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Casual Euro-listing 2012 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter StuartReeves
- Start date
StuartReeves
Local rarity
I should just concede defeat at this stage. Well I would if I was taking this year-listing thing at all seriously.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
May, Svalbard
Another trip which stretches the bounds of "Euro"-listing, involving a destination sufficiently unusual that I felt it deserved a thread of its own. For the purposes of this thread it can be reduced to the bare statistics as follows:
Birds, total: 15
Birds, work: 12
Mammals: 2
I did wonder if the bird score should be 15.5 due to the hybrid Glaucous/Herring gull but that was too hard to include in my listing spreadsheet. My second mammal, Arctic Fox, is my third species of fox for this year.
Another trip which stretches the bounds of "Euro"-listing, involving a destination sufficiently unusual that I felt it deserved a thread of its own. For the purposes of this thread it can be reduced to the bare statistics as follows:
Birds, total: 15
Birds, work: 12
Mammals: 2
I did wonder if the bird score should be 15.5 due to the hybrid Glaucous/Herring gull but that was too hard to include in my listing spreadsheet. My second mammal, Arctic Fox, is my third species of fox for this year.
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A case example of bare statistics painting a picture that must reflect little of the real magnificence of such a destination. Pity no big white blobs to boost the mamal count by one.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
Absolutely! I don't think any large white blobs were seen while I was there. I found out afterwards that boat trips to one area had been regularly seeing a mother and a cub, but they weren't seen on the trip that went out on the Sunday I went home.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
June, Kaliningrad
For a long time I had a Russian list of one species; a White-tailed Eagle seen so distantly from the Lithuanian side of the Nemunas delta that it must have been in Russian airspace. This time around I hoped to better that, given that I was actually due to enter the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The city's airport is just about the most rural international airport I've ever passed through; apart from the Swifts feeding over the airfield and the House Martins nesting on the terminal building, the first bird of note was a Thrush Nightingale that I heard briefly from the car on the way out of the airport. The journey into town was also relatively productive, with birds including Common Buzzard & Marsh Harrier. The city centre itself proved to be pretty green, with a lot of mature trees across much of the area. Walking from the hotel into town for a spot of tourism the first evening, I was surprised to see a male Common Redstart appear low down in a tree. The species proved to be an urban bird in Kaliningrad, as I heard them routinely during my stay. I had a suspicion I was also hearing Black Redstart, but this wasn't confirmed until I saw one perched on an advertising hoarding while I was on the way back to the airport. This journey also provided Cuckoo, Whinchat and a male Red-backed Shrike, all seen from the car. The departure lounge at the airport provided a view across the airstrip, where, as well as another Black Redstart picking insects from the windows, four White Storks were soaring around. With pleasing symmetry, the last bird of the trip was an adult White-tailed Eagle high over the airfield.
The final total was 35 bird species, all seen on work time. No mammals, although a more desperate lister than I could make a case for ticking feral cat.
For a long time I had a Russian list of one species; a White-tailed Eagle seen so distantly from the Lithuanian side of the Nemunas delta that it must have been in Russian airspace. This time around I hoped to better that, given that I was actually due to enter the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The city's airport is just about the most rural international airport I've ever passed through; apart from the Swifts feeding over the airfield and the House Martins nesting on the terminal building, the first bird of note was a Thrush Nightingale that I heard briefly from the car on the way out of the airport. The journey into town was also relatively productive, with birds including Common Buzzard & Marsh Harrier. The city centre itself proved to be pretty green, with a lot of mature trees across much of the area. Walking from the hotel into town for a spot of tourism the first evening, I was surprised to see a male Common Redstart appear low down in a tree. The species proved to be an urban bird in Kaliningrad, as I heard them routinely during my stay. I had a suspicion I was also hearing Black Redstart, but this wasn't confirmed until I saw one perched on an advertising hoarding while I was on the way back to the airport. This journey also provided Cuckoo, Whinchat and a male Red-backed Shrike, all seen from the car. The departure lounge at the airport provided a view across the airstrip, where, as well as another Black Redstart picking insects from the windows, four White Storks were soaring around. With pleasing symmetry, the last bird of the trip was an adult White-tailed Eagle high over the airfield.
The final total was 35 bird species, all seen on work time. No mammals, although a more desperate lister than I could make a case for ticking feral cat.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
The story so far, including a meagre Polish list based on passing through Warsaw airport on the way to and from Kaliningrad.
Birds
UK 49
Belgium 95
Denmark 33
Germany 27
Jordan 60
Svalbard 14
Poland 3
Kaliningrad 35
WP 172
Work: 74
Mammals: 10
Birds
UK 49
Belgium 95
Denmark 33
Germany 27
Jordan 60
Svalbard 14
Poland 3
Kaliningrad 35
WP 172
Work: 74
Mammals: 10
The other week I spent around four days in Germany, mainly around Bielefeld. It was proper 'hardcore' casual Euro-listing in that I was so casual I barely even used my binoculars. I didn't have any time to do any proper birding, which is a bit of a shame because I suspect I could have seen a few good things just by going for a wander in the woods. However, I still managed to match Stuart's Kaliningrad trip exactly, with 35 species (plue one mammal - a fox). The highlights were White Stork and Red Kite from the train between Frankfurt and Bielefeld and a few Black Redstarts.
I also spent a few days in England for the first time this year, but didn't see too much. Does England count as a different country to Scotland for this (SNP rules perhaps)?
I also spent a few days in England for the first time this year, but didn't see too much. Does England count as a different country to Scotland for this (SNP rules perhaps)?
StuartReeves
Local rarity
Not using bins is entirely in the sprit of casual birding. I have a pair of compact, "non-birding" bins that I take on trips when I don't expect to get the chance to use them. I've only taken my birding bins on two work trips this year: Denmark and Svalbard. My next trip will be to Edinburgh (definitely a destination for the non-birding bins) and given my flexible definition of "Europe" it seems appropriate to play by Eurovision rules and just stick with the UK.
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StuartReeves
Local rarity
Surely duff gen you're putting out here! Or not updating this here thread
The latter; got back last night & fell asleep before I could update! Soon, honest!
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StuartReeves
Local rarity
June, Lithuania (via Denmark)
Continuing my tour of rural Baltic airports, this week's work trip took me to Palanga airport for a meeting in Lithuania's main port of Klaipeda. As with my previous trip here, back in May 2005, my work schedule did not allow me time to investigate Jos's local patch. This feels a little anti-social on my behalf though my employers may not share this view.
An arrival after midnight removed the opportunity to see any birds on the journey from the airport, and with the meeting taking place in the town centre hotel where I was staying birding didn't get much better in the daylight. On my previous visit, the daily journey to the meeting place involved a short ferry journey over to the Curronian Spit, then a walk out to the tip of the spit. This provided some fine birding with highlights including Icterine and Marsh Warblers, and some very vocal Scarlet Rosefinches. This time around, I took advantage of a two hour window between the meeting and dinner to take that ferry again with the hope of seeing a few birds on the spit. In short, things were much quieter on a bright afternoon in mid June compared to my previous May visit. The highlights of what little activity there was were a few Common Redstarts, a singing Whitethroat and a rather approachable Roe Deer. The journey back to the airport the following day added a few more common species, but the best was kept for last; just as the plane was turning onto the runway for take-off I picked-up a distant pair of Montagu's Harriers over field next to the airport. This left me with a modest Lithuania tally of 22 species, all of which were seen on work time.
I had a three hour stop-over in Copenhagen before my flight back to Brussels, and I planned to use this for a little opportunistic birding. A short train and metro ride took me to Amager Faelled, an area of damp scrub between the airport and the city. In contrast to the previous day in Lithuania, the weather was cool and overcast, and this seemed to make all the difference in terms of bird activity. As I left the metro station, the first bird I saw was a male Marsh Harrier, but the place was more notable for the birds I was hearing, with Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap all in song. I took this as a good omen for my target bird here, and sure enough I eventually picked-out another, less familiar song. With its wide variation, rhythmic nature and elements of mimicry, I was pretty sure what it was, but after a little manoeuvring it was nice to get visual confirmation that this song was coming from a Marsh Warbler. Subsequently, a Reed Warbler and a full house of hirundines brought my tally for this brief stop to 19 species, and my Danish year list to 46.
Below: Birding highlights of Klaipeda; I only saw three of these.
Continuing my tour of rural Baltic airports, this week's work trip took me to Palanga airport for a meeting in Lithuania's main port of Klaipeda. As with my previous trip here, back in May 2005, my work schedule did not allow me time to investigate Jos's local patch. This feels a little anti-social on my behalf though my employers may not share this view.
An arrival after midnight removed the opportunity to see any birds on the journey from the airport, and with the meeting taking place in the town centre hotel where I was staying birding didn't get much better in the daylight. On my previous visit, the daily journey to the meeting place involved a short ferry journey over to the Curronian Spit, then a walk out to the tip of the spit. This provided some fine birding with highlights including Icterine and Marsh Warblers, and some very vocal Scarlet Rosefinches. This time around, I took advantage of a two hour window between the meeting and dinner to take that ferry again with the hope of seeing a few birds on the spit. In short, things were much quieter on a bright afternoon in mid June compared to my previous May visit. The highlights of what little activity there was were a few Common Redstarts, a singing Whitethroat and a rather approachable Roe Deer. The journey back to the airport the following day added a few more common species, but the best was kept for last; just as the plane was turning onto the runway for take-off I picked-up a distant pair of Montagu's Harriers over field next to the airport. This left me with a modest Lithuania tally of 22 species, all of which were seen on work time.
I had a three hour stop-over in Copenhagen before my flight back to Brussels, and I planned to use this for a little opportunistic birding. A short train and metro ride took me to Amager Faelled, an area of damp scrub between the airport and the city. In contrast to the previous day in Lithuania, the weather was cool and overcast, and this seemed to make all the difference in terms of bird activity. As I left the metro station, the first bird I saw was a male Marsh Harrier, but the place was more notable for the birds I was hearing, with Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap all in song. I took this as a good omen for my target bird here, and sure enough I eventually picked-out another, less familiar song. With its wide variation, rhythmic nature and elements of mimicry, I was pretty sure what it was, but after a little manoeuvring it was nice to get visual confirmation that this song was coming from a Marsh Warbler. Subsequently, a Reed Warbler and a full house of hirundines brought my tally for this brief stop to 19 species, and my Danish year list to 46.
Below: Birding highlights of Klaipeda; I only saw three of these.
Attachments
dacoj3
Well-known member
"a Russian list of one species; a White-tailed Eagle seen so distantly from the Lithuanian side of the Nemunas delta that it must have been in Russian airspace."
My Spanish list from 1981 to 1994 comprised GriffonVulture. It flew behind a top on the Spannish side of the French border in the Pyrenees
My Spanish list from 1981 to 1994 comprised GriffonVulture. It flew behind a top on the Spannish side of the French border in the Pyrenees
dacoj3
Well-known member
quote "19 species, and my Danish year list to 46."
well better than my Belgian list Stuart.
WP 229
DK 225 (for the record: Golden Eagle (SE), Hazel Grouse (FIN), Pygmy Owl (SE) and Wryneck - FIN). Latest DK 2012 is Blyth's Reed Warbler
FIN 96 (been a good year - with two trips Helsinki and near Mikkeli, last week)
Sweden only 88, but that can improve since it is only an hour's drive to excellent spots
UK 57 which isn't bad for a weekend with my mother., but nothing not already seen in DK - dipped Little Egret.
I think my next trip is extralimital - Osaka and Kyoto (spelling control suggests extramarital, which I suppose is fair enough since the missus won't be joining this trip)
Then UK twice in the autumn
well better than my Belgian list Stuart.
WP 229
DK 225 (for the record: Golden Eagle (SE), Hazel Grouse (FIN), Pygmy Owl (SE) and Wryneck - FIN). Latest DK 2012 is Blyth's Reed Warbler
FIN 96 (been a good year - with two trips Helsinki and near Mikkeli, last week)
Sweden only 88, but that can improve since it is only an hour's drive to excellent spots
UK 57 which isn't bad for a weekend with my mother., but nothing not already seen in DK - dipped Little Egret.
I think my next trip is extralimital - Osaka and Kyoto (spelling control suggests extramarital, which I suppose is fair enough since the missus won't be joining this trip)
Then UK twice in the autumn
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StuartReeves
Local rarity
Going to places which are good for birding almost counts as cheating in this thread.
That's more like it!
That bans me from this thread, but can throw in a few random airport bits if it mitigates.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
I did say "almost"; I wouldn't want to ban myself from doing the odd birding trip now and again.
StuartReeves
Local rarity
June, UK
Even my non-birding bins proved superfluous on this trip. I did manage a year tick before the plane had even landed - a few Gannets were readily visible over the Firth of Forth - but things went downhill after that. I can't recommend the Haymarket area of Edinburgh as a birding hotspot as my four days in that area produced only eight species of bird. The best of these was another year tick: Lesser Black-backed Gull. The net result of this trip was a UK work list of nine species and, adding to my total from January, a UK total of 51.
Even my non-birding bins proved superfluous on this trip. I did manage a year tick before the plane had even landed - a few Gannets were readily visible over the Firth of Forth - but things went downhill after that. I can't recommend the Haymarket area of Edinburgh as a birding hotspot as my four days in that area produced only eight species of bird. The best of these was another year tick: Lesser Black-backed Gull. The net result of this trip was a UK work list of nine species and, adding to my total from January, a UK total of 51.
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