WA Big Year 2024: Summary
Well. That's a big year in the books. I saw, audio recorded, photographed and videoed more bird species than I ever have before within the bounds of a calendar year. I also spent a large majority of that time showing those birds to other people while establishing myself in a new business venture. I travelled all over Australia and saw a total of 647 species (and 6 escapee/semi-domesticated species) including 70 new species and a whole pile of new subspecies. That was good for 3rd in Australia for the year against two dedicated Australian big years. Some of those subspecies are likely to be split in the future, watch out for that Splendid Fairywren split - looking forward to another endemic!! Along the way I snuck in a surf trip to Indonesia where I saw 67 species, with 42 of them being new to me.
But! Most importantly, I saw more bird species than I ever have before in the state of Western Australia within a year. My total (according to me) is 459 (and 2 escapee/semi-domesticated species). Feel free to scrutinise the lists below in the red links. Your input will be welcomed in the comments section of the Facebook posts, or get in contact with me directly if you'd like to chat through it. The person I most seek scrutiny from is Geoffrey Groom, the current record holder. Until he is happy to 'pass the torch', the record is still his. What do you reckon Geoff?
The list of birds I did see.
This spreadsheet has filters if you like to use filters. Here is what the abbreviations in the ‘Exotic’ column mean.
N=Naturalised, X=Escapee/semi-domesticated, Y=Undescribed yet distinct taxon
As always, and as we birders do, it is standard to focus on the birds we missed. So below is a list of those that I could have seen within the year. I thought it was rather short but an in-depth review listed at least 40 species that were possible. There are some misses and there are some I didn't have the time or finances to get to. They're labelled as such. This list will hopefully provide future record attempts with a blueprint for what is possible. I now think that cracking 480 is absolutely possible. As I've said before, hopefully someone with an unlimited budget of time and money as well as a Broome base for the year has another go at this and proves me right!
The list of birds I didn't see.
The comments are hopefully entertaining. Please reach out if anything is missing from this missed list.
Now, whether it stands up to the court of public opinion as record breaking, is up to the comments section on Facebook ;) Get at it.
My sincere apologies for not making it a nice round 460. I really should have gone to Lake McClarty on new years eve as I had intended. Maybe I would have found that Ruff! That round number might still just show up posthumously with splits. Time will tell.
In brief, my highlights for the year were;
- Princess Parrots. A dream trip. I’ll never forget that first flyover but will still be desperate to find them perched
and chatting one day again soon. And bonus Dusky Grasswrens for my WA list.
- Tibetan Sand Plover twitch with Sue Taylor. This was a challenge of an ID and I was enormously satisfied to have pinned one down straight off the plane for both of us.
- Sooty Albatross & Gould's Petrel on my birthday out with Nat Charters at Bremer.
- Spending so much time with Noisy Scrub-birds and the rest of our Southwest endemics.
- Ashmore reef and the Northern Indian Ocean. So many good birds in such wonderful remote locations. I think Abbott’s Booby might be my favourite bird of the trip but getting a Phylloscopus warbler to call on Browse might be a close 2nd. I think there is grounds to include Ashmore itself in a WA big years list. Anyone who is considering a WA big year will go to Ashmore, so why not just include it. There will be far less confusion with arbitrary lines out at sea at the very least. A discussion for another time.
- Regent Honeyeater. I know this is outside of WA but it was a bird I genuinely expected to never set eyes on. In fact, we set eyes on at least 4!
Thanks to all involved. To those that I guided and helped me to fly around the state, those that sat and looked out to sea with me either from land or boat (Dan, Graffy, Stu, George & Rohan - the list would be a fair bit shorter without you lot), those that helped with the ID's of tricky ones, those that paddled to Lancelin Island with me (Jefferson), those that joined me on failed twitches (Ace! if only!! I think we missed 3!) and those that joined me in finding some of the special ones (thanks Janey).
This year will be different; slower, relatively sedentary. I've upgraded my camera gear to help with that. Spend a bit more time closer to home chasing photos rather than new species for a moment.
I consider myself so very lucky and for so many reasons I'll never forget 2024. I couldn't think of a better start to my custody of Birding Southwest!
