Zoochat Big Year 2024

Junklekitteb said:
Sorry for the all-too-long delay this early in the year, but it was unavoidable: I was busy writing my A-level exams. Between some last minute birding walks back in January before exam prep began, a visit to the Botanical Gardens lake for waterbirds, and incidental sightings throughout this period, I’ve racked up a fair count however.
Some real rarities include the Blue-bearded Bee-eater seen at my school (1st record for the location) seen completely unexpectedly (I looked out the window, saw it and immediately ran for binoculars); Eurasian Kestrel also near school on a bird walk (not as unusual but my first time seeing it in the Bangalore area); and many usually shy or hard-to-find birds such as woodswallows, hoopoes, yellow-eyed babblers, and even a sleeping pitta on a night walk. Spotted Owlet is unusual this early in the year, but thanks to some fantastic advice from a kind birder I learnt about a location for them in the botanical gardens where they can be easily seen. The Common Kingfisher I have never seen there before, however.
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Why is everyone liking this post? It’s become one of my most liked big-year posts ever, overtaking some trip-related updates I thought would be far more interesting to other people!
Anyway, few more additions from an opportunistic birdwalk today. Quite a few species despite it being late morning. Got better views of some birds (eg. the flycatchers I mentioned) that I had not been able to count earlier due to lacking or having only bad views. Towards the end of the walk I disturbed what I thought was a babbler only to find, to my surprise, it was a buttonquail!
Birds
58. Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis (seen while in vehicle)
59. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae
60. Spot-breasted Fantail Rhipidura albogularis
61. Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
62. Jerdon’s Leafbird Chloropsis jerdoni (Not “Jordan’s” goddamnit, autocorrect!)
63. Tawny-bellied Babbler Dumetia hyperythra
64. Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis
65.Barred Buttonquail Turnix suscitator
66. Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
Mammals
6. Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii
 
Bisonblake said:
Another local Metropark visit with @Azamat Shackleford and another friend of ours we met during our August outing. There was a huge flock of about 300 redheads at the lake, with a few other species mixed in. We also saw a juvenile and adult bald eagle, and some sandhill cranes migrating back north. We were going to try to find some owls, but we were exhausted and decided to call it a day.

2/25/24
Birds:
86. Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
87. Mute swan Cygnus olor
88. American wigeon Mareca americana
89. Canvasback Aythya valisineria
90. Redhead Aythya americana
91. Ring-necked duck Aythya collaris
92. Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
93. Common goldeneye Bucephala clangula
94. Common merganser Mergus merganser
95. Hooded merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
96. Trumpeter swan Cygnus buccinator
97. Gadwall Mareca strepera
98. American black duck Anas rubripes
99. Sandhill crane Antigone canadensis
100!!!!!. Brown creeper Certhia americana

Mammals:
7. Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
8. Eastern chipmunk Tamias striatus

Total Species: 130
Birds: 100
Mammals: 8
Reptiles: 5
Fish: 17
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Beautiful trip to the Detroit Zoo today. There was a lot of bird activity today with a few early migrators. I was also able to spot a Blanding's turtle at the Cotton Family Wetlands.

2/27/24
Birds:
101. Red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
102. Common grackle Quiscalus quiscula
103. Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

Reptiles:
6. Painted turtle Chrysemys picta
7. Blanding's turtle Emydoidea blandingii

Total Species: 133
Birds: 103
Mammals: 8
Reptiles: 5
Fish: 17
 
birdsandbats said:
Last year was an incredible year for vagrants in Wisconsin, and this bird that showed up recently is hopefully an indication that this year will be as well! Also, a swan and a couple of mammals seen along the way looking for this wonderful little bird:

Birds
344. Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
345. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris

Mammals
35. Common Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
36. Fisher Pekania pennanti
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The unseasonably warm weather has continued and many birds are coming back early. Unfortunatley I don't have much time right now to go see them. I did manage to see a couple as I went about my day today, however.

Birds
346. Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
347. Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
 
I haven't done one of these before, but I keep a personal list, so I'm gonna go ahead and give this a go - and I'm going to Kenya later this year, so it should end up being a good one!
(January and February of 2024 - these may be out of order - total of 33 species):

Mammals:
1. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
2. Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
3. Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
4. Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
5. Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
6. Groundhog (Marmota monax)
7. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
8. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
9. Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)
10. Mountain Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii)
11. American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Birds:
1. Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
2. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
3. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
4. Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
5. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
6. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
7. Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
8. Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
9. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
10. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
11. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
12. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
13. Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
14. White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
15. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
16. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
17. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
18. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
19. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
20. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
21. American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)
22. Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
23. Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
24. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
25. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
26. Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
27. Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
28. Black-Billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)
29. Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
20. Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli)
22. Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

No reptiles, amphibians, or fish spotted so far! I haven't been around a lot of water sources. I'll try to update this whenever I have a decent chunk of sightings!
 
Once again, mostly sightings around Moonlit and home. I am now in the count-down phase for my trip to Panama, just over a week to go.

I did visit friends at Cape Patterson and went snorkeling with them. I had no idea how good that location is for snorkeling so am looking forward to going back. Was only able to identify a couple of the fish, so will make sure I have my underwater camera next time.

Birds
70. Royal spoonbill Platalea regia
71. Straw-necked ibis Threskiornis spinicollis

Fish
1. Blue-throat wrasse Notolabrus tetricus
2. Western mosquito fish Gambusia affinis (introduced)
3. Eastern shovelnose stingaree Trygonoptera imitata (new Family)
4. Spotted stingaree Urolophus gigas

Invertebrates
11. Tau emerald Hemicordulia tau
12. Social huntsman Delena cancerides
13. Variegated limpet Cellana tramoserica (new Order and Family)
14. Striped false limpet Siphonaria diemenensis (new Order and Family)
 
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I made a trip up to Waikanae estuary this morning, where a Common Tern had been reported recently amongst the White-fronted Terns. There were almost no terns at the roost, so I did not see that one, but I added on a few other year birds at least.

Somehow, still no Yellowhammers!


50) Brown Teal Anas chlorotis
51) New Zealand Shoveller Anas rhynchotis
52) New Zealand Dabchick Poliocephalus rufopectus
53) Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
54) Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
55) Banded Dotterel Charadrius bicinctus
56) New Zealand Dotterel Charadrius obscurus
57) Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
 
Totals for the first two months of the year are below. I have divided the "Herptiles" into their separate categories now (Reptiles and Amphibians). Originally - a decade ago! - there weren't many people counting species which weren't birds or mammals in the Big Year threads so it was easier to just combine the two groups, but I figured it was about time to give them back their identities.



BIRDS:

birdsandbats – 347
Mr. Zootycoon – 139
Osedax – 123
boof – 123
Maguari – 121
Platypusboy – 112
Bisonblake – 103
Dr. Loxodonta – 95
Prochilodus246 – 92
oflory – 90
WhistlingKite24 – 89
Tetzoo Quizzer – 89
CMP – 77
BerdNerd – 77
Bactrian Deer – 76
DesertTortoise – 74
Hix – 74
MRJ – 71
KiwiBirb – 67
Ituri – 66
Junklekitteb – 66
Chlidonias – 57
WalkingAgnatha – 52
ThylacineAlive – 51
DesertRhino – 49
Crotalus – 44
Yoshistar888 – 44
Great Argus – 41
RonBurgundy – 28
red river hog – 28
KevinB – 25
Pigeon – 22
endogenylove – 22
Lota lota – 20
Birdsage – 15
PizzaB – 14
Jonathan Petersson – 12
Pleistohorse – 9


MAMMALS:

birdsandbats – 36
Maguari – 13
endogenylove – 11
KiwiBirb – 10
Osedax – 9
Bisonblake – 8
Mr. Zootycoon – 7
red river hog – 7
Platypusboy – 6
MRJ – 6
Junklekitteb – 6
DesertRhino – 5
CMP – 5
WhistlingKite24 – 5
Pleistohorse – 5
Jonathan Petersson – 4
Ituri – 4
Dr. Loxodonta – 4
BerdNerd – 4
DesertTortoise – 4
Pigeon – 4
Crotalus – 4
Giant Eland – 4
Tetzoo Quizzer – 3
Yoshistar888 – 3
oflory – 3
Hix – 3
Bactrian Deer – 3
ThylacineAlive – 3
Lota lota – 2
Prochilodus246 – 2
WalkingAgnatha – 2
RonBurgundy – 2
Birdsage – 2
KevinB – 2
Chlidonias – 2
Great Argus – 1
PizzaB – 1


REPTILES:

birdsandbats – 27
WhistlingKite24 – 9
Bisonblake – 7
ThylacineAlive – 6
Osedax – 5
Platypusboy – 4
Pigeon – 4
Yoshistar888 – 2
MRJ – 2
Great Argus – 1
WalkingAgnatha – 1
Birdsage – 1
Hix – 1


AMPHIBIANS:

birdsandbats – 18
Mr. Zootycoon – 4
Osedax – 2
WhistlingKite24 – 1
Great Argus – 1
Dr. Loxodonta – 1
Prochilodus246 – 1


FISH:

Bisonblake – 17
Yoshistar888 – 13
MRJ – 4
WhistlingKite24 – 3
CMP – 2
ThylacineAlive – 2
Pigeon – 1
Maguari – 1
DesertTortoise – 1


INVERTEBRATES:

WhistlingKite24 – 96
Yoshistar888 – 43
MRJ – 14
Prochilodus246 – 8
Tetzoo Quizzer – 7
WalkingAgnatha – 6 (including 1 mollusc; 5 arthropods)
Dr. Loxodonta – 6
Crotalus – 6
DesertTortoise – 5
PizzaB – 4
Mr. Zootycoon – 4 (including 1 butterfly; 1 moth; 2 gastropods)
Maguari – 3
BerdNerd – 3
Great Argus – 2
CMP – 2
DesertRhino – 1
Hix – 1
 
7/1/24 - 2/3/24
While in Tasmania, I saw many species I have never had the opportunity to see. Unfortunately, I did not spot a Tasmanian Devil during my three weeks there. Even though I did not see a wild Tasmanian Devil, I had a great time in Tasmania. Enjoying the scenic locations and historic towns while on holiday with my family. Although, I did return just over a month ago, school has been extremely busy and I have not had much time to provide an update. Birds 15-17 were seen in Geelong, 18-51 in Tasmania, 52-54 in Pakenham, 55 in Narre Warren, 56 in Lysterfield Lake and 57-58 along the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail. Mammals 2-11 were seen in Tasmania and 12-13 were seen in the Lysterfield Lake National Park. Reptiles 1-4 were spotted in Tasmania and #5 on the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail. All of the fish and invertebrates were seen in Tasmania.

Birds:
15. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
16. Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
17. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
18. Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)
19. Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus)
20. Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
21. Tasmanian Native-hen (Tribonyx mortierii)
22. Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
23. Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)
24. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
25. Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)
26. Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)
27.Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
28. Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)
29.Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans)
30. Forest Raven (Corvus tasmanicus)
31. Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
32. Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
33. Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)
34. Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
35. Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
36. Sooty Oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus)
37. Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo (Zanda funereal)
38. Common Bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera)
39. Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)
40. White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
41. Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos)
42. White-bellied Sea Eagle (Icthyophaga leucogaster)
43. Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
44. Australian Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides)
45. Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius)
46. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
47. Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae)
48. Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella)
49. Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea)
50. Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)
51. Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
52. Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus)
53. Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
54. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
55. Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)
56. Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
57. Grey Teal (Anas gracilis)
58. White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)

Mammals:
2. European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
3. Red-bellied Pademelon (Thylogale billardierii)
4. Red-necked Wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus)
5. Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus)
6. Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
7. Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)
8. Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
9. House Mouse (Mus musculus)
10. Black Rat (Rattus rattus)
11. Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)
12. Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
13. Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

Reptiles:
1. Tasmanian Tree Skink (Carinascincus pretiosus)
2. White’s Skink (Liopholis whitii)
3. Ocellated Skink (Carinascincus ocellatus)
4. Mountain Dragon (Rankinia diemensis)
5. Lowlands Copperhead (Austrelaps superbus)

Fish:
1. Sparsely-spotted Stingaree (Urolophus paucimaculatus)

Invertebrates:
1. Social Huntsman Spider (Delena cancerides)
2. Carpet Sea Star (Meridiastra calcar)
3. Bluebottle (Physalia physalis)
 
Edit to above message

Invertebrates:
5. Social Huntsman Spider (Delena cancerides)
6. Carpet Sea Star (Meridiastra calcar)
7. Bluebottle (Physalia physalis)

Total Species: 84
Birds: 58
Mammals: 13
Reptiles: 5
Fish: 1
Invertebrates: 7
 
Bisonblake said:
Beautiful trip to the Detroit Zoo today. There was a lot of bird activity today with a few early migrators. I was also able to spot a Blanding's turtle at the Cotton Family Wetlands.

2/27/24
Birds:
101. Red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
102. Common grackle Quiscalus quiscula
103. Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

Reptiles:
6. Painted turtle Chrysemys picta
7. Blanding's turtle Emydoidea blandingii

Total Species: 133
Birds: 103
Mammals: 8
Reptiles: 5
Fish: 17
Click to expand...
3/2/24
Birds:
104. Pine siskin Spinus pinus
105. Hairy woodpecker Dryobates villosus

Total Species: 135
Birds: 105
Mammals: 8
Reptiles: 5
Fish: 17
 
Chlidonias said:
Muscovy Ducks are not a countable species in Australia.
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"Countable" according to what? Not sure how it works in Australia but here in the US we have tons of introduced bird species that have had self-sustaining populations for decades or even over a century, but aren't officially countable because the state committees arbitrarily decide they shouldn't be.
 
birdsandbats said:
"Countable" according to what? Not sure how it works in Australia but here in the US we have tons of introduced bird species that have had self-sustaining populations for decades or even over a century, but aren't officially countable because the state committees arbitrarily decide they shouldn't be.
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In the general sense of they are not on bird lists of Australia. Both Australia and New Zealand have official lists of birds for those countries which include all resident breeding birds (native and introduced), migrants, vagrants, etc. In Australia it is the list of Birdlife Australia.

Muscovies do not have established populations, they are just individual birds which have been released and live in specific locations (usually in urban areas).
 
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