# Global Big Day - 14th May



## TheJock (Feb 11, 2016)

I thought this topic might interest CR members considering the most popular threads within this area are bird related.
I’ve arranged the day off work and I’ll be heading out from sunrise to sunset to try and obtain the “magic 100 species” from 5 locations around Dubai, last year the UAE recorded 51 species by 6am, not bad considering that sunrise is 5.43am on the 14th May this year!!
I’ve prepared a word document with 100 lines for my entries, I’m hoping to see my sheet completed by the end of the day.

Spotters are requested to register on eBird and to submit your lists there, Cornell Lab’s of Ornithology recorded well over 5,000 species in one day last year and they hope to smash that record this year.
I’m really looking forward to my own big day out and I’m excited to see how my list measures up to my expectations at the end of the day.

Here’s a link to the main page and their Facebook page.

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/globalbigday/ 

eBird https://www.facebook.com/events/830486043697755/ 

Cheers
Stewart 8)

UPDATED: eBird contacted me with the 2016 official date.


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## TheJock (May 15, 2016)

Well that's the big day done for this year!
I managed to clock up 72 species from sunrise to sunset yesterday, which will hopefully go towards my countries total, last year we had 88, so I'm waiting to see our final report.
I will add some images in the various bird threads, but you can check on the global census from this link, here's hoping we expand on last years figure of 6,158!!!

http://ebird.org/ebird/globalbigday 

My checklist:

Number of Checklists: 3
Number of Taxa: 72

4 Greylag Goose (Domestic type) -- (1),(3)
2 Mute Swan -- (3)
2 Black Swan -- (3)
9 Egyptian Goose -- (1),(3)
4 Common Shelduck -- (3)
4 Mallard -- (1)
7 Mallard (Domestic type) -- (3)
1 Northern Shoveler -- (3)
15 Grey Francolin -- (1),(2),(3)
7 Little Grebe -- (1),(3)
43 Greater Flamingo -- (2)
1 Socotra Cormorant -- (1)
1 Little Bittern -- (1)
36 Grey Heron -- (1),(2),(3)
4 Purple Heron -- (1)
4 Great Egret -- (1),(2)
11 Little Egret -- (1)
19 Western Reef-Heron -- (1),(2),(3)
5 Striated Heron -- (1),(2),(3)
9 Eurasian Spoonbill -- (2)
5 Macqueen's Bustard -- (3)
14 Common Moorhen -- (2),(3)
1 Eurasian Coot -- (1)
45 Black-winged Stilt -- (1),(2),(3)
35 Red-wattled Lapwing -- (1),(2),(3)
6 White-tailed Lapwing -- (1)
17 Kentish Plover -- (2),(3)
2 Little Ringed Plover -- (3)
1 Common Sandpiper -- (3)
2 Eurasian Curlew -- (1),(2)
8 Sanderling -- (1),(3)
2 Cream-colored Courser -- (3)
5 Black-headed Gull -- (1)
1 Gull-billed Tern -- (3)
2 Common Tern -- (1)
33 Feral Pigeon -- (1),(2),(3)
1 European Turtle-Dove -- (3)
35 Eurasian Collared-Dove -- (1),(2),(3)
44 Laughing Dove -- (1),(2),(3)
13 Pallid Swift -- (1)
3 Eurasian Hoopoe -- (3)
1 Green Bee-eater -- (3)
1 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater -- (1)
1 European Roller -- (3)
5 Indian Roller -- (3)
4 Common Kestrel -- (1)
3 Ring-necked Parakeet -- (3)
1 Isabelline Shrike -- (3)
1 Southern Grey Shrike -- (3)
18 House Crow -- (1),(3)
5 Brown-necked Raven -- (3)
1 Greater Hoopoe-Lark -- (3)
1 Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark -- (3)
10 Crested Lark -- (1),(3)
21 Red-vented Bulbul -- (1),(3)
12 White-eared Bulbul -- (1)
10 White-spectacled Bulbul -- (3)
10 Clamorous Reed-Warbler -- (1),(3)
5 Graceful Prinia -- (1),(2),(3)
2 Arabian Babbler -- (3)
1 Spotted Flycatcher -- (1)
43 Common Myna -- (1),(2)
106 Bank Myna -- (1),(3)
13 Purple Sunbird -- (1),(2),(3)
1 Citrine Wagtail -- (3)
1 Tree Pipit -- (2)
1 pipit sp. -- (1)
1 Ortolan Bunting -- (1)
2 Striolated Bunting -- (1)
54 House Sparrow -- (1),(2),(3)
1 Streaked Weaver -- (1)
15 Indian Silverbill -- (1),(3)


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## candyman (May 15, 2016)

Stewart K said:


> ............
> I managed to clock up 72 species from sunrise to sunset yesterday, which will hopefully go towards my countries total, last year we had 88, so I'm waiting to see our final report.
> I will add some images in the various bird threads, but you can check on the global census from this link, here's hoping we expand on last years figure of 6,158!!!
> 
> ...


That is an impressive count. What was the area size in which you count those 72 species?


I went on May 7th and counted 22 from 07:00 AM until about 4:30 PM. And as extra I counted on 9 species also male & female


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## rfdesigner (May 15, 2016)

That's a seriously impressive list... did you have to get images of each one or just see them?

One thing that's puzzling me, and I have googled for an answer, checked the Cornell site etc, but no explanation.

why the name?.. to me it sounds American (i.e. Big must be good), in this case does "big" stand for something?


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## TheJock (May 16, 2016)

rfdesigner said:


> That's a seriously impressive list... did you have to get images of each one or just see them?
> 
> One thing that's puzzling me, and I have googled for an answer, checked the Cornell site etc, but no explanation.
> 
> why the name?.. to me it sounds American (i.e. Big must be good), in this case does "big" stand for something?


Hi mate,

I saw a film called the Big Year (Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black) were people basically take an entire year out to visit as many places as possible to add species to their count, I think this is mainly done in the USA, but I might be wrong.
The Global Big Day is just this but on a smaller time scale, but larger overall (Global).
I took images of some, and viewed a lot of the more common species with my binoculars, I’m even getting used to ID from some of the calls, which also counts!!
I used a 70D with a 16-35 II, a 7DII with a 1.4xTCIII + 100-400L and a 5DIII with a 200-400L on the day, I’ll upload some images once I get a chance to sort through them.


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## rfdesigner (May 16, 2016)

Stewart K said:


> rfdesigner said:
> 
> 
> > That's a seriously impressive list... did you have to get images of each one or just see them?
> ...



Thanks for the explanation.. it's doesn't seem to have way across the pond.

I'll look forward to seeing your images.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 17, 2016)

I probably could not find 72 different species, but I'll try to name some that come around our place. 

We get Crows, More Crows, we get hundreds. Same with Magpies, big flocks of them, even more starlings, mourning doves, several humming bird species, three species of wild turkeys, grouse, Quail, House finches, rosey finches, gold finches, sparrows, robins, killdeer, Canadian geese and lots of ducks, eagles, osprey, great horned owls, long eared owls, red tail hawks, ring neck pheasants, blue heron, vultures, red wing blackbirds, siskins, crossbills (don't know their species), bluebirds, multiple woodpecker species, and more that I can't recall off the top of my head. Finding 72 in one day is amazing to me, my list is more of a year around one.


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## TeT (May 17, 2016)

Traditionally it is an honor system with most birding "competitions".


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