ABA Big Year 2016 (1 Viewer)

JThomas139 said:

Did anyone notice that John was wearing an eBird t-shirt when he saw the violetear?
Either he is trolling us or we should expect to see his list up soon on the top 100.

Jeff

Click to expand...

Jeff

Indeed and a literally incredible clean up:-

http://www.birdingfordevils.com/2016/07/hummingbird-express.html

'From ten o’clock I stood for about ten minutes just beyond the edge of the oak growth watching Broad-tailed hummers chase one another to and fro before ‘the’ hummingbird seemed to purposely zip out of the woods to my right and into a hover position at eye level, no more than three metres away, suspended almost motionlessly while seemingly staring me down.'

All the best

Olaf saw the Red-billed Tropicbird in Maine today (per the eBird rarities report). Glad he got that one finally ticked!

Paul Chapman said:

Indeed and a literally incredible clean up: [...]

Click to expand...

Did you really mean it when you wrote "literally incredible"? That's kind of a strong statement.

- Wim

wimvdam said:

Did you really mean it when you wrote "literally incredible"? That's kind of a strong statement.

- Wim

Click to expand...

I think John makes it clear how incredible it sounds and indeed it appears written in such a way to emphasise how incredible it seems:-

'I haven’t had had a hummingbird behave quite that way previously, it would be tempting to authropormophise about it.'

I wonder what it reacted to? Or what could explain it's behaviour?

All the best

JThomas139 said:

Olaf saw the Red-billed Tropicbird in Maine today (per the eBird rarities report). Glad he got that one finally ticked!

Click to expand...

Checklist here:-

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30621219

So 747 plus 1 and 3 needed to be holding the official record before acceptances.

All the best

Paul Chapman said:

I think John makes it clear how incredible it sounds and indeed it appears written in such a way to emphasise how incredible it seems:-

'I haven’t had had a hummingbird behave quite that way previously, it would be tempting to authropormophise about it.'

I wonder what it reacted to? Or what could explain it's behaviour?

All the best

Click to expand...

Probably the hummer checking him out. I have had this behavior several times when encountering hummers in the woods. They fly in the opposite direction and when they notice you, they hang for 1-2 seconds just in front to check you out, and then they zip off.

temmie said:

Probably the hummer checking him out. I have had this behavior several times when encountering hummers in the woods. They fly in the opposite direction and when they notice you, they hang for 1-2 seconds just in front to check you out, and then they zip off.

Click to expand...

Insects tend to do it if you can be mistaken for a food source eg brightly coloured clothing

JThomas139 said:

Did anyone notice that John was wearing an eBird t-shirt when he saw the violetear?
Either he is trolling us or we should expect to see his list up soon on the top 100.

Click to expand...

Well spotted. Assume the former? ... :-O


Out of interest, Olaf's daughter would be about placed 8 or 9 on the ebirdtop100 if she was doing ebird ....

I think this comes out as coincidence, but the girlfriend signed us up to a months free trial of Amazon Prime by mistake a few weeks back, and browsing through last night I came across 'The Big Year' film ...

... there's a thread or two on here reviewing it, but watched about 20 minutes so far, and it seems ok - quite funny and stereotyped and as long as you disengage from certain aspects of birding reality, quite watchable I'm sure.

... anyway, about 15 minutes in, one of the characters is trying to see the mega code 5 Xantu's Hummingbird in someone's backyard (complete with comedic downpour, fence jumping competitors, over-talkative house owner and a spot of gratuitous gnome-crushing) - but there is no sign of the bird. Until it suddenly appears and hovers about 4 metres in front of him as if to check him out and say 'here I am, please tick me'... bird ticked in an almost religiously enlightening moment. Phew! Palpable relief ...

I guess either John W had just watched the film himself, or hummingbirds actually do this

dantheman said:

I think this comes out as coincidence, but the girlfriend signed us up to a months free trial of Amazon Prime by mistake a few weeks back, and browsing through last night I came across 'The Big Year' film ...

... there's a thread or two on here reviewing it, but watched about 20 minutes so far, and it seems ok - quite funny and stereotyped and as long as you disengage from certain aspects of birding reality, quite watchable I'm sure.

... anyway, about 15 minutes in, one of the characters is trying to see the mega code 5 Xantu's Hummingbird in someone's backyard (complete with comedic downpour, fence jumping competitors, over-talkative house owner and a spot of gratuitous gnome-crushing) - but there is no sign of the bird. Until it suddenly appears and hovers about 4 metres in front of him as if to check him out and say 'here I am, please tick me'... bird ticked in an almost religiously enlightening moment. Phew! Palpable relief ...

I guess either John W had just watched the film himself, or hummingbirds actually do this

Click to expand...

What an interesting coincidence

Paul Chapman said:

'I haven’t had had a hummingbird behave quite that way previously, it would be tempting to authropormophise about it.'

Click to expand...

An interesting typo in John's account! I assume it's when a writer or author is tempted to anthropomorphise ...

Presume the same with crests/kinglets/young passerines checking you out when in the understorey ...





(Had to look up the spelling myself so not really trying to nitpick John's spelling)

dantheman said:

An interesting typo in John's account! I assume it's when a writer or author is tempted to anthropomorphise ...

Presume the same with crests/kinglets/young passerines checking you out when in the understorey ...

(Had to look up the spelling myself so not really trying to nitpick John's spelling)

Click to expand...

'Tick and run' is a horrible aspect of twitching let alone year listing. Some of my most satisfactory trips have been when I have had the luxury to stay overnight or get better views. It must be pretty horrible for John when presumably a number of these species will be lifers.

All the best

Any bright red / orange patches on your clothing, and hummers will check you out to make sure you're not a flower (or a hummingbird sugar feeder!).

Put your finger just in front of a hummingbird feeder, and they'll use it as a convenient perch to save on hovering energy :t:

Paul Chapman said:

'Tick and run' is a horrible aspect of twitching let alone year listing. Some of my most satisfactory trips have been when I have had the luxury to stay overnight or get better views. It must be pretty horrible for John when presumably a number of these species will be lifers.

Click to expand...

I was thinking about this the other day after someone else's comment, but think in John's case it can't be quite so bad as he is not a birder from the region in question. Because so many of the birds are new they almost can have 'equal' value; so there is not the same need to enjoy and 'drink in' all the features and behaviour of, say, a White-eared Hummingbird when there are another half dozen 'common' species which he can take equal pleasure from. The same as eg Pine Flycatcher- a native ABA lister would presumably want to really get to grips with and enjoy all the subtle nuances in what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, whereas for John it wouldn't hold the same mystique - Alder Flycatcher could be just as awe-inspiring, and taking out the rarity factor per se, just as enjoyable. Of course some rarities are rather special in themselves, but there are so many other unique/spectacular birds he will have come across this year.

As long as it isn't just a ticking exercise and he enjoys the birds, moment and environment (which he seems to be saying he does), then don't think we can begrudge him the odd tick-and-run. Unfortunately for Olaf it's just another factor in his armoury which gives John another slight edge ...

Dan

Good point. I suppose the problem that it causes is that you are less aware when additional critical observation is needed if you are less familiar with common alternatives.

All the best

Has Olaf seen a(nother) Baird's Sparrow yet? I haven't noticed a blog on it.

Once John Has cleared up on the common stuff, which airport should he base himself at for the next 6mo? Denver perhaps? Or Anchorage?

cheers, alan

lewis20126 said:

Has Olaf seen a(nother) Baird's Sparrow yet? I haven't noticed a blog on it.

Once John Has cleared up on the common stuff, which airport should he base himself at for the next 6mo? Denver perhaps? Or Anchorage?

cheers, alan

Click to expand...

I don't think it's time critical:-

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22721141

Looking at Neil Hayward's last five months, a broad and probably inaccurate view of his chases were Alaska (four), Arizona (three), New York, Texas (two), Florida (two), Nova Scotia (two), California & Newfoundland.

Olaf has however seen the Arizona species at least.

All the best

Paul Chapman said:

Dan

Good point. I suppose the problem that it causes is that you are less aware when additional critical observation is needed if you are less familiar with common alternatives.

All the best

Click to expand...

In terms of bird identification skill, there really doesn't seem to be much difference between Olaf and John. Neither seem to be better than one another at North American bird calls (with Olaf regularly claiming he might have heard this or that, but not clinching it), and statements like:
Olaf "#676 Band-rumped storm-petrel *
(lead bird, thank God Kate is like a storm-petrel whisperer as not sure i would have made this ID on my own." doesn't really give much confidence into the observers skill to ID difficult species.

Paul - John is a modest man, but certainly puts in the research for all the birds he looks for. I can't vouch for Olaf. Based on what they write in their blog posts, I think Olaf claiming a bird by call/brief view, is no more reliable than John doing the same, despite John's ?less experience birding in the ABA.

Cheers,

Nigel

anothergecko said:

In terms of bird identification skill, there really doesn't seem to be much difference between Olaf and John. Neither seem to be better than one another at North American bird calls (with Olaf regularly claiming he might have heard this or that, but not clinching it), and statements like:
Olaf "#676 Band-rumped storm-petrel *
(lead bird, thank God Kate is like a storm-petrel whisperer as not sure i would have made this ID on my own." doesn't really give much confidence into the observers skill to ID difficult species.

Paul - John is a modest man, but certainly puts in the research for all the birds he looks for. I can't vouch for Olaf. Based on what they write in their blog posts, I think Olaf claiming a bird by call/brief view, is no more reliable than John doing the same, despite John's ?less experience birding in the ABA.

Cheers,

Nigel

Click to expand...

Nigel

Noted. I don't tend to see a statement expressing uncertainty of calls as inexperience or a lack of ability, more a reflection of the difficulty of sound identification. I've known several exceptional birders on calls who would all speak up on possible calls but not claim them with certainty. Quite bluntly I did a recent trip to the States. Only my second visit in over thirty years of birding and found the calls a nightmare. But I've always struggled on that aspect.

Similarly, I spent some time on storm-petrels at Dakhla, Western Sahara in February and I wouldn't begrudge him that comment either.

Also noted on experience. I am surprised by your suggestion that lack of experience on the continent was not a disadvantage. I was surprised by the fact that some of the commoner species were seen later in the year by John rather than incidentally earlier as part of his daily birding.

I have no idea about their relative abilities and I note your comments about John's modesty but I would ordinarily assume that someone who has been birding for less than a decade would be at a disadvantage on a fresh continent in identifying over 750 species of which the majority would be new species for him:-

http://m.smh.com.au/lifestyle/the-watcher-20120930-26uab.html

He'll undoubtedly end the year with the record. When that happens, he can expect the list to be pored over. I've had my reputation attacked over something as distinctive as a Royal Tern, a species I had seen previously, that I broadcast instantly and that was seen by others at the time, so he should be careful how he reports his sightings. That said, he will continue to build credibility with many people now that he is putting it out there. Clearly good news.

Dipping and not counting species because they were unconfirmed tends to be seen as positive evidence of standards so now he is broadcasting things contemporaneously that will help.

I wish him every success. He stands a good chance of setting a record which would even beat Sandy Komito's updated for splits, new feral species, etc which many thought was impossible!

All the best

I reckon 767 would be the figure needed in my view to state with confidence that Komito updated is beaten. If one of the petrel splits is seen then you need to increase that by the number seen.

All the best