Zoochat Big Year 2024

oflory said:
A trip to Chobham Common for nightjars (with bat detector in tow) didn't disappoint. Can thoroughly recommend the Four Horseshoes for a drink, if anyone is ever birding up that way.

Mammals
14. Noctule bat
15. Common pipistrelle
16. Brown long-eared bat

Birds
239. Eurasian nightjar
240. Dartford warbler

Herps
5. Common toad
Click to expand...


Two more birds from the local park - particularly pleased by the house martins, as they must have nested nearby - a rarish bird for London these days.

Birds
241. House martin
242. Common goldcrest (counting as R. regulus as opposed to the birds seen on Tenerife, counted as R. teneriffae)
 
CMP said:
Took a day-trip to the southwestern end of the state, right across the Mississippi from St. Louis, to see the only painted bunting breeding area in Illinois. After much searching, I finally breifly saw a beautiful male singing up a tree!

Birds
265. Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)
266. Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) (Lifer)


Inverts
163. Eastern calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus)
164. Halloween pennant (Celithemis eponina)
165. Peach root weevil (Pseudoedophrys hilleri)
166. White-margined burrower bug (Sehirus cinctus)
167. Green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris)
168. Tulip-tree beauty (Epimecis hortaria) (Lifer)
169. Eastern black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) (Lifer)
170. Green immigrant leaf weevil (Polydrusus formosus) (Lifer)
171. Bent-spined acorn ant (Temnothorax curvispinosus)
172. Bent-lined carpet (Costaconvexa centrostrigaria) (Lifer)
173. Brown rove beetle (Platydracus maculosus) (Lifer)
174. Double-striped bluet (Enallagma basidens)
175. Variable dancer (Argia fumipennis) (Lister)
176. Io moth (Automeris io) (Lifer)
177. Punctured tiger beetle (Cicindela punctulata)
178. Little gray firefly (Photinus marginellus) (Lifer)
179. Tawny emperor (Asterocampa clyton) (Lifer)
180. Swamp milkweed leaf beetle (Labidomera clivicollis)
181. Margined leatherwing soldier beetle (Chauliognathus marginatus)
182. Red-banded leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)
183. Northern flatid planthopper (Flatormenis proxima)
184. Four-lined plant bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus)
185. Brilliant jumping spider (Phidippus clarus)
186. Dainty sulphur (Nathalis iole) (Lifer)
187. Seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)
188. Common eastern ray spider (Theridiosoma gemmosum) (Lifer)
189. Sleepy orange (Abaeis nicippe) (Lifer)
190. Yellow-legged mud-dauber wasp (Sceliphron caementarium)
191. Summer azure (Celastrina neglecta)

The numbering for inverts was off in my last post, this list should be correct
Click to expand...
birdsandbats said:
Birds
482. Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
483. Great Tit Parus major
Click to expand...

I was in Sheboygan WI the same day coincidentally, but I got the other Sheboygan 'rarity' and another nice lifer the next day
Birds
267. Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) (Lifer)
268. Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) (Lifer)


Also, my updated fish list. Many nice species from a couple locations.

Fish
4. Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) (Lifer) (IL)
5. Blackstripe topminnow (Fundulus notatus) (IL)
6. Warpaint shiner (Coccotis coccogenis) (Lifer) (TN)
7. Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (Lifer) (TN)
8. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) (IL)
9. Redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) (IL)
10. Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) (IL)
11. King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (Lifer) (WI)
12. Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) (Lifer) (WI)
13. Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) (Lifer) (WI)
 
Just got back home from a 11 day family trip to England! It was by no means a birding trip, however that doesn't mean I can't pick up a couple on the way anyway! I won't go into many details about our trip, but I will say that we visited Somerset, Dover and London. I decided to just compile all my sightings in one post for convenience.

Drive from Gatwick to Somerset, 1/7/24

218. Carrion crow, Corvus corone
219. Red kite, Milvus milvus
220. Rook, Corvus frugilegus
221. Common buzzard, Buteo buteo

Somerset, 2/7/24

222. Common chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita

Between Torquay and Dartmouth, 2/7/24

11. Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena

223. European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis

Restharrow Dunes Nature Reserve, 7/7/24

224. Little grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis

Hyde Park, 8/7/24

225. Egyptian goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca
226. Red-crested pochard, Netta rufina
227. Rose-ringed parakeet, Psittacula krameri

Thames River, 9/7/24

12. Gray seal, Halichoerus grypus

ZSL London Zoo, 11/7/24

228. Gray wagtail, Motacilla cinerea

 
Giant Eland said:
Long overdue update, wild lifers in bold:

Dakhla, Western Sahara:
5. Atlantic Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus (Feb 26)

A Desert Camp, Western Sahara:
6. Fennec Fox, Vulpes zerda
7. Lesser Egyptian Gerbil, Gerbillus gerbillus
8. African Hamada Jerboa, Jaculus hirtipes WILD FAMILY LIFER!!
9. West Sahara Hare, Lepus saharae
10. Tarabul’s Gerbil, Gerbillus tarabuli (Feb 27)
11. Sand Cat, Felis margarita (Feb 28)
12. Saharan Striped Polecat, Ictonyx libycus

Awsard, Western Sahara:
13. African Wild Cat, Felis lybica (Feb 29) Leap day!!
14. Egyptian Free-tailed Bat, Tadarida aegyptiaca
15. Fat-tailed Gerbil, Pachyuromys duprasi
16. Pygmy Gerbil, Gerbillus henleyi
17. Egyptian Mouse-tailed Bat, Rhinopoma cystops (Mar 1) WILD FAMILY LIFER!!

Montesinho Natural Park, Portugal:
18. Short-tailed Field Vole, Microtus agrestis (Mar 10)
19. Common Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Mar 11)
20. Greater Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
21. Gray Long-eared Bat, Plecotus austriacus
22. Granada Hare, Lepus granatensis

Furnas, Azores:
23. Azores Noctule, Nyctalus azoreum (Mar 12)

Vernon Valley Farm, NJ:
24. Eastern Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus (Mar 29)
25. White-footed Mouse, Peromyscus leucopus
26. American Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Mar 30)
27. Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda (Mar 31)

Brooklyn, NY:
28. Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus (Apr 21)
29. Virigina Opossum, Didelphis virginiana (May 30)

Hudson Canyon, USA:
30. Risso’s Dolphin, Grampus griseus (June 3)
31. Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis
32. Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba!!! Really excited about these!
33. North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis
34. Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Click to expand...

A quick update before I head to Gabon on Tuesday:

Northport, NY:
35. White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus (July 3)
 
RSPB Rainham Marshes, 14,07,24

Yesterday I had a nice sunny visit to the Marshes and to Aveley Bay.

I decided to head down to Aveley Bay after the reports of Avocets and I was not disappointed, with a pair of juvi’s wading along the beach. Along with this were four Curlew and a clump of eight Harbour Seals, another treat. After a quick stop off at the RSPB Centre, I headed Anti-Clockwise round, towards the Ken Barrett Hide. Here, a Kingfisher perched dead still for 23 Minutes before moving, the longest I’ve seen. Just outside, purely by coincidence, I positioned the scope on the Barn Owl breeding box and a round head peeped back at me. There was also a Hobby which flew over Shooting Butts Hide, although this was primarily a blur. A pair of Spoonbill lurked in the reeds although they were at the very edge of my field of view (out the back windows of the Hide).

Birds:
134. Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
135. Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Mammals:
One I forgot to add from my last trip…
12. Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)

Herps:
8. Grass Snake (Natrix natrix)

Total Species: 155
Birds: 135
Mammals: 12
Herptiles: 8
 
KiwiBirb said:
I took a drive up to the Hudson Valley for some birdwatching, including looking for a long continuing rarity in the Neotropic Cormorant. While I was unsuccessful when it comes to birds, I did get a new reptiles (I also just noticed I have been missing Green Frog, which I have seen a few times this year already)

Herptiles
12) Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans)
13) Common Five-Lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus)

Progress:
Mammals- 20
Birds- 173
Herptiles- 13
Total- 206
Heard-only Species- 12
Click to expand...
After a trip to the Adirondacks

Mammals
21) American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)

Birds
174) American Bittern (Botaurus lentigenosus)
175) Veery (Catharus fuscescens)
176) Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum)
177) Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Herptiles
14) Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
15) Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)

Heard Only
12) Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
13) Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)

Progress:
Mammals- 21
Birds- 177
Herptiles- 15
Total- 213
Heard-only Species- 13
 
July is the slowest month of the year in terms of non-coastal Southern birding, as by 9-10 AM, the heat tends to drive everything into hiding. That being said, I've still managed to pick up some birds, including a lifer! The trip to Eufaula wasn't nearly as fruitful as I'd hoped - no spoonbills, no Glossy Ibis, no Wood Stork, no rails...That being said, I did manage to spot a lifer Yellow-Billed Cuckoo in the morning, my first ever Feral Hogs, and a Raccoon at mid-day. The trip to a local nature preserve was ironically much more successful in getting some yearly birds. The cons of going out at these times is that you get absolutely munched on by mosquitoes :p

Mammals:
10. Feral Hog (Sus scrofa) - 7/08/24
11. Raccoon (Procyon lotor lotor) - 7/08/24


Birds:
128. American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) – 7/08/24
129. Yellow-Billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) – 7/08/24
130. Barred Owl (Strix varia) – 7/14/24
131. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) – 7/14/24
132. Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) – 7/14/24
133. Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) – 7/14/24


Invertebrates:
70. Black Velvet Leatherleaf Slug (Belocaulus angustipes) – 7/08/24
71. Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) - 7/12/24
72. Citrus Flatid Planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) - 7/12/24
73. Common Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster) - 7/12/24
74. Inland Floodwater Mosquito (Aedes vexans) - 7/12/24
75. Condylostylus patibulatus [long-legged fly] - 7/12/24
76. Excultanus excultus [leafhopper] - 7/12/24
77. Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) - 7/14/24
78. Putnam's Jumping Spider (Phidippus putnami) - 7/14/24
79. Sculptured Resin Bee (Megachile sculpturalis) - 7/14/24
80. Smokybrown Cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa) - 7/14/24


Butterflies/Moths:
25. Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) - 7/08/24
26. Long-Tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus) - 7/14/24

Dragonflies/Damselflies:
16. Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) - 7/08/24
17. Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) - 7/14/24


A trip to Michigan at the end of this month will hopefully get me some new birds, and maybe some new reptiles and amphibians if I go night cruising. Ideally I'll get some yearlies which are difficult or impossible to get outside of fall migration in the South (warblers, sandpipers, and some species of sparrow like Clay-Colored), as well as some more Northern specialties (Black-Capped Chickadee, Common Raven, Merlin, Olive-Sided Flycatcher). Hoping for some lifers!
 
Might just make some slight tweaks to some of the names on my bird list, mostly based on the recent updates to the American Ornithological Society's Checklist of North American Birds
  • Bird #68: Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) → Least Bittern (Botaurus exilis)
  • Bird #107: Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) → Cocos Booby (Sula brewsteri)
  • Bird #125: Barn Owl (Tyto alba) → American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata)
 
Time for a few updates
Birds
143 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea seen while supervising Duke of Edinburgh Award students in Snowdonia
144 Cuckoo Cuculus canorus juvenile being fed by a Dunnock at Rutland Water

Invertebrates
Snowdonia
100 Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltoni
101 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperanthus

Rutland
102 Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus
103 Ghost Swift Hepialis humuli
104 Privet Hawk Moth Sphinx ligustri
105 Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila elpenor
106 Small Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila porcellus
107 Orange-tailed Clearwing Synanthedon andrenaformis- only the fifth county record! This and the 3 Hawk moths were due to trapping efforts at Bird Fair, nos 104,106 and 107 were lifers.

Garden
108 Garden Centipede Lithobius forficatus
 
CarnotaurusSastrei said:
Might just make some slight tweaks to some of the names on my bird list, mostly based on the recent updates to the American Ornithological Society's Checklist of North American Birds
  • Bird #68: Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) → Least Bittern (Botaurus exilis)
  • Bird #107: Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) → Cocos Booby (Sula brewsteri)
  • Bird #125: Barn Owl (Tyto alba) → American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata)
Click to expand...
Thanks. It is always a pleasure to nail a new species while sitting at home over breakfast on a cold winter's morning. (Cocos booby - seen earlier this year in Panama)
 
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