Where will you go? (1 Viewer)

[Andy Adcock]

Let's have an optimistic thread, share your plans and hopes for a birding trip when it all opens up.

The only 'patch' that I can watch right now, is a small one of mould in my porch, I'm desperate to get away like many others. Shows how deprived I am right now, a flock of Greylags had me jumping up and down as they flew over my local park whilst walking my toddler yesterday.

I hope to get to Ghana or somewhere else in Africa, I love Africa. I'm getting old, my body is failing me. So little time left and I still have so much to do, will I achieve my target of 100 countries and 5000 bird species?

My last few trips, top birds where I said, 'as long as I see that, don't care if I don't see anything else' included Pel's Fishing Owl, Harpy Eagle and Shoebill, god it seems so long ago!

So, come on, where will you go and what's the top target bird on your trip, that mega, 'must see', just one nomination allowed.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Nice idea Andy. We'd planned to go to Thailand next month before the pandemic, so hoping we can go next year. Any Pitta would be fantastic, but I'd love to see a Blue - that was my personal target.
Our wedding is scheduled in 2022 (pandemic pending), so that may impact our travel plans due to fund allocation, but looking forward to the honeymoon already - Zambia for African Wild dogs!
Hope everybody is staying safe and sane.

 

[Julie50]

I have small plans. I would like to go to Upton Warren in the spring to see the return of the warblers and stay until the evening and watch the barn owls hunting.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Nice idea Andy. We'd planned to go to Thailand next month before the pandemic, so hoping we can go next year. Any Pitta would be fantastic, but I'd love to see a Blue - that was my personal target.
Our wedding is scheduled in 2022 (pandemic pending), so that may impact our travel plans due to fund allocation, but looking forward to the honeymoon already - Zambia for African Wild dogs!
Hope everybody is staying safe and sane.

Sounds great, we got lucky at Kruger.

Blue Pitta seems to be tougher to see than it used to be. Most people used to get it at Khao Yai, we missed it there but I finally got it in Cambodia on a trip for Cambodian Laughingthrush.

 

[Farnboro John]

I'm not sure about 2021 but hoping the year after I can start my programme, probably with the Pantanal for Jags etc, though if the security situation allows I might prioritise Ethiopia for the wolf. Pretty much all the trips are built around mammals, not birds: doing Polar Bears at Spitzbergen I'm not on for a single bird tick.

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'm not sure about 2021 but hoping the year after I can start my programme, probably with the Pantanal for Jags etc, though if the security situation allows I might prioritise Ethiopia for the wolf. Pretty much all the trips are built around mammals, not birds: doing Polar Bears at Spitzbergen I'm not on for a single bird tick.

John

Looking a bot ropey as of now John with war in the North?

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Looking a bot ropey as of now John with war in the North?

Thought you were talking about the UK for a sec there. I haven't checked the news today :-O

 

[Farnboro John]

Looking a bot ropey as of now John with war in the North?

Indeed, and I think it's been building for a while. Hence the suspicion that it will be Jags first.

John

 

[Andy Adcock]

Thought you were talking about the UK for a sec there. I haven't checked the news today :-O

It's coming, I'm voting for independence!!!!

 

[wolfbirder]

I hope to return to Point Pelee for the warbler fest, did it in 2008 but would love to go again.
Ive just turned 58 so guessing you are younger than me Andy, I will never get too far away I fear, the flying would kill me itself.

Papua New Guinea was my wildest dream for the Birds of Paradise, but i don't think I could stand the heat or walking for miles. Lightweight!

 

[Steve Babbs]

Tanzania and Uganda. I was meant to go to both this year. I was more excited about this year than I have been about any for a long, long time. I suspect Tanzania will be 2022 but I hope for Uganda in the UK summer. I hope the hotels are still there and haven't gone under. I won't be booking for some time yet though. Maybe another try for sandcat in the Western Sahara. 58 wolfbirder? You're still a youngster. Admittedly I'm a bit younger but I don't intend to slow down until my 70s at the earliest. Although I may consider going on tours rather than doing it independently at that age.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Sounds great, we got lucky at Kruger.

Blue Pitta seems to be tougher to see than it used to be. Most people used to get it at Khao Yai, we missed it there but I finally got it in Cambodia on a trip for Cambodian Laughingthrush.

Wow, stunning photos (and views I guess) quite the sighting - I hope we are half as lucky!
I think there has been a Blue pitta at one of the Baan Maka screens in the last couple of winters, not quite the same as one in the depths of the jungle, but I'd be happy enough.

though if the security situation allows I might prioritise Ethiopia for the wolf.

John, well worth the effort to see, with increased grazing pressures and high rates of canine distemper the future for the wolves doesn't look great.
A fantastic country and one of the friendliest I've been to, incredibly sad to hear about the current situation given the progress made in the last few years.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I hope to return to Point Pelee for the warbler fest, did it in 2008 but would love to go again.
Ive just turned 58 so guessing you are younger than me Andy, I will never get too far away I fear, the flying would kill me itself.

Papua New Guinea was my wildest dream for the Birds of Paradise, but i don't think I could stand the heat or walking for miles. Lightweight!

Something I've always intended to do but never quite got around to, I have a couple of years on you Wolfie, 60.

Tanzania and Uganda. I was meant to go to both this year. I was more excited about this year than I have been about any for a long, long time. I suspect Tanzania will be 2022 but I hope for Uganda in the UK summer. I hope the hotels are still there and haven't gone under. I won't be booking for some time yet though. Maybe another try for sandcat in the Western Sahara. 58 wolfbirder? You're still a youngster. Admittedly I'm a bit younger but I don't intend to slow down until my 70s at the earliest. Although I may consider going on tours rather than doing it independently at that age.

If your body doesn't decide for you you mean, my knees are f*****, one replaced already and the other is about ready to be done. I did Nepal ten years ago as I knew that if I left it much longer, I wouldn't be able to do it so it's easy stuff for me from now on, sadly. Really hacked off because in cardio vascular terms I'm tip top, can still row 1500m on a machine in less than 7 mins.

 

[foresttwitcher]

I was hoping for a spring/summer return to Japan...

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Most of what's on my plate are tours that were cancelled this year and rescheduled. Israel in April (assuming that doesn't get cancelled), NE Brazil next October, New Zealand in Feb 2022, and hopefully NE Argentina in Oct 2022.

 

[Nightjar61]

I’ve booked a trip to the Dominican Republic in January, one of the few countries currently without travel restrictions. I’ll be using a local guide who knows the country’s birds well. Previously, I’ve gone on organized tours with several of the major tour operators, both American and British. If this goes well, I plan on using local guides more often.

There’s really not any one bird that’s my main target. Anything that’s a lifer will be great.

Dave

 

[Steve Babbs]

Something I've always intended to do but never quite got around to, I have a couple of years on you Wolfie, 60.



If your body doesn't decide for you you mean, my knees are f*****, one replaced already and the other is about ready to be done. I did Nepal ten years ago as I knew that if I left it much longer, I wouldn't be able to do it so it's easy stuff for me from now on, sadly. Really hacked off because in cardio vascular terms I'm tip top, can still row 1500m on a machine in less than 7 mins.

Bizarrely my knees seem to be improving with age; I used to find going down mountains much harder than going up them. I hope they stay okay as that must be a real pain. At 54 I'm nearly as fit as I ever was (my peak was mid forties) but I do realise that there's likely to be a limit to how long it stays that way. Let's hope life returns to normal while we're fit enough to make the most of it.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Re PNG, it’s not as strenuous as you might think; I did it a couple of years ago and only the hike up to King of Saxony was somewhat demanding, not difficult but just a marked slog; no problem to take slowly and steadily. Mind you, there are sites I didn’t do that do sound much tougher such as the Huon Peninsula

 

[delia todd]

Re PNG, it’s not as strenuous as you might think; I did it a couple of years ago and only the hike up to King of Saxony was somewhat demanding, not difficult but just a marked slog; no problem to take slowly and steadily. Mind you, there are sites I didn’t do that do sound much tougher such as the Huon Peninsula

Papua New Guinea was my wildest dream for the Birds of Paradise, but i don't think I could stand the heat or walking for miles. Lightweight!

When I heard about Frank Gardner's plans to go there, I thought oh how wonderful.... I'd love to do that.

Then I watched his programme and er.... nooo that's beyond me sadly. So I've satisfied myself with taking a picture of one on the television screen and my only poor sighting of a female Paradise Riflebird at O'Reilly's last year.

I've got my sights set on a return trip to Norway, for Spring birds. But doubt that will be next year.

 

[Euan Buchan]

In April I had planned to visit Loch Garten to see The Ospreys but sadly that got cancelled but I must admit I enjoyed Birding at my local patch throughout lockdown and throughout Spring & Summer. I was lucky to get away when restrictions eased and went to St Abbs Nature Reserve in August & The Outer Hebrides in September. I'm hoping to get away and visit more places in 2021.