ZooChat Big Year 2019

[Great Argus]

Bonaparte's would a common species that would be present in large numbers, so I don't know if I could even pick out Little and Laughing among them.

Ah, that might present more of a problem. Our Bonaparte's came through over a month ago so wasn't thinking of them.

 

[KevinVar]

Additions from May, including the Big Day in the second week of May and an interesting twitch last week.

BIRDS
143. Common Swift (Apus apus)
144. Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
145. Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
146. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
147. Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
148. Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
149. Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
150. Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)
151. Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
152. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
153. Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
154. Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta)

MAMMALS
10. European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

HERPTILES
3. Edible Frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus)

INVERTS
10. Small Leaf Beetle (Chrysomela saliceti)

 

[Dannelboyz]

BIRDS
--- Asian Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica affinis)
231 - Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
232 - Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)

BIRDS
233 - Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)

 

[animal_expert01]

Birds:
97. Grey Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae)
98. Bar Shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)
99. Pacific Heron (Ardea pacifica)

Also saw several birds of prey that I couldn’t identify. Very common were a species that I saw several of, all perched on lamp posts over looking the highway. They were all a dark brown in colour and had a much darker head. Any ideas?

100. Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)
Well on the way to beating my total from last year.

 

[Vision]

A great day of birding got me a few additions, among which my first great reed warbler in Belgium!

BIRDS:
411) Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo
412) Great reed warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus
413) Icterine warbler, Hippolais icterina

Belgium: 147
Benelux: 171

MAMMALS:
27) Stoat, Mustela erminea

INVERTS:
45) Cinnabar moth, Tyria jacobaeae

 

[Ursus]

BIRDS:
34. Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Had a voluntary internship at a horse ranch today, and this got me a very pleasant lifer species that nests in the stables. As well as on the way to the ranch I got 2 lifers as well. (lifers have underline)

35. Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
36. Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
37. Common tern (Sterna hirundo)
38. Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

 

[Chlidonias]

The monthly round-up:


BIRDS:

Vision – 413
lintworm – 280
MRJ – 233
Dannelboyz – 233
Maguari – 220
Coelacanth18 – 213
Mr. Zootycoon – 188
boof – 187
Ituri – 183
TeaLovingDave – 179
Hix – 171
Great Argus – 170
carl the birder – 156
KevinVar – 154
birdsandbats – 135
DesertRhino150 – 107
Zoo Tycooner FR – 101
animal_expert01 – 100
ThylacineAlive – 92
Birdlover – 81
Macaw16 – 68
WhistlingKite24 – 66
LaughingDove – 58
amur leopard – 56
Chlidonias – 55
Mbwamwitu – 38
Ursus – 38
Jambo – 29
Najade – 23 [only listing Australian lifers]
Pleistohorse – 23
Moorish – 16
Hipporex – 13
OstrichMania – 2


MAMMALS:

lintworm – 33
Maguari – 29
Coelacanth18 – 29
Najade – 27
Vision – 27
MRJ – 25
Dannelboyz – 24
amur leopard – 22
TeaLovingDave – 20
Great Argus – 16
ThylacineAlive – 14
carl the birder – 13
Pleistohorse – 11
Mr. Zootycoon – 11
Birdlover – 10
Hix – 10
KevinVar – 10
birdsandbats – 9
DesertRhino150 – 9
Mbwamwitu – 7
WhistlingKite24 – 6
Macaw16 – 6
LaughingDove – 5
animal_expert01 – 5
James54321 – 4
Ituri – 4
Hipporex – 3
Zoo Tycooner FR – 3
Moorish – 2
Chlidonias – 2
Jambo – 1
Ursus – 1


HERPTILES:

animal_expert01 – 20 Herptiles total (16 Reptiles, 4 Amphibians)
Najade – 21 Herptiles total (18 Reptiles, 3 Amphibians)
Vision – 19 Herptiles total (14 Reptiles, 5 Amphibians)
James54321 – 12 Herptiles total (10 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians)
Dannelboyz – 12 Herptiles total (9 Reptiles, 3 Amphibians)
ThylacineAlive – 11 Herptiles total (9 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians)
Great Argus – 10 Herptiles total (7 Reptiles, 3 Amphibians)
MRJ – 9 Herptiles total (9 Reptiles, 0 Amphibians)
WhistlingKite24 – 7 Herptiles total (6 Reptiles, 1 Amphibians)
TeaLovingDave – 7 Herptiles total (3 Reptiles, 4 Amphibians)
carl the birder – 7 Herptiles total (7 Reptiles, 0 Amphibians)
lintworm – 7 Herptiles total (7 Reptiles, 0 Amphibians)
Hix – 7 Herptiles total (7 Reptiles, 0 Amphibians)
Maguari – 7 Herptiles total (3 Reptiles, 4 Amphibians)
Mr. Zootycoon – 4 Herptiles total (0 Reptiles, 4 Amphibians)
birdsandbats – 4 Herptiles total (2 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians)
Jambo – 3 Herptiles total (3 Reptiles, 0 Amphibians)
Zoo Tycooner FR – 3 Herptiles total (2 Reptiles, 1 Amphibians)
KevinVar – 3 Herptiles total (0 Reptiles, 3 Amphibians)
Moorish – 1 Herptiles total (0 Reptiles, 1 Amphibians)
DesertRhino150 – 1 Herptiles total (1 Reptiles, 0 Amphibians)
Macaw16 – 1 Herptiles total (0 Reptiles, 1 Amphibians)


FISH:

carl the birder – 129
animal_expert01 – 21
Dannelboyz – 14
James54321 – 12
Maguari – 9
DesertRhino150 – 4
Vision – 3
WhistlingKite24 – 2
Ursus – 2
birdsandbats – 2
Jambo – 1


INVERTEBRATES:

Mr. Zootycoon – 71
WhistlingKite24 – 64
Dannelboyz – 45
Vision – 44
Maguari – 37
DesertRhino150 – 33
Great Argus – 27
Zoo Tycooner FR – 14
Ursus – 14
KevinVar – 10
birdsandbats – 8
Birdlover – 3
carl the birder – 3
Moorish – 1
animal_expert01 – 1
MRJ – 1

 

[Coelacanth18]

Got my first Virginia bird and mammal walking around the neighborhood yesterday:

Birds
213. Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Mammals
29. Groundhog (Marmota monax)

Funny how when you go to a new area you pick up new species just by going for a jog:

Birds
214. Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
215. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
216. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)

 

[Coelacanth18]

Funny how when you go to a new area you pick up new species just by going for a jog:

Birds
214. Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
215. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
216. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)

And another one:

Birds
217. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)

 

[KevinVar]

Did another Big day yesterday, this time in the northern provinces of the Netherlands - a place I haven't really birded before. Although we didn't settle a new personal record number-wise, we did see a lot of interesting and rare species which for sure makes it the most successful big day in terms of quality. The absolute highlight however, was a very rare Baillon's crake!

BIRDS
155. Iberian Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus ibericus)
156. Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)
157. Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris)
158. Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
159. Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)
160. Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
161. Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
162. Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
163. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
164. Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
165. Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris)
166. Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)
167. Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)
168. Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)
169. Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina)
170. Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla)
171. European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

MAMMALS
11. Common Vole (Microtus arvalis)
12. Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina)
13. Musk Rat (Ondatra zibethicus)

HERPTILES
4. Common Frog (Rana temporaria)

 

[Najade]

Reptiles
18. Sharp-browed Ctenotus (Ctenotus superciliaris)

Went down to Karratha for some birding. The weather wasn’t on our side (heavy winds), so fairly slow going. Finding a Pardalote up in the canopy can be hard on a good day never mind when the branch it’s on gets blown up and down so much that you can’t keep it in your binoculars.
But I guess I can’t complain too much with two lifers in one day out here.
For some reason I thought the Spinifexbird would be bigger (like Reed-warbler size) but it’s a small little bugger.

Birds
24. Spinifexbird (Megalurus carteri)
25. Red-browed Pardalote (Pardalotus rubricatus)

 

[birdsandbats]

Birds
134. Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
135. Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda

From birding today:

Birds
136. Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
137. Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
138. Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
139. Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii
140. Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
141. Dickcissel Spiza americana
142. Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius

Also heard 3 would be lifers (Alder Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Black-billed Cuckoo), but they remain unseen.

 

[birdsandbats]

From birding today:

Birds
136. Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
137. Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
138. Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
139. Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii
140. Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
141. Dickcissel Spiza americana
142. Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius

Also heard 3 would be lifers (Alder Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Black-billed Cuckoo), but they remain unseen.

Forgot one:

Birds
143. Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

Got a few addition from here and there, and I've now seen almost all breeding birds in my local patch. A trip to find tree frogs was an utter failure when it comes to herptiles (only Common Frog seen and some Pelophylax heard), but did produce some of the best inverts of the list (notably Chequered Skipper).

Birds
189. Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin
190. European Honey Buzzard, Pernis apivorus

Mammals
12. Common Vole, Microtus arvalis
13. Bank Vole, Myodes glareolus

Herptiles
5. Moor Frog, Rana arvalis

Invertebrates
072. Hoverfly, Scaeva selenitica
073. Cream-Spot Ladybird, Calvia quatuordecimguttata
074. Scarab beetle, Valgus hemipterus
075. Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion puella
076. Garden Chafer, Phyllopertha horticola
077. Oak Processionary, Thaumetopoea processionea
078. Green Shield Bug, Palomena prasina
079. Longhorn Beetle, Mesosa nebulosa
080. European Oak Treeroller, Tortrix viridana
081. Common Red Soldier Beetle, Rhagonycha fulva
082. Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta
083. Meadow Brown, Manolia jurtina
084. Broad-Bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa
085. Chequered Skipper, Carterocephalus palaemon
086. Box Beetle, Conocerus acuteangulatus
087. Sloe Bug, Dolycoris baccarum
088. Spotted Longhorn, Rutpela maculata
089. Black-Tailed Skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum
090. Lesser Yellow Underwing, Noctua comes

 

[lintworm]

Forgot one from Singapore:

280. Oriental magpie robin

It has been some time since my last update. The following birds were seen in Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia & Finland. None were seen during specific birding trips so there is nothing really special, so it is more a list from additions here and there...

281. Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
282. Common eider (Somateria mollissima)
283. Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator)
284. Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
285. Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
286. European crane (Grus grus)
287 Wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
288. Green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
289. Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa)
290. Curlew (Numenius arquata)
291. Lesser black-backed gull (Larus graellsii)
292. Common tern (Sterna hirundo)
293. European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
294. Common swift (Apus apus)
295. Sand martin (Riparia riparia)
296. House martin (Delichon urbica)
297. Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)
298. Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba)
299. Thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia)
300. Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
301. Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
302. Common wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
303. Common stonechat (Saxicola rubricola)
304. Common whitethroat (Sylvia communis)
305. Sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
306. Grashopper warbler (Locustella naevia)
307. Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
308. Icterine warbler (Hippolais icterina)
309. Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
310. Common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
311. Spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
312. Hooded crow (Corvus cornix)
313. European serin (Serinus serinus)
314. Common rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)


Mammals

34. Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procynoides)

 

[Maguari]

Not a big birding weekend but managed a couple of quick local excursions to pick up a few more species and keep things ticking over:

Birds:
221. Ring Ouzel - Turdus torquatus
222. Short-eared Owl - Asio flammeus
223. Eurasian Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus scirpaceus

(UK: 169)

Invertebrates:
38. Garden Snail - Cornu aspersum
39. Tree Bumblebee - Bombus hypnorum

 

[Dannelboyz]

BIRDS
233 - Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)

BIRDS
234 - Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli)
235 - Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur)
336 - Fluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia)
337 - Southern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides)
238 - Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus)
239 - Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)
240 - Hutton's Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni)
--- Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) [heard]
241 - Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)

 

[Coelacanth18]

And another one:

Birds
217. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)

Birded in a park by the Potomac today. Didn't see quite as many birds as I wanted, although several Indigo Buntings was a surprise and a flock of eight Black Vultures at close range was a sight! Also not doing herps but almost ran into a Northern Black Racer. Managed to nab four new species. Also I realized the other day that I've seen wild Canada Goose several times but never counted them, so I'm adding them now retroactively.

Birds
218. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
219. Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)
220. Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)
221. Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens)
222. Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)

 

[Vision]

Some more inverts. The first two are amazing-looking dragonflies from Vietnam that I forgot to post, the rest are from around the house.

INVERTS:
46) Fulvous forest skimmer, Neurothemis fulvia
47) Variegated flutterer, Rhyothemis variegata
48) Emerald damselfly, Lestes sponsa
49) Cockchafer, Melolontha melolontha
50) Large red damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula
51) Green immigrant leaf weevil, Polydrusus formosus
52) Common pug, Eupithecia vulgata

 

[Mehdi]

I didn't really have time to bird at all in May but I did get an addition yesterday while visiting a friend (and quite the nice bird at that)

26/05/2019 (Agadir, Morocco)
BIRDS:
101 - African blue tit, Cyanistes teneriffae

Birded for the first time since more than a month today and boy did I miss it!

05/06/2019 (Issen, Morocco)
BIRDS:
102 - Western Bonelli's warbler, Phylloscopus bonelli
xxx - European nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus [heard only]

04/06/2019 (Issen, Morocco)
INVERTEBRATES:
15 - Bordered straw, Heliothis peltigera

My first ever nightjar although I couldn't locate it!