonies and good seawatching around Howth and Irelands Eye. Then there are gulls and terns galore at Sandymount, with regular rarities. Vagrants are regular, with a great rarity list over the years... Passerines, gulls and american waders...
Lived in Toronto for a bit, was excellent. Snowy owl on Leslie spit remains a great memory. High park great for raptors and wildfowl, the islands in the city are superb for migrating passerines.

StuartReeves · Apr 16, 2006

Andrew Whitehouse said:
Stuart - you forgot Belted Kingfisher! I'd also add that Aberdeen has excellent flocks of seaduck, sometimes including Surf Scoter and King Eider and some good cliff nesting seabird colonies (saw four species of auk in or around cliffs in the south of the city the other day).

Andrew, I didn't forget the kingfisher, I merely forgot where the Aberdeen city boundary is!

To go for a wider scale, in terms of the WP, Istanbul would take some beating, if only because it situated on a major migration flyway.

Stuart

London Birder · Apr 16, 2006

London (recording area) ~ not the feather-free zone a lot think ~ species list 360, nearly always something decent around

edit: good range of breeding species and like everywhere else some prospering, others less so

a few goodies ~

Pied-billed Grebe ~ Balearic and Macaronesian Shearwater (per BOURC) ~ Little Bittern ~ Squacco Heron ~ Glossy Ibis ~ Blue-winged Teal ~ Lesser Scaup ~Black Kite ~ Lesser Kestrel ~ Red-footed Falcon ~ Gyrfalcon ~ Killdeer ~ American Golden Plover ~ Sociable Plover ~ Western, White-rumped, Baird's, Sharp-tailed, Broad-billed, Buff-breasted and Solitary Sandpiper ~ Great Snipe ~ Long-billed Dowitcher ~ Lesser Yellowlegs ~ Franklin's Gull ~ Caspian, Bridled, Sooty and Whiskered Tern ~ Pallas's Sandgrouse ~ Yellow-billed Cuckoo ~ Snowy Owl ~ Common Nighthawk ~ Alpine Swift ~ Roller ~ Short-toed and Crested Lark ~ Olive-backed Pipit ~ Citrine Wagtail ~ Desert Wheatear ~ Hermit Thrush (accepted though contentious amongst some) ~ Grey-cheeked and Nauman's Thrush ~ American Robin ~ Aquatic, Paddyfield, Blyth's Reed, Subalpine, Sardinian, Radde's Warbler ~ Iberian Chiffchaff ~ Short-toed Treecreeper ~ Nutcracker and Pine Bunting ...

to name some

Pinewood · Apr 16, 2006

Even though, this is a bit repetitive, I will boost my home town, New York City. Central Park, alone, is visited by more than 200 species, wetlands within the city add far more, while the New Jersey and Connecticut shores may be considered close by. Should anyone wish to glance through the following thread,

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=18171&page=1&pp=25

you can read about two years of my very easy going bird watching in New York City.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :scribe:

Chris D · Apr 16, 2006

The last time I was in New York (November 2001) the "Castle" in Central Park had been "Taken over" by the Audubon Society. Thought this amazing compared to the 70's when I spent more time in New York as a Jersey teen ruffian. Then there's those Red Tails nesting with all the locals watching. Edward, if you are in the area in May - I was in Sandy Hook (Gateway National Recreation Area) last May across from NYC in New Jersey. The last place to park (where fishermen park to walk to "The Point" had 25 species of warblers in the bushes that day. Some place near Paterson or something had more (a gap in the mountains). I saw 12 in about 30 minutes, before getting back in the car and driving my mom to Dunkin Donuts. There's a thin strip of beach forest in Sandy Hook that can be a marvel when conditions are right.

Okwaho · Apr 16, 2006

The best city I've been to for birding is Portland Oregon, main reason is it's a good sized city, but they kept a lot of trees and more natural habitat.

DavidP · Apr 16, 2006

Los Angeles and San Diego can be quite good. LA county has a current bird list of 491 species recorded and has an amazing variety of habitats close by. From mountains that are over 10,000 ft with pine forest to two types of desert (Mojave and Colorado) close by and good pelagic birding as the continental shelf and 1,000 ft plus deep water not far off shore. Also the general lack of trees in some areas due to the dry climate means that birds congregate in areas that have water and trees so at migration time you can get good concebntraions of migrants flying up the pacific flyway in various desert oases or riparian corridors. Combine that with the large amount of public land in California in some sort of conservation (parks, forest, BLM- about 1/3 rd of the land area= land area of england) then you've potentially got good birding. Also usually sunny, not humid and lack of biting insects plus plethora of cheap food options and cheap petrol for getting around.

Best city for birding (1 Viewer)

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