ZooChat Big Year 2017

[Vision]

Like last year, a trip to Dublin and surroundings got me some more rather wonderful species (and I'm hoping it'll get me some more over the next week!)

BIRDS
105) Hooded crow, Corvus cornix
106) Brant goose, Branta bernicla
107) Common stern, Sterna hirundo
108) Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima
109) European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis
110) Common guillemot, Uria aalge
111) Northern fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis
112) Northern wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe

 

[LaughingDove]

Additions from an afternoon and evening at Bang Pra Non-hunting Area:

303) Shikra
304) Green Bee-eater
305) Black-naped Oriole
306) White-bellied Sea-eagle
307) Osprey
308) Chinese Francolin
309) Long-tailed Shrike
310) Bright-capped Cisticola
311) Grey-headed Lapwing
312) Rufescent Prinia
313) Racket-tailed Treepie
314) Lesser Adjutant
315) Chestnut-capped Babbler
316) Brown-throated Sunbird
318) Grey-breasted Prinia
319) Greater Painted-snipe

22) Berdmore's Ground Squirrel

A small number of wild additions from a day at Khao Kheow Open Zoo Today:

320) Siberian Rubythroat

13) Common Butterfly Lizard
14) Moustached Crested Lizard (C. mystaceus)

23) Northern Pig-tailed Macaque

 

[Vision]

Some new additions of the day, certainly the last was a very nice surprise as it was the only one I had never seen, neither in captivity nor the wild!

BIRDS
113) Black guillemot, Cepphus grylle
114) Northern gannet, Morus bassanus
115) Black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
116) Razorbill, Alca torda

MAMMALS
8) Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus
9) Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena

 

[LaughingDove]

A small number of wild additions from a day at Khao Kheow Open Zoo Today:

320) Siberian Rubythroat

13) Common Butterfly Lizard
14) Moustached Crested Lizard (C. mystaceus)

23) Northern Pig-tailed Macaque

A variety of additions from today:

A morning at Bang Pra Non-hunting Area:

24) Northern Treeshrew

321) Blossom-headed Parakeet
322) Rufous Treepie
323) Germain's Swiftlet
324) Australasian Bushlark
325) Paddyfield Pipit
326) Brahminy Kite

Afternoon, evening, and night at Khao Yai National Park:

25) Red Muntjac
26) Sambar Deer

327) Richard's Pipit
328) Common Hill Mynah
329) Common (Siberian) Stonechat
330) Wreathed Hornbill
331) Burmese Shrike

27) Malayan Porcupine
28) Asian Elephant
29) Leopard Cat
30) Common Palm Civet

332) Great Eared Nightjar

And also a nocturnal green snake that I have to identify later.

 

[Chlidonias]

329) Common (Siberian) Stonechat

that'd be Stejneger's Stonechat (S. stejnegeri), unless you aren't splitting them which would surprise me as it is standard to do so nowadays.

 

[LaughingDove]

that'd be Stejneger's Stonechat (S. stejnegeri), unless you aren't splitting them which would surprise me as it is standard to do so nowadays.

I haven't looked at taxonomy at all yet, but the Robson field guide calls it common with subspecies stejnegeri.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Birds:

11. Trumpeter Swan
12. Glaucous-winged Gull
13. American Robin
14. European Starling

 

[vogelcommando]

Again some additions :

61) Reed bunting ( see IMG_5154 Reed Bunting | ZooChat )
62) Greylag goose
63) Stonechat ( see IMG_5164 Stonechat | ZooChat )
64) Feral pigeon
65) Black swan ( see IMG_3645 Black Swan | ZooChat ) *

* I was very pleased with this one because it was only the third time I saw the species in the wild. A small feral population is living in the Netherlands ( about 70 pairs ) and I saw my first pair about 6 - 7 years ago. Then it took untill last month when I saw again a pair near Tilburg but because of the traffic I wasn't able to stop my car, so no photo's . Earlier this week I was again at the same spot but now I went by foot into the "Black swan-area" and soon discovered the pair and was able to make my first photo's of them in the Netherlands .

Can add again some new birds for the 2017-list :

66) Chiffchaff ( see Chiffchaff | ZooChat )
67) European kingfisher
68) European sparrowhawk ( see European sparrowhawk | ZooChat )
69) European bullfinch
70) Willow warbler ( see Willow warbler | ZooChat )
71) Pied wagtail
72) Barnacle goose
73) Goldfinch ( see Goldfinch | ZooChat )
74) Little ringed plover
75) European lapwing ( see European lapwing | ZooChat )

 

[Vision]

Some more additions from a 2-day trip to western Ireland! First 2 birds from the cliffs of Moher, the others from the Connemara National Park and surroundings. The chough was a wonderful surprise as I knew it was around (flyers and information signs mentioned a breeding pair in the area) but as it was incredibly misty I didn't think I'd be able to see one.

BIRDS
117) Red-billed chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
118) Common raven, Corvus corax
119) Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis
120) Eurasian rock pipit, Anthus petrosus

MAMMALS
10) Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis

 

[LaughingDove]

A variety of additions from today:

A morning at Bang Pra Non-hunting Area:

24) Northern Treeshrew

321) Blossom-headed Parakeet
322) Rufous Treepie
323) Germain's Swiftlet
324) Australasian Bushlark
325) Paddyfield Pipit
326) Brahminy Kite

Afternoon, evening, and night at Khao Yai National Park:

25) Red Muntjac
26) Sambar Deer

327) Richard's Pipit
328) Common Hill Mynah
329) Common (Siberian) Stonechat
330) Wreathed Hornbill
331) Burmese Shrike

27) Malayan Porcupine
28) Asian Elephant
29) Leopard Cat
30) Common Palm Civet

332) Great Eared Nightjar

And also a nocturnal green snake that I have to identify later.

Additions from a full day yesterday at Khao Yai National Park

333) Barred Cuckoo-dove
334) Red-breasted Parakeet
335) Large Cuckooshrike
336) Striped Tit-babbler
337) Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike
338) Scarlet Minivet
339) Sultan Tit
340) White-bellied Yuhina
341) Stripe-throated Bulbul
342) Thick-billed Flowerpecker
343) Red-throated Flycatcher
344) Asian Brown Flycatcher
345) Jerdon's Baza
346) Puff-throated Bulbul
347) Crimson Sunbird
348) Dusky Broadbill
349) Golden-crested Myna
350) Moustached Barbet
351) Chestnut-tailed Starling
352) Crested Goshawk
353) Fork-tailed Swift

15) Green Cat Snake (the unidentified snake from the day before mentioned above)
16) Barred Gliding-lizard
17) Common Forest Skink
18) Common Striped Skink
19) Reeve's Leaf-litter Skink
20) Indian Forest Skink
21) Forest Crested-lizard
22) Orange-winged Gliding-lizard
(note: if anyone would like clarification of what species I mean with the scientific names then I can provide it)

31) Small Indian Civet
32) Gaur
33) Large Indian Civet
34) Bengal Slow Loris


Additions from this morning at Khao Yai:

354) Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
356) Plain Flowerpecker
357) Rufous Woodpecker
358) Green Imperial-pigeon
359) Dark-sided Flycatcher
360) Mugimaki Flycatcher
361) Black-and-buff Woodpecker
362) Besra
363) Great Iora
364) Olive-backed Pipit
365) Red-throated Flycatcher

And that will most likely be it for my time in Thailand because I am posting this from the car driving back to the airport (and we've left the rural areas so I'm unlikely to see anything new from the car).

 

[Pleistohorse]

Birds:
15. Downy Woodpecker

Mammals:
9. North American River Otter

The River Otter I owe to the keen eyes of my daughter...as we were driving by a pond about a mile from home, I was watching for Moose (to avoid damage from hitting one) and not really focused on the pond, because the surface is still mostly frozen and the waterfowl have not yet started using it. As we drove past she asked me "is that an Otter?". I looked over and sure enough a good sized river otter was on the ice near a break in the surface. It stayed long enough for me to pull the car over and get a great look...but was back in the water and out of sight before the camera came up. This is the first River Otter I've seen in the wild. The Woodpeckers have been hitting the feeders set up in the back yard, but as I've been out of town for work...today was my first day seeing them for myself.

 

[LaughingDove]

Additions from a full day yesterday at Khao Yai National Park

333) Barred Cuckoo-dove
334) Red-breasted Parakeet
335) Large Cuckooshrike
336) Striped Tit-babbler
337) Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike
338) Scarlet Minivet
339) Sultan Tit
340) White-bellied Yuhina
341) Stripe-throated Bulbul
342) Thick-billed Flowerpecker
343) Red-throated Flycatcher
344) Asian Brown Flycatcher
345) Jerdon's Baza
346) Puff-throated Bulbul
347) Crimson Sunbird
348) Dusky Broadbill
349) Golden-crested Myna
350) Moustached Barbet
351) Chestnut-tailed Starling
352) Crested Goshawk
353) Fork-tailed Swift

15) Green Cat Snake (the unidentified snake from the day before mentioned above)
16) Barred Gliding-lizard
17) Common Forest Skink
18) Common Striped Skink
19) Reeve's Leaf-litter Skink
20) Indian Forest Skink
21) Forest Crested-lizard
22) Orange-winged Gliding-lizard
(note: if anyone would like clarification of what species I mean with the scientific names then I can provide it)

31) Small Indian Civet
32) Gaur
33) Large Indian Civet
34) Bengal Slow Loris


Additions from this morning at Khao Yai:

354) Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
356) Plain Flowerpecker
357) Rufous Woodpecker
358) Green Imperial-pigeon
359) Dark-sided Flycatcher
360) Mugimaki Flycatcher
361) Black-and-buff Woodpecker
362) Besra
363) Great Iora
364) Olive-backed Pipit
365) Red-throated Flycatcher

And that will most likely be it for my time in Thailand because I am posting this from the car driving back to the airport (and we've left the rural areas so I'm unlikely to see anything new from the car).

I've just managed to identify a bird from Kaeng Krachan near the beginning of my trip to Thailand which I thought should have been an obvious ID at the time, but I couldn't work it out.

366) Red-bearded Bee-eater

The difficulty with identification in the field came because the bird looked grey on the back of the camera (rather than green as is clearly visible on the computer), and it was a juvenile without the distinctive red.

 

[Macaw16]

Although I'm pretty sure I have seen this species before, I have never been able to be certain. Today from York Minster (8/4/2017):

91. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

The first shot by me at Flamborough Head on 12/4/2017, and the second I shot by in a car on 14/4/2017:

92. Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo
93. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

 

[Hix]

34) Bengal Slow Loris.

Don't tell Chlidonias - You'll make him very jealous!!!



Hix

 

[LaughingDove]

Don't tell Chlidonias - You'll make him very jealous!!!



Hix

There are rather annoying circumstances associated with that sighting actually that will probably lessen any jealousy associated with that. Basically, it wasn't an ideal first experience seeing a wild slow loris but I saw it so I'm counting it. I know Chlidonias sometimes doesn't count stuff that he knows he's seen but didn't see as well as he would have liked.

 

[DesertRhino150]

Over the past few days I have managed to add two new birds, a new mammal and a second species of wasp to my list:

113. Corn bunting Emberiza calandra
114. Common tern Sterna hirundo

11. Stoat Mustela erminea

8. Common wasp Vespula vulgaris

I am heading off tomorrow for a week on the North Norfolk coast so hopefully that should bring in some more new birds.

Got back from North Norfolk yesterday but haven't had internet at home until today. On my trip, I managed thirteen new birds (one of them a lifer), two mammals, two butterflies and another bumblebee:

115. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica
116. Great white egret Ardea alba
117. Ruff Philomachus pugnax
118. Red-crested pochard Netta rufina
119. Long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis (Vu)
120. Velvet scoter Melanitta fusca (Vu)
121. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
122. Little ringed plover Charadrius dubius
123. Garganey Anas querquedula
124. European nuthatch Sitta europaea
125. Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
126. Pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus
127. Eurasian spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

12. Brown hare Lepus europaeus
13. Atlantic grey seal Halichoerus grypus

8. Painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui
9. Speckled wood butterfly Pararge aegeria

9. Common carder bee Bombus pascuorum

 

[Maguari]

One new bird from an afternoon wander at Avenue Washlands:

130. Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus

 

[Vision]

A last addition from Dublin yesterday:

MAMMALS:
11) Fallow deer, Dama dama

And then today, back in Belgium, I went birding in my usual spot as I saw this guy had popped up!

BIRDS:
121) Black-necked grebe, Podiceps nigricollis

 

[Hix]

Arrived in Jakarta last night, bit of birding this morning around the hotel grounds.

86. Javan Pond Heron
87. Sooty-headed Bulbul
88. Scaly-breasted Munia
89. Zebra Dove
90. Whitebreasted Woodswallow



Hix

 

[Chlidonias]

Don't tell Chlidonias - You'll make him very jealous!!!

I've seen Sunda and Bornean slow lorises, so not as jealous as if he'd seen a clouded leopard while at Khao Yai. But slow lorises do seem to be one of those animals that some people find no problem and other people just cannot.

I am, however, very impressed with the number of "chance" species LaughingDove lucked into on his first Asian wildlife-watching trip. Yellow-throated marten, golden jackal and especially leopard are all species that are very much not a given.

I'm interested in what his mammal life list might be now. It's probably higher than mine, with him having been to Africa and so forth as well.