ZooChat Big Year 2021

d1am0ndback said:
Some more birding from the past week or so. Highlights include a magnificent Painted Redstart from someone's backyard in Houston, Texas and Rusty Blackbirds which should have been in my last update but I forgot to add them. Unfortunately I have inevitably gotten some birds that were heard only as well, those being Red-breasted Nuthatch and Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Quick Update:
I just found a Chestnut-collared Longspur in my photos of the longspur flock I posted about previously

Birds

215. Rusty Blackbird- Euphagus carolinus
216. Painted Redstart - Myioborus pictus
217. Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer
218. Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus
219. Chestnut-collared Longspur- Calcarius ornatus

Heard Only:
- Red-breasted Nuthatch- Sitta canadensis
- Brown-headed Nuthatch- Sitta pusilla
Click to expand...
The Polar Vortex grounded me for a bit but did provide some interesting birding, most notably a major county rarity Mountain Plover that arrived as the snow was melting.

Birds

220. Mountain Plover - Charadrius montanus
221. Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta
222. Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus
223. Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata
224. Canvasback - Aythya valisineria
 
At Moonlit

Birds
161. Grey butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
 
Time for an update! For birds, number 111 - 118 were picked up during a number of quick birding session in the local area or at work. The highlight was undoubtedly the flock of over a hundred cranes flying over and calling when I was working. A phenomenal sighting! I also had a number of great woodpecker sightings from all three Dutch "spotted" as well as black woodpecker.

The rest is from a recent trip to the Oostvaardersplassen, which was a great success. Despite its bad reputation among a part of the Dutch public, the area is still an important wintering ground for enormous numbers of birds. Clouds of geese, plovers and lapwings - often numbering thousands of individuals - regularly filled the sky. Raptors, including the spectacular white-tailed eagles, patrolled the grasslands and marshes, regularly flushing groups of ducks or starlings. Scarce waterfowl like pintails and smews where everywhere, and the highlight was a flock of 20 goosanders. Furthermore, I had several great sighting of red foxes as they walked around, played with each other or marked their territory.

I have seen the last three species earlier but forgot to mention them here.

Birds
111. Feral pigeon, Columba livia
112. Black-crowned Night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
113. White Stork, Ciconia ciconia
114. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Dryobates minor
115. Common Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus colllybita
116. Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Leiopicus medius
117. Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla
118. Common Crane, Grus grus
119. White-tailed Eagle, Halieetus albicilla
120. Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans
121. Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
122. Western Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus
123. European Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria
124. Common Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla
125. Pied Avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta
126. Dunlin, Calidris alpina
127. Bearded Reedling, Panurus biarmicus
128. Cetti's Warbler, Cettia cetti
129. Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata
130. Eurasian Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes
131. European Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis

Mammals
8. Red Deer, Cervus elaphus

Invertebrates
5. Scytodes thoracica
6. Seven-spot Ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata
7. Common Brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni
8. Porcellio spinicornis
9. Grove Snail, Cepaea nemoralis
10. Nettle Ground Bug, Heterogaster urticae
 
A couple of additions from a good long walk today, including my first Red Kite close to home, which is nice (we're a bit too far north to get them regularly, so they're a rare sight round here). Looking like the slow trickle will continue until Stay Local restrictions are lifted at (on current intentions) the end of March; from the Easter weekend onwards I should be a bit more back in business!

Birds:
76. Eurasian Skylark - Alauda arvensis
77. Red Kite - Milvus milvus

:)
 
31. Snowy egret (Egretta thula)
32. Great egret (Ardea alba)
33. Red-gartered coot (Fulica armillata)
34. White-winged coot (Fulica leucoptera)
35. Spot-flanked gallinule (Porphyriops melanops)
36. Yellow-billed teal (Anas flavirostris)
37. Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)
38. Brown-hooded gull (Chroicocephalus maculipennis)
39. Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
40. Dark-bellied cinclodes (Cinclodes patagonicus)
 
Great Argus said:
A bird and a bug, both heralds of spring and both late. :p

Birds:

74. Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Invertebrates:

7. Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla rufilabris)
Click to expand...

Another bird and bug, the latter being ushered out of the garage.

Birds:

75. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Invertebrates:

8. millipede (Paeromopus angusticeps)

4-75-4-2-0-8
 
Dannelboyz said:
Woops sorry I keep accidentally doing this because my personal list includes heard-onlies that aren't lifers.

BIRDS
240 - Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta)
Click to expand...
BIRDS
241 - Western Wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata)
242 - Western Gerygone (Gerygone fusca)
243 - White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger)
244 - Australian Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius)
245 - Spotted Scrubwren (Sericornis maculatus)
246 - Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis)
247 - Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus)
248 - Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii)
249 - Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)
250 - Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (Ptilotula flavescens)
251 - Paperbark Flycatcher (Myiagra nana)
252 - Purple-crowned Fairywren (Malurus coronatus)
253 - White-gaped Honeyeater (Stomiopera unicolor)
254 - Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton)
255 - Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida)
256 - White-bellied Cuckooshrike (Coracina papuensis)
257 - Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis)
258 - Rufous-throated Honeyeater (Conopophila rufogularis)
259 - Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus)
260 - Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris)
261 - Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus)
262 - Northern Rosella (Platycercus venustus)
263 - Barking Owl (Ninox connivens)
264 - White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)
265 - Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii)
266 - Buff-sided Robin (Poecilodryas cerviniventris)

MAMMALS
18 - Western Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon fusciventer)
19 - Agile Wallaby (Notamacropus agilis)

REPTILES
10 - Western Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor)
11 - Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnsoni)
12 - Yellow-spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes)

AMPHIBIANS
4 - Ornate Burrowing Frog (Platyplectrum ornatum)
5 - Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
6 - Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)*
7 - Bumpy Rocket Frog (Litoria inermis)
 
Dannelboyz said:
BIRDS
241 - Western Wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata)
242 - Western Gerygone (Gerygone fusca)
243 - White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger)
244 - Australian Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius)
245 - Spotted Scrubwren (Sericornis maculatus)
246 - Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis)
247 - Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus)
248 - Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii)
249 - Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)
250 - Yellow-tinted Honeyeater (Ptilotula flavescens)
251 - Paperbark Flycatcher (Myiagra nana)
252 - Purple-crowned Fairywren (Malurus coronatus)
253 - White-gaped Honeyeater (Stomiopera unicolor)
254 - Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton)
255 - Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida)
256 - White-bellied Cuckooshrike (Coracina papuensis)
257 - Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis)
258 - Rufous-throated Honeyeater (Conopophila rufogularis)
259 - Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus)
260 - Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris)
261 - Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus)
262 - Northern Rosella (Platycercus venustus)
263 - Barking Owl (Ninox connivens)
264 - White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)
265 - Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii)
266 - Buff-sided Robin (Poecilodryas cerviniventris)

MAMMALS
18 - Western Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon fusciventer)
19 - Agile Wallaby (Notamacropus agilis)

REPTILES
10 - Western Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor)
11 - Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnsoni)
12 - Yellow-spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes)

AMPHIBIANS
4 - Ornate Burrowing Frog (Platyplectrum ornatum)
5 - Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
6 - Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)*
7 - Bumpy Rocket Frog (Litoria inermis)
Click to expand...

Are you just out on a trip or doing anything special up north?
 
24/02/21 (Groote Heide, Noord-Brabant)

BIRDS
114) Great grey shrike, Lanius excubitor
115) Red crossbill, Loxia curvirostra
116) Woodlark, Lullula arborea
117) European stonechat, Saxicola rubicola
118) Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes
119) Black woodpecker, Dryocopus martius
 
Hipporex said:
Total: 10 species
Birds Total: 8 species
Mammal Total: 2 species

Birds (Aves)
1) American kestrel (Falco sparverius)
2) Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
3) Rock dove (Columba livia)
4) Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
5) Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
6) Western gull (Larus occidentalis)
7) Wood duck (Aix sponsa)
8) Virginia rail (Rallus limicola)

Mammals (Mammalia)
1) Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
2) Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Click to expand...
Total: 19 species
Birds Total: 13 species
Mammal Total: 6 species

Birds (Aves)
9) Canada goose (Branta canadensis)
10) Great egret (Ardea alba)
11) Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)
12) House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
13) White-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Mammals (Mammalia)
3) Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)
4) Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
5) Western grey squirrel (Sciurus griseus)
6) Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)
 
DesertRhino150 said:
The heavy snow over the past couple of days has brought another two bird species to my garden:

44. European greenfinch Chloris chloris
45. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris

Also spotted a lapwing flying around over the garden yesterday, which means that now 43 of the 45 birds on my year list have been seen from the house.
Click to expand...

Now that I have finished and submitted my dissertation, I will be able to get out and about more locally. In this past couple of weeks I have seen one new bird from the house and one new invertebrate, on the outside of one of the windows:

46. Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus

3. Nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis
 
Boselaphus tragocamelus
d1am0ndback said:
The Polar Vortex grounded me for a bit but did provide some interesting birding, most notably a major county rarity Mountain Plover that arrived as the snow was melting.

Birds

220. Mountain Plover - Charadrius montanus
221. Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta
222. Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus
223. Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata
224. Canvasback - Aythya valisineria
Click to expand...

A Yellow-faced Grassquit was found in South Texas and thus I made a quick day trip down to go look for it. Unfortunately the bird was missing in action but I did get to see a Dusky-capped Flycatcher which is quite a rare bird for Texas nonetheless. I also got to enjoy yet another Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Blue Bunting but I already got those for my year list. Every other animal that was new to me was seen directly off of the highway which was shockingly productive with Bobcat, Collared Peccary, Nilgai, Reddish Egret, Dunlin, Sandhill Crane, and Black Skimmer being quite good spots from the highway.

Birds

227. Dusky-capped Flycatcher - Myiarchus tuberculifer
228. Black Skimmer - Rynchops niger
229. Reddish Egret - Egretta rufescens
230. Dunlin - Calidris alpina
231. Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis

Mammals

13. Bobcat- Lynx rufus
14. Collared Peccary- Pecari tajacu
15. Nilgai- Boselaphus tragocamelus
 
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