ABA Big Year 2016 (1 Viewer)

[dantheman]

John got the Common Shelduck, bringing his provisional list up the 3 (well 4 with the Eastern Spot-billed Duck, but consensus is pointing towards a hybrid for that bird). 779!

Although both Lynn B and John W say on their blogs that everyone who saw it says it wasn't an Intermediate Egret at all, but a Great (which Olaf intimates it could've been, of East Asian persuasion, but then claims it as a provisional I), so presumably 2?

Presumably not that many kept in captivity in that part of the world?

Edit: Confusing myself, with all this talk of nom de plumes and that. Didn't mean to hybridise John and Olaf (easily done though perhaps?)

 

[jurek]

That would be the southern fringe of a "Greater USA"

Hawaii was included explicitly to popularize threatened endemics. This is even stronger reason to include Mexico. Mexico has more threatened species (ca. 43 not shared with USA) than Hawaii (ca. 30) and many are little known and would benefit from ecotourism (e.g. Belding's Yellowthroat or semi-mythical Cozumel thrasher).

The only problem is that, for an average American birder, Mexico is less known than the deck of USS Enterprise. But the same can be said about Barrow, Alaska.

 

[Nutcracker]

... it wasn't an Intermediate Egret at all, but a Great ...

Edit: Confusing myself, with all this talk of nom de plumes and that.

That'd be egret plumes, I presume?

:king:

 

[njlarsen]

Even if you make the limit of North America the isthmus in S Mexico, the Cozumel thrasher would not be included. (and everything indicates that it is extinct, and it has been looked for)

Apart from that, many endemics in the part of Mexico that would be included, and even though some say that the limitation that was presented by Michael earlier is more correct, I still would like the ABA area to reach the isthmus.

Niels

 

[Mysticete]

Hawaii was included explicitly to popularize threatened endemics. This is even stronger reason to include Mexico. Mexico has more threatened species (ca. 43 not shared with USA) than Hawaii (ca. 30) and many are little known and would benefit from ecotourism (e.g. Belding's Yellowthroat or semi-mythical Cozumel thrasher).

The only problem is that, for an average American birder, Mexico is less known than the deck of USS Enterprise. But the same can be said about Barrow, Alaska.

Hawaiian birds however are going extinct at a much higher rate than Mexico, and given that it's an actual state that doesn't boost the current list by much, it's an easy sell.

Mexico is just a harder sell to Canadian and US birders, which is why it failed in the poll a few years ago.

 

[trptjoe]

Laura cleaned up Bohemian Waxwing.
Joe

 

[jurek]

Mexico is just a harder sell to Canadian and US birders, which is why it failed in the poll a few years ago.

Strange - for most people going through rainforests and deserts with colorful species like trogons and parrots is in all ways better (bird-wise, surroundings-wise and eco-friendly) than flying back and forth across the USA for some little vagrant.

 

[Mark]

Christian got Pink Footed Goose ( per Twitter)

 

[njlarsen]

Strange - for most people going through rainforests and deserts with colorful species like trogons and parrots is in all ways better (bird-wise, surroundings-wise and eco-friendly) than flying back and forth across the USA for some little vagrant.

Any big year is going to end with being very eco unfriendly unless it is done using only a bike or your feet as only means of transportation.

Niels

 

[Jos Stratford]

What's the current scores?

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

What's the current scores?

I updated trpjoe's spreadsheet using updates posted here:

JW: 779
OD: 773
LK: 755
CH: 743

Most likely some errors.

 

[Jos Stratford]

I updated trpjoe's spreadsheet using updates posted here:

JW: 779
OD: 773
LK: 755
CH: 743

Cheers, didn't realise there was a six-species gap between the top two ...thought it was closer.

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

Cheers, didn't realise there was a six-species gap between the top two ...thought it was closer.

Checking the blogs, I get the following

JW: 779
OD: 772 (+2: Pine Flycatcher & Intermediate Egret)
LK: 755
CH: 745 (not 743)

 

[Mysticete]

IIRC, when taking in account provisional species, John actually has 776 + 3 provisionals (he includes them in his total versus Olaf)

 

[Jos Stratford]

Still, bar an amazing run of late rarities and a simultaneous injury or illness to his competitor, must be over for Olaf, no? Might as well go back to Hawaii to build even further the true new benchmark. ..

 

[lewis20126]

Checking the blogs, I get the following

JW: 779
OD: 772 (+2: Pine Flycatcher & Intermediate Egret)
LK: 755
CH: 745 (not 743)

That Intermediate Egret is a duffer surely - I thought everyone has agreed this was a GWE?

cheers, alan

 

[Mysticete]

Still, bar an amazing run of late rarities and a simultaneous injury or illness to his competitor, must be over for Olaf, no? Might as well go back to Hawaii to build even further the true new benchmark. ..

Pretty much. My understanding is that Olaf was going to return to Hawaii one more time...at the least he still needs to hit up the big island.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Checking the blogs, I get the following

JW: 779
OD: 772 (+2: Pine Flycatcher & Intermediate Egret)
LK: 755
CH: 745 (not 743)

Joe will come along and correct but I reckon:-

John - 776 + Cuban Vireo, Pine Flycatcher & Common Shelduck = 779 (as at 02.12.16)
Olaf - 772 + Pine Flycatcher & Intermediate Egret = 773 really (as at 01.12.16)
Laura - 754 + Cuban Vireo & Pine Flycatcher = 756 (as at 02.12.16)
Christian - 746 + Cuban Vireo & Pine Flycatcher = 748 (as at 04.12.16)

http://www.birdingfordevils.com/p/this-is-listing-of-species-so-far.html
http://olafsbigyear.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/vote-early-and-vote-often-at-least-vote.html
http://ebird.org/ebird/top100?locInfo.regionCode=aba&yr=cur
http://www.thebirdingproject.com/birdlist/

I reckon the Shelduck looks a possibility?

https://notendur.hi.is//~yannk/status_tadtad.html

All the best

 

[dantheman]

http://www.audubon.org/big-year-2016

Think we knew it wasn't that close since July though, tbh ...

 

[Hsl]

What would make an interesting tally is how many code 3 and above birds each person got on their own not following up on someone else's lead.