Oddly enough, the aforementioned teal which was beleived to be a hybrid was recently discovered to be a pure CITE, so I'm adding the species back to my list, putting me at 284.
Zoochat Big Year 2022
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
Tiktaalik
Member
The one in the pictures wasn't the same Sam as our guide Sam. Would have been a nice coincidence tho
Lake Mutanda and surroundings
Our next destination was Lake Mutanda in the far southwestern part of Uganda. The drive there from Lake Mburo went smoothly and the scenery is fantastic. We passed through some pristine forest but most of the area is used for farming. Every now and then Sam would pull over and explain something about the methods of farming and the crops that are being cultivated. The views over the rural land and Lake Bunyonyi were fantastic but the destination of the drive was the real highlight: Lake Mutanda. The lake has an absolutely incredible backdrop consisting of three very high Virunga volcanoes. We stayed at the Lake Mutanda Resort, which is located on a small peninsula at the edge of the lake. Our rooms had views of the lake (including volcano backdrop) but the real highlight was the birding on the lodge grounds. Even though they do not have any dedicated walking trails set out (which would actually be pretty much impossible since the peninsula is very small) you can still see a lot of species there. On the first afternoon I took a little walk around the grounds. The reeds lining the lake edge were burstling with life. Species seen included mountain wagtail (very numerous), an endless number of swamp flycatchers, slender billed weavers, black headed weaver and African yellow warbler.
The next day was not dedicated to wildlife watching. Instead, my father, brother and I would attempt to climb Mount Sabyinyo, at a height of 3669 m the lowest of the three large Virunga volcanoes. The climb starts from the Mgahinga National Park headquarters. I really enjoyed the climb as you pass through all the vegetation zones present in the park: We started in the secondary rainforest but as we penetrated deeper into the park we entered respectively primary rainforest, a bamboo forest, a forest that was extremely moist and covered in mossed that our guide called a ‘Hobbit forest’ and eventually we reached the alpine zone with only low vegetation. Fantastic to do, but at the same time this was one of the most exhausting things I had ever done. The hike took us about 5.5 hours to the top, but eventually we made it to the final summit. We were extremely lucky to have clear views over Virunga national park, the other two volcanoes and even Lake Mutanda in the distance from the top. The summit is actually located at the three-country point, so you can stand in the DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda at the same time. On our way back down we caught a glimpse of a pretty Ruwenzori turaco. Our guide told us they sometimes see golden monkeys on the climb, but sadly we had no such luck. Nevertheless, I would recommend the Mount Sabyinyo climb to any (fit) nature enthusiast as the experience is unique.
On our second day in Lake Mutanda we went gorilla tracking in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Again, this was a very long day that involved about 9 hours of hiking up and down straight through the forest. In some areas the terrain was extremely difficult and we would basically be walking over a slippery carpet of plants- on a steep slope! I did not expect the gorilla tracking to be this intensive. Our guide told us we were a bit unlucky because mostly the hikes to these group take about 4-5 hours back and forth but he also said that treks like ours were not very uncommon as the gorilla’s have a habit of moving a lot in this sector. However, I think the trek was totally worth it without a shadow of a doubt. The hour with ‘our’ group of Eastern gorillas was magical and I would not have wanted to miss it. Even my mother, who found the hike particularly tough, had to admit that she was happy she did it (but she only acknowledged that after we returned of course). The group of gorillas we tracked was very diverse: they included a silverback, females, a young male and some very cute and photogenic young ones. There is a ‘keep 5 meter distance protocol’ but this is very dependent on the terrain and opportunities to stand safely so we would find ourselves closer than that to the gorillas at many occasions. And of course the gorillas themselves don’t keep to the distance limit! The silverback and a mother with a young one on her back even came as close as touching distance at some points. We had to wear masks the entire time. I was reluctant to leave after our hour had passed (you are only allowed to stay for 1 hour with the gorillas) as I could have watched them all day. On our way back we got another nice surprise: We could clearly make out the silhouette of an African forest elephant a bit further down in the valley. We also spotted a magnificent Rwenzori three horned chameleon on the final stretch to the cars.
On our final day at Lake Mutanda we had booked an early morning birding cruise on the lake. This was a very nice and relaxing activity, especially after all the strenuous hiking of the past two days. The lake is beautiful in the morning and impressively rich in birdlife and we were kept busy throughout the boat trip. Highlights included some very close grey crowned crane in the magical morning light, African hobby, Ross’ turaco, our first of many hadada ibis, African spoonbill and a large colony of sacred ibis and yellow billed stork. Another good find was a spotted-necked otter, which are apparently very common on the lake. Lake Mutanda Resort even posted a video of a nesting otter on their social media some time after we left.
The rest of the day was spent at a relaxed pace. We did some swimming in the (bilharzia-free) lake and I could of course not resist going out again for some birding at the lodge grounds. This proved pretty productive again. I spotted quite some new birds, including bronze sunbird, African paradise monarch, white tailed blue monarch and a flock of black headed waxbills.
The following day it was already time again to leave Lake Mutanda behind (with heavy hearts) and drive to the next destination: The Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. That one will be in the next update.
Birds
132. Crested francolin (Ortygornis sephaena)
133. Blue eared starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus)
134. Pied crow (Corvus albus)
135. Slender-billed weaver (Ploceus pelzelni)
136. Swamp flycatcher (Muscicapa aquatica)
137. Mountain wagtail (Motacilla clara)
138. Black headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
139. African yellow warbler (Iduna natalensis)
140. Rwenzori turaco (Gallirex johnstoni)
141. African hobby (Falco cuvierii)
142. Yellow throated greenbul (Arizelocichla chlorigula)
143. Tropical boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus)
144. Yellow billed stork (Mycteria ibis)
145. Pink backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens)
146. Sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
147. Northern brown throated weaver (Ploceus castanops)
148. Holubs golden weaver (Ploceus xanthops)
149. Levaillants’ cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii)
150. Black headed heron (Ardea melanocephala)
151. Black crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
152. Ross’s turaco (Tauraco rossae)
153. African spoonbill (Platalea alba)
154. Yellow billed duck (Anas undulata)
155. Palm nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
156. White breasted cormorant (Phalocrocorax lucidus)
157. Red chested sunbird (Cinnyris erythrocercus)
158. Black headed waxbill (Estrilda atricapilla)
159. White tailed blue monarch (Elminia albicauda)
160. Bronze sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis)
161. African paradise monarch (Terpsiphone viridis)
162. Northern masked weaver (Ploceus taenipterus)
Mammals
23. African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)
24. Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei)
25. Spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)
Reptiles (Including a couple from Lake Mburo)
2. African striped skink (Trachylepis striata)
3. Tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia)
4. Rwenzori three-horned chameleon (Trioceros johnstoni)
Last edited:
Birds
36. Red crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
37. Black headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Seen on Lake Zurich Switzerland.
36. Red crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
37. Black headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Seen on Lake Zurich Switzerland.
You probably mean east of Rhenen, or did you go to a different forest than suggested?
Arboretum Oostereng, followed your directions to the letter
My last few additions in Morocco before at least a couple months:
BIRDS:
11/08/2022 (Autouroute A3, près de Douar Souihla, Morocco [#174])
174 - Montagu's harrier, Circus pygargus
---
27/08/2022 (Près de Tifnit, Morocco [#175])
175 - Bonelli's eagle, Aquila fasciata
---
28/08/2022 (Estuaire de l'Oued Massa, Morocco [#176-177])
176 - Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea
177 - Little stint, Calidris minuta
---
04/09/2022 (Champs d'Aghorimze, Morocco [#178])
178 - Black-necked grebe, Podiceps nigricollis
---
07/09/2022 (Plage de Tifnit, Morocco [#179])
179 - Northern bald ibis, Geronticus eremita
---
08/09/2022 (Réserve Animalière de Roukeïn, Morocco [#180-182]
180 - Northern wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe
181 - Cream-coloured courser, Cursorius cursor
182 - Western orphean warbler, Curruca hortensis
---
14/09/2022 (Estuaire de l'Asif n'Srou, Morocco [#183]
183 - West African crested tern, Thalasseus albididorsalis
And now a few things from my new home:
20/09/2022 (Somewhere between London and Leeds, England [#184])
184 - Canada goose, Branta canadensis
MAMMALS:
23/09/2022 (Leeds, England [#8-9]
8 - European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus
9 - Eastern grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis
The rumours about Spurn are true I guess...
BIRDS:
11/10/2022 (University of Leeds [#185])
185 - Dunnock, Prunella modularis
---
15/10/2022 (Spurn NNR [#186-#199])
186 - European herring gull, Larus argentatus
187 - Ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus
188 - Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
189 - Redwing, Turdus iliacus
190 - Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope
191 - Red-throated loon, Gavia stellata
192 - Velvet scoter, Melanitta fusca
193 - Common scoter, Melanitta nigra
194 - Common murre, Uria aalge
195 - Brant goose, Branta bernicla
196 - Eurasian reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus
197 - Pink-footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus
198 - Twite, Linaria flavirostris
199 - Ring ouzel, Turdus torquatus
MAMMALS:
15/10/2022 (Spurn NNR)
10 - Western roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
The rumours about Spurn are true I guess...
Spurn is fantastic. If you're going to be in Leeds a while you may get very familiar..!
Indeed it is! I should hopefully be here at least three years so I hope to do so. It's just such a shame that it's so complicated to get there by public transport.
I reached my goal of 200 bird species around a month ago, but I have seen a few species since. I'll be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area next week, so I hope I can see a few more species there!
Birds
197. Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
198. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
199. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
200. Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
201. Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
202. Purple Martin (Progne subis)
203. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Mammals: 32
Birds: 203
Reptiles: 17
Amphibians: 3
Fish: 5
Invertebrates: 2
I finally managed to add some more birds to my year list yesterday ("more" equals two). The last additions I had were back in May when I went to the South Island (long post here: Zoochat Big Year 2022). The main reason for the lengthy pause was that I already saw most of the birds I'm likely to see around my local area in January (the first 62 birds on my year list were in January; the next 13 species were local birds scattered across February to May; and then birds 76 to 102 were on the South Island trip in May). There are a small handful of birds I can still likely find here and there but they need specific attempts rather than just general wandering about. The second reason was that from about May to August was unrelenting rain and bad weather, most particularly on the days I had free to do anything, so I haven't been doing much outside.
Anyway, yesterday my sister was going up to Wanganui, which is a couple of hours north of Wellington and asked if I wanted to go for a ride to look for birds. The main bird we wanted to see was Nankeen Night Herons which roost very conveniently in some trees behind a cafe at a village called Upokongaro outside Wanganui. They were first seen at the cafe in 2012 and have been regular since then, but it's a ways outside Wanganui itself so I've never been (due to not being a car driver).
The night herons are self-introduced from Australia in the 1990s and breed only along the Wanganui River. They are important to the local iwi (tribe) due to the timing of their arrival in New Zealand in this region. The remains of one of their ancestors, Hohepa Te Umuroa, who died of tuberculosis in 1847 at the convict colony on Maria Island (in Tasmania), were brought back to NZ in 1988 and buried at the village of Jerusalem on the Wanganui River. Not long after, at the start of the 1990s, the first night herons appeared at Jerusalem, and hence they are considered to be kaitiaki, the guardians of his remains who had carried his spirit back from Australia to his home.
There is some degree of difficulty in seeing the night herons at the cafe - some people see them easily, some only after long vigils at the roost trees, and some fail. I was expecting fail. However as soon as we got there, I looked up in the tree the herons were said to favour, and there was a heron, and then another, and then a pair. Then a fifth one. A little later a sixth one appeared from somewhere hidden. I was most surprised. The photo opportunities were not the greatest, having to look directly up at the birds, with a lot of branches and twigs and leaves in the way, but I managed few half-decent shots.
I've seen the species before in Australia, New Caledonia, and Sabah, but it was a new one for my New Zealand list.
The other bird seen for the year list wasn't as exciting, Common Mynah. They are an upper North Island bird, coming down about as far as Wanganui, so they don't occur down in Wellington.
103) Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus
104) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
Anyway, yesterday my sister was going up to Wanganui, which is a couple of hours north of Wellington and asked if I wanted to go for a ride to look for birds. The main bird we wanted to see was Nankeen Night Herons which roost very conveniently in some trees behind a cafe at a village called Upokongaro outside Wanganui. They were first seen at the cafe in 2012 and have been regular since then, but it's a ways outside Wanganui itself so I've never been (due to not being a car driver).
The night herons are self-introduced from Australia in the 1990s and breed only along the Wanganui River. They are important to the local iwi (tribe) due to the timing of their arrival in New Zealand in this region. The remains of one of their ancestors, Hohepa Te Umuroa, who died of tuberculosis in 1847 at the convict colony on Maria Island (in Tasmania), were brought back to NZ in 1988 and buried at the village of Jerusalem on the Wanganui River. Not long after, at the start of the 1990s, the first night herons appeared at Jerusalem, and hence they are considered to be kaitiaki, the guardians of his remains who had carried his spirit back from Australia to his home.
There is some degree of difficulty in seeing the night herons at the cafe - some people see them easily, some only after long vigils at the roost trees, and some fail. I was expecting fail. However as soon as we got there, I looked up in the tree the herons were said to favour, and there was a heron, and then another, and then a pair. Then a fifth one. A little later a sixth one appeared from somewhere hidden. I was most surprised. The photo opportunities were not the greatest, having to look directly up at the birds, with a lot of branches and twigs and leaves in the way, but I managed few half-decent shots.
I've seen the species before in Australia, New Caledonia, and Sabah, but it was a new one for my New Zealand list.
The other bird seen for the year list wasn't as exciting, Common Mynah. They are an upper North Island bird, coming down about as far as Wanganui, so they don't occur down in Wellington.
103) Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus
104) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
Last edited:
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Birds
120. Eurasian siskin, Spinus spinus 17/10/22
120. Eurasian siskin, Spinus spinus 17/10/22
BirdsBirds
Lamington National Park
205. Large-billed Scrubwren
Lone Pine Sanctuary
206. Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Rainbow Reserve (near Goondiwindi)
207. Red-winged Parrot
208. Pale-headed Rosella
Bowra Sanctuary
209. Emu
210. Jacky Winter
211. Rufous Songlark
212. Spotted Bowerbird
213. Red-backed Kingfisher
214. Black-faced Woodswallow
215. Chestnut-crowned Babbler
216. Pied Honeyeater
217. Budgerigar
Thargomindah
218. Australian Bustard
Noccundra Waterhole
219. Zebra Finch
Sturt National Park
220. Brown Falcon
221. Orange Chat
222. Black-tailed Native Hen
223. Diamond Dove
South Australia (near Cameron's Corner)
224. Crimson Chat
225. Eyrean Grasswren
Sturt National Park
226. Bourke's Parrot
227. Red-necked Avocet
228. Little Crow
229. White-winged Triller
230. Southern Whiteface
Mutawintji National Park
231. Greater Bluebonnet
232. Mistletoebird
233. Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
234. White-fronted Honeyeater
Broken Hill
235. Chirruping Wedgebill
Kinchega National Park
236. Western Gerygone
237. Crested Shrike-tit
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
238. Little Eagle
239. Grey Currawong
240. Weebill
241. Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo
Thule
242. Common Ostrich
The Rock
243. Striated Thornbill
244. Flame Robin
245. Peregrine Falcon
246. Scarlet Robin
Narooma
247. Eastern Reef Egret
Ulladulla
248. Hooded Plover
Shoalhaven Heads
249. Fairy Tern
Mammals
10. Red Kangaroo
11. Feral Cat
12. Feral Goat
13. Red-necked Wallaby
Reptiles
5. Inland Bearded Dragon
6. Central Netted Dragon
7. Shingleback Skink
Hix
250. Inland Thornbill
251. Brush Bronzewing
252. Channel-billed Cuckoo
Hix
A day off before I start a new job tomorrow - thought I would try for the stone-curlews that have been hanging around in East Tilbury. Also found some ringed plovers, which I'm shocked to report are the first that I have seen this year!
Birds
267. Common ringed plover
268. Eurasian stone-curlew
Oops, it looks like I forgot to list this one back from August, thank you for noticing:
MAMMALS:
08/08/2022 (Embouchure de l'Oued Souss, Morocco [#7])
7 - Dorcas gazelle, Gazella dorcas
Everything over the last few months, including all the species from my Uluru trip.
Mammals:
11. Euro (Macropus robustus)
12. Black-flanked Rock Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis)
13. Golden Bandicoot (Isoodon auratus)
14. Feral Cat (Felis catus)
15. Dingo (Canis dingo)
16. Brumby (Equus caballus)
17. Feral Donkey (Equus asinus)
Birds:
95. Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans)
96. Yellow-throated Miner (Manorina flavigula)
97. Australian Ringneck (Manorina flavigula)
98. Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
99. Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksia)
100. Crested Bellbird (Oreoica gutturalis)
101. Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)
102. Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata)
103. Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
104. Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullate)
105. Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)
106. Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus)
107. Masked Woodswallow (Artamus personatus)
108. Grey-headed Honeyeater (Lichenostomus keartlandi)
109. White-plumed Honeyeater (Lichenostomus penicillatus)
110. Little Crow (Corvus bennetti)
111. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis)
112. Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida)
113. Splendid Fairywren (Malurus splendens)
114. White-browed Babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus)
115. Red-backed Kingfisher (Todiramphus pyrrhopygius)
116. Black-breasted Buzzard ( Hamirostra melanosternon)
117. Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides)
118. White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone olivacea)
119. Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris)
120. Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis)
121. Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea)
122. Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps longirostris)
123. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
124. Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius)
125. Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops)
126. Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)
127. Grey Shrikethrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
128. Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris)
Reptiles:
11. Yellow-faced Whipsnake (Demansia psammophis)
Fish:
10. Desert Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida)
11. Spangled Perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor)
12. Striped Gudgeon (Gobiomorphis australis)
13. Firetail Gudgeon (Hypseleotris galli)
14. Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)
15. Butter Bream (Monodactylus argenteus)
16. Dusky Flathead (Platycephalus fuscus)
17. Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
Also, the inclusion of graceful tree frog in the last post as a lifer was a mistake, as in fact I saw this species for the first time in the wild last year.
Golden bandicoot is cool.
I can't find anything on Golden Bandicoots having a wild population here, only the park's animals within their fenced enclosure.
Golden bandicoots are found throughout the desert of the Northern Territory. This link has a map depicting locations where they have been sighted https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/269147/nt-action-plan-golden-bandicoot.pdf. When I asked the park about the bandicoot they confirmed that it was 100% a wild individual. The park keeps golden bandicoots both inside their predator-proof enclosure and within enclosures in their nocturnal house, and I was told that the individuals in the nocturnal house were accounted for and the fenced enclosure was checked for breaches when this wild individual was sighted just in case.