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2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (11 Viewers)
- Thread starter JeroenVanheuverswyn
- Start date
...and another Grey-cheeked in Ireland just as they've left.
They seem to have had a lot of bad luck with twitching, often arriving a day late or picking the wrong bird to go for. Some of it could be called bad planning, but I think it's largely down to perhaps not being regular twitchers and not fully appreciating the need for rapid reactions?
Of course, it's more difficult to apply the Weigel twitch-everything-and-pick-up-the-regular-stuff-as-you-go-along approach in the WP than it is in Oz or the ABA area, where the only logistics problems are dealing with islands or the most remote areas, and it's often just a case of fly there, hire a car and see the bird. In the WP there are obviously many places that require pre-planning for visas, local guides etc., and even a few outright no-go areas.
It will be interesting to see a more twitching-based approach tried in future. Perhaps fortunately, I don't have the money or the required fitness levels*.
Edit: *as in when a one mile walk on a level track for a Two-barred Greenish leaves you with a sore hip for the next week :-C
They seem to have had a lot of bad luck with twitching, often arriving a day late or picking the wrong bird to go for. Some of it could be called bad planning, but I think it's largely down to perhaps not being regular twitchers and not fully appreciating the need for rapid reactions?
Of course, it's more difficult to apply the Weigel twitch-everything-and-pick-up-the-regular-stuff-as-you-go-along approach in the WP than it is in Oz or the ABA area, where the only logistics problems are dealing with islands or the most remote areas, and it's often just a case of fly there, hire a car and see the bird. In the WP there are obviously many places that require pre-planning for visas, local guides etc., and even a few outright no-go areas.
It will be interesting to see a more twitching-based approach tried in future. Perhaps fortunately, I don't have the money or the required fitness levels*.
Edit: *as in when a one mile walk on a level track for a Two-barred Greenish leaves you with a sore hip for the next week :-C
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Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
Smiles all round, they saw the 2-barred Warbler on Oland this morningB 
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Maffong
And another American Robin up the Caldera yesterday on Corvo.
Have you got your spreadsheet up to date for species recorded this year? I'd love to see it to consider over the weekend.
Of course, they couldn't be in two places at once. I think that the perfect hindsight strategy would have had them on Corvo since 22nd September until leaving there today for Northern Europe?
All the best
Captain_of_Crunch
YVdpep_re64
Grey-cheeked Thrush still at Galley Head this morning. Will they fancy a return?
Maffong
Well-known member
Yes I'll upload later.
The hindsight part might not be of any use to them, but it could be helpful for future approaches
buzzard12
Well-known member
There's lot's of guinness there too. Would be brave to go back for GCT, wish them luck if they do. Dipping again would be rather painful. The stout would taste a whole lot better if they connect though...
Radde's and Dusky Warbler must be top of the list as regards species that ought to be in the bag by now. Dusky is a late vagrant and should still be gettable. Radde's could potentially give them problems at this late stage...
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Two-barred Warbler added today.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
DanielDoer
Well-known member
Is there an echo in here? (see post 2523 Jon)
Yes and there is an echo in IgoTerra as well:
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/igoterra-ticks/
Is there any Radde's or Dusky Warbler gettable in Sweden at the moment? Because Heligoland is waiting for a storm and not reachable by ship in the next days. If not they really should go back to Ireland and GB!
Maffong
Well-known member
Here's the completely up to date spreadsheet. I've made two minor changes to the previous version. Tennessee Warbler is now code 5 as it has 11 records in the WP and Siberian Crane is code 7 instead of 3 as Jos pointed out, that it most probably takes the eastern route which means it isn't clear if it comes through the WP at any point.
I'm also considering to give Nanday Parakeet code 7 as officially it isn't countable yet...
I'm also considering to give Nanday Parakeet code 7 as officially it isn't countable yet...
Just to clarify, the remaining single individual of the last few years takes this eastern route - in preceding years, there were certainly records of other individuals in the dwindling population taking the western route and thus through the defined WP as used for this Big Year. Regrettably this is now historic and it is a reasonably safe assumption that there will not be another.
PS. this individual spends every winter in the WP as far as I am concerned
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buzzard12
Well-known member
Neither Radde's Warbler or Dusky Warbler recorded in Sweden today...
A Hume's Warbler is present close to the Two barred Greenish Warbler on Öland, think they need this species?
DanielDoer
Well-known member
They had Hume's Warbler already on 6th January in Kuwait. So that is no option... From tomorrow onwards the ships to Heligoland could go again...
Edit: But as far as I know, no actual records of Radde's or Dusky warbler at the moment. Just so striking species as Asian Desert or Pallas's Leaf Warbler (which they doesn't need!)
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DanielDoer
Well-known member
In retrospective of the autumn so far they have had all their bad luck with twitching nearctic species:
- Wilson's Phalarope dipped twice (in France in early and now in GB in late autumn)
- decision to leave the Azores one day before the best nearctic warbler day of the autumn (when the birds seem to be much better twitchable than on the days they were there) on Corvo
- missing several (at least two) Grey-cheeked Thrushes in Ireland!
So they should probably use the remaining days until their trip to Iceland on 10th Nov to go somewhere where they came find nearctic as well as eastern rarities by their own - for example Scillies! Good luck for you guys!
- Wilson's Phalarope dipped twice (in France in early and now in GB in late autumn)
- decision to leave the Azores one day before the best nearctic warbler day of the autumn (when the birds seem to be much better twitchable than on the days they were there) on Corvo
- missing several (at least two) Grey-cheeked Thrushes in Ireland!
So they should probably use the remaining days until their trip to Iceland on 10th Nov to go somewhere where they came find nearctic as well as eastern rarities by their own - for example Scillies! Good luck for you guys!
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Scilly season is pretty much done. They would be better off on the East coast of Britain, though even that is a bit weak compared to normal years. They could still get lucky with Radde's or Dusky there though.
John
Frenchy
Well-known member
They're basically screwed now. Winds not looking favourable for the foreseeable, so they might even be better off just going somewhere left field, like Israel, Kuwait or Azerbaijan. Don't think they're going to miss a lot in NW Europe.
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Didn't they leave a day before the best ever Nearctic landbird day at one location in the WP ever?
All the best
