2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (1 Viewer)

[Maffong]

It's great that they are uploading all possible future splits, such as the Stonechats and Isabelline Shrike. But are they also uploading daylists as Noah did? I would greatly appreciate it for when I will crush their record in a few years ;-)

Also a statistic like that one from Olaf would be great

 

[Paul Chapman]

Maffong

Yes. There is an Observation diary box on the right hand side of the link where you can click on the relevant day.......

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/igoterra-ticks/

Today:-

En route, Kuwait 06:40-07:16
House Sparrow Passer domesticus,
Rock Pigeon Columba livia,
Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti, 1

Abdaly Farms, Kuwait 07:39-16:04
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis,
Galerida cristata brachyura, 50
Anthus campestris campestris, 30
White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis, 0
Saxicola torquatus rubicola, 1
Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis, 10
Turdoides caudata salvadorii, 14
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto, 0
Little Egret Egretta garzetta, 1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, 5
Sky Lark Alauda arvensis, 25
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta, 0
Anthus pratensis pratensis, 3
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis, 1
Saxicola torquatus variegatus, 1
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, 1
Southern Gray Shrike (Steppe) Lanius meridionalis pallidirostris, 1
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis, 40
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita, 4
Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis, 1
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, 1
Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus aigneri, 15
Great Egret (Eurasian) Ardea alba alba, 1
Song Thrush Turdus philomelos, 1
Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis, 1
Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus, 3
Rufous-tailed Shrike (Daurian) Lanius isabellinus isabellinus, 5

All the best

 

[Maffong]

True, I had seen it before. Luckily in a few days I won't have to do everything on my phone anymore

 

[Dave Ball]

I also found the long visit to Kuwait right at the beginning of the year slightly surprising, compared to twitching over-wintering rarities which will be well pinned-down in the first few days of the year. Birdguides has the following Yanks available in GB today (up to 18:34):

American Wigeon - Countess Wear
Green-winged Teal - Lytchett Bay
Ring-necked Duck - Pitlochry
Lesser Scaup - Loch Ryan
Surf Scoter - Rutland Water
Surf Scoter - Tentsmuir
Surf Scoter - Man Sands
Black Scoter - Goswick
Black Brant - Kilnsea
Pacific Diver - Penzance
Ring-billed Gull - Strathclyde Loch
Ring-billed Gull - Blashford Lakes
Ring-billed Gull - Lys-i-Fran Reservoir
Bonaparte's Gull - Dawlish Warren
Killdeer - Sandwick

...and also yesterday:
American Coot - Balranald
Hudsonian Godwit - Perranuthnoe

...plus today the dodgy Hooded Merg and a couple of eastern species which might be available elsewhere in the WP (could also add the Eastern Black Reds and the Pine Bunt?):

Hooded Merganser - Lochwinnoch
Dusky Thrush - Beeley
Stejneger's Stonechat - Dungeness

(Of course, some of these may be easily available in the Azores in autumn, or in the British Isles throughout the year, and not sure how the taxonomy they are following treats some of the forms. Also, twitching Shetland or the Outer Hebs for only one species is probably not cost-effective )

 

[etudiant]

Cannot really second guess anyone at this stage, but Jos had better luck on the Iran side, just down the Gulf.
Just hope they stay well and have fun.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Etudiant - Iran is not within the WP boundaries that they are using.

Dave - you mean Hudsonian Whimbrel. All species on the Netfugl list save Black Brant is a subspecies of Brent Goose and Stejneger's Stonechat is a subspecies of Siberian Stonechat. (Also Lesser Yellowlegs and Cackling Goose reported.)

Some Azores 'regulars' there but Black Scoter, Pacific Diver, Cackling Goose, Surf Scoter, Killdeer and Bonaparte's Gull are not. Also Lesser Scaup and Hudsonian Whimbrel worth seeing now.

http://www.birdingazores.com/?page=2011checklist

All the best

 

[etudiant]

Etudiant - Iran is not within the WP boundaries that they are using.

All the best

My bad. Their web site map makes it very clear.
Are the marshes of the Tigris and Euphrates included?

 

[DanielDoer]

17 days is a very long trip for Kuwait and early January is a good time to clear up lingering rarities as well a good time for at least one other trip.

All the best

If I read the planned itinerary correctly, they plan to do lingering rarities from 18th January onwards. I don't see a big difference to the beginning of January in respect of the chance to get vagrants. And in starting now Kuwait they saved the travel time to there in 2017 - and probably were able to do some preparing birding on the last days of 2016? We will see how they will go...

In every instance good that they started and we can discuss the real thing in this forum. The discussion in the end of 2016 really got as theoretically as the one in the end of 2015 before Arjan started!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Daniel

I agree that chasing rarities from 1st or 18th January is a marginal difference and they have two quality birds - Crested Honey Buzzard and Indian Roller - for only three days effort. I wonder by the end of the year if they'll regret not having done an Israel winter trip (Saker & Sociable Lapwing as well as easier Syrian Serin & Sinai Rosefinch) but that could certainly be remedied in November or December.

I'm not sure what they'll be seeing from 10th January though there remain a number of species to target for now - looking at my list in post 141. (Hooded Wheatear should have been in the rarities list in that.)

All the best

 

[Dave Ball]

Dave - you mean Hudsonian Whimbrel.

Whoops, so I did . Too much switching between Birdguides and what I was writing on a phone, also probably just that I enjoyed the Hudwit much more than the HudWhim, after not going for the Blacktoft one (inexperience).

Black Scoter, Pacific Diver, Cackling Goose, Surf Scoter, Killdeer and Bonaparte's Gull are not. Also Lesser Scaup and Hudsonian Whimbrel worth seeing now.

http://www.birdingazores.com/?page=2011checklist

All the best

Yup, those ones particularly. Just typed a load more comment and managed to delete it :C

 

[Dave Ball]

If I read the planned itinerary correctly, they plan to do lingering rarities from 18th January onwards. I don't see a big difference to the beginning of January in respect of the chance to get vagrants. And in starting now Kuwait they saved the travel time to there in 2017 - and probably were able to do some preparing birding on the last days of 2016? We will see how they will go...

In every instance good that they started and we can discuss the real thing in this forum. The discussion in the end of 2016 really got as theoretically as the one in the end of 2015 before Arjan started!

Just thought that birds get pinned down more by year listers in the first few days, but doing the outward flight to Kuwait in 2016 is a good point.

 

[Nutcracker]

http://www.bigyearwp.com/index.php/igoterra-ticks/

Anthus campestris campestris, 30
White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis, 0
Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis, 10

Already asked, but no-one answered - I presume the number after the species is the number seen / heard. But how then can they count White-eared Bulbul if they didn't see or hear any?

Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto, 0

Eeeugh. I should hope not! Collared space Dove, please!

And Southern Grey Shrike./

The WP is NOT part of the USA.

 

[Paul Chapman]

If I'm copying a list, I'm not worrying about changing the names..... Feel free to contact the website.

Though I'm unfamiliar with the website, the zero must mean not counted as the species that it is marked against are the commoner species present.

All the best

 

[Nutcracker]

If I'm copying a list, I'm not worrying about changing the names..... Feel free to contact the website.

Though I'm unfamiliar with the website, the zero must mean not counted as the species that it is marked against are the commoner species present.

All the best

Aye, sorry - not getting at you (the messenger)! But the people doing the website visit here so I hope they'll see it and take note

 

[lewis20126]

Common Babbler in Kuwait is Afgan Babbler in Clements I think, not sure about ioc

Cheers, a

 

[Xenospiza]

Edit: and it is of corse just the same with other forms of transport, like rail. Really shocking:

It's your spelling of "course" that is shocking!
People in glass houses etc.

 

[Richard Prior]

Wel, nobodie's perfict Xeno,.

 

[DanielDoer]

Daniel
...
I'm not sure what they'll be seeing from 10th January though there remain a number of species to target for now - looking at my list in post 141. (Hooded Wheatear should have been in the rarities list in that.)

All the best

I think we are all a little bit spoiled (don't really know if that is the best English word for what I mean ) by the pace that Noah and Arjan used to have (and needed to have! ) in their worldwide attempts (although the slow starting in Kuwait reminds a little bit of Noah's start in Antarctica). I think a much slower approach could be fitting for the WP for e.g. these reasons:
1) they cannot afford to miss any uncommon but regular visitor (in opposition to the world Big Year), especially as they won't be able to visit neighbouring countries as Syria or Iraq due to political instability
2) I have never been to Kuwait and am not able to guess whether there are other birders around at the moment or how connected these birders are. So probably they have to find all rarities by themselves? Then the slow approach with covering less area per day and intensive birding there could fit for a grand total (they seem to do this approach as they didn't add many species per day but quality species from day 2 onwards)
3) they probably have no possibility to come back to Kuwait for a winter rarity that occurs after there departure due to visa and cost reasons
4) and they can do other winter birding in e.g. Israel in the end of 2017 to clean up with missing rarities as Paul already said

Are there still Siberian Accentors around in Sweden or Finland in 2017? That would have been the only reason for me to change plans spontaneously

 

[Jos Stratford]

Ah, looks like classic rip-off Britain at work here: UK people just aren't used to this sort of reasonable behaviour. I just checked "flight newcastle madrid tomorrow" (similar distance, from a similar-sized regional city), and got £127, which is about €140-ish. More than double, for effectively the same.

Edit: and it is of corse just the same with other forms of transport, like rail. Really shocking:

Plenty of flights London to Madrid both today and tomorrow for just 28 UKP ...last minute travel from the UK is hardly a rip off.

I would agree with Paul that WP is in many ways logistically easier ...one difference I suppose could be the lack of rarity news in much of the region (south and east especially)

 

[Paul Chapman]

I would agree with Paul that WP is in many ways logistically easier ...one difference I suppose could be the lack of rarity news in much of the region (south and east especially)

Though more chance of finding your own rarity. Certainly towards the end of the Kuwait trip, unless they are still chasing an elusive Shikra or something, they stand more chance of finding a WP rarity - say something like Hume's Wheatear, Eversmann's Redstart or perhaps Ashy or Black Drongo.

All the best