Mfuwe's second year.

[xelas]

10 hours ago, Galana said:

But I did give my 'Apprentice' a good run for his money and enjoyed the fun of the challenge and the memories it brought back.

 

The pleasure was all ours! Now the next step is to join you on one of your excellent trips!

[Galana]

24 minutes ago, xelas said:

Now the next step is to join you on one of your excellent trips!

Seats in the car. I won't take on the role of "Tour leader' but will facilitate for free. ( Or maybe a beer or two!!)

How is the diary for Feb/early March?

Thanks to all for their kind words above.

[Dave Williams]

11 hours ago, Galana said:

Thanks everyone. I raised the tease of the Baltic Gull more for a joke than a point.

 

It is of course "just" the Eastern race of Lesser Black-backed Gull to the purists but in the true spirit of this Forum and EBCs I felt it merited a tick.

 

 

 

Thanks Fred, you have just shattered my illusions of having a claim to fame in the higher ranks of the birding world.

http://indianbirds.in/pdfs/IB_14_1_Williams_Gottschling_BalticGull.pdf  I'll struggle to cope!!

 

Great achievement hitting a magnificent 600 and very magnanimous gesture settling for Bronze.

 

 

[TonyQ]

Interesting paper- another talent @Dave Williams

 

Well done @Galana on a magnificent Big Year.

Good humour and good birds throughout.

Very interesting to see where you went in Uganda, I think you will have created a lot of interest in this country as a birding destination. 

Do you contact your guide though his lodge.

[Galana]

4 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Thanks Fred, you have just shattered my illusions of having a claim to fame in the higher ranks of the birding world.

Oh Dave you have made me laugh out loud at this news!

Confession time which is said to be good for the soul. When I decided to put that story up it was almost with you in mind. Of all the contributors, I was almost certain that if any 'challenge' to my Baltic 'species' came it would be from Wales.  And here we  both are with an interest in the Baltic. Bloody Brilliant Boyo! I will drink to that!

Thanks for your kind comments too.

@TonyQ Thanks also. Uganda is a great birding destination and I did a fair job for the Ugandan Tourist Board!

My guide, Emmanuel R Gongo, Emmy to his friends, known to me for 15 years and he has guided for me this past 12 years. Born and bred in Bwindi. I was in on his plans for Broadbill Forest Camp from when I was shown the cleared site in 2013. I have to admire what he has achieved. so it was Guide first and Broadbill later.

If you want to contact him pls PM me as I don't like putting addresses on a public forum. You would struggle to find a better guide and nicer chap..That's him in the 'team photo' with the hat and striped shirt.

[Dave Williams]

15 minutes ago, Galana said:

And here we  both are with an interest in the Baltic. Bloody Brilliant Boyo! I will drink to that!

 

 

I think I may well have mentioned in the past my interest in the Baltic Gull is purely accidental, I hadn't a clue I'd seen one and it was 8 years later that I was contacted to inform me about my incredible discovery. Many a hardcore birder would have given their eye teeth for that claim to fame. Me, nah!!

You are right , it's just a big ugly seagull 

[Kitsafari]

What an amazing story about the baltic gull @Galana , and an even more incredulous one that it found its way to India via @Dave Williams. 

 

Love stories like this. Its just so amazing to me that birds - being so small and so light - can fly such distances over seas and mountains, and sometimes just go off course.

[Galana]

35 minutes ago, Kitsafari said:

can fly such distances over seas and mountains, and sometimes just go off course.

I have that problem too.

[Galana]

Having conceded 'silver' to superior quality it seems a shame to waste some EBC's I had saved up so without adding to my total you may wish to see what I had stored up.

 

000. Red-tailed Bristlebill.

 

000. UFO.

000. Chestnut Wattleeye?

000. Tulleberg's Woodpecker. ID was no problem but the darn photo was.

 

000. Probably a Jacobin Cuckoo.

 

[michael-ibk]

On 1/17/2019 at 11:49 PM, Galana said:

Not much further. I do have about six such EBCs but I feel it would be wrong to use them to steal @michael-ibk's Silver medal given the quality of his offerings so I will rest at 600 with a Bronze with apologies to my friend @TonyQ who also put up some lovely images.

 

That´s rubbish Fred, we need to stay true to the core of our Big Year principles, and the one that stands out is "Every.Bird.Counts." So by all means, your score is a hefty 605, and you beat me and I´ll happily concede the silver medal to you. After all, you are the undisputed master of EBCs, and it´s only fitting that you finish off with some truly spectacular ones. 

[Galana]

16 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

After all, you are the undisputed master of EBCs, and it´s only fitting that you finish off with some truly spectacular ones. 

Very kind of you to say so Michael. But those last EBC's, whilst masters of the art, cannot really be said to be worthy of taking your silver medal. After all I cannot even name four of them myself and I actually saw the darn bird. The UFO just photo-bombed my shot of the Coucal so in truth I never even saw it in the feathers.

So whilst it was fun my British sense of fair play just won't let me take your place on the Podium. It's just not cricket old chap!

Let's call it a draw if you feel we should.

 

I have already broken my NY resolution for BY 2019 so no doubt there will be other occasions to come!