OK. Its now time, after a week of getting used to being back at home, to state next years plans. Next year I am going to cycle to all of the RSPB and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) nature reserves, as I did back in 2010. Five years on from that last adventure, time to do it all again. This time though a target number of bird species to see. Back in 2010 the aim was to beat Chris Mills green birding year list record of 251. I did beat it but it was such an anticlimax because i felt it was by default. Days after finishing found that i hadnt put kestrel on my list! I had seen my first kestrel of that year at Middleton Lakes RSPB reserve on the second of January. I published my list and so the record stood. Then some time later, at Cley, Norfolk, I was in a hide, in the dark, awaiting light in order to hopefully see the rare western sandpiper reported there the day before. I was sitting next to a couple of Belgian birders who had come over to see the bird and during conversation with them they told me of a friend of theirs who had beaten my European (!) record. I didnt even know that birders in Belgium knew of my efforts and definitely hadnt thought of the 252 birds that I had seen being a European record. Laurent Raty, I was told, was the new European Green BIGBY record holder.(Big Green Birding Year) Now I have nothing against the Belgians (honest!) but I must get the record back and so next year I will do all I can to do so. I have a target, a dream if you will, possibly an impossible dream - 300 birds. Back in 1980 a book was published written by Richard Millington. Its beside me as I type. It was called A Twitchers Diary and the Scops Owl on its DSJ front cover stares at me. That book I feel changed birding. 300 birds Richard detailed. Other birders wanted to emulate him and did so. 300 is still a Big Year total to get but remember that Richard achieved it through being a carbon twitcher. Dont get me wrong, Ive done more than my fair share of carbon twitching in the past and no doubt will do so again and again in the future. 300 bird species in the UK in one year. Is it possible. I believe it is. Is t possible whilst visiting all of the RSPB and WWT reserves. Makes it more tricky but why not? Ive changed the itinerary and route from those of 2010 in order to hopefully maximise the bird listing capabilities. Last time I visited ancient monuments, cathedrals, museums, schools; lets be honest I had a good time! This time its birds all the way. 300 is the target and Ill do my damnest to get it. Ill be supporting the same charities as before; the RSPB, the Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and Asthma UK , hoping to raise funds for them all but i will be adding another to the list. This year I have been to Peru twice. On each occasion I stayed in the Manu rainforest region. In January I stayed at the Reserva Ecológica Chontachaka which was fabulous despite a badly infected foot. In August and again in September I stayed at Chaskawasi-Manu , a centre for children from various jungle tribes to stay at in order to receive an education and hopefully become the spokespeople for their communities in the face of environmental threats to their rainforest from Oil companies, illegal logging and mining activities. It is for the latter that I will hopefully be able to raise some funds. The 18 children at Casa Hogar Chaskawasi are 18 of the most fabulous children I have ever met and details of the project there, future plans and biographies of the children will be posted as I cycle. Right, you heard it hear first. January 1st 2015, Upton Warren nature reserve Worcestershire will be the start point and 300 the target. Please if you have any thoughts, comments, advice, get in touch.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 09:08:00 +0000