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My Big Year 2025

Post 1
January 26th

Gavin Ailes for Audubird

I work in an international school as does my wife.  Right now we’re in Ghana in West Africa. Normally you have to let your school know if you’d like to stay another year in the October/November time for the following academic year. That means that you know well in advance where you’re going to be the following year. In a transition year you may well be in the position to have a good year for birds. The first 6 months of the calendar year you’re in one continent and then, the next 6 months you’re in another continent. My biggest year so far (635 species) was exactly that situation where I worked in Myanmar and then moved to Ghana. Six months of Asian birds and then six months of African birds with 70 or so UK birds thrown in, in the summer.  That year was boosted by a great trip to Kenya over the Christmas period at the end of the year – 250 species in 3 weeks or so.

Some Kenyan Highlights from 2023

Grey Crowned-Crane

Little Bee-eater

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Now I find myself in the same position but with some pretty major extra boosts. This year we will move to Brazil in July. In addition to the fact of moving to the country with the second highest diversity of bird species in the world, I am also retiring. That means I am going to have a lot of time to go birding. My wife has a job so that gives me even more time. In addition to that, this year started in South Africa. Normally, our December break finishes fairly early in January so you don’t always get too many birds in the beginning of the year but this year was a bit longer in January so I had a great start to the year. Finally, I have a good friend who is an avid birder who is coming to Ghana by chance on a 6 week work contract. We will go birding a lot so I know my African count will be good before I move to Brazil – hence a big year.

Goal – 826 birds

Goals

My first goal is to get 826 birds which should be possible. If I can get 300 bird species by the time we go to Brazil then 526 is doable in 6 months in South America. Why 826? Well, that guy who is coming to Ghana… His best year is 825. We have been having a friendly competition over the last three years and it’s 2 – 1 to him so….. My stretch goal is 1,000 birds because, well, that’s a nice number but to put that into perspective, even 1,000 birds doesn’t put you in the top 100 birders. To get into that hallowed list, at least on e-bird, in 2024 you would have had to have had 1,647 birds. That place, funnily enough, also went to a person called Gavin so I’m taking that as a good sign. My best year was 635 species in 2023 and that year I was ranked place number 2,873.

My blogging goal is to post at least once a month with updates of the number of species and show highlight sightings, photos and videos. I am posting this blog on Sunday January 26th and at this point I have a very healthy 141 birds, which is almost double my best ever January. Before this year I managed 71 birds in January twice so it’s definitely a good start. Although I’m pretty happy with that number it only places me number 6,085 in the world so I’m a long way from fame!

Highlights so far would have to be the Narina Trogon and Purple-crested Turaco, both seen in the same spot in South Africa. This was on a short walk up to a waterfall next to Blyde River Canyon near Kruger National Park. Also, I was very pleased with the Cut Throat simply because it has a great name and like the other two birds was a lifer for me. The Cut Throat I saw while having lunch at Hoedspruit Brewing Company, in Hoedspruit, South Africa. There were also Red-headed Weavers in the same spot which were a delight to see.

Narina Trogon

Cut Throat

Purple-crested Turaco