9 Species to the Western Palearctic 500: What can 2019 bring?

With just 9 species to reach my Western Palearctic 500 milestone, I summarized the potential resident species to be added to my WP list, some of them, hopefully, in 2019. I have not had many birding trips within the Western Palearctic ever since I started travelling for birds, but a comprehensive trip to Turkey/Georgia and another one to Finland and northeast Norway contributed a lot to my WP list. Since I have lived in Hungary until 2012 most of the WP birds are from my home country. My Hungarian list is at 345 but I have not added any new bird species in the last 6 years. Since 2012 I have been birding in the United Kingdom what also produced some new species to the WP list. I have had quite a few short trips to Austria, Croatia, Romania, Greece, Italy and France with a few WP new birds.

I haven’t covered much of Spain, any part of North Africa and the Middle East (except Turkey), Iceland or northwest Siberia. Especially Morocco and Egypt would potentially produce a good number of life birds. A few breeding residents yet to be added to my WP list (4 of them would be life birds) in my ‘new’ homeland, namely the Rock Ptarmigan, 3 storm-petrels and the Scottish Crossbill. These are the relatively easiest species to find in terms of transportation. On the other hand, most these would require some improvements in optical gear like a decent spotting scope with a tripod. Having had an opportunity to test the Viking Optical ED 80 spotting scope for more than a year (I’m very grateful for Viking Optical for this), it brought many amazing life birds in the UK alone.

Birding destinations in the Western Palearctic where I yet to have to go.

Realistically, I would exclude a birding trip to Iceland and far northwest Russia, but Finland, Spain and maybe Morocco would be a potential destination in 2019. Morocco alone would contribute a lot to my life and WP list and would not only help to reach the WP 500, but a productive trip would greatly help to get close to the WP 600. Egypt could be another relatively cheap destination what would bring a good number of life birds. Among the more expensive alternatives, the Canary Islands and Madeira are home some WP endemic species that are high on my wish list.

The list below doesn’t contain any rarities of the Western Palearctic but as it happened during my 6 and a half years living in the United Kingdom, I have a few more opportunities to find some WP vagrants (the most likely the Lesser Scaup or the Lesser Yellowlegs and maybe the regular but rare Richard’s Pipit?).

Most of the species I listed below would be life birds.

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) – Iceland (Potential Lifer)
Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) – Iceland (Potential Lifer)

The Barrow’s Goldeneye is one of the reasons to travel to Iceland. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Sindri Skúlason

Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) – Scotland and Alps (Potential Lifer)
Double-spurred Francolin (Francolinus bicalcaratus) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca) – Alps and Balkans (Potential Lifer)
Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Sand Partridge (Ammoperdix heyi) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
European Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) – United Kingdom, Mallorca (Potential Lifer)
Wilson’s Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) – United Kingdom (Potential Lifer)
Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) – United Kingdom (Potential Lifer)

Despite having no luck to see one in the United Kingdom yet, there is a relatively good chance to add the Leach’s Storm-Petrel to my list in the peak season. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Stephen A. Daly

Striated Heron (Butorides striata) – Egypt and Israel
Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis) – Egypt
Spanish Eagle (Aquila adalberti) – Spain (Potential Lifer)
Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) – Morocco
Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) – Spain and Morocco
Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) (Egypt) – (Potential Lifer)
Barbary Falcon (Falco pelegrinoides) (Morocco) – (Potential Lifer)
Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata) – Morocco and Spain(?)
Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
MacQueen’s Bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) – Egypt, Israel and Jordan (Potential Lifer)
Small Buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus) – Morocco
Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)

The Cream-coloured Courser is the only shorebird among the resident WP species what I have never seen. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Mazouz Abdelaziz

Kittlitz’s Plover (Charadrius pecuarius) – Egypt
Sooty Gull (Larus hemprichii) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
White-eyed Gull (Larus leucophthalmus) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
White-cheeked Tern (Sterna repressa) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Lesser Crested Tern (Sterna bengalensis) – Morocco
Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) – Egypt
Spotted Sandgrouse (Pterocles senegallus) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Crowned Sandgrouse (Pterocles coronatus) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Lichtenstein’s Sandgouse (Pterocles lichtensteinii) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Laurel Pigeon (Columba junoniae) – Canary Islands/Tenerife) (Potential Lifer)
Bolle’s Pigeon (Columba bollii) – Canary Islands/Tenerife (Potential Lifer)
Trocaz Pigeon (Columba trocaz) – Madeira (Potential Lifer)
Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis) – Israel
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) – Iceland, Norway and nw Russia (Potential Lifer)
Marsh Owl (Asio capensis) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Desert Owl (Strix hadorami) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Red-necked Nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis) – Spain and Morocco) (Potential Lifer)
Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius) – Morocco(?) and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Nubian Nightjar (Caprimulgus nubicus) – Israel and Egypt(?) (Potential Lifer)
Plain Swift (Apus unicolor) – Madeira and Canary Islands (Potential Lifer)
White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) – Spain and Morocco
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus) – Morocco and Egypt
Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) – Egypt
Levaillant’s Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Temminck’s Lark (Eremophila bilopha) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Dunn’s Lark (Eremalauda dunni) – Israel and Jordan (Potential Lifer)
Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti) – Spain and Morocco (Potential Lifer)

After the unsuccessful search in August, I need to make more efforts to find the enigmatic Dupont’s Lark in Spain. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Daniel Valverde

Greater Hoopoe-Lark (Alaemon alaudipes) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey) – Morocco and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Brown-throated Martin (Riparia paludicola) – Morocco
Rock Martin (Ptyonoprogne fuligula) – Morocco and Egypt
Long-billed Pipit (Anthus similis) – Israel (Potential Lifer)
Richard’s Pipit (Anthus richardi) – United Kingdom (Potential Lifer)
Berthelot’s Pipit (Anthus berthelotii) – Madeira and Canary Islands (Potential Lifer)
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) – nw Russia (Potential Lifer)
Pechora Pipit (Anthus gustavi) – nw Russia (Potential Lifer)
Moussier’s Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri) – Morocco, (Potential Lifer)

The pearl of Morocco, the Moussier’s Redstart is very high on my wishlist for some reasons. It’s such a stunning bird. The charming handsomeness, Peter Jones might agree with me. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Michael Southcott

Cyprus Wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca) – Cyprus, (Potential Lifer)
Mourning Wheatear (Oenanthe lugens) – Egypt and Israel, (Potential Lifer)
Hooded Wheatear (Oenanthe monacha) – Egypt, (Potential Lifer)
White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga) – Morocco, Egypt and Israel, (Potential Lifer)
Blackstart (Cercomela melanura) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti) – Morocco, Egypt(?) and Israel
Red-rumped Wheatear (Oenanthe moesta) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Streaked Scrub Warbler (Scotocerca inquieta) – Morocco, Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Western Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis) – Spain and Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Arabian Warbler (Sylvia leucomelaena) – Israel (Potential Lifer)
Cyprus Warbler (Sylvia melanothorax) – Cyprus (Potential Lifer)
Moltoni’s Warbler (Sylvia subalpina) – Italy, Corsica and Sardinia (Potential Lifer)
African Desert Warbler (Sylvia deserti) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Balearic Warbler (Sylvia balearica) – Mallorca (Potential Lifer)
Tristram’s Warbler (Sylvia deserticola) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata) – Finland(?) and Russia
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis) – Bulgaria and Greece (Potential Lifer)
Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis) – Canary Islands (Potential Lifer)
Iberian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus ibericus) – Spain and Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) – Finland (Potential Lifer)
Madeira Firecrest (Regulus madeirensis) – Madeira (Potential Lifer)
African Blue Tit (Parus teneriffae) – Morocco and Canary Islands (Potential Lifer)
Azure Tit (Parus cyanus) – Russia and Belarus (Potential Lifer)

At the time of writing, there is an Azure Tit in Hungary what would be an easier trip to get this extraordinary bird than traveling to Belarus. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Purevsuren Tsolmonjav

Corsican Nuthatch (Sitta whiteheadi) – Corsica (Potential Lifer)
Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) – Algeria (Potential Lifer)
Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis) – Morocco
Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris osea) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Nile Valley Sunbird (Anthreptes metallicus) – Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Arabian Babbler (Turdoides squamiceps) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Fulvous Babbler (Turdoides fulva) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) – Spain (Potential Lifer)
Brown-necked Raven (Corvus ruficollis) – Morocco, Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Fan-tailed Raven (Corvus rhipidurus) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
House Crow (Corvus splendens) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Tristram’s Starling (Onychognathus tristramii) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Desert Sparrow (Passer simplex) – Morocco (Potential Lifer
Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla teydea) – Canary Islands (Potential Lifer)
Corsican Finch (Serinus corsicanus) – Corsica (Potential Lifer)
Atlantic Canary (Serinus canaria) – Canary Islands and Madeira (Potential Lifer)
Syrian Serin (Serinus syriacus) – Israel and Jordan (Potential Lifer)
Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) – Finland (Potential Lifer)

I have been planning to visit my dear friend, Olli Haukkovaara in a good invasion year in Finland, but so far I always had to postpone it. This photo was legally embedded from the photographer’s Flickr stream. Credit to Earl Reinink

Sinai Rosefinch (Carpodacus synoicus) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
Trumpeter Finch (Bucanetes githagineus) – Morocco and Egypt (Potential Lifer)
Scottish Crossbill (Loxia scotica) – Scotland (UK) (Potential Lifer)
Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) – Russia (Potential Lifer)
Striolated Bunting (Emberiza striolata) – Egypt and Israel (Potential Lifer)
House Bunting (Emberiza sahari) – Morocco (Potential Lifer)

Resources:

I keep my life and Western Palearctic list at Bubo.org which is regularly updated according to taxonomic changes.
For species distribution, I either used the Collins Bird Guide for iPad or eBird.

Let me know if you think I missed a species.

Advertisements