CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
Another year, another list!
I’m not expecting to come anywhere close to last year’s total of 244 birds seen, since I have no dedicated overseas birding trips planned, and work + childcare will demand my attention back home. I am hoping to get away to Greece in the summer, partly for butterflies, but this should bring in some new birds too: some Greek mountain species I’ve still not found, such as Alpine Accentor and Alpine Chough, that should be relatively straightforward in the right places.
To recap on previous years,
2009: 209 species (including trip to Cyprus in March)
2010: 153 species (no overseas, but including Scotland)
2011: 244 species (including Lesvos in April, and Scotland)
So let’s see what happens :t:
As before, I’ll post pics when I can (though difficult to take all the gear with a toddler in tow!); lifers (hopefully there will be some!) will appear in bold.
This year my birding companions will be my wife (Maenad here on BF) and soon-to-be-2 son.
Outings for birding from home will include such luminous destinations as Port Meadow, Otmoor, Farmoor, Draycote Reservoir, Brandon Marsh, and (slightly further afield) Slimbridge.
In Derbyshire, locations may include Carsington Reservoir, Cromford, Beeley Moor, Lathkill Dale, and Longshaw.
If, as I hope, I get to Greece in the summer, the plan is to visit the mountains of the Northern Peloponnese (Mts. Chelmos and Erimanthos) and Southern Sterea Ellada (Mts. Parnassos, Oita, and perhaps Vardousia), with Kalavryta and Delphi as my bases.
I’m not expecting to come anywhere close to last year’s total of 244 birds seen, since I have no dedicated overseas birding trips planned, and work + childcare will demand my attention back home. I am hoping to get away to Greece in the summer, partly for butterflies, but this should bring in some new birds too: some Greek mountain species I’ve still not found, such as Alpine Accentor and Alpine Chough, that should be relatively straightforward in the right places.
To recap on previous years,
2009: 209 species (including trip to Cyprus in March)
2010: 153 species (no overseas, but including Scotland)
2011: 244 species (including Lesvos in April, and Scotland)
So let’s see what happens :t:
As before, I’ll post pics when I can (though difficult to take all the gear with a toddler in tow!); lifers (hopefully there will be some!) will appear in bold.
This year my birding companions will be my wife (Maenad here on BF) and soon-to-be-2 son.
Outings for birding from home will include such luminous destinations as Port Meadow, Otmoor, Farmoor, Draycote Reservoir, Brandon Marsh, and (slightly further afield) Slimbridge.
In Derbyshire, locations may include Carsington Reservoir, Cromford, Beeley Moor, Lathkill Dale, and Longshaw.
If, as I hope, I get to Greece in the summer, the plan is to visit the mountains of the Northern Peloponnese (Mts. Chelmos and Erimanthos) and Southern Sterea Ellada (Mts. Parnassos, Oita, and perhaps Vardousia), with Kalavryta and Delphi as my bases.
