2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (2 Viewers)

[Maffong]

They answered my question why they left out the Whimbrel, their answer was quite astonishing to me:
"Hudsonian Whimbrel is just a sub species according to IOC. It'a bit too much to twitch sub species. OTOH, some IOC sub species are attractive, for example Seebhoms's Wheatear. Not easy. We decided to skip the Whimbrel, partly due to lack of time."

So apparently they're no longer using netfugl taxonomy and not trying to future proof. Furthermore they rather tried for Red Grouse which can be found all year instead of going to the nearby Whimbrel, which is already split by many and will be split by others in the near future.

They will remember their Big Year as a great experience, however I think it will be very easy for future attempts to surpass and at least I will remember it as only a half-hearted attempt at setting a record where there is currently no official record. Or is there? Because if there is, I'm not sure they'll break it...

Maffong

 

[Farnboro John]

Only just noticed, surprised no-one else has mentioned it yet . . .

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/igoterra-ticks/

OOOPS!!

Oh dear!

Hope they're not planning any further visits to Scotland this year! :-O

John

 

[Jon Turner]

Hope they're not planning any further visits to Scotland this year! :-O

John

The latest move to accept the new IOC classification has left the Crossbill complex unchanged, so maybe they will come back.....

 

[Nutcracker]

... instead of going to the nearby Whimbrel, which is already split by many and will be split by others in the near future.

...

Actually, unlikely it will get split by others; the genetic difference is very low. IOC and AOU reviewed it a couple of years ago and explicitly rejected a suggested split of it. And of course as BOU have just announced they are changing over to IOC taxonomy, it ceases to be a split in UK too at the end of this year.

 

[peter.jones]

Hope they're not planning any further visits to Scotland this year! :-O

John

Needing to avoid Saga Norén and Nicola Sturgeon now. Didn't realise how dangerous this big WP year could be!

 

[Nutcracker]

The latest move to accept the new IOC classification has left the Crossbill complex unchanged, so maybe they will come back.....

Unless IOC review it and ditch it, of course

 

[Maffong]

Ivory Gull is no longer an option in germany RIP

Maffong

 

[Nutcracker]

Sad. Will they do an autopsy?

Have heard that with many high arctic birds, fungal diseases like aspergillosis are a problem, as these fungi don't occur in the arctic so birds normally resident there have no resistance to them.

 

[temmie]

Like said before, I don't understand why they didn't go for Ivory gull as this is their only real target in Svalbard. Probably they put some more weight on enjoying this big year, compared to chasing/twitching every bird?

 

[Jon Turner]

And they've now seen Siberian Accentor, so no need to head for Denmark.

 

[DanielDoer]

... Probably they put some more weight on enjoying this big year, compared to chasing/twitching every bird?

I think that is the most likely reason for their decision to not chase the Ivory Gull (and it was an active decision as they discussed about going to Germany). As I said before I would do the same if I would do a WP Big Year - especially when there is no official record to be broken but they can cozily set a new benchmark for future attempts...

 

[DanielDoer]

Needing to avoid Saga Norén and Nicola Sturgeon now. Didn't realise how dangerous this big WP year could be!

Yes and we were discussing the risk of visiting eastern Turkey in an early post! Never would have imagined how dangerous it is to visit the non-brexit-wanting parts of GB in these days...

 

[Nutcracker]

Never would have imagined how dangerous it is to visit the non-brexit-wanting parts of GB in these days...

Safer to visit the parts of Britain that don't want brexit (all the disgraceful hostility to EU citizens has been in England), but just don't make the mistake of calling Scotland part of England!!

 

[DanielDoer]

They answered my question why they left out the Whimbrel, their answer was quite astonishing to me:
"Hudsonian Whimbrel is just a sub species according to IOC. It'a bit too much to twitch sub species. OTOH, some IOC sub species are attractive, for example Seebhoms's Wheatear. Not easy. We decided to skip the Whimbrel, partly due to lack of time." ...
Maffong

Probably they were so traumatized by the "stealing" of their first twitch target (stejnegeri Stonechat) due to the genetic check that they had much less interest in trying to get the next "subspecies"

 

[DanielDoer]

Now at 241 species:
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/igoterra-ticks/

Including Siberian Accentor (good to see that they keep on twitching "home") and Fieldfare (just spared this species for Sweden - first one today and second in their home country)!

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

And they've now seen Siberian Accentor, so no need to head for Denmark.

Excellent :t:

Spotted Sandpiper reported from central Germany yesterday + today (?):

http://www.ornitho.de/index.php?m_id=54&mid=279357

 

[Alwin van Lubeck]

I think it isn't as important for their year list whether they go on a twitch tour to NL and Germany now. More important would be, if they just have family time until the flight to Morocco in the beginning of February or whether they will do some twitching now in Sweden as well. Aren't there still Siberian Accentors around at the moment?

Ultimately, family is more important. But two days in The Netherlands could probably have given them all the Geese they want to do in december plus possibly Blyth's Pipit and Pine Bunting.

 

[DanielDoer]

Now two new blog entries:
http://www.bigyearwp.com

With some nice rarity pics - also one more of the questioned Lesser Scaup. This new foto shows a much more fitting head shape.

 

[Nutcracker]

Now two new blog entries:
http://www.bigyearwp.com

With some nice rarity pics - also one more of the questioned Lesser Scaup. This new foto shows a much more fitting head shape.

Also – we have had a few questions on weather the Lesser Scaup we ticked wasn’t actually a Greater Scaup. We feel confident it’s a Lesser. I include here an additional picture from the lake which better shows the steeper forehead.

As one who said Greater before, I'm happy with Lesser now from the new pic :t:

 

[DanielDoer]

They posted this link about the lumping of Hudbrel and our Whimbrel on their facebook site:
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/a...k&utm_campaign=taxa-bg-news&utm_medium=social

And concluded that they did right in skipping this "species" while in GB...