2017 World Year List

Mauritius Oct 23

DEC: Phenomenal haul of 67 life birds in Central and Southern Maluku, notably clean sweep of Tanimbar, most Seram and Buru endems, best being Salmon-crested Cockatoo, all 3 forms each of Tyto and Ninox, Lazuli Kingfisher, Geokichla thrushes, surprisingly cool Long-crested Myna, egg-laying Moluccan Megapodes, and awesome CHINESE CRESTED TERN off Seram (plus equally phenomenal “muck diving” in Ambon Bay, with “fish megas” like Psychedelic Frogfish, 2 spp Rhinopias, Stargazer, Flashlightfish etc); NOV: N Queensland & W Australia (incl Aus Snubfin Dolphin, Dingo, Red Kangaroo); Solomon Islands, with White-collared Monarch, Ultramarine Kingfisher, Solomon Sea-Eagle, Beck's Petrel, Heinroth's Shearwater etc; OCT: Madagascar, with Mad Crested Ibis, Cuckoo Roller, ground-rollers and other Malagasy goodies (along with 27 spp lemur, incl Perrier's Sifaka); South Brazil in Parana, Santa Catarina & RG do Sul, with Blue-bellied Parrot, Long-t & Black-cap S-Owls, Canebrake Groundcr, Long-t Cinclodes, Speckle-br & Variegated Antpittas, Kaempfer’s T-T, Chestnut- & Black-b Tanagers etc; SEP: Pantanal, with Blaze-w Parakeets (plus SEVEN fantastic Jaguars, Ocelot, Giant Anteater with young etc); Manaus & Cristalino, with Dark-winged Trumpeter, Cryptic F-Falcon, Bare-eyed & Xingu Scale-b Antbirds, Zimmer’s T-T etc; AUG: Ceara, northern Bahia & Alagoas, with the LEAR’S MACAW spectacle, Araripe Manakin, Hooded & Ceara Gnateaters, Great Xenops & Alagoas specialties; Abbott's Starling en route to summit of Mt Kilimanjaro; JUL: Sharpe's Longclaw, Turner's Ere in Kenya; JUN: Japan, with Amami & Okinawa endems plus Yellow Bunting, Marsh Grassbird, Jap Reed Bunting (World #8800) (plus cool Raccoon Dog, Japanese Serow, Amami Bl Rabbit); Russian Far East with Asian Rosy Finch, Smew, Steller's Sea Eagle, Spectacled & Steller's Eiders, Short-tailed Albie etc (plus Snow Sheep, Walrus, Kamchatka Bears); MAY: Uganda, with Shoebill (plus Mtn Gorillas and supporting cast); APR: Flock at Sea off Cape Town, with cool Sooty and Light-m albies, White-h & Grey Petrels, Salvin's Prion etc; Long-awaited GOULD’S SHORTWING (whilst on a successful quest for Red Panda in Singalila NP, India); MAR: Sri Lanka endems & specials; filling in gaps with Pale-h Woodpecker & Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker, amongst usual Himalayan goodies, in Bhutan; ALL the ARFAK endemics and specialties, notably WESTERN PAROTIA at his arena, VOGELKOP BOWERB in all his designer glory, point-blank WHITE-STR F RAIL, loads of Grey-banded Munia, and best of all, INSANE displays of BLACK-B & BLACK SICKLEBILLS (can birding get any better than this?!); FEB: Dive trip to Weda Bay meant Halmahera cleanup, with superb AZURE DOLLARBIRD and newly split North Moluccan Pitta; JAN: Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher at Iguazu was 1st new bird of 2017; Falklands, S Georgia & Antarctica

Total at end of November after Tours in Sri Lanka (Serendib Scops Owl), Thailand (Spoon-billed Sandpiper), and Costa Rica (498sp in 12.5 days) and trips to Colombia (Sword-billed Hummer, lots of Santa Marta endemics), brief stops in US (Bald Eagle), Peru (Hudson's Black Tyrant - 1st male for country, poss 3rd national record TBC), Iceland (Gyr, Harlequin), and bird of the Year Shoebill in Uganda. An Outback targeting specifics rather than list-padding resulted in Grey Falcon and other quality over quantity!

Finally updated with all Costa Rica stuff from Oct! Choco Vireo, Rufous-crowned Antpitta, Yellow-throated Spadebill, Western Striolated Puffbird, Grey-tailed Piha, Band-bellied Owl, Napo Sabrewing, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, White-capped Tanager, White-bellied Antpitta, Black-backed Bush-Tanager, Torrent Duck, San Isidro Owl, Violet-throated Metaltail, Virginia (Ecuadorian) Rail, Giant Conebill, Crescent-faced Antpitta, Red-faced Parrot, Chestnut-bellied Cotinga, Mountain Caracara, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Bearded Guan, Jocotoco & Undulated Antpittas, Maranon Thrush, Tumbes Tyrant, Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, Elegant Crescentchest, Watkins's Antpitta, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, El Oro Tapaculo (SEEN!), Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, and Plain-breasted Ground-Dove in S Ecuador, tour continues. Oilbird in Quito....Picked up a few in UK, including Bearded Reedling and Med Gull! Madagascar: Madagascar Pond-Heron, Meller’s DuckMadagascar Wood Rail, Red-breated Coua, Pitta-like and Rufous-headed Ground Rollers, Collared Nightjar, Giant, Red-capped, Running, Coquerel's Couas, Subdesert Mesite, Madagascar Plover, Long-tailed Ground Roller, and White-browed Owl. Few extras on Costa Rica Bird Challenge, like Mangrove Hummingbird, Bare-shanked Screech-Owl and Pacific Screech-Owl. Costa Rica-Madagascar up next...Tanager Finch, White-throated Screech-Owl and Rufous-breasted Antthrush in Ecuador. Fully updated with Borneo data in eBird. Halmahera: Moluccan Scrubfowl, Ivory-breasted Pitta, Moluccan Goshawk, Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Dove, Moluccan King-parrot, Purple Dollarbird. Sulawesi at moment: Great Shortwing, Red-backed Thrush, Sulawesi Pitta, Hylocitrea, Minahassa Masked Owl, Maleo etc. Sichuan (China): Firethroat, Golden-fronted Fulvetta, Pere David's Owl, Przevalski's Pinktail, Chinese Grey Shrike, Chinese Monal, Lady Amherst's Pheasant. Texas: Wilson's Phalaropes, Cape May, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, Bachman's Sparrow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, Painted Bunting, Kentucky Warbler, Swallow-tailed Kite...continues. Jamaica: White-tailed Tropicbird, Black-billed Parrot, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo, Jamaican Owl, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Jamaican Mango, Bahama Mockingbird, Jamaican Tody, Jamaican Spindalis, Yellow-billed Parrot, Red-billed Streamertail, Northern Potoo. Stint at Shiripuno Lodge in Ecuador: Black-necked Red-Cotinga, Pearly Antshrike, Collared and Spotted Puffbirds, Salvin's Curassow, Rufous Potoo, Fiery Topaz, Ash-throated Gnateater, Yasuni Antwren, White-lored Antpitta, White-crested Spadebill. Finished in Canada: Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing, Great Grey, Long-eared, Barred and Snowy Owls, Rough-legged Hawk, King Eider, Northern Shrike. Costa Rica: Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Grey-throated Leaftosser, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Orange-bellied Trogon, Long-tailed Manakin, Black-breasted Wood-Quail, Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, Double-striped Thick-knee, Baird's Trogon, Long-tailed Woodcreeper, Turquoise Cotinga, Resplendent Quetzal, Wrenthrush, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatcher, Lattice-tailed Trogon, White-throated Shrike-Tanager, Spectacled and Vermiculated Screech-Owls, Black-crested Coquette in Costa Rica (continuing); Rancho Naturalista (Costa Rica)-Thicket Antpitta, Snowcap, Black-crested Coquette, Tawny-chested Flycatcher. Panama finished-Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Rufous-winged Tanager, Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Black-chested Puffbird, Tacarcuna Chlorospingus, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Rufous-crested Coquette, male Snowcap, Tody Motmot, Black-crowned Antpitta, Lance-tailed Manakin, Blue Cotinga. A few days in the Ecuadorian Amazon-Harpy Eagle, Crested Owl, Great and Common Potoos, Plum-throated Cotinga..

Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, China (Sichuan), Japan, Brazil, Australia, Canary Islands, UK

Panama, Bhutan, China, PNG, Fiji, Samoa, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India

trips to Chile/Arg, China, South Africa, Vanuatu, Solomons, Australia,Costa Rica etc

Trips to Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina, Antarctica, PNG, Spain, Oman.

Busy start to the year with trips to Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica! Highlights... easy. Rufous-crowned and Black-crowned Antpittas (Gnatpittas). Oh... and a fine Bare-necked Umbrellabird! And now an amazing male Pallid Harrier just near our house!!

Total as of 30 October after tour to Madagascar recording all Ground Rollers, All Coua's, Cuckoo Roller, Red-tailed Tropicbird and most of the Bernieridae and Vanga's. Shoebill and Green-breasted Pitta in Uganda with Andy Walker, Sooty Albatross off the coast of South Africa on Birdlife South Africa's Flock at sea event in April this year, and most recently some Namibian near endemics such as Rockrunner, Cinderella Waxbill and Dune Lark! Update end September 2017.

Concluded 2017 with some birding down through the ranges to the coast at Yamba, NE NSW, Australia. Best bird was undoubtedly the four Glossy Black Cockatoos and my last new bird for the year was Azure Kingfisher. Sept/Oct - A major five week expedition to a previously unexplored part of Indonesian New Guinea inevitably produced some great birds not least of which was a NG Harpy Eagle flying around my camp prior to dawn. July - First Common Wombat in many years plus a gorgeous male Rose Robin in our garden. June - Singapore, Sulawesi and Central Java - As always fabulous birding in this neck of the woods BUT the standout was Minahassa Masked Owl at long last in Tangkoko plus four species of Sulawesi Macaques and Spectral Tarsier. April/May - My 30th trip to Bhutan produced a dream departure which garnered 3 new birds for my Bhutan list: Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Barred Buttonquail and Large Sand-Plover plus good numbers of male Satyr Tragopans, Monal, and Blood Pheasants. Plus Ward's Trogon and all the other goodies that this fabulous place is so rightly world renown. Five weeks in Ethiopia produced some superb birding and mammal encounters incl: Simien Wolf, Caracal, Serval, Gelada Baboon along with virtually all of the endemics and near endemics plus a total of three Egyptian Plovers at two locations. Feb. 48 hours in a rather chilly UK; Jan. began the year birding the New England Tablelands: Koala, Plum-headed Finch.

Just Ecuador. www.pbase.com/ahlman Warbling Vireo - self-found FIRST RECORD FOR SOUTH AMERICA!, Late march; Orange-throated Tanager, seen Highland Tinamou, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Black-bellied Thorntailetc. First documented reocrd of Whistling Heron etc...

King-of-Saxony BoP, Blue BoP, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Grandala, Firethroat, Pere David's Owl, Beck's and New Zealand Petrel, Harlequin Duck.

Thailand and Eastern Australia

November West Papua: Red BoP Wilson's BoP Yellow capped Pygmy Parrot and many more. End of July: Myanmar and Singapore, Scotland England, Germany and Russia with Stellers Sea Eagle always nice and Whiskered Auklet new

Test

UK (258), Namibia (291) and South Africa (8).

Snowy Egret, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl 9/10/17 - 12/12/17