It had been a long day and it was time for a beer. I left my place of work, the RSPB Vane Farm Reserve, Loch Leven and headed for the public bar in Kirklands Hotel, Kinross. It was a time for reflection. I was having one of those ‘What’s it all about Alfie’ moments.
Actually, what IS it all about anyway? What do I want to do with the last third of my life? What are my ‘life targets’?
I took a measured sip of my pint, got out my notebook, borrowed a pen from the barman and said to myself ‘OK, let’s write them down’. After the predictable ‘see wolf in Europe’ ‘walk from John O’Groats to Lands End’, ‘drive the Alcan’, ‘see leopard’, in fact ‘see Snow Leopard’ - I think the alcohol was having an effect by then. Finally, it came to lists - the birders’ obsession – but what were my ambitions? 500 in Britain, 400 in Scotland, 350 self found in Britain. But what about the WP? 700? Yeh, why not, a nice, round figure and achievable!
Over the next few weeks I started to plan visits to the places I still needed to go – Southern Egypt, Finland, Corsica…… This plan, of course, had a practical section - on how I am going to get there – work trip, family holiday, lad’s week away, or a quick weekend trip.
To see 700 species in the Western Palearctic, there are some important building block countries – Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Finland and one of the central European alternatives Poland, Latvia, Czech Republic or Slovakia.
There are two basic approaches – go to these countries and try to ‘get everything’ then move on to the next one. I have never been a ‘get everything’ person so I have tended to go for the other approach – organise fun visits to various parts of various countries with one or two personal target species. So when I went to Egypt in January to suss out future trips for Oliva Rama Tours with Jules Sykes, Keith Morton and Ian Wilson I had two targets; Lappet-faced Vulture and Goliath Heron.
Lappet-faced Vulture turned out to be a bit of a struggle, searching the acacia around El Shalatein with the light beginning to go. However Jules pulled the prize out of the bag. The next day we saw Goliath Heron at Wadi Lahami and were lucky enough to pick up the bonus WP bird for me at Hamata pier – Brown Booby! We did the Egypt trip for £500 (including free booze at the hotel). Next year we will go again, same deal but later in the year, where my target birds will be Crab Plover and White-cheeked Tern.
Brown Booby with Sooty and White-eyed Gulls, copyright Oliva Rama Tours
Anyone interested in Red Sea specialities and inexpensive trips to see them as well as great diving should look into all exclusive deals at Hurghada, then check out car hire for a two day trip to the very south of the country where there is good over night accommodation at the diving school at Wadi Lahami.
For more images from Egypt (January 2008) click here
‘Phew! Bit of a slog’ I turned to Callum Scott and commented as we puffed our way up the mountains in Georgia. Ahead of us the ever keen, and rather fit, Andy Clifton. This is one of the eastern outposts of the Western Palearctic. Our targets are the mountain species Great Rosefinch, Guldenstadt’s Redstart and Caucasian Black Grouse. Twenty years before I had seen some of the species in eastern Turkey but these days a trip to Georgia and Armenia is probably the best option and it also allows the WP bird hunter to find White-tailed Plover, White Throated Robin, Upchar’s,Warbler, Persian Wheatear and Semi-collared Flycatcher. The great thing about a trip like this is the chance to find something really special in WP terms. Georgia is not a well watched country and working new areas and looking for new WP breeders are on the agenda.
Of course there is a down side to these new discoveries for the individual lister. I thought I had Turkey ‘sown up’ before the discovery of Mongolian Finch and Iraq Babbler, now I may have to re-visit and look for two species in very different areas.
It is not all just about listing, going for the easy options, going for the ‘safe packages’. There is more to being a WP birder than just getting to 700. Two other aspects to any birding project are adventure and contribution. The Western Palearctic gives opportunity for both. From crazy nights in Quarzazate, Morocco to finding a new species for a country.
If I did re-visit Turkey is it worth looking for Brown Fish Owl? This is one of the big WP questions. Brown Fish Owl used to breed in the Yamuk Valley in Jordon. It appears to have gone from there for some time but there have been recent records from Turkey. Turkey is a big country still full of ornithological secrets but is there any chance of finding a bird like this in Turkey. However, this is where listing and having adventures come into conflict. For the pure lister this would not be time well spent but for the birder who is looking for a wee adventure and a small contribution…..
Another important start point for a big WP list is, of course, a big British list. If you are on 500 for Britain you only need another 200……clearly. Mind, that 200 isn’t easy. Until recently Britain was the place to get the Nearctic vagrants but recently the Azores has probably taken over. This is where balances have to be made. I would rather spend the autumn on some isolated Scottish island or St Agnes hoping to find the big one which would hopefully be a new WP bird than going to the Azores where I would probably get more new WP birds. I am just the submissive lover to too many masters; especially my British self found list……but more of that another time!
Seabirds present the WP lister with a particular challenge. There is only a small group of’ WP ‘specials’- Bulwers petrel, White-faced Storm Petrel, Madeiran Petrel and Fea’s Petrel. Pelagics off the Canaries, Azores or Cape Verdes are the best bet although Fea’s is regular off the west coast of Ireland in late August and there is no better way to spend a few days in August than seawatching off the Bridges of Ross and staying at the lighthouse Inn in Kabana nearby. You are extremely unlikely to see any of the other species off the British coast and even if you did the record would be rejected.
We gather round the table, outside our rooms at our hostel. The Spanish night is still warm. The table looks like a kid’s midnight feast; olives, ham, cheese, bread, wine, beer…. The lads are tucking in and cracking cricket jokes. I try to speak over the clammer ‘ OK, Short-toed Eagle? ‘About 200!’ is the reply ‘nothing like it! 150’ is the response from another. Oh God, I must give up doing the bird log, I think to myself. It is the beginning of September and we are in Tarifa, southern Spain to see the raptor migration. It will be a great night, it always is. Tomorrow we will casually watch raptors and perhaps see Ruppell’s Griffon.
I am given a glass of inexpensive (second bottom shelf) red wine. I take a sip and listen to the insects. I have been lucky, I have travelled a fair bit and had many adventures however, on reflection, many of my favourite locations and many of my best times have been within the Western Palearctic!!
