ZooChat Big Year 2021

Great Argus said:
Only one species today, but I finally got that darn kingfisher that's been evading me since the start of the year! :p

Birds:

59. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

[4-59-3-2-0-6] -- I'm going to be adding this at the bottom of my posts, it's a number tracker for each group to help keep my numbering accurate. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, in that order. ;)
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Two species yesterday, and then only saw rabbit tracks in the snow this morning, no rabbits. Seeing a Phainopepla hanging around with some 4 inches of snow on the ground was rather odd though!

Birds:

60. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
61. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)

4-61-3-2-0-6
 
Just going to pop this here. What is the purpose of scientific names in this thread? Not saying I dislike it, but I just got curious. I'm guessing it may be easier to organise, though I'm still not absolutely certain.
 
OstrichMania said:
Just going to pop this here. What is the purpose of scientific names in this thread? Not saying I dislike it, but I just got curious. I'm guessing it may be easier to organise, though I'm still not absolutely certain.
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The reason I include them is to avoid confusion. Some species have very confusing or broad common names in the instance of something like "Little Brown Skink" that describes a number of skinks around the world. Others may have a number of common names applied to them that everyone may not be familiar with. With a scientific name attached, however, regardless of location or language everyone will be able to know exactly what it is.
 
d1am0ndback said:
The weather the past several days has been rather poor for birding however that has not stopped me from finding several of the species I have been looking for. The highlights include my first bird lifer of the year, a Henslow's Sparrow, which happens to be a very rare and difficult bird to find within Texas. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph this sparrow due to its skulky and skittish nature. Other highlights include a continuing local rarity Couch's Kingbird, a vagrant from the west Brewer's Sparrow, and a very uncommon for where I found it Great Kiskadee. Also worth mentioning is an American Woodcock which flew over my head this morning, given I was unable to find any American Woodcocks last year despite that being one of the easier targets I could have gotten for my year list especially towards the end of the year.

Birds

108. Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii
109. Couch's Kingbird - Tyrannus couchii
110. Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis
111. Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater
112. Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna
113. Henslow's Sparrow - Centronyx henslowii
114. Vesper Sparrow - Pooecetes gramineus
115. Brewer's Sparrow - Spizella breweri
116. Sedge Wren - Cistothorus platensis
117. Great Kiskadee - Pitangus sulphuratus
118. Crested Caracara - Caracara cheriway
119. Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
120. White Ibis - Eudocimus albus
121. Long-billed Curlew - Numenius americanus
122. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis
123. Roseate Spoonbill - Platalea ajaja
124. Monk Parakeet - Myiopsitta monachus
125. Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea
126. Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis
127. Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla
128. Mottled Duck - Anas fulvigula
129. Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors
130. Common Loon - Gavia immer
131. Royal Tern - Thalasseus maximus
132. Common Tern - Sterna hirundo
133. Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia
134. Willet - Tringa semipalmata
135. Sanderling - Calidris alba
136. Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres
137. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
138. American Oystercatcher - Haematopus palliatus
139. Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis
140. Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator
141. Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula
142. Sora - Porzana carolina
143. Clapper Rail - Rallus crepitans
144. White-tailed Kite - Elanus leucurus
145. Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana
146. Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina
147. Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus
148. American Woodcock - Scolopax minor



I also added a few mammals seen incidentally while birding.

Mammals

6. Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin- Tursiops truncatus
7. Eastern Cottontail- Sylvilagus floridanus
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I added a few more birds over the past several days, the main highlight being Smith's Longspurs which I have been hoping to find within Texas for a very long time. It is also always nice to see Bald Eagles, Great Horned Owls, and Cave Swallows since all of those tend to be rather uncommon in my area.

Birds

149. Cave Swallow - Petrochelidon fulva
150. Great Horned Owl - Bubo virginianus
151. Smith's Longspur - Calcarius pictus
152. Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

I also found my first deer of the year on the side of the road.

Mammals

8. White-tailed Deer- Odocoileus virginianus
 
d1am0ndback said:
The reason I include them is to avoid confusion. Some species have very confusing or broad common names in the instance of something like "Little Brown Skink" that describes a number of skinks around the world. Others may have a number of common names applied to them that everyone may not be familiar with. With a scientific name attached, however, regardless of location or language everyone will be able to know exactly what it is.
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Yes, this is something I was thinking about too. I have had several instances on the internet where a common name is recognised as various different creatures, which gets confusing. Thanks for letting me know.
 
OstrichMania said:
Just going to pop this here. What is the purpose of scientific names in this thread? Not saying I dislike it, but I just got curious. I'm guessing it may be easier to organise, though I'm still not absolutely certain.
Click to expand...

d1am0ndback said:
The reason I include them is to avoid confusion. Some species have very confusing or broad common names in the instance of something like "Little Brown Skink" that describes a number of skinks around the world. Others may have a number of common names applied to them that everyone may not be familiar with. With a scientific name attached, however, regardless of location or language everyone will be able to know exactly what it is.
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Indeed - it's basically the same function scientific names have everywhere - to make clear which species you are referring to. Indeed, in its own way this thread is an archetype of the value of them, with birders from multiple continents posting lists together and all being able to track what everything is regardless of regional differences. :)
 
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A couple more lockdown exercise/shopping trip additions:

Birds:
72. Stock Dove - Columba oenas

Mammals:
5. Brown Rat - Rattus norvegicus

:)


Maguari said:
If I get to 75 or 80 birds and 5 mammals before lockdown lifts that'd be a very good result - but then again I got more than I expected in the last long lockdown so who knows?
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Seems I was indeed being a bit pessimistic - that mammal target for lockdown has fallen already! Not a lot of further mammal options for under lockdown in midwinter, but there are certainly some.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Saw another new bird in the garden today, hopping among some flowerpots on the patio. This species has increasingly started wintering in Britain - it is definitely the earliest I have seen one in my area:

38. Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

May not be able to go out birding even after my dissertation is over - got correspondence from the Essex Birdwatching Society that people are getting police cautions for stopping with binoculars while out on exercise.
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Added another couple of birds over the past few days. The first was a brief visit to the bird feeders in the midst of a large, travelling mixed flock. The second is a species I have heard several times over the past few days as they have been roosting on the floodwater behind the garden but have been arriving and departing under cover of darkness. Managed to see them leaving early this morning however:

39. Coal tit Periparus ater
40. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Pretty good haul for January, considering I have only left the house once this month - looking back through my list I have seen 35 out of the 40 species from the house.
 
Hix said:
Identified the raptor seen at Chat Alley as a juvenile. And a lifer.

Birds
87. Spotted Harrier

And a correction, the Little Eagle (#46) was actually a young Whistling Kite going through a moult.

:p

Hix
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Birds
88. Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
89. Yellow Thornbill
90. Hardhead
91. Red Wattlebird
92. Superb Fairy Wren
93. Great Cormorant
94. Crested Tern
95. Caspian Tern
96. Little Tern
97. Red-necked Stint
98. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
99. Bar-tailed Godwit
100. Eastern Curlew
101. Red-capped Plover
102. Australian Pied Oystercatcher
103. Red-necked Avocet
104. Pacific Koel
105. Chestnut Teal
106. Black Swan
107. Australian Hobby
108. Australian Shelduck
109. Ruddy Turnstone
110. Lesser Sand Plover
111. Little Egret
112. Beautiful Firetail
113. Eastern Yellow Robin
114. White-browed Scrubwren
115. Grey Fantail
116. Golden Whistler
117. Eastern Whipbird
118. New Holland Honeyeater
119. Yellow-faced Honeyeater
120. Eastern Spinebill
121. Variegated Fairy Wren
122. Satin Bowerbird
123. Fairy Martin
124. Bell Miner
125. Musk Lorikeet
126. Red-browed Finch
127. Silvereye
128. Red-whiskered Bulbul
129. Lewin's Honeyeater
130. Long-billed Corella
131. Dollarbird

Mammals
5. Swamp Wallaby

Reptiles
1. Eastern Water Dragon

Inverts
1. Double Drummer Cicada
2. Monarch Butterfly
3. Cabbage White Butterfly
4. Australian Garden Orb Weaver

:p

Hix
 
aardvark250 said:
Same day as this, but with a correct ID.

Birds
12.Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus)
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Go to the coastline yesterday and see these:
13. Great egret (Ardea alba)
14. Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)
15. Little egret (Egretta garzetta)
16. Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
17. Crested myna (Acridotheres cristatellus)
18. Long tailed shrike (Lanius schach)
 
Found a fruitful finch flock just up the road in Holmebrook Valley Park this morning. Back 'at' work on Monday (i.e. in the living room all day) so getting the walks in while I can.

Birds:
73. Lesser Redpoll - Acanthis cabaret
74. Eurasian Siskin - Spinus spinus

:)
 
Dannelboyz said:
Saw my first Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Lake Modewarre yesterday! Very rare vagrant to Australia :)

BIRDS
208 - Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis)
--- Pacific Koel (Eudynamys orientalis) [heard]
209 - Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)
210 - Banded Stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus)
211 - Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris)

MAMMALS
13 - Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)*
14 - Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)*

Nah I'm not trying for a record or anything. I just spend a lot of time birding and always like year-listing. :p
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A bit of birding from Reef Island (212-216), the treatment plant (217) and Gippsland (218-222) got some nice species... The Hudsonian Godwit is possibly not countable as there is still some debate about its identity due to weird plumage and structure. I suspect that it is probably a hybrid Blackwit x Hudwit, which would be a first to my knowledge. I'll leave it on the list until I know more.

BIRDS
212 - Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
213 - Grey-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes)
214 - Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
215 - Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
216 - Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
217* - Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)
218 - Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla)
219 - Flame Robin (Petroica phoenica)
220 - Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)
221 - Pilotbird (Pycnoptilus floccosus)
--- Painted Buttonquail (Turnix varius) [heard]
222 - White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus)

MAMMALS
15 - Grey-headed Flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus)
16 - Red-necked Wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus)

AMPHIBIANS
3 - Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis)
 
Ituri said:
Time for an update. Mostly just birds picked up around town here and there.

BIRDS:
60 Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii
61 Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos
62 Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris
63 Northern Bobwhite - Colinus virginianus
64 Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna
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Last weekend I went with a group from the Wichita Audubon Society out to Cheney Reservoir west of town. It was very cold and there weren't a ton of birds out, but there were a few, nice year birds including a Northern Shrike which I've not seen in a few years. Unfortunately I had to leave early and ended up missing out on a Northern Waterthrush which is very rare this time of year.

BIRDS:
65 Hairy Woodpecker - Dryobates villosus
66 Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa
67 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula
68 Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum
69 Fox Sparrow - Passerella iliaca
70 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Setophaga coronata
71 Common Loon - Gavia immer
72 Northern Shrike - Lanius borealis
73 House Finch - Haemorhous mexicanus
 
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