Many will remember the mega-daunting task Involving the Observers Book of Birds What could it be ? , you're sure to ask ... it seems to have attracted lots of nerds read on, read on, you birders, and see what's to be done its just about absurd as a woodlouse marathon ! Ages ago, when I was young and keen, I wrote about an amazing and daunting challenge. On January 1st, you open your moth-eaten copy of the Observer's Book of Birds. The first species you need to "get" is the Carrion Crow, next up is the Hooded Crow, then the jolly Jackdaw, the Chough ....... right through the book page by page, bird by bird, and finally finishing with the Tricky Tarmigan and, at last, the Capricious Capercaillie ! And everything in between ... in book order .... in a year !!!!! It proved to be far too tough ! You're going to want Cirl Bunting pretty soon, Snow Bunting a few pages on, Shore Lark shortly, Firecrest, Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Spot followed by Wryneck , Sea-Eagle, Montagu's Harrier ( you're roughly half-way by then)... and it goes on its relentlessly punishing schedule. Nobody .... nobody at all, managed it. Many crashed and burned midway through Feb ! Maybe some diehards battled on into the next year to try to finish it, but I suspect they had given in way before that. BUT .... BUT .... recently someone emailed me with an interesting proposition .... what about doing it in the other direction .... whizzing up to Scotland on 1st Jan to get Caper then Ptarmigan, Red Grouse, Pheasant ( dead easy), Quail, Partridge, and when summer comes you'll be well into warblers, and near the end, February-time, you'll be fine for Waxwing and Brambling , cleaning up with Jay and Magpie. It's a thought, is it not ? But .... can any of you intrepid souls out there make it OK ?
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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