2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (2 Viewers)

[Paul Chapman]

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

Daniel

Pretty tricky to do a quick side trip to Raso. Fly to one of the international airports, internal flight to Sao Nicolau, go to Tarrafal, organise a boat and when weather allows bob up and down off Raso. Great fun but not quick. Anyone know where on Raso they are being seen?

http://www.netfugl.dk/observations.php?id=wp&species_id=44

All the best

 

[DanielDoer]

Daniel

Pretty tricky to do a quick side trip to Raso. Fly to one of the international airports, internal flight to Sao Nicolau, go to Tarrafal, organise a boat and when weather allows bob up and down off Raso. Great fun but not quick. ...

I have never been to or even thought of going to Cape Verde or especially Raso but had an idea that it wouldn't be quickly to get there. Thanks Paul for the clear picture!

Wasn't a very serious suggestion to go there though...

 

[Jon Turner]

Daniel

Pretty tricky to do a quick side trip to Raso. Fly to one of the international airports, internal flight to Sao Nicolau, go to Tarrafal, organise a boat and when weather allows bob up and down off Raso. Great fun but not quick. Anyone know where on Raso they are being seen?

http://www.netfugl.dk/observations.php?id=wp&species_id=44

All the best

Here's the write-up on Birding Cape Verde:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1508651069418872/?fref=nf

 

[GWB77]

Bateleur secured this morning (video on facebook page).

Alongside the Martin in Kuwait, in a WP sense, this must be the best bird they have secured so far this year?

 

[Nutcracker]

Bateleur secured this morning (video on facebook page).

Link?

 

[Richard Prior]

Link?

Just stumbled across it by going to their bigyearwp site - menu-Pictures and there was the video. They deserve that one after trying twice before!

 

[GWB77]

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/pictures/

 

[Nutcracker]

Thanks! :t:

 

[DanielDoer]

Link?

Here is the link to the facebook site of WP Big Year:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=294333037667161&id=186249971808802

And very big congrats that they finally found the Bateleur - they really deserve it after all of their efforts!

 

[DanielDoer]

Here's the write-up on Birding Cape Verde:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1508651069418872/?fref=nf

Unfortunately the link doesn't work unless you get member of the closed facebook group of Birding Cape Verde. Could you please give a short summary?

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

BB Albatross back on Helgoland today, but it will be difficult to twitch I suspect.

Also possibly -1 species for the team with the American Herring Gull they saw in Portugal (most likely) being re-identified as a Yellow-legged Gull.

 

[Muppit17]

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?

Of course I meant Scopoli's but didn't expect it to be mired in confusion. Still not totally in line with all the splitting going on - oops.

For fear of stirring up something else in a similar splitting vein - they should also be going to Yeruham lake before they leave for the African Swamphen (madagascariensis). I am not sure why it has not already showing on their lists - normally a good migrant trap and has had a Gt Reed Warbler during their stay at least. Swamphen used to be easy - and a easy tick on most COFT big days. I understand that they are confirmed as African. Should be simple enough in Egypt later I guess.

Talking of COTF - I see the day record was broken, but havent seen a list yet to see what the guys have missed out on.

 

[Jon Turner]

Unfortunately the link doesn't work unless you get member of the closed facebook group of Birding Cape Verde. Could you please give a short summary?

The marvels of copy and paste:

update 04.04.2017 at sea ESE off Raso a passing brown morph Red-footed Booby of unknown age heading towards Raso in the late afternoon. Later on this trip back towards Tarrafal one Sabine's Gull in a feeding flock with Arctic Terns & some local Shearwaters and off Tarrafal two Beaked Whales Mesoplodon spec.! Despite pictures don't show the beak clearly this was seen several times and hopefully with the description and the pictures the species can be identified. (observer MG, Kris De Rouck, Guy Mirgain).

 

[Selsey Birder]

The online list has been updated to reflect the Bateleur and a few other nice additions, now at 489 species.

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Monk Parakeet, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Levant Sparrowhawk and Wood warbler are the others.

Ian

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

The online list has been updated to reflect the Bateleur and a few other nice additions, now at 489 species.

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Monk Parakeet, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Levant Sparrowhawk and Wood warbler are the others.

Ian

They also beat the prediction of 70 new species in Israel by 5.

The 'Difference list' looks new to me on their site:

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/difference-list/

 

[lewis20126]

They also beat the prediction of 70 new species in Israel by 5.

The 'Difference list' looks new to me on their site:

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/difference-list/

I don't get the 'Difference List' - how brief are these sightings? What is the Caspian Plover story? I can understand this sort of stuff on a day race but not on an extended birding trip with few targets, with the group sticking together, in a non-rain forest region.

cheers, alan

 

[Brian J Small]

Of course I meant Scopoli's but didn't expect it to be mired in confusion. Still not totally in line with all the splitting going on - oops.

Hi Muppit

Don't apologise, as the link I gave from Yoav implies that they may well be Cory's - though it seems odd that they would be...

B

 

[Paul Chapman]

For fear of stirring up something else in a similar splitting vein - they should also be going to Yeruham lake before they leave for the African Swamphen (madagascariensis). I am not sure why it has not already showing on their lists - normally a good migrant trap and has had a Gt Reed Warbler during their stay at least. Swamphen used to be easy - and a easy tick on most COFT big days. I understand that they are confirmed as African. Should be simple enough in Egypt later I guess.

Well I didn't know that!

http://www.tatzpit.com/site/en/pages/inPage.asp?catID=9&subID=13&subsubID=978

Many thanks

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Muppit

Don't apologise, as the link I gave from Yoav implies that they may well be Cory's - though it seems odd that they would be...

B

The seventh picture of the 14 in the link showing the underside of the primaries really well has to be a Cory's on current understanding doesn't it?

http://nubijar.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/eilat-pelagic-part-2-corys.html

All the best

 

[DanielDoer]

Nice write-up and saying goodbye to Israel:
http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/2017/04/05/goodbye-israel/

Seem to leave this great birding country tomorrow and that would mean earlier than previously planned. Good luck for the next country - Kuwait! Probably some twitching in between?