Zoochat Big Year 2023

[Chlidonias]

MAMMALS:
7) Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus

There is a house down the road from me where someone feeds Feral Pigeons, so there is always a little flock hanging around there. Today while waiting at the bus stop on the opposite side of the road I saw something moving behind some weeds in front of the spot where the pigeon's food is thrown. I thought it was going to be a pigeon walking, but when it came into the open it proved to be a Brown Rat. Not great news for the people living in the surrounding houses, but good for my year list!

 

[birdsandbats]

Birds
225. Henslow's Sparrow Centronyx henslowii

Birds
226. Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris

 

[ThylacineAlive]

I said I was going to do live updates? Oof.

First a quick one picked up while connecting my flight in France:

244) Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus

Now for my first report from Kenya! My first stop is Brackenhurst Forest in Limuru, Kenya. I will be staying here until Friday while completing some research.

While not the "typical" African scene, I have to say I absolutely love Brackenhurst already—and I've barely left the campus I'm staying at so far!

245) Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash
246) Abyssinian Thrush Turdus abyssinicus
247) Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht
248) Rüppell's Robin-Chat Cossypha semirufa
249) Northern Double-Collared Sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi
250) Dark-Capped Bulbul Pycnonotus tricolor
251) Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula
252) White-Eyed Slaty Flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri
253) Streaky Seedeater Serinus striolatus
254) African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp
255) African Pied Crow Corvus albus
256) Yellow-Rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus
257) Red-Eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
258) White-Bellied Tit Melaniparus albiventris
259) Black-and-White (Red-Backed) Mannikin Spermestes bicolor
260) Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra
261) Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus
262) Variable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus
263) Yellow-Breasted Apalis Apalis flavida
264) Black Kite Milvus migrans
265) African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta
266) Bronze Sunbird Nectarinia kilimensis
267) Kenyan Rufous Sparrow Passer rufocinctus
268) Hunter's Cisticola Cisticola hunteri
269) Yellow-Whiskered Greenbul Eurillas latirostris
270) Green-Headed Sunbird Cyanomitra verticalis
271) Green-Backed Honeybird Prodotiscus zambesiae
272) Brown Parisoma Curruca lugens
273) Kikuyu White-Eye Zosterops kikuyensis

40) Black-and-White Colobus Colobus guereza
41) Sykes' Guenon Cercopithecus albogularis
42) African Yellow Bat Scotophilus dinganii
43) Long-Tailed House Bat Eptesicus hottentotus

All the animals with the exception of the bats were sightings on the grounds of the Brackenhurst Hotel & Conference Center. The bats were observed a 10 minute walk down the road. The colobus in particular were a unique sighting because, until fairly recently, this species didn't exist anymore in Brackenhurst. The forest was once entirely clear cut for plantations (for which there are still many) and the native primates all disappeared from the region. When the forest was reestablished, the guenons returned quickly and have remained numerous, but the colobus did not return until within the last decade or so. Today, there are only three troops of colobus, each about a dozen to two dozen strong. This is not a species I expected to find here, but as I was being told this story, we rounded the corner and there was one troop, sunning themselves on the roof of a building. The troop remained for a couple of hours in the area, before disappearing again back into the forest.

I'm just a day in, but already I'm loving Kenya! One thing that's definitely surprised me, though, is how cold it has been here. When I arrived around 3am to the campus, and again last night, temperatures were around 50 degrees F.

That's my update for now, as I finish breakfast and prepare for day 2. One last addition to make, however, spotted on my walk to the dining hall:

274) Speke's Weaver Ploceus spekei

~Thylo

Day 2 down! First off, I misidentified my honeyguide from yesterday. #271 is actually a Lesser Honeyguide, Indicator minor.

Today was a successful but more sobering day. The plan was to visit a number of local highland wetlands, including the Manguo Swamp and Ondiri Swamp. The purpose was to observe and survey wildlife as well as observe how locals interact with wetlands and identify what challenges they may face. For reasons none of us really understand, though, the coordinator for this day chose to not let us out there until around 1pm, the hottest hour of the day. Naturally, this meant our chances of finding many were drastically reduced compared to if we visited earlier in the day. That said, we still managed to spot a number of very nice species.

Our first location, the same reservoir where I searched for bats the night before, was primarily for human observation purposes rather than wildlife watching. Our second location we missed on because it is located on private property and there was a mix up with the owner as to when we could obtain access. Our third was Manguo Swamp, which was again primarily for observation purposes to help us understand how those living near a wetland body may view the wetland and its resources. Despite being used to washing clothes and livestock grazing/watering, site still proved to be the most fruitful for wetland birds! The big and final stop of the day was meant to be Ondiri Swamp located in the middle of Kikuyu.

I was very excited for this one, I love birding wetlands and the opportunity to be in an African wetland is very tantalizing. We also had a personal chaperone in one of the leaders of the Friends of Ondiri conservation group which manages the area, and one who knew a particularly good spot to find both crakes and owls, two groups I was very excited to add to my African lifelist. But the reality of what we encountered here was both eye opening and deeply disturbing. The short of what is happening to Ondiri is people are coming in and illegally clear cutting the thin forest that surrounds the peat bog itself and setting up illegal small-scale farming and water drainage operations. In some sections if the area, the forest has been completely cut back and they've begun clearing the marsh itself to plant more crops. On our walk, we discovered one such cleared area, which had recently been tilled. And when I say "we discovered", I mean this was done within the past week or two and even the Friends of Ondiri were unaware of this development. This particular farm had also completely destroyed the public pathway that ran through, creating a blockade into the rest of the marsh. We bypassed this area only to encounter 3-4 more farms before ending up at the edge of an extensive farm which had already extended all the way to the marsh's edge. Whomever 'owns' this farm clearly plans to expand as they'd already cut down a very large portion of the reedbed in preparation. For safety reasons, it was decided to abandon the hike and return back to the Friends of Ondiri main office.

Part of this decision as well as our care to avoid walking through these illegal farms was made for safety. Recently, tensions over these farms have begun to become violent, with reports of the farmers taking a machete to those who threaten to report them to the authorities or gather evidence of their activities. These tensions are particularly high between the locals and farmers because the ones doing this to the marsh aren't actually local residents. The locals living around Ondiri have historically used it as a recreational public space. They also rely on it as their only water source. Due to this, the local people living around the marsh are passionate about conserving it, even the legal farmers whose properties abud it. The founder of Friends of Ondiri is a local farmer, who donated his land that bordered the wetland to be replanted as a forest barrier between his property and the waters. Those who staff Friends of Ondiri are also all locals. Those destroying the wetland are individuals coming in from outside the area and exploiting the marsh for its resources.

Friends does what it can to mitigate their effects, such as destroying crops and replanting native vegetation. Whenever they do this, however, it isn't long before the newly planted vegetation is completely destroyed once again. Of course, they have also done the obvious and reported all of this to the local authorities as these are all highly illegal acts. Unfortunately, neither the local authorities or the local government itself seem to care much for Ondiri, as absolutely nothing has been done to try and stop this problem. Whether this be due to laziness or political corruption is unknown to me but Friends definitely have their theories. The local government has also repeatedly cut away chunks of Ondiri to construct new roadways, drainage systems, water treatment plants, and solar farms. The construction of a new main road has been particularly troublesome, as the authorities allowed the crews to use the remaining recreational areas as staging points, completely destroying all the vegetation and walking paths into the marsh, as well as heavily polluting it with debris and incidentally reducing the water flow into the wetland. At the time of writing, the main stream which feeds Ondiri no longer flows above ground despite all other water bodies in this region seeing their highest levels in 5 years.

All of this culminates in some very bad news for Ondiri Swamp. The large mammals have all been long pushed out, with Sitatunga, once a famous sight at Ondiri, having been poached to extirpation. The bird populations we encountered here appear to still be holding on strong despite the external pressures place upon their habitat. Still, Friends predicts that, if this activity is allowed to continue unchecked, Ondiri Swamp will be completely gone within 10-20 years. Today's visit was a sobering reminder of the reality of trying to manage conservation areas in Africa...

With that unpleasantness out of the way.. the birds (and herps):

Brackenhurst Forest (incl. reservoir)
274) Speke's Weaver Ploceus spekei
275) Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
276) Augur Buzzard Buteo augur
277) Yellow-Billed Waxbill Coccopygia quartinia

9) Jackson's Chameleon Trioceros jacksonii

Also saw a skink but not identified that one yet.

Manguo Swamp
278) African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus
279) Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
280) Yellow-Billed Duck Anas undulata
281) Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus
282) Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia
283) Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
284) Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
285) Brown-Throated Martin Riparia paludicola

Ondiri Swamp
286) Cinnamon-Chested Bee-Eater Merops oreobates
287) Red-Rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
288) Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata
289) Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala
290) Yellow-Crowned Canary Serinus flavivertex
291) Red-Billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
292) Holub's Golden Weaver Ploceus xanthops

~Thylo

 

[Coelacanth18]

One thing that's definitely surprised me, though, is how cold it has been here. When I arrived around 3am to the campus, and again last night, temperatures were around 50 degrees F.

@lintworm is right about the elevation making a big difference. Even in the lower-lying plateau or foothill regions of East Africa the temperatures are moderate compared to much of the US; Arusha was usually 70s or 80 F (low to high 20s C) during the day and 50s F (10-13 C) at night, I believe Nairobi is fairly similar. The major national parks like Serengeti are similarly cool and comfortable. My time in the jungle highlands was easily the coldest though!

But the reality of what we encountered here was both eye opening and deeply disturbing. The short of what is happening to Ondiri is people are coming in and illegally clear cutting the thin forest that surrounds the peat bog itself and setting up illegal small-scale farming and water drainage operations.

The local government has also repeatedly cut away chunks of Ondiri to construct new roadways, drainage systems, water treatment plants, and solar farms.

Recently, tensions over these farms have begun to become violent, with reports of the farmers taking a machete to those who threaten to report them to the authorities or gather evidence of their activities.

A sobering reminder indeed of how a lot of these wildlife spots are continually endangered by both legal and illegal development - and how dangerous the situation can become for people as well as animals. Hopefully it slows down or is stopped before the swamp disappears entirely - or barring that, hopefully the bird species there are tolerant of agricultural conversion to an extent (as many species seem to be).

 

[Great Argus]

A sobering reminder indeed of how a lot of these wildlife spots are continually endangered by both legal and illegal development - and how dangerous the situation can become for people as well as animals.

Indeed - and how different things are from country to country. For some countries damaging protected areas is a serious crime, yet in others national parks are disappearing uncontested into agricultural land. And for many countries struggling with conservation, being a ranger is often outright dangerous and little rewarded... in many circumstances we can only hope something changes in time to save threatened species and the places they inhabit. Conservation does not seem to be an easy road for many countries to follow for various reasons, it's not nearly as simple as some people think.

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

Last week I went on a very short little holiday to southern Limburg in the extreme south of the Netherlands, mainly in the area around Maastricht. Southern Limburg is notable in a biogeographical sense, as it is the only area in the Netherlands that is part of the continental region instead of the Atlantic. As such, there are a lot of species, ranging from amphibians to beetles to orchids to even some birds, that occur in southern Limburg that are either rare or absent in the rest of the country.

The trip had a main focus on lepidoptera. Both nights we used the moth trap to catch nocturnal species and during the day we went to a few locations, notably the Sint-Pietersberg, the valley around Eys and some former quarries around Maastricht, mainly to see butteerflies. Because the area is biogeographically very different from the rest of the Netherlands, some species considered very rare in our country turned out to be rather common and easy to find, including some fantastic species like short-tailed blue, wood white and silver-washed fritillary. New species for me were small skipper, white-letter hairstreak and small blue, which we managed to find ourselves without much prior information. Marbled fritillary, being the rarest species on our target list, was a species we searched for a few times specifically, but it managed to evade us every time. It only showed up literally during the last thirty minutes of our trip! Great species to see. But almost also very enjoyable where the huge numbers of ringlets, a species I had only seen once before and that is very scare in my neck of the woods, but apparently extremely abundant in Limburg.

There were plenty of moths, and a few species - notably dun bar, riband wave and garden grass veneer - clearly dominated the area. Nonetheless we found a few choice species, including my personal highlight, the gorgeous lace border, another southern Limburg specialty. Part of the list is also from a catch with my trap a while earlier.

Our secondary focus was on herptiles. The main focus species was common wall lizard. This species is abundant and wide-spread in southern and central Europe, but in the Netherlands the only native populations are found in southern Limburg on ancient fortifications around Maastricht. They turned out very easy to find, as it only took one look at the first brick wall in the area to see one. The main highlight however in terms of herptiles was yellow-bellied toad, which was markedly more difficult to find. Even after we started hearing their calls it took us a few hours to actually find a small pond where we could see them floating around at the water's surface. A very good species that was well worth the trouble. Viviparous lizard, slow worm and smooth newt complete the herptile roster of the trip.There were also various interesting bees, including several cuckoo bumblebees, but most of them are yet to be indentified on species level so I'll post them later. The main avian highlights were fly-bys from honey buzzard and red kite.

Birds
208. Red Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra
209. European Honey Buzzard, Pernis apivoris

Reptiles
16. Common Wall Lizard, Podarcis muralis brongniardii

Amphibians
22. Yellow-bellied Toad, Bombina variegata

Mammals
25. Brown Long-eared Bat, Plecotus auritus

Butterflies
22. Comma, Polygonia c-album
23. Essex Skipper, Thymelicus lineola
24. Aricia agestis, Brown Argus
25. Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris
26. Wood White, Leptidea sinapis
27. Ringlet, Aphantopus hyperanthus
28. Purple Hairstreak, Favonius quercus
29. Short-tailed Blue, Cupido argiades
30. Small Blue, Cupido minimus
31. White-letter Hairstreak, Satyrium w-album
32. Silver-washed Fritillary, Argynnis paphia
33. Marbled Fritillary, Brenthis daphne

Moths
27. Brown House Moth, Hofmannophila pseudospretella
28. Crambus perlella
29. Yponomeuta irrorella
30. Bird-cherry Ermine, Yponomeuta evonymella
31. Calamotropha paludella
32. Crescent Groundling, Teleoides luculella
33. Rose Tortrix, Archips rosana
34. Bud Moth, Spilonota ocellana
35. Diamond-back Marble, Eudemis profundana
36. Dwarf Cream Wave, Idaea fuscovenosa
37. Heart and Dart, Agrotis exclamationis
38. Double Lobed, Lateroligia ophiogramma
39. Silver Y, Autographa gamma
40. Pale Tussock, Calliteara pudibunda
41. Large Yellow Underwing, Noctua pronuba
42. Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar
43. Plumed Fan-foot, Pechipogo plumigeralis
44. Oegoconia caradjai
45. Dun Bar, Cosmia trapezina
46. Riband Wave, Idaea aversata
47. Mottled Beauty, Alcis repandata
48. Harpella forficella
49. Dingy Footman, Eilema griseola
50. Catoptria pinella
51. Sussex Emerald, Thalera fimbrialis
52. Lace Border, Scopula ornata
53. Least Carpet, Idaea rusticata
54. Rose-flounced Tabby, Endotricha flammealis
55. Blastobasis phycidella
56. Synaphe punctalis
57. Eudonia mercurella
58. Tischeria ekebladella
59. Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella
60. Clouded Brindle, Apamea epomidion

--------

You have the same species at #17 and #18, but also have #18 numbered twice - are you actually on 26 total or is there a typo in one or other of the lists?

There were a few typos, so just to be safe I've got the full list here. Still 26 before this entry.

Spoiler: Moths

1. Conistra rubiginosa
2. Lycia hirtaria
3. Pseudoips prasinana
4. Cacoecimorpha pronubana
5. Spilosoma lubricipeda
6. Diaphora mendica
7. Nemophora degeerella
8. Celypha lacunana
9. Tyria jacabaeae
10. Oligia fasciuncula
11. Endrosis sarcitrella
12. Yponomeuta malinellus
13. Aphomia sociella
14. Euchoeca nebulata
15. Cabera pusaria
16. Diarsia rubi
17. Tortrix viridana
18. Hedya nubiferana
19. Camptogramma bilineata
20. Archips xylosteana
21. Choristoneura hebenstreitella
22. Apeira syringaria
23. Ptycholoma lecheana
24. Anania hortulata
25. Chrysoteuchia culmella
26. Crambus pascuella

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Day 2 down! First off, I misidentified my honeyguide from yesterday. #271 is actually a Lesser Honeyguide, Indicator minor.

Today was a successful but more sobering day. The plan was to visit a number of local highland wetlands, including the Manguo Swamp and Ondiri Swamp. The purpose was to observe and survey wildlife as well as observe how locals interact with wetlands and identify what challenges they may face. For reasons none of us really understand, though, the coordinator for this day chose to not let us out there until around 1pm, the hottest hour of the day. Naturally, this meant our chances of finding many were drastically reduced compared to if we visited earlier in the day. That said, we still managed to spot a number of very nice species.

Our first location, the same reservoir where I searched for bats the night before, was primarily for human observation purposes rather than wildlife watching. Our second location we missed on because it is located on private property and there was a mix up with the owner as to when we could obtain access. Our third was Manguo Swamp, which was again primarily for observation purposes to help us understand how those living near a wetland body may view the wetland and its resources. Despite being used to washing clothes and livestock grazing/watering, site still proved to be the most fruitful for wetland birds! The big and final stop of the day was meant to be Ondiri Swamp located in the middle of Kikuyu.

I was very excited for this one, I love birding wetlands and the opportunity to be in an African wetland is very tantalizing. We also had a personal chaperone in one of the leaders of the Friends of Ondiri conservation group which manages the area, and one who knew a particularly good spot to find both crakes and owls, two groups I was very excited to add to my African lifelist. But the reality of what we encountered here was both eye opening and deeply disturbing. The short of what is happening to Ondiri is people are coming in and illegally clear cutting the thin forest that surrounds the peat bog itself and setting up illegal small-scale farming and water drainage operations. In some sections if the area, the forest has been completely cut back and they've begun clearing the marsh itself to plant more crops. On our walk, we discovered one such cleared area, which had recently been tilled. And when I say "we discovered", I mean this was done within the past week or two and even the Friends of Ondiri were unaware of this development. This particular farm had also completely destroyed the public pathway that ran through, creating a blockade into the rest of the marsh. We bypassed this area only to encounter 3-4 more farms before ending up at the edge of an extensive farm which had already extended all the way to the marsh's edge. Whomever 'owns' this farm clearly plans to expand as they'd already cut down a very large portion of the reedbed in preparation. For safety reasons, it was decided to abandon the hike and return back to the Friends of Ondiri main office.

Part of this decision as well as our care to avoid walking through these illegal farms was made for safety. Recently, tensions over these farms have begun to become violent, with reports of the farmers taking a machete to those who threaten to report them to the authorities or gather evidence of their activities. These tensions are particularly high between the locals and farmers because the ones doing this to the marsh aren't actually local residents. The locals living around Ondiri have historically used it as a recreational public space. They also rely on it as their only water source. Due to this, the local people living around the marsh are passionate about conserving it, even the legal farmers whose properties abud it. The founder of Friends of Ondiri is a local farmer, who donated his land that bordered the wetland to be replanted as a forest barrier between his property and the waters. Those who staff Friends of Ondiri are also all locals. Those destroying the wetland are individuals coming in from outside the area and exploiting the marsh for its resources.

Friends does what it can to mitigate their effects, such as destroying crops and replanting native vegetation. Whenever they do this, however, it isn't long before the newly planted vegetation is completely destroyed once again. Of course, they have also done the obvious and reported all of this to the local authorities as these are all highly illegal acts. Unfortunately, neither the local authorities or the local government itself seem to care much for Ondiri, as absolutely nothing has been done to try and stop this problem. Whether this be due to laziness or political corruption is unknown to me but Friends definitely have their theories. The local government has also repeatedly cut away chunks of Ondiri to construct new roadways, drainage systems, water treatment plants, and solar farms. The construction of a new main road has been particularly troublesome, as the authorities allowed the crews to use the remaining recreational areas as staging points, completely destroying all the vegetation and walking paths into the marsh, as well as heavily polluting it with debris and incidentally reducing the water flow into the wetland. At the time of writing, the main stream which feeds Ondiri no longer flows above ground despite all other water bodies in this region seeing their highest levels in 5 years.

All of this culminates in some very bad news for Ondiri Swamp. The large mammals have all been long pushed out, with Sitatunga, once a famous sight at Ondiri, having been poached to extirpation. The bird populations we encountered here appear to still be holding on strong despite the external pressures place upon their habitat. Still, Friends predicts that, if this activity is allowed to continue unchecked, Ondiri Swamp will be completely gone within 10-20 years. Today's visit was a sobering reminder of the reality of trying to manage conservation areas in Africa...

With that unpleasantness out of the way.. the birds (and herps):

Brackenhurst Forest (incl. reservoir)
274) Speke's Weaver Ploceus spekei
275) Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
276) Augur Buzzard Buteo augur
277) Yellow-Billed Waxbill Coccopygia quartinia

9) Jackson's Chameleon Trioceros jacksonii

Also saw a skink but not identified that one yet.

Manguo Swamp
278) African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus
279) Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
280) Yellow-Billed Duck Anas undulata
281) Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus
282) Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia
283) Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
284) Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
285) Brown-Throated Martin Riparia paludicola

Ondiri Swamp
286) Cinnamon-Chested Bee-Eater Merops oreobates
287) Red-Rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
288) Bronze Mannikin Spermestes cucullata
289) Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala
290) Yellow-Crowned Canary Serinus flavivertex
291) Red-Billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
292) Holub's Golden Weaver Ploceus xanthops

~Thylo

Not much to report for day 3. Today was a calmer day, with most of our time spent on the campus or studying some local vegetation. We managed to visit the private property where we found wild clawed frogs. There are a few species which are options here so I'll need to spend some time figuring out which one we saw. From this new property, only the pigeon was seen.

293) Chinspot Batis Batis molitor
294) Black-Backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla
295) Grey-Backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata
296) Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea

I had planned to do some more bat surveying and take a night walk around campus to search for bushbabies, hyrax, and maybe owls. Some sudden unexpected rains put that all to bed, however.

~Thylo

 

[CMP]

Summer has been in full swing for a couple weeks now. I have to say, this spring wasn't quite as good as last year, but was still very nice.

Birds
Seen at Kickapoo, and also elsewhere since, forgot to mention 5/14

207. Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) (Lifer)​

First seen in my backyard 5/19

208. Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)​

Seen at Meadowbrook park 5/21

209. Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)​

Both seen in the Upper Sangamon River Land and Water Reserve, very nice habitat with breeding birds not common elsewhere in the area, but the paths were completely overgrown. It was quite fun to wade through the grass however.

210. Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) (Lifer)
211. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens)​

Seen at Robert C. Porter Family Park, where there is a martin nest that is the only reliable sighting for the species in the county

212. Purple Martin (Progne subis)​

A breeding pair of this species was a pleasant surprise at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve. They don't summer here too frequently.

213. Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)​

Also, a heard only Eurasian Collared Dove and Acadian Flycatcher

I think the ordering for my inverts list was incorrect in the last post, Black Swallowtail should be 79, and Common Sootywing starts 80. Summer is really the season for inverts here.

Insect/Inverts
80. Common sootywing (Pholisora catullus)
81. Black onion fly (Tritoxa flexa) (Lifer)
82. Asiastic wall jumping spider (Attulus fasciger)
83. Pigweed flea beetle (Disonycha glabrata)
84. American dog/wood tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
85. Bathroom moth fly (Clogmia albipunctata)
86. Hairy spider weevil (Barypeithes pellucidus) (Lifer)
87. Two spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus)
88. Spotted pink lady beetle (Coleomegilla maculata)
89. Zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus)
90. Four-lined plant bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus)
91. Bristle fly (Archytas apicifer)
92. Greenhouse millipede (Oxidus gracilis)
93. Polished lady beetle (Cycloneda munda)
94. Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)
95. Red soldier beetle (Podabrus tomentosus)
96. Golden-backed snipe fly (Chrysopilus thoracicus) (Lifer)
97. Prince baskettail (Epitheca princeps)
98. Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis)
99. White-margined burrower bug (Sehirus cinctus)
100. Metallic Crab Spider (Philodromus marxi)
101. Honeylocust treehopper (Micrutalis calva)
102. Yellow wood soldier fly (Xylomya tenthredinoides) (Lifer)
103. Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
104. Eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas)
105. Common buckeye (Junonia coenia)
106. Ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)
107. Eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera)
108. Twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)
109. Brilliant jumping spider (Phidippus clarus)
110. Elegant grass-veneer (Microcrambus elegans)
111. Blue-tipped dancer (Argia tibialis)
112. Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis)

My first four days of fieldwork went well with some nice sightings. I also saw some nice odonates and other inverts in June, including 16 species at Homer Lake Forest Preserve alone.

Mammal
Seen in a gravel lot outside of Mount Auburn, Christian Co. IL, July 6th

18. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)​

Birds
Really nice birds I managed to pickup on a field trip to the East St. Louis area. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera but I still got good-enough views. The lifer was nice.

Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area, July 6th

214. Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)
​

Wagon Lake, July 6th

215. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
​

Horseshoe Lake State Park, July 7th

216. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) (Lifer)
​

Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area, July 7th

217. Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)​

Insects/Inverts

113. Golden northern bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) (Lifer)
114. Raspberry cane borer (Oberea perspicillata) (Lifer)
115. Seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)
116. Large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus)
117. Robber fly (Atomosia puella) (Lifer)
118. Compost fly (Ptecticus trivittatus)
119. Margined leatherwing soldier beetle (Chauliognathus marginatus)
120. Black firefly (Lucidota atra)
121. Black and yellow wood soldier fly (Xylomya simillima) (Lifer)
122. Bluegrass billbug weevil (Sphenophorus parvulus)
123. Black damsel bug (Nabis subcoleoptratus) (Lifer)
124. Citrine forktail (Ischnura hastata)
125. Six-spotted fishing spider (Dolomedes triton)
126. Blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
127. Blue-fronted dancer (Argia apicalis)
128. Orange bluet (Enallagma signatum)
129. Eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)
130. Least skipper (Ancyloxpha numitor)
131. Fire-colored beetle (Neopyrochroa flabellata) (Lifer)
132. Eastern parson spider (Herpyllus ecclesiasticus)
133. North american wheel bug (Arilus cristatus)
134. Ground beetle (Cratacanthus dubius) (Lifer)
135. Little underwing (Catocala minuta) (Lifer)
136. Ailanthus webworm moth (Atteva aurea)
137. Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica)
138. Hackberry emperor (Asterocampa celtis)
139. Synchroa bark beetle (Synchroa punctata) (Lifer)
140. True weevil (Conotrachelus seniculus) (Lifer)
141. Coppery leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria)
142. Twenty-spotted lady beetle (Psyllobora vigintimaculata) (Lifer)
143. Citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa)
144. Pink-barred pseudeustrotia moth (Pseudeustrotia carneola) (Lifer)
145. Scarlet-winged lichen moth (Hypoprepia miniata) (Lifer)
146. Deadwood borer moth (Scolecocampa liburna) (Lifer)
147. Large maple spanworm moth (Prochoerodes lineola) (Lifer)
148. Oblong woolcarder bee (Anthidium oblongatum) (Lifer)
149. Spined micrathena (Micrathena gracilis)
150. Four-lined silverfish (Ctenolepisma lineatum) (Lifer)
151. Long-legged fly (Plagionerus univittatus) (Lifer)
152. Virginia giant hover fly (Milesia virginiensis)
153. Callirhipid cedar beetle (Zenoa picea) (Lifer)
154. Dictyopharid planthopper (Rhynchomitra microrhina) (Lifer)
155. Flatid planthopper (Ormenoides venusta) (Lifer)
156. Cambium curculio (Conotrachelus anaglypticus) (Lifer)
157. Common gate-keeper ant (Colobopsis impressa) (Lifer)
158. Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
159. Zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) (Lifer)​

 

[Crotalus]

Trips to Lake Martin and Auburn over the past few days yielded some new species.

While Lake Martin is usually a reliable spot to find Belted Kingfishers and Red-Headed Woodpeckers, heavy storms kept them out of view. With the huge waves caused by 4th of July boat traffic, I was not able to spot any fish and only briefly observed an unidentified turtle species. I was able to identify some new insects as well as my first osprey of the year.

The trip to Auburn provided a chance for a number of new invertebrates, including cicadas, beetles, and oakworm caterpillars (there were many of these caterpillars crossing roads and sidewalks - I managed to pick up a few of them and move them into leaf litter after getting photos).

Easily the most exciting species, and a lifer for me, occurred while taking Route 280 north during the early dusk. Looking over at a patch of brushy land with a small gravel road leading out onto the highway, I couldn't believe my eyes at first. I have seen other large mammals on the highway and misidentified them at first (the primary example being a feral German Shepherd that I initially thought was a Coyote ). I was doubtful, but upon catching sight of a short, almost nonexistent stump of a tail, pointed ears, a spotted coat and its size, it was unmistakably an Eastern Bobcat. Wild cats and canines are the groups of mammals I enjoy seeing most due to the rarity of finding them (save for, again, Coyotes) in North America, and this is the first wild feline species I have ever seen.


Mammals:
18. Eastern Bobcat (Lynx rufus rufus) - 7/11/23


Birds:
99. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) - 7/04/23


Invertebrates:
26. Ferruginous Tiger Crane Fly (Nephrotoma ferruginea) – 7/03/23
27. Long-Bodied Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) – 7/03/23
28. Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata) – 7/04/23
29. Tan Jumping Spider (Platycryptus undatus) – 7/04/23
30. Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) – 7/08/23
31. Northern Dusk-Singing Cicada (Megatibicen auletes) – 7/10/23
32. Dark Rover Ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus) – 7/10/23
33. Sugarcane Beetle (Euetheola humilis) – 7/10/23
34. European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) – 7/10/23
35. Yellow-Striped Oakworm (Anisota peigleri) – 7/11/23

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Not much to report for day 3. Today was a calmer day, with most of our time spent on the campus or studying some local vegetation. We managed to visit the private property where we found wild clawed frogs. There are a few species which are options here so I'll need to spend some time figuring out which one we saw. From this new property, only the pigeon was seen.

293) Chinspot Batis Batis molitor
294) Black-Backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla
295) Grey-Backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata
296) Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea

I had planned to do some more bat surveying and take a night walk around campus to search for bushbabies, hyrax, and maybe owls. Some sudden unexpected rains put that all to bed, however.

~Thylo

Day 4 has been a much more eventful day! We took a day trip to Lake Naivasha to go birding on the lake as well as in the nearby countryside. We did not visit Hell's Gate National Park unfortunately, but still saw a great deal of stuff on the outskirts and in the surrounding areas, as well as on Crescent Island. The island serves as a predator free zone for many hoofstock species which were introduced from the Masai Mara for the filming of the movie Out of Africa and have remained for tourism. Quite an interesting scenario!

My first bird of the day was from the Brackenhurst campus, everything else is from Naivasha:

297) Blue-Billed Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata
----
298) African Spoonbill Platalea alba
299) Black-Headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
300) Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus
301) Reichenow's Seedeater Crithagra reichenowi
302) Fork-Tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis
303) Purple Grenadier Uraeginthus ianthinogaster
304) Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus vitellinus
305) Northern Fiscal Lanius humeralis
306) Black Cuckoo-Shrike Campephaga flava
307) African Grey Woodpecker Mesopicos goertae
308) White-Fronted Bee-Eater Merops bullockoides
309) Cape Turtle-Dove Streptopelia capicola
310) Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereous
311) African Hoopoe Upupa africana
312) Arrow-Marked Babbler Turdoides jardineii
313) Lilac-Breasted Roller Coracias caudatus
314) Yellow-Billed Stork Mycteria Ibis
315) Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
316) Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer
317) White-Breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus
318) Grey-Headed Gull Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
319) Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
320) Reed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus
321) African Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer
322) Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus
323) Spur-Winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus
324) African Three-Banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris
325) Pink-Backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens
326) African Jacana Actophilornis africanus
327) Little Egret Egretta garzetta
328) Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima
329) Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
330) Long-Toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris
331) Red-Billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus
332) Goliath Heron Ardea goliath
333) Gull-Billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
334) Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius
335) Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii
336) Black Crake Zapornia flavirostra
337) Southern Black Flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina

44) Plains Zebra Equus quagga
45) Olive Baboon Papio anubis
46) Masai Giraffe Giraffa tippelskirchi
47) Impala Aepyceros melampus
48) Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus
49) Common Warthog Phacochoerus africanus
50) Common Vervet Chlorocebus pygerythrus
51) Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius
52) Common Wildebeest Connochaetus taurinus
53) Thomson's Gazelle Eudorcas thomsonii
54) Grant's Gazelle Nanger granti

This evening, I finally got out to explore the Brackenhurst campus at night:

55) Garnett's Galago Otolemur garnettii

~Thylo

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Day 4 has been a much more eventful day! We took a day trip to Lake Naivasha to go birding on the lake as well as in the nearby countryside. We did not visit Hell's Gate National Park unfortunately, but still saw a great deal of stuff on the outskirts and in the surrounding areas, as well as on Crescent Island. The island serves as a predator free zone for many hoofstock species which were introduced from the Masai Mara for the filming of the movie Out of Africa and have remained for tourism. Quite an interesting scenario!

My first bird of the day was from the Brackenhurst campus, everything else is from Naivasha:

297) Blue-Billed Firefinch Lagonosticta rubricata
----
298) African Spoonbill Platalea alba
299) Black-Headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
300) Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus
301) Reichenow's Seedeater Crithagra reichenowi
302) Fork-Tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis
303) Purple Grenadier Uraeginthus ianthinogaster
304) Vitelline Masked Weaver Ploceus vitellinus
305) Northern Fiscal Lanius humeralis
306) Black Cuckoo-Shrike Campephaga flava
307) African Grey Woodpecker Mesopicos goertae
308) White-Fronted Bee-Eater Merops bullockoides
309) Cape Turtle-Dove Streptopelia capicola
310) Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereous
311) African Hoopoe Upupa africana
312) Arrow-Marked Babbler Turdoides jardineii
313) Lilac-Breasted Roller Coracias caudatus
314) Yellow-Billed Stork Mycteria Ibis
315) Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
316) Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer
317) White-Breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus
318) Grey-Headed Gull Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
319) Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
320) Reed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus
321) African Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer
322) Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus
323) Spur-Winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus
324) African Three-Banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris
325) Pink-Backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens
326) African Jacana Actophilornis africanus
327) Little Egret Egretta garzetta
328) Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima
329) Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
330) Long-Toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris
331) Red-Billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus
332) Goliath Heron Ardea goliath
333) Gull-Billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
334) Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius
335) Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii
336) Black Crake Zapornia flavirostra
337) Southern Black Flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina

44) Plains Zebra Equus quagga
45) Olive Baboon Papio anubis
46) Masai Giraffe Giraffa tippelskirchi
47) Impala Aepyceros melampus
48) Waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus
49) Common Warthog Phacochoerus africanus
50) Common Vervet Chlorocebus pygerythrus
51) Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius
52) Common Wildebeest Connochaetus taurinus
53) Thomson's Gazelle Eudorcas thomsonii
54) Grant's Gazelle Nanger granti

This evening, I finally got out to explore the Brackenhurst campus at night:

55) Garnett's Galago Otolemur garnettii

~Thylo

Day 5 and my last day staying at the Brackenhurst campus. Not much wildlife watching was done today, with instead a reflection on some of the work we've been doing and a visit to the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi and its associated snake farm. Brackenhurst Forest still had one last treat for me, however:

338) Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill Bycanistes brevis

Following our day out, we finally made another attempt at bat watching. In total, six species were recorded on the detector, including the two I saw the first night. Of the remaining four, I only saw two. Cape Serotine and Natal Long-Fingered Bat escaped me.

56) Hildebrandt's Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hildebrandtii
57) Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat Tadarida aegyptiaca

Tomorrow we transfer to the Mara!

~Thylo

 

[Chlidonias]

Mammals
7. European hare, Lepus europaeus 7/7/23

You still haven't corrected your numbering - you should be on 8 mammals now.

1. Red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris 1/1/2023
2. Bank vole, Myodes glareolus 13/1/2022
3. European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus 13/1/2022
4. Red fox, Vulpes vulpes 30/3/23
5. Mountain hare, Lepus timidus 2/4/23

Mammals
5. European roe deer, Capreolus capreolus 7/5/23

Mammals
6. Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus 10/5/23

 

[Chlidonias]

Reptiles
- Green Keelback Rhabdophis plumbicolor (bagged so doesn’t count)
8. Bamboo Pit Viper Craspedocephalus gramineus (free and bagged)

Reptiles
9. Streaked Kukri Snake Oligodon taeniolatus (very young one, only a few inches long)

You will need to check your numbering. The last reptile count I have you at before these two posts is #5.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Day 5 and my last day staying at the Brackenhurst campus. Not much wildlife watching was done today, with instead a reflection on some of the work we've been doing and a visit to the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi and its associated snake farm. Brackenhurst Forest still had one last treat for me, however:

338) Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill Bycanistes brevis

Following our day out, we finally made another attempt at bat watching. In total, six species were recorded on the detector, including the two I saw the first night. Of the remaining four, I only saw two. Cape Serotine and Natal Long-Fingered Bat escaped me.

56) Hildebrandt's Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hildebrandtii
57) Egyptian Free-Tailed Bat Tadarida aegyptiaca

Tomorrow we transfer to the Mara!

~Thylo

I've identified that skink:

10) African Striped Skink Trachylepis striata

~Thylo

 

[Junklekitteb]

You will need to check your numbering. The last reptile count I have you at before these two posts is #5.

Sorry, my counting has been a bit out of wack. Here is the full list of reptiles.
Reptiles
1. Marsh Crocodile or Mugger-much Crocodylus palustris
2. Indian Chamaeleon Chamaeleo zeylanicus
3. Bloodsucker Calotes versicolor
4. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea
5. Common Bronzeback Treesnake Dendrelaphis pictus
6. Spectacled Cobra Naja naja
7. Yellow-green Cat Snake Boiga flaviviridis
8. Bamboo Pit Viper Craspedocephalus gramineus
9. Streaked Kukri Snake Oligodon taeniolatus
- Trinket Snake Coelognathus helena
- Green Keelback Rhabdophis plumbicolor
And now one more:
10. Russell’s Viper Daboia russelli (a young baby)
Finally completing “the Big Four” venomous snakes in India for me. My friend nearly stepped on it, but crisis was averted. I have of course seen it in captivity.

 

[amur leopard]

For some reason forgot to even start this year's big year but here goes...

Been a really quiet start to the year, with only a couple of excursions to green patches (and pretty fruitless ones at that), but here goes. I can't quite recall where all the following species were seen first but I'll note where the (only slightly) more uncommon ones were seen.

1. Greylag goose, Anser anser
2. Barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis
3. Canada goose, Branta canadensis
4. Mute swan, Cygnus olor
5. Egyptian goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca
6. Common shelduck, Tadorna tadorna
7. Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata
8. Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (London Wetland Centre (15/3))
9. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
10. Eurasian teal, Anas crecca
11. Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula
12. Feral pigeon, Columba livia
13. Common woodpigeon, Columba palumbus
14. Common moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
15. Eurasian coot, Fulica atra
16. Northern lapwing, Vanellus vanellus (London Wetland Centre (15/3))
17. Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
18. Herring gull, Larus argentatus
19. Greater black-backed gull, Larus marinus (along Thames near Barnes)
20. Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
21. Grey heron, Ardea cinerea
22. Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius
23. Common magpie, Pica pica
24. Carrion crow, Corvus corone
25. Western jackdaw, Corvus monedula
26. Eurasian blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus
27. Great tit, Parus major
28. Long-tailed tit, Aegithalus caudatus
29. European starling, Sturnus vulgaris
30. Eurasian blackbird, Turdus merula
31. European stonechat, Saxicola rubecula (London Wetland Centre (15/3))
32. White wagtail, Motacilla alba
33. Dunnock, Prunella modularis
34. House sparrow, Passer domesticus
35. European goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis

Target is 120, but with a start like that after 6 whole weeks...

A little boost from a trip to Tenerife from last week (not a birding trip in any way so pretty measly addition numbers) - pretty sure there are more additions from London as well from the last few months but I'll have to sit down and go through it all in due course. For now:

36. African collared dove, Streptopelia rosegrisea
37. Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto
38. Yellow-legged gull, Larus micahellis
39. Plain swift, Apus unicolor
40. Spanish sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis
41. Common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
42. Common buzzard, Buteo buteo
43. Lesser black backed gull, Larus fuscus
44. Cory's shearwater, Calonectris diomedea

And a particularly notable reptile which I've wanted to see for a while and just happened to surface and swim right under my kayak just off the Southern tip of the island...

Reptiles:

1. Green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas
2. West Canaries lizard, Gallotia galloti

 

[ThylacineAlive]

I've identified that skink:

10) African Striped Skink Trachylepis striata

~Thylo

Day 6 is finally coming to a close and I write to you now from the Pardamat Conservancy within the Masai Mara National Reserve.

Most of today was the drive from Brackenhurst to the Mara, but we did spend a few hours in the afternoon taking our first game drive.

The Road to the Mara
339) African Cuckoo Cuculus gularis
340) Cape Crow Corvus capensis
341) Straw-Tailed Whydah Vidua fischeri
342) Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus
343) Silverbird Empidornis semipartitus
344) Northern White-Crowned Shrike Eurocephalus rueppelli

Masai Mara
345) Yellow-Fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus
346) Flappet Lark Mirafra rufocinnamomea
347) White-Headed Saw-Wing Psalidoprocne albiceps
348) D'Arnaud's Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii
349) Plain-Backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys
350) Grey-Backed Fiscal Lanius excubitoroides
351) Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
352) Hildebrandt's Starling Lamprotornis hildebrandti
353) Red-Capped Lark Calandrella cinerea
354) Emerald-Spotted Wood-Dove Turtur chalcospilos
355) Black-Crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegala
356) Slate-Colored Boubou Laniarius funebris
357) Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird Corythaixoides personatus
358) Golden-Breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris
359) Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens
360) Sulphur-Breasted Bushshrike Telophorus sulphureopectus
361) Little Bee-Eater Merops pusillus

There are a few other birds from today I still need to identify.

58) Black-Backed Jackal Lupulella mesomelas
59) Spotted Hyena Crocuta crocuta
60) Cavendish's Dik-Dik Madoqua cavendishi
61) Topi Damaliscus lunatus
62) African Savanna Hare Lepus microtis
63) Masai Grass Rat Arvicanthis sp.nov. niloticus*
64) Banded Mongoose Mungos mungo
65) African Bush Elephant Loxodonta africana

*Awaiting an official classification following a 2019 phylogenetic study on African grass rats by Bryja et al. (2019). I am also happy to just call them Nile Grass Rat if that's more acceptable for the game.

I have a few more herps that need identifying as well.

~Thylo

 

[birdsandbats]

Fish
9. Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas

Birds
226. Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris

Lifer bird and easily my coolest wild fish sighting:

Birds
227. Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
228. Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Fish
10. American Paddlefish Polyodon spathula

 

[WalkingAgnatha]

10. American Paddlefish Polyodon spathula

How'd you find it?

 

[birdsandbats]

How'd you find it?

I learned of a reliable spot where they seen be seen jumping out of the water. I went there and yeah, they were. I was there for about half an hour, and I saw lots of fish jump. I was only able to confirm one was a paddlefish, but I saw several others that were probably paddlefish. I definitely saw some non-paddlefish jump too, notably one of the Asian carp species (probably Silver but possibly Bighead).