ZooChat Big Year 2017
- Thread starter jbnbsn99
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I think your mammal numbers are a bit off...
Actually even though Barbary ground squirrels are common all over Morocco and are known to be endemic to Western Maghreb region, there's an isolated population of Striped ground squirrels in Souss (where I've seen them quite some times, especially at Issen) and a small part of Sahara. They don't look much like Barbary ground squirrel (paler/reddish fur, a dark grey tail, an impressive white stripe even though in this case this one didn't have a stripe and was grayish/red which also is another way to identify both species if you encounter this kind of individuals since I've never seen a Barbary ground squirrel without a stripe) , are much larger and live in ground ''dens'' in lowland areas only (unlike Barbary ground squirrels which can be found mainly in mountains and use ''rock dens'' instead)
I've seen the ground dens in question (where I've even spotted a squirrel last year but completely forgot to list it for last year's list ironically) and this one was really close, perhaps not even 10 metres away so I'm definitely confident of my identification (plus there are known to be found in Argan forests in Ait Melloul and further north and Issen is exactly the kind of biotope where you'd except to find them).
I didn't check the distribution of striped ground squirrel before I posted, as I was thinking of it as a purely Sahellian species, but you are right and there is indeed this tiny relict population in Morocco. That is something I did not expect
Wait, so wild boars and voles are not reptiles?
Actual numbers:
43) Wild Boar
44) Bank Vole
East Leake Quarry, I guess? What time were you there? I was there about 8:30am today on my way to the south coast, so also have this one to add when I return!
Where else? En route from Northampton to Barnsley. I was there about 6ish last night: so close!
Nicely organised I thought: I was hoping for a nice neat £1 per bee-eater parking rate, but only four present last night.
Yes, we also managed £1.25/bee-eater. Though we did get a woodpecker in the same tree, so there's that.
Mammals:
16. Snowshoe Hare
17. American Black Bear.
With the American Black Bear (four today actually) I've now, for the second year in a row, spotted all three of North America's bear species in the wild. A Polar Bear sow and two cubs back in April. Brown Bears (at least seven different individuals) since May. Today, finally, the Black Bears.
At Bird Point, on the Seward Highway south of Anchorage, there is a very nice pull-out that sits at the base of Bird and Penguin Ridges. It's the nearest, surest bet to spot Rocky Mountain Goats. This afternoon there were no goats, but just below the granite peaks, on a grassy slope between two screes of fallen rock, a Black Bear was visible foraging in the open. While we watched, a second Black Bear came out of the alders that grow just below the grassy slopes and just above the treeline proper. As this bear moved into the open area, two small cubs left the alders and followed her as she went along. Fortunately a family of tourists had just stopped, at the otherwise empty pullout, and I was able to point out the bears to them and provide them my binoculars so that they could add the bears to their lists as well. ;-)
The Polar Bears and Brown Bears are probably more exciting really, but the Black Bears are a bit harder to spot...if you can get into known Polar Bear and Brown Bear habitat, a sighting is almost a sure thing if you invest enough time. Black Bears seem to be just about everywhere....but you can't be everywhere...so spotting them is a bit more hit or miss.
Incidentally, this is the same area (about two miles north) where a young trail-runner was killed by a Black Bear late last month.
On the drive back, something large splashed a couple of times in the Turnagain Arm. Definitely not Beluga's, possibly an Orca chasing salmon (based on apparent size), but it seems, based on what we didn't see, that a Harbor Porpoise would be more likely. Unfortunately we couldn't get a better look at the dark animal against the dark water.
As we headed home, we spotted a Snowshoe Hare near Arctic Valley. I usually see a few hares every year and this year we are having a bit of a boom in the local hare population. No Dall Sheep though...which is kind of surprising.
16. Snowshoe Hare
17. American Black Bear.
With the American Black Bear (four today actually) I've now, for the second year in a row, spotted all three of North America's bear species in the wild. A Polar Bear sow and two cubs back in April. Brown Bears (at least seven different individuals) since May. Today, finally, the Black Bears.
At Bird Point, on the Seward Highway south of Anchorage, there is a very nice pull-out that sits at the base of Bird and Penguin Ridges. It's the nearest, surest bet to spot Rocky Mountain Goats. This afternoon there were no goats, but just below the granite peaks, on a grassy slope between two screes of fallen rock, a Black Bear was visible foraging in the open. While we watched, a second Black Bear came out of the alders that grow just below the grassy slopes and just above the treeline proper. As this bear moved into the open area, two small cubs left the alders and followed her as she went along. Fortunately a family of tourists had just stopped, at the otherwise empty pullout, and I was able to point out the bears to them and provide them my binoculars so that they could add the bears to their lists as well. ;-)
The Polar Bears and Brown Bears are probably more exciting really, but the Black Bears are a bit harder to spot...if you can get into known Polar Bear and Brown Bear habitat, a sighting is almost a sure thing if you invest enough time. Black Bears seem to be just about everywhere....but you can't be everywhere...so spotting them is a bit more hit or miss.
Incidentally, this is the same area (about two miles north) where a young trail-runner was killed by a Black Bear late last month.
On the drive back, something large splashed a couple of times in the Turnagain Arm. Definitely not Beluga's, possibly an Orca chasing salmon (based on apparent size), but it seems, based on what we didn't see, that a Harbor Porpoise would be more likely. Unfortunately we couldn't get a better look at the dark animal against the dark water.
As we headed home, we spotted a Snowshoe Hare near Arctic Valley. I usually see a few hares every year and this year we are having a bit of a boom in the local hare population. No Dall Sheep though...which is kind of surprising.
Fish:
7. Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari)
8. Toad Fish (Tetractenos glaber)
9. Flathead (Platycephalus fuscus)
10. Toad Fish (Tetractenos hamiltoni)
11. Toad Fish (Lagocephalus inermis)
12. Eastern Striped Grunter (Pelates sexlineatus)
Birds:
41. Rainbow Bee-Eater (Merops ornatus)
42. Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
43. Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
44. Radjah Shelduck (Tadorna radjah)
Invertebrates:
7. Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilionidae sp.)
8. Monarch Butterly (Danaus plexippus)
9 Soldier Crab (Mictyris longicarpus)
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Went to Issen as usual and had one of the most wonderful session of bird-watching in that area.
19 - (Barbary) Red fox, Vulpes vulpes barbara
and bird-wise :
136 - Woodchat shrike, Lanius senator - Pictured
137 - Rufous-tailed scrub robin, Cercotrichas galactotes - Pictured
19 - (Barbary) Red fox, Vulpes vulpes barbara
and bird-wise :
136 - Woodchat shrike, Lanius senator - Pictured
137 - Rufous-tailed scrub robin, Cercotrichas galactotes - Pictured
This is a bit of an odd inclusion because I believe this is the wrong time of year for this species to be found along the Rhode Island coast but I'm pretty set in my identification of the four ducks I saw yesterday:
Birds
80) Black Scoter Melanitta americana
~Thylo
I've seen their European cousins at this time of year before, for what it is worth! 
A work commitment in Tyneside gave me the perfect opportunity to stay on and finally catch up with:
219. Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
A slight diversion off the A1 on the way home gave me one more:
220. Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini)
Lots of good birding, plus two new zoos - Northumberland Country Zoo and Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens - made for an excellent weekend.
219. Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
A slight diversion off the A1 on the way home gave me one more:
220. Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini)
Lots of good birding, plus two new zoos - Northumberland Country Zoo and Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens - made for an excellent weekend.
Would it be fair to assume you went to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay to see the tern given you were in Tyneside? 
Would it be fair to assume you went to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay to see the tern given you were in Tyneside?
No, I went up to Amble and did a boat trip out to Coquet Island. The sight of 20,000 puffins is not something that I'll forget any time soon!
Funny thing is, I have never been there - mostly because until recently I didn't know how to get to Amble by public transport I *have* however been to the Farne Islands.... and will be there again tomorrow as it happens!
Got to love the preponderance of puffins in my area
I *have* however been to the Farne Islands.... and will be there again tomorrow as it happens!Got to love the preponderance of puffins in my area
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