Small island birding (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

I'd go Shetland rather than Fair Isle: even if I had to pick a single island I'd say Shetland Mainland. Varied habitats, room to go birding somewhere different occasionally and great for migration and vagrants, not to mention cetaceans and seals. Its many years since I saw Harp Seal there but it must get stuff that isn't seen....

John

 

[cajanuma]

Linosa, of course!

 

[temmie]

Madagascar would be fun. It's not THAT big and it has, as the rules require, a rather small bird diversity. (If you can have Fiuji, you can as well have Taiwan or Sri Lanka, no?)

Jokes aside, I would rather choose e.g. Texel / Schiermonnikoog (The Netherlands) and Corvo / Flores (Azores) than anything too tropical.

Maybe just for casual birding and enjoying life and nature, I would pick one of the Canaries or look into a place like Okinawa, where you can have diving as well.

 

[cajanuma]

The Caribbean would also give you lots of options for good migrants, vagrants and wintering birds, year-round diving and snorkeling, and the local endemics. Maybe one of the less-visited islands of the Bahamas? Or Providencia, which is politically part of Colombia.

Islands off the east coast of North America would also give you great year-round birding. Block Island maybe, or one of the islands of the Outer Banks in North Carolina? Or if you wanted the conforts of an urban lifestyle combined with good birding, technically New York City is on three small islands (Long Island, Manhattan, or Staten Island, take your pick...)

 

[Andy Hurley]

I think I would choose Heligoland: a rocky island with high-seas vibe. It has a surprising number of rarities, no traffic, except council repair types. Plenty of different areas to bird in.

EDIT; either that or St Kilda, but it is not easy to live there, unless you are a sheep or seabird, or with the military..

 

[01101001]

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www.birdforum.net

 

[pbjosh]

Or Providencia, which is politically part of Colombia.

I considered this for sure. Other options for the Caribbean that tempt me the most (personally) would probably be DR or PR or perhaps Guadelupe or Martinique.

 

[dandsblair]

I'd go for Waigeo, great endemic birds (still a couple we need), brilliant diving / snorkelling and some migration we saw some completely unexpected birds moving through.
If I had to see a bird every day then Wilson's BoP would be a good choice.

 

[RyanI]

I’d move back to the Falklands, probably the best seawatching in the world!

 

[dantheman]

I remember reading this when I was young (probably still have it somewhere)

The Sixpenny Island

The Swifts weren't exactly enjoying the move to Austral…

www.goodreads.com

(Possibly a more modern take on Robinson Crusoe). On the basis that no major perils or diseases the idea of a minimally inhabited desert island type scenario definitely appeals. Forget about part-time migrant appeal - as long as it had reasonable diversity/chance of the unexpected, then overall climate when birding wasn't great (not sure I'd want to be on a Northern Isle the whole winter through) and other animal and plant groups for interest and a whole life style choice ...

 

[Dortmundbirder]

Id think about Cozumel. You get Migration, You have beautiful birds, and best of all Mexican food and lifestyle.