ABA sprint year (1 Viewer)

jurek

Well-known member

• Oct 3, 2019

• #1

Suppose a birder would try to clean up all REGULAR species of the ABA area as fast as possible, starting 1 January. How long could it take? Are there any regular ABA species not gettable until late autumn?

Or a variant - clean up all regular species of the ABA area in a shortest period of time (minimum number of continuous days of one calendar year). How long might it take?

 

DMW

Well-known member

• Oct 3, 2019

• #2

I believe that some of the Socal pelagic species, notably some storm-petrels, are unlikely before the Autumn.

 

Jos Stratford

Eastern Exile

Staff member

• Oct 3, 2019

• #3

jurek said:

Are there any regular ABA species not gettable until late autumn?

Click to expand...

Seabirds.

I think several species not very gettable till autumn and, more, as one participant is experiencing this year, not all the regular seabirds are even guaranteed in a given year - Least Storm Petrel.

 

Last edited: Oct 3, 2019

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• Oct 3, 2019

• #4

Jos Stratford said:

Seabirds.

I think several species not very gettable till autumn and, more, as one participant is experiencing this year, not all the regular seabirds are even guaranteed in a given year - Least Storm Petrel.

Click to expand...

I may be missing something here, but doesn't that make them a little bit irregular? 8-P

John

 

Jos Stratford

Eastern Exile

Staff member

• Oct 3, 2019

• #5

Farnboro John said:

I may be missing something here, but doesn't that make them a little bit irregular? 8-P

John

Click to expand...

It is an irregular regular. In as much as they are regular most years, but on an irregular basis they can be less than regular

Bit like Painted Ladies in Lithuania.

 

Last edited: Oct 3, 2019

Nutcracker

Stop Brexit!

• Oct 4, 2019

• #6

Or like Little Auk in UK - recorded every winter, and in some winters possible to get 20,000 in a day, but in other winters, very hit-and-miss and not at all easy to get.

 

dantheman

Bah humbug

• Oct 4, 2019

• #7

Presumably we're meaning they occur annually, but any individual birder may not connect in any given year (esp. a poor one) despite appropriate effort put in. A bit like some scarcities in UK.

 

Paul Chapman

Well-known member

• Oct 4, 2019

• #8

jurek said:

Suppose a birder would try to clean up all REGULAR species of the ABA area as fast as possible, starting 1 January. How long could it take? Are there any regular ABA species not gettable until late autumn?

Or a variant - clean up all regular species of the ABA area in a shortest period of time (minimum number of continuous days of one calendar year). How long might it take?

Click to expand...

You wouldn't start on 1st January would you? Wouldn't you probably start on 1st March and hope to complete by 31st October so 8 months?

All the best

 

G

guy_incognito

Well-known member

• Oct 4, 2019

• #9

By the regulars, I assume you would be talking about ABA Code 1 and 2s?

Least Storm-Petrel and Craveri's Murrelet are Code 3.

 

opisska

rabid twitcher

• Oct 4, 2019

• #10

Birding the "ABA area" as a foreigner is particularly weird because, unlike WP, it's defined politically not based on the actual birds.

 

Mysticete

Well-known member

• Oct 6, 2019

• #11

guy_incognito said:

By the regulars, I assume you would be talking about ABA Code 1 and 2s?

Least Storm-Petrel and Craveri's Murrelet are Code 3.

Click to expand...

When it comes to seabirds though, even code 1 and 2 can be missable given the vagaries of weather and pelagic tour schedules.

 

McMadd

You should see the other bloke...

• Oct 6, 2019

• #12

Jos Stratford said:

Bit like Painted Ladies in Lithuania.

Click to expand...

That's just you going to the wrong bars...