60 minute birding challenge

[sav]

A couple of weeks ago I had a quick recce for some of our local specialties in Hawkes Bay in preparation for a day birding with an Aussie vistor. I realised after I got home that I had seen over 40 species in about an hour, and then realised how much I had missed!!

So, this morning I set out to see how many species I could get in 60 mins. Starting with 5 minutes at home for Tui, Fantail, Grey Warbler - and no sign of the Bellbirds that have been regular at my feeder. Then to a freshwater lake for Shoveler, Grey Duck, Coot, Scaup, Mute Swan etc and then to the coast around Clive.

I hadn't thought enough about the effect of the tide - it was really high, so no chance of finding NZ Dotterel, and I would do it next time when there was some breeze to encourage seabirds (not one, not even a Gannet!).

With just an hour it is really easy to miss some obvious birds - no Barbary Dove today (until the 66th minute at least!), and just one each of White-faced Heron, Kingfisher, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer..........My biggest dips were terns - no Black-fronted at Waitangi, and not even any White-fronted!! I realised after the event that I finished my hour standing within 100m of a species that I hadnt seen : Canada Goose.

Anyway the total after 60 minutes was 48 species, and I think that with just a little more luck I could get that up into the mid-50s.

Anyone else fancy a go?

cheers

[sav]

I gave it another go this morning.

Since I was making up the rules I decided to start at the most opportune moment - that turning out to be the minute that I had California Quail and Bellbird at home (neither species seen last attempt). Add the Tui, Silvereye, Greenfinch in the back yard and it was time to go.

Same route as last time: NZ Scaup, Coot, NZ Grebe, Mute Swan, Shoveler, Grey Teal and a big fat NZ Pigeon (missed last time) at a lake outside Havelock North.

Then to Clive wetlands for Spotted and Little Shag, Great Cormorant and......minutes lost watching a Bittern out in the open, only about 20m away! Banded Dotterel and Black-billed Gull flew through, then off to the Clive rivermouth, where the tide was still rather higher than ideal, but there were Spoonbills and a Goldfinch there (how many times does one see only one Goldfinch!??).

No Barbary Doves and no Dunnock by the time I got to Waitangi- ouch!

And still no terns there apart from 2 Caspians. I clocked the Canada Geese, some Little Black Shags and scanned the sea. A reasonable NE breeze, but still not one single seabird seen in nearly 5 minutes.

I ended up with 49 species in my hour. And as I checked with my written list of "possibles", I came to the realisation that I had managed to go the entire time without seeing a Paradise Shelduck!! How!!

The 15 minute drive home produced Barbary Dove (of course) and 4 Rooks stomping about in a paddock that they were not in 40 minutes previously. The Dunnock singing in my back garden as I arrived home was just taking the p**s!

It was all remarkably good fun though, and quite exhilarating.

I added Bittern, Cal Quail, NZ Pigeon, Bellbird and Canada Goose to the last effort, and missed Pheasant, Turkey, Dunnock and Parrie. Gannet, White-fronted and Black-fronted Tern, NZ Dotterel, Variable Oystercatcher and any seabirds would add to the total.

cheers

[Michael]

Hi Sav! George and I developed something similar earlier this year which we called 'hour offs'. We did a three-part challenge in Wellington (which George came away with 2-1). We did one at Zealandia which I lost 28-29. George being a volunteer there helped him so I was happy with such a tight result. We did another at a local beach wich was 15-17, again to George. The last one we did was on Somes Island which neither of us knew very well. In fact, we had spent the many weeks earlier studying maps and ebird lists to plan effective routes. I finished on top 18-16. Unlike yours, ours were based at single locations and done on foot. Also different was that George would start 15 minutes after me. It is a great concept which could be developed into a brilliant birding game for boring afternoons

[RussCannings]

Sounds like fun,

Currently in Vancouver, bc but will try and make a run for 50 sometime in the next few weeks maybe

Russ C

[sav]

Hi Michael,

Lots of people denigrate "competition" birding in its many forms, but it does add something to the standard day. I found the first time to be pretty good fun, but the second was brilliant because I was not only competing against time and the birds, but also the previous effort.

I'll do it again next week sometime. 50 species should be easy enough, 55 my target at the moment, but how about a bird per minute for 60 mins??

Russ will be all over it!!

cheers

[RussCannings]

In North America and parts of Europe, 1 hour (or longer) "Tower Challenges" are somewhat popular. This pits different teams at their favourite bird hides against each other. With the right mix of habitats some teams crack 100 species in an hour without leaving their chair! And I'm sure the tropics could easily top that. Obviously NZ deals in lower numbers but a single spot challenge might also be fun to try (and it's green!).

Russ

[ourspot]

Most days I do an 8km bike ride around the Ngunguru area where I live in an attempt to try and get fit. Over the last few weeks I’ve begun counting the species I see along the ride and have been averaging around 30 - 35 species birds each ride.

The ride takes about 45 mins and I don’t stop riding except for a quick 2 minute stop at my Banded rail spot to see if it’s around. The ride is on the road the entire time, but luckily I’m in an area where my ride takes me through urban, coastal, estuary, farm, and wetland environments which gives a good range of bird habitats. I count birds seen or heard, but I don’t use any binos and basically the birds are all seen/heard while riding along (no exploring off the road etc).

As per any count mission there’s always the birds you thought you’d see but weren’t there, as well as the birds that were a bit of luck to come across. I reckon on a good day with all the usual birds and some lucky finds (and maybe when the waders return) I could maybe spot near 45 on the ride. By car and foot it could be even higher.

And I have to say it’s made my bike rides more enjoyable and I’m also getting a great idea of what birds are around in the various locations where I live.

Cheers
Scott

[sav]

Another attempt on Thursday morning. A couple of minutes outside my house waiting for the most opportune moment to start - and it happenned when there was a Bellbird and a Dunnock to go with the almost ever-present Tuis, Greenfinches and Silvereyes. No Grey Warbler or Fantail - but that shouldnt be a problem.

I went up the road to where my wife has been seeing California Quails and sure enough about 20 were there. Then off through Havelock North towards the lake, and eureka! 2 Barbary Doves on the wires (not surprisingly, once the dam was broken, that was the first of 4 encounters with this species in the next 50 mins or so).

All the usual stuff en route to and at the lake - so Coot, Grey Teal, NZ Scaup, NZ Dabchick, Mute and Black Swan, Shoveler, Kingfisher, Grey Warbler, Paradise Shelduck etc.

Next stop the Clive wetlands for Spotted Shag....but the whole site is closed, with diggers and workmen all over the place, and this is where I had Bittern last week as well........

OK, cut the losses and head for the Clive River mouth, where I again have horribly mis-judged the tide (moron!!) so no shorebirds except Pied Stilt, though there were 15 or so Spoonbills there.

It was about then that I realised that I hadnt yet seen a Chaffinch, although all the other common species had pitched up (or so I thought).

Waitangi then. Brilliant!, a Bittern out in the open, a Chaffinch flew through, Canada Geese but no Grey Duck (not even a half-decent candidate). And of course the tide was still high so no Banded, Black-fronted or NZ Dotterel on the list, and once again there were no Terns except Caspians.

I managed to scope the Spotted Shag roost from extreme range, and a scan of the sea revealed an albatross following a fishing boat (White-capped I think), but no other seabirds. Finally a couple of Little Black Shags flew past, and time was up.

With time not now pressing I took out my crumpled list of possibles to find that I hadnt seen a Fantail..........Oh man!

So, once again a list of 48 species in 60 minutes. What I need is a driver, so I can concentrate on looking, and can keep the list properly.

I think it will be really interesting to see how this all changes with the seasons.

Come on Russ, give it a shot!

[Liam Ballard]

Wow that sounds intense

[tim]

Today would be the better day Sav with plenty of bft, wft and heaps of albatross and other seabirds in very close. Albatross just past the breaking waves