Where will you go? (1 Viewer)

[Steve Babbs]

One thing that is happening with ageing is that I can cope less with trying to get several avifaunas in my brain so I think I'm going to concentrate on Africa and the Western Pal (which in Europe I often do on 'walking trips' with my wife). Although I will have to bung in a trip to Mongolia for snow leopard and other seriously tempting mammals, even though that will have to be a tour and rather expensive.

 

[Steve Babbs]

I walked around the monastery at night they were around all the time, turning rubbish bins, playing etc.

I did manage to see one during the day a little bit away from the monastery.

 

[Jos Stratford]

I think this thread would be a bit more upbeat if people just shared the dreams, without having to be told how "possible" it is right now.

Funny, seems pretty upbeat to know it is totally possible for many persons to once again travel ...admittedly it is not for those that reside in a country that has banned its own citizens from departing. And yes, the chances of the trip going haywire are higher, but if its the dream to travel again, then worthy of the risk in my book.

PS. since you are in Poland, I know of several Polish who managed trips at this time. It is possible, that is upbeat

 

[Andy Adcock]

Funny, seems pretty upbeat to know it is totally possible for many persons to once again travel ...admittedly it is not for those that reside in a country that has banned its own citizens from departing. And yes, the chances of the trip going haywire are higher, but if its the dream to travel again, then worthy of the risk in my book.

PS. since you are in Poland, I know of several Polish who managed trips at this time. It is possible, that is upbeat

And yet the infection rate rises or at least, fails to be brought under control, I wonder why?

I wonder if it's anything to do with people who continue to act as if they are exempt and that the rules, don't apply to them?

 

[Jos Stratford]

And yet the infection rate rises or at least, fails to be brought under control, I wonder why?

I wonder if it's anything to do with people who continue to act as if they are exempt and that the rules, don't apply to them?

They are following the rules, all will have taken Covid tests prior to departure and all will have had temperature checks.

 

[Andy Adcock]

They are following the rules, all will have taken Covid tests prior to departure and all will have had temperature checks.

But they can still bring it home, what's the point of all the lockdowns and misery if a few people are going to behave like this?

Anyway, I won't turn this thread in to that argument, that's not why I started it.

 

[viator]

For me Ecuador and Hokkaido - both cancelled this year

 

[Richard Prior]

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

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.

Batumi Georgia for the autumn migration hopefully, Crested Honey Buzzard would be great:t:

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Hopefully the trips I lost this year; Arizona (Olive Warbler), Halmahera (Standardwing), Waitrose (Wilson’s BoP), and Rail-Babbler en route. Otherwise Brazil (Seriema), South Africa (Rockjumper), Greater Antilles (Tody), Australia (Plains-Wanderer), New Caledonia (Kagu) or New Zealand (Kiwi).

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

By the way, back to the Frank Gardener program; if the idea was simply to see wild BoP species then he was seriously short-changed! Ribbon-tailed Astrapia are unmissable from a lodge dining room, Raggiana and Lesser are within 100m of the well paved road, 12 wired 200 m along a good path from another lodge for example. Not cheap, but doable with care.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Waitrose (Wilson’s BoP)

That's an interesting range expansion

 

[Jacana]

I am meant to be heading to Madagascar for several months in the spring for field work. Ideally, I will spend some time exploring some other habitats on the island.

Hopefully work and play there will be possible.

 

[Jos Stratford]

But they can still bring it home, what's the point of all the lockdowns and misery if a few people are going to behave like this?

14 days isolation mandatory on return, a Covid test on day 6 can reduce it to 10 days if negative.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hopefully the trips I lost this year; Arizona (Olive Warbler), Halmahera (Standardwing), Waitrose (Wilson’s BoP), and Rail-Babbler en route. Otherwise Brazil (Seriema), South Africa (Rockjumper), Greater Antilles (Tody), Australia (Plains-Wanderer), New Caledonia (Kagu) or New Zealand (Kiwi).

Waitrose?

 

[wolfbirder]

And you know, I am gonna be upbeat for once myself

If there's ever travel again, I have a huge list of places I wanna go - it's actually one of the reasons I am so pissed about this whole thing, it basically came right in the time when I really know where I wanna go and have the money to do so.

Starting slowly, I still wanna do a plenty of WP birding, with the first target being SE Turkey which is currently the place with the most species for me and really nice ones in that - that would be best done in May. Then eventually I'd really like to do Russia around Ural - which seems relatively hard logistically, but I have found some quite reasonable 4x4 rentals and I would probably do just that. Then there is also Morocco, with both birds and fantastic Mammals. WP birding would be nicely topped off with Cape Verde with a all the endemics, Corvo in autumn and some good spot for shearwaters and stuff, which I recently learned could be NW Spain with some headlands.

As for the rest of the world, I really wanna try some tropical inflatable canoe shenanigans in Pantanal and possibly also in the Guayanas. Then I think I would also enjoy some more "intense" tropical birding in Peru (Manu Road and once again Oxapampa area maybe) or Costa Rica. As I haven't ever been in tropical Africa, I would quite like to do something like Ethiopia or Uganda or so, but also just revisiting southern Africa in a "slower" manner, maybe doing Mana Pools and something in Zambia or so.

In more remote ideas, I still can't shake the happiness obtained by birding in Lapland and I think Canada or Alaska in spring could do that for me. I recently learned about some roads towards the Hudson Bay that look splendid! Then eventually, Australia is calling as well - even though the last time I looked into traveling there, it looked like a bit logistically difficult as well. However I am getting less and less caught up in trying to save money and if I splurge for a jeep, things get much easier.

SE Turkey is superb.

Like you Jan, I fancy Cape Verde, and perhaps Morocco one day.
Would love to do Madeira also, and the pelagic from Lanzarote.

I got married at Xmas in Lapland at Hotel Santa Claus.......you can't get much cheesier than that! Mind you, she wants to divorce me now, but she is 17 years younger - so that will free up more time for me to travel B .

 

[Richard Prior]

SE Turkey is superb.

Like you Jan, I fancy Cape Verde, and perhaps Morocco one day.
Would love to do Madeira also, and the pelagic from Lanzarote.

I got married at Xmas in Lapland at Hotel Santa Claus.......you can't get much cheesier than that! Mind you, she wants to divorce me now, but she is 17 years younger - so that will free up more time for me to travel B .

There you go Nick, every cloud etc

 

[wolfbirder]

There you go Nick, every cloud etc

Indeed Rich, I'm almost quite excited8-P

Just might take a year or two to conclude.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

I love autocorrect, mind you, a trip to Waitrose should be cheaper and easier than one to Waigeo!

 

[Steve Babbs]

I'm with the ones wanting to just talk about where people want to go rather than whether it is technically possible/advisable at the moment or not. I for one would totally understand anyone not wanting to travel at the moment whatever the legal side. I imagine there are insurance issues too.

 

[Jos Stratford]

I imagine there are insurance issues too.

Not seeking to persuade anybody on the wisdom or otherwise of traveling, each to their own, but there are good insurance companies that are now offering travel insurance that includes Covid coverage and includes if you travel against government advice. Battleface is one such, but note while it covers medical in event of contracting Covid while traveling, it does not cover trip cancellation etc if can't go because of Covid.