Guinness Records of Birdwatching (2 Viewers)

[jurek]

This is a thread about records of bird watching, not birds. So not which bird is the biggest or flies the fastest. Who can fill one of those records?

• The person who saw most bird species in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The person who saw most bird species in one year in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• Rarity seen by most people in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• Rarest bird with known population in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The biggest bird reserve by area in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The bird reserve with the most bird species in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The bird reserve with the most individual birds in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The most popular bird reserve in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The tallest birdwatching tower, observatory or hide in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The biggest bird hide in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?
• The most wanted bird in the world / ABA area / UK / WP? - backed by some poll or other evidence
• The biggest number of national rarities seen in one day / present in one place in the ABA area / UK / WP?
• Bird species seen by fewest persons in the world / ABA area / UK / WP?

 

[lgonz1008]

I think Rockjumper Birding did a poll for the most wanted bird by their customers a few years back and the winner was (unsurprisingly) Philippines Eagle as number 1.

Also, couldn't find a direct entry for it, but the hawkwatch in the ABA area with the largest number of Peregrine Falcons is the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, which every year on average they get over 2500 falcons per season (Results) and it's also the Southernmost hawk watch in the ABA area.

 

[Farnboro John]

I think Rockjumper Birding did a poll for the most wanted bird by their customers a few years back and the winner was (unsurprisingly) Philippines Eagle as number 1.

Also, couldn't find a direct entry for it, but the hawkwatch in the ABA area with the largest number of Peregrine Falcons is the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, which every year on average they get over 2500 falcons per season (Results) and it's also the Southernmost hawk watch in the ABA area.

I think the question was world, not USA, they aren't the same.

John

 

[lgonz1008]

I think the question was world, not USA, they aren't the same.

John

ABA is the American Birding Association which covers the North America region of Canada, continental US and Hawaii, so it does fall under one of the categories listed.

 

[Andy Adcock]

ABA is the American Birding Association which covers the North America region of Canada, continental US and Hawaii, so it does fall under one of the categories listed.

Which one?

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

For bird species seen by fewest people in U.K. - White-chinned Petrel, only seen by it’s finder. Seen by fewest birders - Yellow-nosed Albatross, although seen at 3 sites, none of the observers were birders (at the time anyway!)

 

[Xenospiza]

Which one?

I think Igonz1088 means:

• The biggest number of national rarities seen in one day / present in one place in the ABA area / UK / WP?

But I don't think Peregrine Falcon is a national rarity!

The largest number for a national rare in a day in the Netherlands is probably a flock of 61 Griffon Vultures.

Most birds seen in the world in a year: Arjan Dwarshuis
Most birds seen in the world: C-G Cederlund: You are being redirected...
Most birds seen in the WP in a year: those Swedish guys?
Most birds seen in the WP: Pierre-André Crochet: Netfugl-Krydslister

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Nomination for rarity seen by most people in the U.K.; Sammy the Black-winged Stilt at Titchwell, ever present for many years at one of the most popular RSPB reserves; or else one of the Black-browed Albatrosses?

 

[Farnboro John]

Nomination for rarity seen by most people in the U.K.; Sammy the Black-winged Stilt at Titchwell, ever present for many years at one of the most popular RSPB reserves; or else one of the Black-browed Albatrosses?

I'd say probably the Bempton Black-browed Albatross: long staying and seen - shown to - many members of the public this summer as well as birders. And pretty much universally appreciated by them, as well.

Biggest single twitch might be either the Red-breasted Nuthatch or the Golden-winged Warbler (and I wouldn't want to be waiting on the next one of either!)

John

 

[Mysticete]

Which one?

almost every single one of the questions in the initial post says "in the world/ABA area/UK"

 

[Mysticete]

Doesn't Phoebe Snetsinger, taking in account splits since her death, still hold the world record for most species of birds seen in her life?

 

[jurek]

Good, please keep going!

Yes, I meant within the world, North America, the Western Palearctic and the UK.

The rarest bird in the WP must be Siberian Crane, currently down to 1 male, which does not even visit the WP every year. The rarest WP bird by population is perhaps Madeiran or Zino's Petrel, with the estimated 160 individuals?

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Does largest number of rarities mean number of species or number of individual birds present at a site (and what defines the limits of a site?)

 

[jurek]

It would be fun to count both separately. Weren't there some flocks of double numbers of American waterfowl or waders in Britain?

About the site - hard to say, perhaps the smallest site with an individual geographic name, so not whole Corvo, Azores, but separate bays or hides in one bird reserve count as one.

 

[lgonz1008]

Doesn't Phoebe Snetsinger, taking in account splits since her death, still hold the world record for most species of birds seen in her life?

Phoebe is in the top 20 worldwide, but based on iGoTerra (which uses IOC), the top 3 rankers are:

• Claes-Göran Cederlund: 9,761 (70 HO)
• Hans Jörnvall: 9,628 (98 HO)
• Peter Kaestner: 9,607 (2 HO)

 

[Mysticete]

Good, please keep going!

Yes, I meant within the world, North America, the Western Palearctic and the UK.

The rarest bird in the WP must be Siberian Crane, currently down to 1 male, which does not even visit the WP every year. The rarest WP bird by population is perhaps Madeiran or Zino's Petrel, with the estimated 160 individuals?

Do Buttonquail still exist in Spain? Certainly that would have to rank amongst the rarest WP birds if they are still around.

For the ABA area, excluding strays and vagrants, Siberian Tit/Gray-headed Chickadee must now rank as the rarest breeding bird, perhaps not by population size but certainly on how often they are seen nowadays.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

The Buttonquail are in North Africa, but only in small numbers.

 

[jurek]

For the ABA, it is perhaps one of the irregularly breeding Mexican species?

 

[lgonz1008]

For the ABA, it is perhaps one of the irregularly breeding Mexican species?

Problem with the irregular breeders is that they change year by year, a good example would be Rose-throated Becard, one year you'd have one pair, the following years, nothing, but then after a year of good rains, their number can go up to a few pairs. And not sure if it would be a true difficult to find bird, since when one is confirmed breeding, very few birders going after them actually miss the birds.

 

[Farnboro John]

ABA is the American Birding Association which covers the North America region of Canada, continental US and Hawaii, so it does fall under one of the categories listed.

My bad, I shot from the hip without absorbing the full text. Apologies!

John