I gave up on twitching years years ago for many reasons but, like a lot of birders, I like to keep a list of the species seen during the year. I used to expect to get 200+ species but in recent times153 has been my top and I have probably enjoyed my birding as much if not more. So its a new year so a new list and I wondered how others who keep lists are getting on with theirs. The corvid19 restrictions will limit the distance most of us will be travelling but many will have good birding not far from our doorsteps. So how is your 2021 bird list going in these strange unusual times ? I, like loads of others, am in that "vulnerable at risk" group so have been shielding but we still managing a decent local walk carrying our bins and I have managed 43 species in the first two weeks of the year and I've really enjoyed it. Chris has managed 46 species but her eyes are better than mine. Let's hope things with the virus will improve enough for us to catch some of the incoming Spring birds. Until then we will get on and enjoy what we have, take care folks.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
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That was a good total in '83 when you were enjoying your carefree days ! Oh yes I remember your post "Birding Men in tights" and bet you could write a book on your adventures !!
Now, one question for any of you experienced birders ...... if you had just one birding destination that you would like to visit or even revisit, where would you suggest we add to our "bucket list" bearing in mind we don't do camping anymore (or outward bound courses for that matter !) and have a comfort zone standard more akin to semi-budget variation of Park Hyatt or Marriott ;) South America seems to be on our draft wish list at the moment ..... assuming Omicron and other variants permit this type of travel - eventually. I would definitely like to See More Birds ;) before I finally hit the feather pillow in the clouds !
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Regards, Hazel
Tony
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wherryman/
Kind regards, Ann
Unknown said:Have you any preference for climate--hot, cold or just right?!
I guess at the end of the day it really comes down to the comfort of the accommodation LOL I'm not sure we would want to be on a defined intrepid explorer or group tour (we tend to like to explore surrounds on our own, safety permitting, but with benefit of local expertise knowledge available to point us in the right direction) At our age and older bones, preferably an area not too far below zero, not up mountains even though we are a pair of old goats ! and it would be nice if we could stay somewhere comfortable which has birds - even as close as in the hotel garden .............. I remember meeting a fellow birder a few years ago at Leighton Moss telling us of a famous old hotel (stayed in by some of the old ex-Hollywood stars) and a place which was used by bird tour groups . Think it was somewhere like Cuba but can't recall the name of this famous hotel ..........story goes the birders got up very early to venture out on a days bird guided tour and when they returned that evening and compared the days events it turned out the guest that stayed in the beautifully landscaped and natural hotel grounds/garden saw more birds visit the garden than the group spotted on hours of dedicated guide searching ! It's a difficult decision to make and to be honest we haven't given it much thought until recently but open to any/all suggestions. I know for sure your birding expert will have a huge list of excellent places to add to a bucket list but we'd need to live for another hundred years lol !!! thanks again Ann, much appreciated and I think Patagonia would absolutely be on the top of the list according to what I have read. For now we will have to be content and explore more of UK and then Australia will definitely be the first place we will visit after not seeing my brother for over 12 years (Northern New South Wales - Clarence Valley area) I would like to time it so I can bring you photos back of the Ospreys just down the road from his house !! I wouldn't mind a Bee-eater or two and a few Honeyeaters, raptors and sea birds.
Hazel, one spot in Europe I would love to revisit would be a little spot in the hills around Crevillent not far from Alicante called Finca Bonellis . Run by an English couple we could lie in the pool watching Bonelli's Eagles and Crag Martins. We had an ex pat experienced birder who took us to the local hot spots and into the local mountain.We were even picked up at the airport. I'm not sure if the farm is still there but the birds will be. Still in Europe any of the crossing points for migrating raptors would suit me. Further afield I would like to visit some of the big raptor migration viewing spots in the USA.Nowadays due to several long term health problems more or less rule out overseas birding, the insurance costs alone are prohibitive, mention the C word and a couple of noughts go on the price. Plenty of undiscovered birding left in the UK for Chris and myself to visit, Shetland and the Hebrides worth a revisit and I know very little about the South West of the country.
Thanks for the info Pete, sounds an interesting place once we've done a bit more of UK then Australia family catch up - eventually. I know Tony (TJ) has travelled within Europe on various birding trips including Extremadura so maybe he has a favourite place too. So much seems to be changing and a chap I was talking to at our local reserve said the Amazonian area he went to on guided tour was very disappointing with the deforestation and said he saw half the number of birds he did a decade ago. We better get our skates on if habitat is continually being ripped out in some of these areas :(