Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

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Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Vlad Cioflec » Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:11 pm

I am wondering what lifers will you guys chase after till spring. Would be cool if you will share your top positions on the wishlist. :)


This season i am in desperate need of:

1.Tawny Owl (my favorite bird of all times; haven`t even heard a call...) :oops:
2.Common Redpoll (so delicate, so beautiful)
3.Waxwing (very rare around here... but i`ll keep my fingers crosed) :mrgreen:
4.Goosander (their bill just fascinates me) 8-)

Cheers!
Vlad
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Re: Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Kristian Munkholm » Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:48 pm

I'll play.

Though I don't do much birding any more there are a few significant species that are glaringly absent from my life list and should be relatively easy to come by not too far from here during the winter months so I guess they would provide an excellent excuse to get out more. The first that come to mind are the following:

White tailed eagle - Majestic. I've seen one in Sweden but never in Denmark.

Bittern - I've heard them but never seen one.

Short eared owl - I love owls and I've seen the other reasonably common Danish species. It's not uncommon as a breeder in Denmark as such but in my part of the country it is. A significant amount of Swedish birds winter around here, though.

The next species that came to mind was the black woodpecker. While it can certainly be found during winter I might as well wait til spring though, as it is known to breed in a couple of forests where I often go herping anyway, so hopefully it should just be a question of bringing my binoculars and looking up instead of down some of the time ;)

Funny how geography comes into play. All of your targets would be more or less trivial around here at this time of year ;)
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Re: Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Vlad Cioflec » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:06 pm

It really is interesting to compare the lists. Believe it or not, i`ve seen White tailed Eagle even in Bucharest!

But one question arises: do herpers go out in the field with their bins around their necks? I know i do, as i try to add a new species to my list with each outing; be it herp, feathered herp ;) , or mammal.
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Re: Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Kristian Munkholm » Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:03 pm

Well, I know they have been seen in Copenhagen as well - last winter catching coots on the ice in the harbour, for instance - just not by me (yet) :(

& no, usually I don't go herping with my bins around my neck. I hate lugging stuff about when I'm in the field so I go as lightweight as possible - often with just my camera in my pocket, occasionally without even that. I do keep my eyes open for all the other stuff as well, though - birds, mammals, bugs, flowers, mushrooms, etc.
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Re: Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Vlad Cioflec » Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:46 am

Winter is great to spend lots of time with the family.

True! Family birding trips till spring for me then. :D
Which brings us to another question :
What do you prefer - birding/herping alone, with other enthusiasts, or with the family :?:
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Re: Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Kristian Munkholm » Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:15 pm

Vlad Cioflec wrote:What do you prefer - birding/herping alone, with other enthusiasts, or with the family :?:


A healthy mix ;)

I love getting my family involved but most of the time the only one who shows any real enthusiasm is my son and since herping with a four year old does impose certain constraints it's nice to also explore other options. These are, for me, almost always by myself and while I thoroughly enjoy these trips and wouldn't want to be without them I would also like to spend a little more time in the field with other herpers. I truely appreciate the few times I meet up with someone and get to communicate with other herpers without being online.

... & what about you :?:
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Re: Winter wishlist - what`s yours?!

Postby Vlad Cioflec » Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:57 pm

... & what about you :?:


Best birding trips are by far those taken with my wife, as she sees most of the birds and points them to me, while i usually end up fliping stuff. :)
When going out with other nature lovers, it`s kinda tricky:
- if they are less experienced, i take it on myself to share my knowledge and show them lots of different birds; by the end of the day i am really exhausted. :) I then dream of how good birding alone is.
- if they are more experienced, i just nod and smile, and tag along only waiting for him to find me lifer; not too much fun of a trip, but a lifer is worth the effort; :mrgreen:
- if their skill and lifelist matches mine, than it`s all good; lots of jokes, a little competitive bidding; ...this people are hard to find though ;)

When i go birding alone, usually in heavy rain or hot summer days, i often end up wishing a less experienced was present. :mrgreen:

Vlad
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