ZooChat Big Year 2020

KevinB said:
A few more I saw during my visit to Pairi Daiza.

New sightings have been underlined and bolded. Below the list I have added some comments on the sightings.

BIRDS

1 - Great egret (Ardea alba)
2 - Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
3 - Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)
4 - Common pochard (Aythya ferina)
5 - Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
6 - Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
7 - Eurasian coot (Fulica atra)
8 - Greylag goose (Anser anser)
9 - Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
10 - Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
11 - European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
12 - Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
13 - House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
14 - Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
15 - Eurasian magpie (Pica pica pica)
16 - Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
17 - White wagtail (Motacilla alba)
18 - Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
19 - Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
20 - Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula)
21 - Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
22 - Eurasian jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
23 - Common or European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
24 - European green woodpecker (Picus viridis)
25 - Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)
26 - Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
27 - Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
28 - Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
29 - Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
30 - Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
31 - Common house martin (Delichon urbicum)
32 - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis)

Number 30, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

Grey wagtail seen in the moose exhibit in The Last Frontier.

Number 31, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

A large flock of common house martins was flying over and around the Russian restaurant L'Izba and over the (surface of) the nearby lake, which I also saw them quickly dipping into.

Number 32, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

Large flocks of barnacle geese can be seen in different areas around Pairi Daiza, but they are most commonly found in the fallow deer area in The Last Frontier, where they also roost at night, and in and around the large lakes.

MAMMALS

NOT COUNTABLE TOWARDS TALLY

I spent the night at Pairi Daiza's resort and during an evening walk in The Last Frontier and The Land of the Cold (which are accessible to resort guests at all times, even during the night) I saw some bats flying around.

It is however very difficult to identify bats in flight without a bat detector, so I cannot tell with certainty what species they were. Likely the bats at Pairi Daiza were however of one of the bat species common in Belgium.
Click to expand...

While looking through my photos from Pairi Daiza I realized I forgot to add two more newly sighted species to my birds list, so I am hereby amending it.

Recent sightings are bolded and underlined. More details on the sightings are given below the list.

BIRDS

1 - Great egret (Ardea alba)
2 - Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
3 - Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)
4 - Common pochard (Aythya ferina)
5 - Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
6 - Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
7 - Eurasian coot (Fulica atra)
8 - Greylag goose (Anser anser)
9 - Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
10 - Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
11 - European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
12 - Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
13 - House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
14 - Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
15 - Eurasian magpie (Pica pica pica)
16 - Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
17 - White wagtail (Motacilla alba)
18 - Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
19 - Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
20 - Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula)
21 - Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
22 - Eurasian jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
23 - Common or European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
24 - European green woodpecker (Picus viridis)
25 - Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)
26 - Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
27 - Common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
28 - Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
29 - Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
30 - Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
31 - Common house martin (Delichon urbicum)
32 - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis)
33 - Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
34 - Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Number 30, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

Grey wagtail seen in the moose exhibit in The Last Frontier.

Number 31, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

A large flock of common house martins was flying over and around the Russian restaurant L'Izba and over the (surface of) the nearby lake, which I also saw them quickly dipping into.

Number 32, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

Large flocks of barnacle geese can be seen in different areas around Pairi Daiza, but they are most commonly found in the fallow deer area in The Last Frontier, where they also roost at night, and in and around the large lakes.

Number 33, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

I saw large flocks of black-headed gulls on the pontoon terrace near the Russian restaurant and in the African penguin exhibit. Smaller groups were seen in other exhibits housing piscivore species.

Number 34, Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Henegouwen or Hainaut Province, Wallonia, Belgium, September 2nd, 2020

I saw a small group of greater cormorants sitting at the side of the lake, on the Australian exhibit's pelican beach.
 
Invertebrates

26. White Tailed Spider (Lampona cylindrata)
27. Lawn Fly (Hydrellia tritci)
 
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Yoshistar888 said:
Invertebrates

26. White Tailed Spider (Lampona cylindrata)
27. Lawn Fly (Hydrellia tritci)
Click to expand...

Spring has brought so many spiders out, I’m waiting on identification on many jumping spiders but for now I can add this amazingly cool spider to my tally.


28. Black House Spider (Badumna insignis)
29. Garden Ant (Lasius niger)
30. Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti)
 
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Yoshistar888 said:
Spring has brought so many spiders out, I’m waiting on identification on many jumping spiders but for now I can add this amazingly cool spider to my tally.


28. Black House Spider (Badumna insignis)
29. Garden Ant (Lasius niger)
30. Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti)
Click to expand...

Just an ant species

31. Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium pharaonis)
 
Hix said:
Birds
244. Noisy Friarbird
245. Australasian Gannet
246. Tawny-crowned Honeyeater
247. Topknot Pigeon
248. Chestnut Teal
249. Large-billed Scrubwren

Mammals
16. Australian Fur Seal

:p

Hix
Click to expand...
Birds
250. Little Corella
251. Shining Bronze Cuckoo
252. Australian Hobby

:p

Hix
 
Mehdi said:
A great session today at my local spot with no less than 43 species seen (a record for me there), including many fall waders and passerines:

31/08/2020 (Embouchure de l'Oued Souss, Morocco)
BIRDS:
139 - Spectacled warbler, Curruca conspicillata
140 - Black tern, Chlidonias niger

Highlights include high numbers of every common wader species (the joy of fall birding) as well as a big passage of migrating European bee-eaters (more than a hundred individuals). It was awesome to see Marbled teal and Black tern for the second time ever as well as yet another Purple heron (this year seems to be good for them).

The best of it all though was a beautiful male Spectacled warbler, one of the species I was still missing that is the most common. Certainly the best Sylviidae I've had the chance to observe!
Click to expand...

A totally non-birding related trip to Casablanca gave me enough time to plan a visit to one of the last major hotspots in that region (Daya de Dar Bouazza) in company of one of the best birders in Morocco (in my opinion) as well as some of his avid wildlife-watcher friends.

Well, it was awesome...

05/09/2020 (Daya de Dar Bouazza, Morocco)
BIRDS:
141 - Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago
142 - Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola
143 - Garganey, Spatula querquedula
144 - Eurasian teal, Anas crecca
145 - Water rail, Rallus aquaticus
146 - Squacco heron, Ardeola ralloides
147 - Black-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax

MAMMALS:
3 - European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus

HERPS:
9 - Spanish pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa

All-in-all, 53 species of birds observed (beating my record of species seen at a single spot), my second time ever trying a scope (that was more than useful to find all these species, especially the rail), endless discussions about the birds of Morocco and an amazing experience in general.

As for the species seen, two were unusual in term of pheonology (Eurasian teal and Common snipe which are both quite early in their migration), three are expected lifers that I was eager to finally get one day (Eurasian teal, Squacco heron and Wood sandpiper), my first rail ever, my second (and third) Garganey ever and my first night-heron in Morocco!

06/07/2020 (Lahouaza, Morocco)
BIRDS:
148 - Hen harrier, Circus cyaneus

On my way back to Agadir, I also saw my first identifiable "grey-backed" harrier on the highway, the rarest of the two we get in Morocco, a great sighting to end this great weekend.
 
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Mehdi said:
A totally non-birding related trip to Casablanca gave me enough time to plan a visit to one of the last major hotspots in that region (Daya de Dar Bouazza) in company of one of the best birders in Morocco (in my opinion) as well as some of his avid wildlife-watcher friends.

Well, it was awesome...
Click to expand...

Did you stay by the Daya or did you cross over to the beach as well? There is a lovely spot, when it's low tide, the light there is beautiful by sunset.
 
Rayane said:
Did you stay by the Daya or did you cross over to the beach as well? There is a lovely spot, when it's low tide, the light there is beautiful by sunset.
Click to expand...

We only stayed at the Daya part of the area as unfortunately we didn't have much sunlight time available (started birding at 17:30 so we had to concretize the sunlight left as much as possible!)
 
An update on my birding goings-on for the past few days.

A suprising new species was added on the day I ended my holiday. As I was driving home on the road, in blistering heat, a certain pigeon-sized bird came flying in front of me, and I immediately knew what it was:

52. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

The next day, we decided to hit the apparent best hotspot in my local area. And the area certainly didn't disappoint. Here is a rundown of all the new birds seen:

The first new bird was a relatively common one. Over a bridge with a lake under it that had tons of birds including Mallards, Coots, Herons, Egrets and Gulls. But, one stood out from the rest. Credit to my birding partner for spotting this relatively common bird:

53. Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

The next species was spotted by another area of the place, which was more of an overview of the entire lake with a rocky and sandy coast in it. There, we found two species. One of which was a major shock, but for sure was it due to it's distinctive black boundary around the eyes.
54. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
55. Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
 
Fist, I've decided to retroactively count a ferruginous duck I saw on the border of Brussels in March. The Belgian observation site tags all of these in the Brussels capital region as exotics/escapes, but this one was right on the outskirts next to one of the largest forests in Belgium, behaving completely naturally without any signs of captivity, so it's a bit silly not to count:

BIRDS:
244) Ferruginous duck, Aythya nyroca

Other than that, the past few days I've been on a trip to the Ardennes, and finally managed to snag a few species for my Belgian list that I was missing! The spotted nutcrackers are of another subspecies than the vagrant I saw in the Netherlands in 2018 and 2019, and black grouse a lifer completely that is only very rarely seen in September, so a great weekend indeed! Cool views of an eagle-owl in a forest and good views of dippers, kites, honey buzzards, bullfinches are always fantastic.

BIRDS:
245) Spotted nutcracker, Nucifraga caryocatactes
246) White-throated dipper, Cinclus cinclus
247) Black grouse, Lyrurus tetrix

FISH:
3) Common nase, Chondrostoma nasus
4) Chub, Leuciscus cephalus

INVERTS:
113) Fox moth, Macrothylacia rubi
114) Square-spot rustic, Xestia xanthographa
115) Pine ladybug, Exochomus quadripustulatus
 
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Yoshistar888 said:
33. South African Cupboard Spider (Steatoda capensis)*
Click to expand...

34. Common House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)*

I've seen two in two days, one in the garage yesterday and one outside my study window however the one outside my study window was alive when I saw it, a few hours later I checked on it and there was a massive exo parasite on it :(. What a horrible way to die.
 
A non-birding trip allowed me to get a clear view of
Birds
96. Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis
As far as I know they are the only urban prinia, so the little brown birds I saw on previous trips should be this species, but the genus like all warblers is tough to ID, so I decided not to list them till now.
 
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