Chasing birds got me into trouble
Watching birds may never become an Olympic event, but taking part in a ‘big day’ still demands all the attributes of an extreme athlete. Only those who have attempted to see as many species as possible over 24 hours will know how the challenge needs the stamina, fortitude, courage and mental strength of a gold-medal winner.
Over the years I have entered many birda-thons – and just about survived to tell the tale. America’s grandly named World Series of Birding saw me almost swept away by a terrifying waterspout, sucked dry by bloodthirsty ticks and peering clandestinely into a Mafia don’s mansion grounds to see Blackburnian and magnolia warblers. One false move could have seen me swimming with the kingfishers in the Hudson.
Another time, chasing wheatears and larks in the gruelling Champions of the Flyway, I came face to face with fearsomelooking wolves, and I had to extract our race team’s Subaru out of sinking sands in the 90 degree temperatures of Israel’s unforgiving Negev Desert.
This year, Covid travel restrictions have clipped the wings of international competitors gathering overseas to bird race, yet thousands will be coming together to take part in next weekend’s Global Big Day on their own doorsteps.
Following on from the success of last autumn’s Global Birding Weekend, which saw participants sighting a world recordbreaking tally of 7,125 species, the event’s creator, Tim Appleton MBE, has set a new quest for teams during the height of spring migration.
The Global Big Day, ringed on the calendar for May 8, has already attracted entries from Mongolia, Sudan, Colombia, Albania, Cape Verde, India, Jordan, Anguilla, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Australia, Egypt and China, with Panama registering six separate teams for the event. Individuals are also welcome to take part.
Besides listing sightings on the eBird online data portal created by the Cornel Lab of Ornithology to collate bird records, observers will also be raising funds for BirdLife International’s Fight for Survival appeal to combat the illegal killing of birds.
For more details on how to take part or support teams in their fund-raising efforts, go to globalbirding.org.
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I peered into a Mafia don’s mansion grounds to try and spot warblers...