Zoochat Big Year 2024

Mammals
1) Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
2) Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
3) Brown rat/Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
4) Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)
5) Greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula)
6) House mouse (Mus musculus)
7) Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
8) European hare (Lepus europaeus)

Birds

1) Canada goose (Branta canadensis)
2) Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
3) Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
4) Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
5) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
6) Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
7) House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
8) Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
9) Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
10) European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
11) Great tit (Parus major)
12) Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
13) European herring gull (Larus argentatus)
14) Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
15) Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
16) Western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
17) Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
18) Feral pigeon (Columba livia)
19) Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula)
20) Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
21) Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
22) Common starling/European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
23) European white stork (Ciconia ciconia)
24) Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
25) Eurasian coot (Fulica atra)
26) Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
27) Great egret (Ardea alba)
28) Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
29) Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
30) Greylag goose (Anser anser)
31) Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
32) Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
33) Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
34) Eurasian chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
35) Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
36) Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis)
37) Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)
38) Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)
39) Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
40) Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
41) Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata)
42) Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
43) Bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica)
44) Western house martin (Delichon urbicum)
45) Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)
46) Black kite (Milvus migrans)
47) European greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
48) Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
49) Common swift (Apus apus)
50) Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus)
51) Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
52) Song thrush (Turdus philomelos)

Amphibians
1) Edible frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus)

Invertebrates
1) Seven-spot ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata)
2) Common brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni)
3) Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus)
4) Common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)
5) Small cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae)
6) Common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)
7) Common house mosquito (Culex pipiens)
8) Housefly (Musca domestica)
9) Great grey slug/Leopard slug (Limax maximus)
10) Red slug (Arion rufus)
11) Common garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
12) Black garden ant (Lasius niger)
13) Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
14) Lemon snail (Cepaea nemoralis)
15) Black field slug (Arion hortensis)
16) Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis)
17) Large white butterfly (Pieris brassicae)
18) Black-headed cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea)
19) Northern damselfly or Spearhead blue (Coenagrion hastulatum)
20) Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)
21) Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
22) Common rough woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
23) Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
24) Yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus)
25) Common gooseberry sawfly (Nematus ribesii)
26) Common red soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
27) House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata)
28) Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
29) European peacock (Aglais io)
30) Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
31) Speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)
 
One of my favourite finches. Some years ago now I spent a couple of weeks in Scotland and was looking out for Twite all the time. But didn't see them until I got to Skye where I finally tracked some down in a farmyard.

Have only seen them once since, in North Wales, where the very small population is assisted with seed-hopper feeding- makes for brilliant views!.

A great species and throughly underrated. On the subject of twite I went for a job (alas I did not get it) not too far from where I live that was to monitor the few remaining twite in The Pennines as the species is having catastrophic declines in numbers.

That North Wales site sounds fantastic although I'm trying to search my mind of where could harbour a population. I've missed seeing them often on the East coast of England around spurn point but as any British birdwatchers know there are far more enticing species that turn up at Spurn than twite :D
 
Birds:

134. Black scoter (Melanitta americana)
135. Black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythrophthalmus)

136. Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
137. Marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris)

Mammals: 24
Birds: 137
Herptiles: 19
Fishes: 11
Invertebrates: 107
Total: 295
Mammals:

25. White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)
26. Coyote (Canis latrans)

Mammals: 26
Birds: 137
Herptiles: 19
Fishes: 11
Invertebrates: 107
Total: 297
 
Interested to know exactly where to go in the Ogwen Valley if you are happy to message me. Was lucky enough to find some of the wintering ones at Parkgate two years ago; flighty individuals!
 
Slimbridge a couple of days ago offered some nice wild birds I had not had yet this year, two on the Rushy and one in the trees around the small bird feeders on the way to the estuary hide. I've heard Chiffchaffs loads, so was great to finally get a good view of one.

90. Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) 24/08/2024 WWT Slimbridge
91. Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) 24/08/2024 WWT Slimbridge
92. Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) 24/08/2024 WWT Slimbridge
 
I haven't updated my year list in a good long while. I saw Yellowhammer last month and Australasian Gannet earlier this month, but that had actually been it since February because I haven't been out anywhere. I was supposed to have been doing an Australian trip in our winter (July/August), going up through South Australia and the Northern Territory where I would have seen a lot of new species, but instead I had all four of my wisdom teeth taken out which kind of used the Australian-trip money.

However this weekend I saw a few more year birds when I went up to Napier. On the way up I saw a Rook, which is a localised species in New Zealand and I haven't seen one since 2011 (a couple more were seen flying over Napier's Ahuriri Estuary the following day); and on the way back down to Wellington I saw a flock of feral Peafowl which was new for my New Zealand list (although I have seen actual wild ones in India of course),


58) Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
59) Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
60) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
61) Rook Corvus frugilegus
62) Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri
63) Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
64) Feral Peafowl Pavo cristatus
 
I haven't updated my year list in a good long while. I saw Yellowhammer last month and Australasian Gannet earlier this month, but that had actually been it since February because I haven't been out anywhere. I was supposed to have been doing an Australian trip in our winter (July/August), going up through South Australia and the Northern Territory where I would have seen a lot of new species, but instead I had all four of my wisdom teeth taken out which kind of used the Australian-trip money.

However this weekend I saw a few more year birds when I went up to Napier. On the way up I saw a Rook, which is a localised species in New Zealand and I haven't seen one since 2011 (a couple more were seen flying over Napier's Ahuriri Estuary the following day); and on the way back down to Wellington I saw a flock of feral Peafowl which was new for my New Zealand list (although I have seen actual wild ones in India of course),


58) Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
59) Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
60) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
61) Rook Corvus frugilegus
62) Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri
63) Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
64) Feral Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Very.bad luck about teeth. Hope it was not too painful.
 
I haven't updated my year list in a good long while. I saw Yellowhammer last month and Australasian Gannet earlier this month, but that had actually been it since February because I haven't been out anywhere. I was supposed to have been doing an Australian trip in our winter (July/August), going up through South Australia and the Northern Territory where I would have seen a lot of new species, but instead I had all four of my wisdom teeth taken out which kind of used the Australian-trip money.

However this weekend I saw a few more year birds when I went up to Napier. On the way up I saw a Rook, which is a localised species in New Zealand and I haven't seen one since 2011 (a couple more were seen flying over Napier's Ahuriri Estuary the following day); and on the way back down to Wellington I saw a flock of feral Peafowl which was new for my New Zealand list (although I have seen actual wild ones in India of course),


58) Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
59) Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
60) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
61) Rook Corvus frugilegus
62) Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri
63) Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
64) Feral Peafowl Pavo cristatus

Sounds horrible! Hope there are some more lovely birds to help the recovery soon.
 
Mammals:

25. White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)
26. Coyote (Canis latrans)

Mammals: 26
Birds: 137
Herptiles: 19
Fishes: 11
Invertebrates: 107
Total: 297
Invertebrates:

108. Pandorus sphinx moth (Eumorpha pandorus)
109. Bedstraw hawk moth (Hyles gallii)
110. Carolina ground cricket (Eunemobius carolinus)

Mammals: 26
Birds: 137
Herptiles: 19
Fishes: 11
Invertebrates: 110
Total: 303
 
An excellent afternoon for my first time visiting RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. I hoped I would see many odonata lifers, and this didn't disappoint with me seeing four. I also managed two birds that have been eluding me until now plus the highlight of the trip, a female Dolomedes plantarius, the Fen Raft Spider, the UK's largest spider species and she was carrying an egg sac, top stuff!

133) Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo
134) Bearded reedling Panurus biarmicus

292) Ruddy darter Sympetrum sanguineum
293) Black-tailed skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum
294) Small red-eyed damselfly Erythromma viridulum
295) Willow emerald damselfly Chalcolestes viridis
296) Migrant hawker Aeshna mixta
297) Fen raft spider Dolomedes plantarius
298) Wasp beetle Clytus arietis

And whilst setting up the moth trap tonight, I managed a lifer:

299) Beautiful China-mark Elophila nitidulata
 
I haven't updated my year list in a good long while. I saw Yellowhammer last month and Australasian Gannet earlier this month, but that had actually been it since February because I haven't been out anywhere. I was supposed to have been doing an Australian trip in our winter (July/August), going up through South Australia and the Northern Territory where I would have seen a lot of new species, but instead I had all four of my wisdom teeth taken out which kind of used the Australian-trip money.

However this weekend I saw a few more year birds when I went up to Napier. On the way up I saw a Rook, which is a localised species in New Zealand and I haven't seen one since 2011 (a couple more were seen flying over Napier's Ahuriri Estuary the following day); and on the way back down to Wellington I saw a flock of feral Peafowl which was new for my New Zealand list (although I have seen actual wild ones in India of course),


58) Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
59) Australasian Gannet Morus serrator
60) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
61) Rook Corvus frugilegus
62) Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri
63) Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
64) Feral Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Aw such a great shame about the loss of the Australia trip :( (Could I ask what would've been your plan as I don't think there's too many public transportation options in the Outback..) I saw on Birding Forum but really nice job with the Rooks!! Technically still occasionally gettable in some bits of the Central NI but indeed really quite rare, what were your thoughts and how was the peacock flock that you saw when you ticked it? Still have the ~trio or so peahen I saw along the road at Kaikoura and a few other random encounters of peacock which I'd still rather not count but leaning more on the fence...
 
Aw such a great shame about the loss of the Australia trip :( (Could I ask what would've been your plan as I don't think there's too many public transportation options in the Outback..) I saw on Birding Forum but really nice job with the Rooks!! Technically still occasionally gettable in some bits of the Central NI but indeed really quite rare, what were your thoughts and how was the peacock flock that you saw when you ticked it? Still have the ~trio or so peahen I saw along the road at Kaikoura and a few other random encounters of peacock which I'd still rather not count but leaning more on the fence...
Australia would have been through the centre, from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs (various stops and side-trips along the way of course, including a western leg across to Broome and back), then right across east to Queensland and then southwards down the coast. If you want to look into a Bustralia trip, check out Greyhound's National Whimit Pass which makes the travel part incredibly affordable.

The Peafowl flock was in roadside farmland but the area in the south of Hawkes Bay (west of Otane) is one of the areas where I'm comfortable ticking them. I wouldn't (personally) count any seen in Kaikoura or Christchurch or Otaki or some other places I've seen Peafowl roaming around. Turkeys I have only counted in Northland because they are everywhere up there (but I only counted them on my NZ list not my life list because I'd rather have the life list ones be actual Wild Turkeys in North America, not feral domestics). I don't think I would ever count Guineafowl anywhere in NZ because I wouldn't know if they were genuinely feral or not. Chickens I definitely wouldn't count anywhere in NZ.
 
An underwhelming moth trapping last night with me only having 10 species come the morning. However, I did get year ticks and four lifers so I'm not too disappointed plus I hit 300 invertebrate species for the year! Here are the results from the catch:

300) Dingy footman Eilema griseola
301) Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata
302) Old lady Mormo maura
303) Setacious Hebrew character Xestia c-nigrum
304) Cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae
305) Clay triple-lines Cyclophora linearia
 
The Peafowl flock was in roadside farmland but the area in the south of Hawkes Bay (west of Otane) is one of the areas where I'm comfortable ticking them. I wouldn't (personally) count any seen in Kaikoura or Christchurch or Otaki or some other places I've seen Peafowl roaming around. Turkeys I have only counted in Northland because they are everywhere up there (but I only counted them on my NZ list not my life list because I'd rather have the life list ones be actual Wild Turkeys in North America, not feral domestics). I don't think I would ever count Guineafowl anywhere in NZ because I wouldn't know if they were genuinely feral or not. Chickens I definitely wouldn't count anywhere in NZ.
Choosing when to count feral populations is always problematic.

Just today I got an ebird email alert that listed a single helmeted guineafowl in the Alpine Shire. This sounded dubious on two grounds, firstly the habitat but also because, as flock birds, you would expect to see them in a flock if indeed there was a viable population.

Last year I visited Chillago, a town in outback Queensland which has a large population of blue peafowl and helmeted guineafowl. I did not feel comfortable counting them as there was no way to determine if they were "town birds" surviving on scraps etc. On an early morning bird walk a couple of km outside town we came across a flock of peafowl, obviously waking up for a day's foraging, with some still coming down from their roosts. I was happy to tick them.

Even in their home countries there are feral populations. For instance, all the wild turkeys in south-east Arizona are introduced.

However, I am not going to be too picky about what other people tick, given I have had the good fortune to have seen all three species in their natural habitats.
 
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