2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (2 Viewers)

[Jos Stratford]

Y...they won't be in their home country until the Collared Flycatcher stopps singing and would be really hard to find...

Just wait near a nestbox ...simple then

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

Good to see they are getting most of the specialties. I guess the following species would good ones to see before leaving Israel (though may have chances elsewhere):

-Levant Sparrowhawk
-Semicollared Flycatcher
-Caspian Plover
-Black-winged Pratincole
-Cinerous Bunting (too early?)

 

[Paul Chapman]

A nice blog post:-

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/2017/04/02/howling-and-owling/

All the best

 

[Paul Chapman]

Excluding unlikely and very unlikely species from here - http://www.birdsofkuwait.com/blog/spring-tour/ - 38 potential targets for the week in Kuwait:-
Socotra Cormorant
Montagu's Harrier
Eurasian Hobby
Corn Crake
Black-winged Pratincole
Caspian Plover
Red-necked Phalarope
Bridled Tern
Little Tern
White-winged Tern
Common Tern
White-cheeked Tern
European Nightjar
Egyptian Nightjar
European Roller
Thrush Nightingale
White-throated Robin
Whinchat
Pied Wheatear
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
Marsh Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Basra Reed Warbler
Upcher's Warbler
Menetries's Warbler
Hume's Whitethroat
Garden Warbler
Willow Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Semicollared Flycatcher
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Red-tailed Shrike
Red-backed Shrike
Rosy Starling
Pale Rock Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow
Cinereous Bunting
Black-headed Bunting

Shikra would also be handy and that is described as unlikely. (A few others within that category of course.)

All the best

 

[DanielDoer]

Excluding unlikely and very unlikely species from here - http://www.birdsofkuwait.com/blog/spring-tour/ - 38 potential targets for the week in Kuwait:- ...

And what would you suppose what they can get in the remaining 5 days in Israel? Just more zero days? ...

 

[Paul Chapman]

And what would you suppose what they can get in the remaining 5 days in Israel? Just more zero days? ...

I would expect 10-15 with some overlap with the expected species in Kuwait (thereby reducing that target figure for the next leg).

All the best

 

[dantheman]

They should go snorkeling whilst they are there. If no specific targets. Or try harder for the Bateleur.

 

[Muppit17]

Whats left in Israel

And what would you suppose what they can get in the remaining 5 days in Israel? Just more zero days? ...

I have been following the thread but taking my first post. With the time left in Israel there are a number of targets which are far flung (even in this small country) or just hang around Eilat and see what migration brings in. Many on Daniel's earlier list are winter species and they are too late (Wallcreeper, Rf Serins for example)

Based upon my own experience of Israel I would try one more trip to the north. They still need;
Asian C-W finch - Mt Hermon
Cinereous Vulture - Gamla
Possible early records of Bimaculated Lark or Pale Rock Sparrow.
plus migration has a different mix to the south

middle areas;
Egyptian Nightjar - Yotvata doesn't appear to have any records this year, but they are breeding (apparently) just north of the Dead Sea

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - it appears they have only tried Nizzana, which is having a poor year. Other locales in the north Negev should be better.

Monk Parakeet - Tel Aviv - if they are desperate!

Maybe a quick seawatch for Cory's Shearwater (Jaffa or MM)

South is really migrant territory - I see that there have already been some records of Pied Fly, Semi-collared Fly, Thrush Nightingale, Gt Reed Warbler, Levant Sparrowhawk, Rock Thrush etc which are missing. Most of these species are still early for the peak period but a few are being seen.

Otherwise a bit of seawatch into the Gulf of Aquaba - terns plus you never know.

 

[DanielDoer]

...
Otherwise a bit of seawatch into the Gulf of Aquaba - terns plus you never know.

This last one seems adequate to me. As far as I know they have Brown Booby still missing. That would be easiest in Eilat, wouldn't it? Or do they have chances in other legs?

 

[Maffong]

Brown Booby should be pretty easy in Egypt, that's where I saw it (Hurghada) about 5 years before I got into birding. Nevertheless do I think they should go for a seawatch in Israel.
Maybe they should focus on Asian C-W finch, Egyptian Nightjar and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and get as many migrants as possible

Cinereous Vulture, Cory's Shearwater and Monk Parakeet should be unmissable in Spain

And of the targets described by Paul for Kuwait I think only
Socotra Cormorant
Caspian Plover
Bridled Tern
White-cheeked Tern
White-throated Robin
Pied Wheatear
Basra Reed Warbler
Upcher's Warbler
Menetries's Warbler
Hume's Whitethroat
Semicollared Flycatcher
Red-tailed Shrike
Pale Rock Sparrow
Yellow-throated Sparrow
Shikra

Are real targets as all others should be pretty easy elsewhere

 

[Muppit17]

Brown Booby should be pretty easy in Egypt,


And of the targets described by Paul for Kuwait I think only....

Brown Booby should also be easy on Cape Verde. As for the Kuwait list;
White-throated Robin, Menetries's Warbler, Pale Rock Sparrow and
Yellow-throated Sparrow all have the back up of Turkey - assuming they can get to the right areas.

I have also seen Menetries's in Georgia, (in the southeast) but looks like they are doing a quick push to Kazbegi only so would miss it. Perhaps Kazakhstan?

At this point, the more they can get early makes the hanging around for rarities, eg Shikra, so much easier.

 

[Muppit17]

As far as I know they have Brown Booby still missing. /QUOTE]

Apparently the only Booby seen in Eilat recently was found injured and taken into care - don't know what has happened since. Looks like they will have to wait to Egypt or Cape Verde

 

[lewis20126]

Brown Booby should also be easy on Cape Verde. As for the Kuwait list;
White-throated Robin, Menetries's Warbler, Pale Rock Sparrow and
Yellow-throated Sparrow all have the back up of Turkey - assuming they can get to the right areas.

Three of those four are easy in Turkey between say Gaziantep and Birecik; Pale Rock Sparrow is more hit and miss and cannot be relied upon - does anyone know if they are around this year in the Birecik area?

cheers, alan

 

[Brian J Small]

Sorry about the aside from the main thread, but the mention of Cory's in the eastern Med made me revisit Yoav Perlman's article - http://nubijar.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/eilat-pelagic-part-2-corys.html - as I was thinking they should be Scopoli's?

Anyway, though the photos show a Cory's like underwing, I am still very bemused by the bill depth shown by the birds he photographed. All look very slim billed like Scopoli's and not at all like the thick bill I associate with Cory's. More needs to be done...

See - http://www.shearwater.nl/index.php?file=kop65.php for comparison

or this for Cory's - https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UuN0yvYz...XxUHgCLcB/s640/corys_sherwater_403a5068-2.jpg

That's all - I have it off my chest

B

 

[Paul Chapman]

Pale Rock Sparrow is more hit and miss and cannot be relied upon - does anyone know if they are around this year in the Birecik area?

cheers, alan

Perhaps too early to tell?

Brown Booby should also be easy on Cape Verde.

I am a little unsure on seabirds in Cape Verde because they are there 22nd November to 4th December but normally very easy.

And of the targets described by Paul for Kuwait I think only....

Are real targets as all others should be pretty easy elsewhere

Absolutely. Target probably the wrong word. Simply a list of likely species.

All the best

 

[lewis20126]

Perhaps too early to tell?

Yes maybe, certainly strongly territorial by the end of the month, when I saw them in 2011 on the great Royal Wedding getaway.

cheer, a

 

[Paul Chapman]

Sorry about the aside from the main thread, but the mention of Cory's in the eastern Med made me revisit Yoav Perlman's article - http://nubijar.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/eilat-pelagic-part-2-corys.html - as I was thinking they should be Scopoli's?

Anyway, though the photos show a Cory's like underwing, I am still very bemused by the bill depth shown by the birds he photographed. All look very slim billed like Scopoli's and not at all like the thick bill I associate with Cory's. More needs to be done...

See - http://www.shearwater.nl/index.php?file=kop65.php for comparison

or this for Cory's - https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UuN0yvYz...XxUHgCLcB/s640/corys_sherwater_403a5068-2.jpg

That's all - I have it off my chest

B

The full note in Birds of Israel states - 'At Eilat a form slightly different from typical nominate diomedea is found, with slightly larger measurements (six trapped birds had wing 344-405 mm, av. 358) and darker upper parts. Further study on geographical variation required.'

I tried to compare to BWP and Howell with little success. Presumably the literature behind the split has full measurements?

All the best

 

[Jon Turner]

Farceache reports the boys at Yotvata for breakfast, but still no Caspian Plover. Nor anything else mentioned.

 

[DanielDoer]

Now at 483 species:
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/igoterra-ticks/

With one new species on each of the last two days (Red-necked Phalarope of yesterday being the better one) - despite of asumable hard birding. They were right in their last post that they are running out of birds in Israel...

Time for a "short" side trip to the Cape Verde islands for WP's 17th Red-footed Booby?

 

[DanielDoer]

...
With one new species on each of the last two days...

In German we have the phrase "laboriously lives the squirrel" (directly translated) for such occasions