My200BirdYear
Hitting your target and planning for next year – do the groundwork now
It’s that time of year again, when you try to see those last few species to complete your # My200BirdYear list, and then turn your attention to getting your new list off to a flying start.
This year, though, things have obviously been rather different. All of us have been affected by lockdowns, some more than others, and seeing 200 species of bird is pretty difficult if you’re having to stay close to home. It’s not impossible, though, if you’re lucky enough to live in an area of varied habitat, reasonably close to a coast – read Mike Weedon’s column on page 16 to see what a gallant effort he made.
But, with at least some travel restrictions likely to continue well into 2021, you might want to spend the next couple of weeks thinking about how to tweak the challenge to suit your situation.
One reader suggested counting subspecies towards your total. On the face of it, that might make things too easy, given how many potential subspecies are out there. But it might be trickier than you think, given that not all subspecies splits are as relatively clear-cut as Pied and White Wagtail, for example, and it would be a great way of getting to grips with some of the finer points of ID, including with bird families such as gulls.
But that’s just one suggestion. If you’re planning on reshaping our #My200BirdYear challenge, why not share your ideas with other readers by emailing birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk
Do the groundwork
If you are planning to take the 2021 #My200BirdYear challenge, then now’s your chance to do some groundwork, regardless of how well you’ve done this year. Take note of the locations of species close to home, especially those birds that are scarcer in your area. In particular this will be winter visitors, such as Bramblings – you may get plenty of chances to see them in 2021, but you never know.
Chances are that many of them will still be around on New Year’s Day, so you’ll be able to see them again and get your 2021 list off to a strong start.