ZooChat Big Year 2017

Status
Not open for further replies.
It came here naturally, so why should it be removed?

The Grey-headed Lapwing in Sydney the year before last wasn't removed even though it was hanging around with Masked Lapwings.

And anyway, it's possible the owl may have been visiting the island for years and it's only now that someone has seen it. There could be more on the island we don't know about.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
It came here naturally, so why should it be removed?

The Grey-headed Lapwing in Sydney the year before last wasn't removed even though it was hanging around with Masked Lapwings.

And anyway, it's possible the owl may have been visiting the island for years and it's only now that someone has seen it. There could be more on the island we don't know about.
Click to expand...
I'll grant you the last point, but otherwise my position is that the Christmas Island hawk owl is an endemic insular species with a small population, and any easily-solvable (potential, in this case) threats should be dealt with.
 
Chlidonias said:
I'll grant you the last point, but otherwise my position is that the Christmas Island hawk owl is an endemic insular species with a small population, and any easily-solvable (potential, in this case) threats should be dealt with.
Click to expand...

I disagree completely with that statement. I'm not saying your're wrong, just that I have another point of view.

Migrating birds are a natural occurence and has been happening for millions of years. The endemic hawk-owl has evolved on the island and is vulnerable only because of the small size of the island. It is not threatened because of human activity either past or present, it just survives in a small location.

If another species comes along naturally and threatens the integrity of the endemic, then in my book that is a natural evolutionary course of events.

Virtually every other threatened species around the world is in a threatened state because of human interference of one sort or another. To remove a natural - albeit rare - vagrant would be interfering with nature again.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
I disagree completely with that statement. I'm not saying your're wrong, just that I have another point of view.
Click to expand...
conversely, I don't actually disagree with your point of view. I think they are both equally valid positions.
 
Following the stormy weather yesterday, today so was so sunny and mild that it actually woke up an insect larger than a midge near my work (albeit a non-native invasive species):

Invertebrates:
3. Harlequin Ladybird - Harmonia axyridis

:)
 
Macaw16 said:
A brief trip up north has allowed me to add a few, 56-65 Washington Wetland Centre (21/2/2017), 66 Blaydon Burn, 67 Jesmond Dene, 68-70 Tynemouth and 6 whilst travelling back (all of the previous (22/2/2017).

56. Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
57. Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
58. Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
59. Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
60. Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
61. Common Redshank Tringa totanus
62. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
63. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
64. Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus
65. European Greenfinch Chloris chloris
66. White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus
67. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
68. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
69. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
70. Common Eider Somateria mollissima

6. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
Click to expand...

One I forgot to add from the 21/2/2017:

71. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
 
Although I am reasonably sure I missed a few species on my 2016 list, I can't be bothered with working out *what* at this juncture :p so I might as well post the first batch of my 2017 sightings, all obtained in Northumberland, North Yorkshire and County Durham.

A few additional notes: they are in rough alphabetical order rather than chronological order, as will be obvious. This is purely to save me working out what order I saw species in, given this is two months worth of sightings. Moreover, this year for a little added amusement I will be annotating my posts to reflect when I have seen multiple subspecies of a taxon.

1) Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
2) Blackbird (Turdus merula)
3) Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)
4) Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
5) Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
6) Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
7) Coot (Fulica atra)
8) Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) - ssp seen: carbo, sinensis
9) Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
10) Curlew (Numenius arquata)
11) Pacific Diver (Gavia pacifica)
12) Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)
13) Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
14) Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
15) Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
16) Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
17) Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
18) Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
19) Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) - ssp seen: mollissima, borealis
20) Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
21) Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla)
21) Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
22) Gadwall (Anas strepera)
23) Gannet (Morus bassanus)
24) Garganey (Anas querquedula)
25) Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
26) Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
27) Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
28) Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
29) Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
30) Goosander (Mergus merganser)
31) Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
32) Bean Goose (Anser fabalis)
33) Brent Goose (Branta bernicla)
34) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
35) Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
36) Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
37) White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) - ssp seen: albifrons, flavirostris
38) Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
39) Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
40) Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
41) Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
42) Mew Gull (Larus canus)
43) Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)
44) Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
45) Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
46) Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)
47) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) - ssp seen: graellsii, intermedius
48) Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
49) Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
50) Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
51) Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
52) Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
53) Knot (Calidris canutus)
54) Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
55) Shore Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
56) Magpie (Pica pica)
57) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
58) Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
59) Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
60) Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
61) Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
62) European Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
63) Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
64) Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
65) Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
66) Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
67) Pintail (Anas acuta)
68) Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) - ssp seen: petrosus, littoralis
69) Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
70) Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
71) Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
72) Pochard (Aythya ferina)
73) Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
74) Raven (Corvus corax)
75) Razorbill (Alca torda)
76) Redshank (Tringa totanus)
77) Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
78) Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
79) Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
80) Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
81) Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
82) Sanderling (Calidris alba)
83) Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
84) Scaup (Aythya marila)
85) Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
86) European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
87) Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
88) Great Skua (Stercorarius skua)
89) Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
90) Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus)
91) House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
92) Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
93) Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
94) Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
95) Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
96) Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewickii)
97) Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
98) Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
99) Teal (Anas crecca)
100) Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis)
101) Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
102) Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
103) Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
104) Great Tit (Parus major)
105) Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
106) Common Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
107) Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
108) Twite (Carduelis flavirostris)
109) Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
110) Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
111) Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
112) Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
113) Wigeon (Anas penelope)
114) Greater Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
115) Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
 
Last edited:
I left Cambodia this morning and am now in Vietnam (on Phu Quoc Island to be precise), so here are the additions to my year list from Cambodia.


BIRDS:

307) Zebra dove Geopelia striata
308) Ashy woodswallow Artamus fuscus
309) Asian palm swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
310) Brown shrike Lanius cristatus
311) Plain-backed sparrow Passer flaveolus
312) Stejneger's stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri
313) Yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier
314) Sooty-headed bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
315) Blue-tailed bee-eater Merops philippinus
316) Grey-faced buzzard Butastur indicus
317) Orange-headed thrush Zoothera citrina
318) White-bellied erpornis (yuhina) Erpornis zantholeuca
319) Wreathed hornbill Aceros undulatus
320) Australasian bushlark Mirafra javanica
321) Eastern crowned warbler Phylloscopus coronatus
322) Dark-sided flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica
323) Arctic warbler Phylloscopus borealis
324) Great iora Aegithina lafresnayei
325) Hill mynah Gracula religiosa
326) Hainan blue flycatcher Cyornis hainanus
327) Scarlet-backed flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum


MAMMALS:

41) Lyle's flying fox Pteropus lylei
42) Irrawaddy dolphin Orcaella brevirostris
43) Pileated gibbon Hylobates pileatus
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Managed to get to Minsmere for the first time this year today. Saw a whole variety of interesting things (top of the list probably a peregrine that stooped no less than fifteen times at one lapwing that consistently evaded capture), including two new birds and a new mammal:

99. Marsh tit Poecile palustris
100. Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres

8. Red deer Cervus elaphus
Click to expand...

Went on a birdwatching boat trip around the Blackwater Estuary, where I saw four new birds for the year (one of them a lifer) plus a number of other very nice repeats including three peregrine falcons and no less than seven Slavonian grebes:

101. European shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
102. Great Northern diver Gavia immer
103. Common guillemot Uria aalge
104. Common scoter Melanitta nigra

I also saw two new mammals today - one from the boat and the latter from the departure point on Mersea Island. This mammal may be a bit controversial as they are part of a recently reintroduced population but they are breeding, so I will count it regardless:

9. Common seal Phoca vitulina
10. Eurasian red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris
 
26/2/2017
127. little crow
128. white necked heron
129. hoary headed grebe
130. restless flycatcher
27/2/2017
131. brown honeyeater
132. grey shrike thrush
133. grey crowned babbler
134. white breasted woodswallow
135. yellow billed spoonbill
136. yellow throated miner
28/2/2017
137. emu
 
Hix said:
Fish
206. Small-mouthed Squirrelfish
207. Lionfish
208. Banded Flagtail
209. Blacktip Reef Shark
Click to expand...

Christmas Island currently has no internet service provider, which is making life difficult for everyone. Could be some weeks before I am online again in a more regular manner. At the moment I have an hours worth of usage at a hotspot.

Fish
210. Cloud Wrasse
211. Ocular Combtooth Blenny
212. Pale-lipped Surgeonfish
213. Napoleons Wrasse
214. Saddled Butterflyfish
215. Crocodile Longtom

:p

Hix
 
BIRDS:
74) Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla
75) Long-tailed tit, Aegithalos caudatus
76) Common pochard, Aythya ferina
77) Mediterranean gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
 
vogelcommando said:
And again some intresting species seen the last days :) :

46) Firecrest ( failed to make a photo of it, devilfish was more lucky )
47) Stock dove
48) European nuthatch ( see European nuthatch | ZooChat )
49) Common shelduck
50) Black-crowned night heron ( see Black-crowned night heron | ZooChat )
51) Hen harrier
52) Long-tailed tit ( see Long-tailed tit | ZooChat )
53) Ring-necked pheasant ( feral )
54) Rose-ringed parakeet ( see Rose-ringed parakeet | ZooChat )
55) Cattle erget ( flying over Amsterdam Zoo ( which don't keeps this species )
Click to expand...


Only 5 new ones to report but among them a very special :) :

56) Tufted duck ( see Tufted ducks | ZooChat )
57) Brent goose
58) Collared dove ( see Collared dove | ZooChat )
59) Common pochard
60) Brown shrike ( see Brown shrike | ZooChat ) *

* A Lifer for me ( both in the wild and in captivity ! ) and a very rare bird in the Netherlands. It was seen for the first time in Januari 2014 and the bird I observed today at Den Helder is only the second of its species in the Netherlands.It was already seen on Februari 19 ( see this clip :
) but for me today was the first time I had the time to make the travel of about 150 kilometers to Den Helder.
To find the bird was actually quite easy, a group of about 20 - 30 birders were standing together in front of the bird :).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top