ZooChat Big Year 2018
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
Spectacular day of wildlife in the Forest of Dean yesterday in the company of @robmv - including lifers from both birds and mammals. Always a spectacular place but one I've not always had the best of luck - this time, we had all the luck.
Birds:
130. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Dryobates minor
131. Eurasian Siskin - Spinus spinus
132. Northern Goshawk - Accipiter gentilis
133. Great Grey Shrike - Lanius excubitor
134. White-throated Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Mammals:
12. European Fallow Deer - Dama dama
13. Wild Boar - Sus scrofa
Birds:
130. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Dryobates minor
131. Eurasian Siskin - Spinus spinus
132. Northern Goshawk - Accipiter gentilis
133. Great Grey Shrike - Lanius excubitor
134. White-throated Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
Mammals:
12. European Fallow Deer - Dama dama
13. Wild Boar - Sus scrofa
Not as many additions in Marrakesh as I would have liked and especially no greenfinch ( D
but additions are additions 
:29 - Common wood pigeon, Columba palumbus
30 - White stork, Ciconia ciconia
The first one might seem surprising but although they are common where I am right now, they are nearly unheard of, where I live.
And on-road to Agadir:
31 - Booted eagle, Hieraaetus pennatus
I really like my birds-of-prey list so far, out of 31 species seen in total; 4 have been BoPs that's ~12% in total. I hope it will continue like that throughout the year!
These birds arrived back from migration. I can now hear their wonderful songs everywhere (that will become annoying later in the year:
Birds
32. Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius phoenicus
For those of you that aren't familiar with this bird's amazing sound:
Looking rather depressed under a bush in my snowy garden...
48. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
Fish
Last Sunday was my 100th dive on Christmas Island.
Fish
244. Bluestriped Squirrelfish
245. Yellow Boxfish
246. Leopard Rockcod
247. Spotted Toby
248. Dusky Wrasse
249. Zebra Lionfish
250. Blue Blanquillo
251. Scissortail Sergeant
252. Flowery Flounder
253. Blacksaddle Toby
254. Lattice Butterflyfish
255. Egghead Parrotfish
256. Spotfin Squirrelfish
257. Striped Monocle Bream
258. Speckled Damsel
259. Pacific Sailfin Tang
260. Black Leopard Wrasse
261. Bridled Cardinalfish
262. Oneline Cardinalfish
263. Very Longnose Butterflyfish
264. Redfin Butterflyfish
Hix
Fish
226. Trumpetfish
227. Cornetfish
228. Hexagon Grouper
229. Eastern Triangular Butterflyfish
230. Lined Butterflyfish
231. White-spotted Hawkfish
232. Whiteband Damsel
233. Three-ribbon Wrasse
234. Yellowhead Parrotfish
235. Blackbelly Triggerfish
236. Ambon Toby
237. Yellow-margined Moray
238. Yellow-stripe Goatfish
239. Eclipse Pigfish
240. Blue Razorfish
241. Bullethead Parrotfish
242. Blackstreak Surgeonfish
243. Tennent's Surgeonfish
Inverts
17. Adhesive Sea Anemone
18. Day Octopus
19. Spoonworm
20. Christmas Tree Worm
21. Red-knobbed Starfish
Hix
Last Sunday was my 100th dive on Christmas Island.
Fish
244. Bluestriped Squirrelfish
245. Yellow Boxfish
246. Leopard Rockcod
247. Spotted Toby
248. Dusky Wrasse
249. Zebra Lionfish
250. Blue Blanquillo
251. Scissortail Sergeant
252. Flowery Flounder
253. Blacksaddle Toby
254. Lattice Butterflyfish
255. Egghead Parrotfish
256. Spotfin Squirrelfish
257. Striped Monocle Bream
258. Speckled Damsel
259. Pacific Sailfin Tang
260. Black Leopard Wrasse
261. Bridled Cardinalfish
262. Oneline Cardinalfish
263. Very Longnose Butterflyfish
264. Redfin Butterflyfish
Hix
BIRDS:
141) Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos
142) Woodlark, Lullula arborea
Both species I'm more used to seeing when it's warmer out, and wasn't expecting at all when going to my local pond/forest today! (which has been the coldest day of the year so far in Belgium!)
141) Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos
142) Woodlark, Lullula arborea
Both species I'm more used to seeing when it's warmer out, and wasn't expecting at all when going to my local pond/forest today! (which has been the coldest day of the year so far in Belgium!)
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It's been very cold in the Netherlands over the last week, rarely reaching temperatures above zero, but managed to find some more birds nonetheless.
72. Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
73. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
74. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
75. Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
I'm not entirely sure of the total, but I imagine it's around the 350 mark, and there's about 700 recorded from the island (and about 10 of those records are mine). Of the lifers in my last post, one was a cardinal fish I just happened upon, one was seen in an area I haven't dived before, and the Black Leopard Wrasse was actually a juvenile - I haven't seen the adult.Pretty amazing that after 100 dives you still regularly see lifers. How many fish species have you seen on Christmas Island (and how many more to go
Hix
Wait, a Hooded Robin is an actual thing? I though it was just a character in The Super Mario Brothers Super Show! cartoon.
Got really close to one of these at school today:
Birds
33. Barred Owl Strix varia
Went looking for a long-eared owl that was seen in a nearby forest yesterday. Thanks to the very sudden and very cold snow I couldn't stay long, so I didn't see it but did hear its calls a few times. I did get these two snipes, though! Easily had the best view I've ever had of common snipes, which was fun, but then it got better when a woodcock flew over, followed by another 5 minutes later!
BIRDS:
143) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago
144) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola
BIRDS:
143) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago
144) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola
Here's where everybody is at the start of March:
BIRDS:
lintworm – 219
Vision – 144
Maguari – 134
robmv – 130
Mr. Zootycoon – 122
boof – 115
ThylacineAlive – 97
LaughingDove – 91
DesertRhino150 – 90
Ituri – 77
KevinVar – 75
Swampy – 66
animal_expert01 – 50
Chlidonias – 49
Macaw16 – 48
birdsandbats – 33
Zoo Tycooner FR – 31
d1am0ndback – 19
Hix – 19
jayjds2 – 17
Coelacanth18 – 12
Pleistohorse – 10
MAMMALS:
lintworm – 45
ThylacineAlive – 22
LaughingDove – 16
Maguari – 13
Vision – 8
birdsandbats – 6
Swampy – 6
animal_expert01 – 5
Pleistohorse – 5
Ituri – 4
Mr. Zootycoon – 4
DesertRhino150 – 4
KevinVar – 4
Macaw16 – 3
Hix – 3
jayjds2 – 3
Coelacanth18 – 2
d1am0ndback – 1
Chlidonias – 1
HERPTILES:
animal_expert01 – 12 Herptiles total (10 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians)
FISH:
Hix – 264
animal_expert01 – 5
INVERTEBRATES:
Hix – 21
animal_expert01 – 4
birdsandbats – 4
DesertRhino150 – 3
Mr. Zootycoon – 3
KevinVar – 2
jayjds2 – 1
BIRDS:
lintworm – 219
Vision – 144
Maguari – 134
robmv – 130
Mr. Zootycoon – 122
boof – 115
ThylacineAlive – 97
LaughingDove – 91
DesertRhino150 – 90
Ituri – 77
KevinVar – 75
Swampy – 66
animal_expert01 – 50
Chlidonias – 49
Macaw16 – 48
birdsandbats – 33
Zoo Tycooner FR – 31
d1am0ndback – 19
Hix – 19
jayjds2 – 17
Coelacanth18 – 12
Pleistohorse – 10
MAMMALS:
lintworm – 45
ThylacineAlive – 22
LaughingDove – 16
Maguari – 13
Vision – 8
birdsandbats – 6
Swampy – 6
animal_expert01 – 5
Pleistohorse – 5
Ituri – 4
Mr. Zootycoon – 4
DesertRhino150 – 4
KevinVar – 4
Macaw16 – 3
Hix – 3
jayjds2 – 3
Coelacanth18 – 2
d1am0ndback – 1
Chlidonias – 1
HERPTILES:
animal_expert01 – 12 Herptiles total (10 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians)
FISH:
Hix – 264
animal_expert01 – 5
INVERTEBRATES:
Hix – 21
animal_expert01 – 4
birdsandbats – 4
DesertRhino150 – 3
Mr. Zootycoon – 3
KevinVar – 2
jayjds2 – 1
Hmm, yes indeed. Somehow I only put you up to six mammals despite your last mammal post having six and seven in it!Pretty sure I should be on 7 mammals
Crane migration is close to full strength now. I've seen them in flight before but this time I saw more than 20 fouraging on a field. I also saw another mammal! I know it is "just" a rat but the Netherlands isn't exactly a mammal-watchers paradise. Even if it was I probably would see any because of my general inability of finding mammals.
Birds
123. Common crane [Grus grus]
Mammals
5. Brown rat [Rattus norvegicus]
Birds
123. Common crane [Grus grus]
Mammals
5. Brown rat [Rattus norvegicus]
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