ZooChat Big Year 2018

Passerine migrants are beginning to arrive. Warblers and vireos should come soon!:

Birds
50. Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
51. Brown-Headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Seeing these in the snow was very interesting:

Birds
52. Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
 
Birds:
52. Peacock (Pavo cristatus)
53. Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
54. Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)
55. Domestic Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

Unsure if these can be counted, but they were certainly all wild and not free ranging individuals.

Fish:
11. Mangrove Jack (Lutjanus argentimaculatus)
12. Glass Perch (Ambassis agassizi)
Birds:
52. Common Koel (Eudynamys orientalis)
53. Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)
54. Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta)
56. White-bellied Sea Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucogaster)
57. Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
58. Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)

Mammals:
6. Brumby (Equus ferus caballus)
 
I wouldn't think they are countable, as they are feral domestic animals....
Feral mammals are a tricky one. For birds I really only count Feral Pigeon (as everyone does). But for mammals I count feral cats, pigs, goats, camels, etc etc. I think it is really a personal choice, and so long as they are an actual established population (as opposed to a few animals just living wild) then I don't have a problem with it myself.
 
The first few additions of Croatia! :D
Extremely happy with the new lifers, and of course with the likes of shag, hoopoe, stilt and hooded crow as well, as odds of seeing those at home are quite low. The first fish and herps of the year were nice as well!

BIRDS:
170) Common nightingale, Luscinia megarhynchos
171) Hooded crow, Corvus cornix
172) Northern wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe
173) House martin, Delichon urbicum
174) Black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus
175) Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus
176) Sand martin, Riparia riparia
177) Sardinian warbler, Sylvia melanocephala
178) European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis
179) Hoopoe, Upupa epops
180) Montagu's harrier, Circus pygargus
181) Black-eared wheatear, Oenanthe hispanica
182) Yellow wagtail, Motacilla flava

183) Eurasian spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia
184) Grey plover, Pluvialis squatarola

HERPS:
1) Dalmatian wall lizard, Podarcis melisellensis

2) Italian wall lizard, Podarcis sicula

FISH:
1) Mediterranean killifish, Aphanius fasciatus
 
Birding in Issen as usual but this time I tried to reach remote areas and it seems like it paid off: a lifer!

42 - Common linnet, Linaria cannabina
43 - European greenfinch, Carduelis chloris

Spent a week in Fès, was not bad I guess... was awesome

44 - Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
45 - Garganey, Spatula querquedula
46 - Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula
47 - Glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus
48 - Black kite, Milvus migrans
49 - Montagu's harrier, Circus pygargus
50 - Eurasian coot, Fulica atra
51 - Alpine swift, Tachymarptis melba
52 - Calandra lark, Melanocorypha calandra
53 - Woodlark, Lullula arborea
54 - Cetti's warbler, Cettia cetti
55 - Common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs africana
56 - Corn bunting, Emberiza calandra
 
Birds:
52. Common Koel (Eudynamys orientalis)
53. Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)
54. Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta)
56. White-bellied Sea Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucogaster)
57. Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
58. Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)

Mammals:
6. Brumby (Equus ferus caballus)
Birds:
59. Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
60. Fork Tailed Swift (Apus pacificus)
 
I don't normally do twitching at all, in fact I've never really done any twitching really, but the ideal opportunity presented itself today on a day that I had planned for birding anyway, so I decided to try and twitch a Great Northern Diver near a small town about an hour and a half's drive away. There are normally a few recorded annually in Poland and this was the first record of this species for this year.

94) Great Northern Diver - it turned out to be a rather easy twitch and I got a walk away view of the bird within as little as 10 metres away.
95) Common Woodpigeon
96) Song Thrush
97) Eurasian Bullfinch

Another really great twitch today. I'm starting to get into this twitching stuff :P

98) Eurasian Wigeon
99) Common Pochard
100) Little Grebe
101) Great Crested Grebe
102) Greylag Goose
103) Eurasian Penduline Tit
104) Great White Pelican (my first sighting outside Africa - quite a nice vagrant in Poland, I think this is the 75th (ish) Polish record)
105) Western Marsh Harrier
106) Reed Bunting
107) Great Egret
108) Black-necked Grebe
109) Northern Shoveler

Lots of nice summer waterbirds too.
 
I let the updates lag a little much...

4. Eastern chipmunk

2. Odorous house ant

18. Snow goose
19. American black duck

20. Mallard
21. Lesser scaup
22. Canvasback
23. Ring-billed duck

24. Red-tailed hawk
25. Common merganser
26. Redhead

27. American herring gull
28. Song sparrow
29. Bald eagle
30. North American ruddy duck
31. American coot
32. Ruby-crowned kinglet
33. Winter wren
34. Mourning dove
35. Northern cardinal
36. Golden-crowned kinglet
37. Carolina chickadee
38. Double-crested cormorant
39. Hooded merganser
40. Swamp sparrow

41. White-throated sparrow
42. Great blue heron
43. Belted kingfisher
44. Tufted titmouse

Over the last few months, with the bulk in January. My duck curse is finally over...
Mammals:
5. Galápagos sea lion (EN)

Birds:
45. Eared dove
46. Great thrush
47. Sparkling violetear
48. Rufous-collared sparrow
49. Southern yellow grosbeak
50. Blue-and-white swallow

51. Cattle egret
52. Smooth-billed ani
53. Yellow warbler (two subspecies)
54. Common noddy
55. Magnificent frigatebird
56. Blue-footed booby
57. Lava gull (VU)

58. Brown pelican (ssp. urinator)
59. Small ground finch
60. Ruddy turnstone
61. Nazca booby
62. Wedge-rumped storm petrel
63. Galápagos petrel (CR)
64. Galápagos flycatcher
65. Woodpecker finch
66. Common cactus finch
67. Small tree finch
68. Large tree finch (VU)
69. Green warbler finch
70. Galápagos mockingbird
71. Galápagos hawk (EN)
72. Whimbrel
73. Yellow-crowned night heron
74. American flamingo
75. White-cheeked pintail
76. Black-necked stilt

77. Common gallinule
78. Galápagos shearwater
79. Striated heron
80. Lava heron
81. Band-rumped storm petrel
82. Large ground finch
83. San Cristóbal mockingbird (EN)

84. Pied-billed grebe
85. Horned grebe (VU)
86. Red-breasted merganser
87. Great egret

Reptiles:
1. Galápagos land iguana (VU)
2. Santa Cruz lava lizard (M. indefatigabilis)
3. Marine iguana (3 subspecies)
4. Isabela lava lizard (M. ablemarlensis)

5. Green sea turtle (EN)
6. Western Santa Cruz giant tortoise (C. porteri) (CR)
7. Galápagos leaf-toed gecko
8. Peters' leaf-toed gecko
9. San Cristóbal lava lizard


Fish:
1. Oceanic blacktip shark (C. limbatus)
2. Golden cownose ray
3. Bullseye pufferfish
4. Spotted eagle ray
5. Whitetip reef shark
6. Round ribbontail ray
7. Diamond stingray
8. Yellow-tailed grunt
9. Blue-barred parrotfish
10. Black-striped salema
11. Spinster wrasse (H. nicholsi)
12. Panamic sergeant major


Inverts:
3. Sulphur butterfly (Phoebis sennae marcellina)
4. Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus thersippus)
5. Galápagos blue butterfly
6. Galápagos carpenter bee
7. Large painted locust
8. Sally lightfoot crab
9. Fiddler crab (Uca helleri)
10. Galápagos hermit crab (Calcinus explorator)


All of these, I am fairly sure on. Any changes to this list will hopefully be additions. I've provided scientific names where I think confusion may arise.

:D
 
BIRDS
101. Common Linnet (Linaria cannabina)
102. Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
103. Brent Goose (Branta bernicla)
104. Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

HERPTILES

3. Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

INVERTS
5. Zebra Back Spider (Salticus scenicus)
It's been quite the spectacular week, including probably one of the most impressive and long-awaited birds I have twitched in my life; a male King Eider in full summer plumage.

BIRDS

105. Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
106. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
107. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
108. Sanderling (Calidris alba)
109. Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
110. Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)
111. King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
112. Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
113. Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
114. Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
115. Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

MAMMALS
6. Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina)
7. Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
8. Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)

INVERTS

6. Two-spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata)
7. Red-breasted Carrion Beetle (Oiceoptoma thoracicum)
 
Circumstances mean I have been unable to go out birdwatching for just over a month now. A brief morning trip out to Heybridge Basin today gave me a new bird for the year-list:

91. Mediterranean gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Also forgot to add a sighting from my last trip out on the 22nd February - a third addition to my hymenoptera year list:

3. Red wood ant Formica rufa (NT)

Over the past few days I have added three new birds, a new mammal, two new butterflies, a fourth hymenopteran and my second beetle to my year list:

92. Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
93. Linnet Linaria cannabina
94. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica

5. Red fox Vulpes vulpes

1. Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni
2. Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album

4. Hairy-footed flower bee Anthophora plumipes

2. Whirligig Gyrinus substriatus
 
@jayjds2: Nice! Which islands did you visit?
Thanks! I visited Baltra (for just a very short time of course, but it’s where I saw land iguanas and a Santa Cruz lava lizard), Santa Cruz, Isabela, Las Tintoreras, and San Cristóbal. I unfortunately had a few big misses: flightless cormorant, penguin (the best part of Tintoreras for them was closed for iguana nesting), dove, and swallow-tailed gull. But on the other hand, I have four excuses to go back! I also have to go back to complete my set of Galápagos tortoises. I just need three more!
 
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