Zoochat Big Year 2025

I realised earlier today that I missed a bird from my trip yesterday off the list - it should be number 23 in the order of seeing it:

29. Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto

I also saw another three birds from the house today, which was another cold and very wet day. Hopefully I will get out when the weather clears:

30. European goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis
31. Common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs
32. Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius

Also saw a mid-sized rodent running across the tree-line across the road from my house but from that distance I could not tell if it was a grey squirrel or a brown rat, so have left it off for the time being.

Over the past few days, I have seen another five species from the house. This included clearing up all of the regular winter thrush species in this area:

33. Greylag goose, Anser anser
34. Long-tailed tit, Aegithalos caudatus
35. Mistle thrush, Turdus viscivorus
36. Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
37. Song thrush, Turdus philomelos

I also got my first confirmed mammal of the year - first from a rather poor view a couple of days ago, but this morning got a much clearer view of one in the back garden:

1. Reeve's muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi
 
A pretty slow start to the year since I've been working every day, which leaves me with only about 1 hour max of daylight to bird a day..1st bird was a Common blackbird scared by the fireworks.

January 1st
1 Common blackbird (Turdus merula

2 Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)

3 Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

4 Hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

5 Eurasian bullfinch( Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

6 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

7 Goosander (Mergus merganser)

8 Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)

9 Eurasian goshawk (Astur gentilis)

10 Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

11 Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
 
37 Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata
38 American Wigeon - Mareca americana
39 Redhead - Aythya americana
40 Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris
41 Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus

A little birding around Wichita in the snow this past weekend.

BIRDS:
42 Gadwall - Mareca strepera
43 Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia
44 Snow Goose - Anser caerulescens
45 White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys
46 Harris's Sparrow - Zonotrichia querula
47 Downy Woodpecker - Dryobates pubescens
48 American Tree Sparrow - Spizelloides arborea
49 Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus
50 American Herring Gull - Larus smithsonianus
51 Hairy Woodpecker - Dryobates villosus
52 Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor
53 Spotted Towhee - Pipilo maculatus
54 Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus
 
The weather has been brutal here recently. I've tried to brave the cold and snow but haven't had good luck. It's been a slow start, but there are still 51 weeks left.

1/2/25-1/7/25
Birds:
10. American black duck Anas rubripes
11. Ring-billed gull Larus delawarensis
12. Great blue heron Ardea herodias
13. Belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
14. Downy woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
15. Northern flicker Colaptes auratus
16. American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
17. Black-capped chickadee Poecile atricapillus
18. Tufted titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
19. European starling Sturnus vulgaris
20. Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
21. Dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis
22. Carolina wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
23. American goldfinch Spinus tristis
24. White-throated sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
25. Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis

Mammals:
1. Fox squirrel Scirius niger
2. Eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus
3. Eastern grey squirrel Scirius carolinensis

Total species: 28
Birds: 25
Mammals: 3

1/9/25
Birds:
26. Cooper's hawk Astur cooperii

Total species: 29
Birds: 26
Mammals: 3
 
January 12th, 2025
While I was in Cambridge, I saw a group of geese "crossing the street" which was adorable with most of them being the typical Canadian with a couple of white geese (likely the domestic geese that live outside but are mostly fed by the community).

BIRDS
9. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Just checking, those geese (the ones that were likely domestic) don't count because they rely on humans to be fed?

Mammal: 2 species
Bird: 9 species
Total: 11 species
Today, I wasn't very lucky with birds as the weather warmed up after it snowed a couple days ago.
January 13th, 2025
BIRDS
10. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
11. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Mammal: 2 species
Bird: 11 species
Total: 13 species
 
I really seem to be racking up the birds early this year with yet another year tick today with a big flock in the fields on campus:

96) Common Linnet Linaria cannabina

Hopefully by the end of the week I will have picked up some easy species I'm still lacking such as Stock Dove and more embarrassingly Eurasian Jay!

And a bit more surprising, with my second invertebrate of the year in the form of a hibernating:

2) Cream-spot Ladybird Calvia quatuordecimguttata
 
Mammals:

1. Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
2. European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
3. Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)
4. Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)
5. Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

Birds:

1. Noisy Friarbird
2. Pacific Black Duck
3. Common Bronzewing
4. Laughing Kookaburra
5. Sacred Kingfisher
6. Crimson Rosella
7. Superb Fairywren
8. Yellow-faced Honeyeater
9. Brown Thornbill
10. White-throated Gerygone
11. Olive-backed Oriole
12. Australian Magpie
13. Pied Currawong
14. Grey Fantail
15. Leaden Flycatcher
16. White-winged Chough
17. Australian Raven
18. Australian Wood Duck
19. Dusky Moorhen
20. Australian White Ibis
21. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
22. White-browed Scrubwren
23. Yellow Thornbill
24. Australian Reed Warbler
25. Common Blackbird
26. Red-browed Finch
27. House Sparrow
28. European Goldfinch
29. Crested Pigeon
30. Australian King-Parrot
31. White-throated Treecreeper
32. Magpie-lark
33. Black Swan
34. Australasian Swamphen
35. Great Cormorant
36. Galah
37. Noisy Miner
38. Silver Gull
39. Red-rumped Parrot
40. Eurasian Coot
41. Australasian Darter
42. Australian Pelican
43. Little Corella
44. Welcome Swallow
45. Australasian Shoveler
46. Grey Teal
47. Chestnut Teal
48. Hardhead
49. Rock Dove
50. Lewin's Rail
51. Australian Spotted Crake
52. Latham's Snipe
53. Little Pied Cormorant
54. Little Black Cormorant
55. Royal Spoonbill
56. White-faced Heron
57. Great Egret
58. Rainbow Lorikeet
59. Red Wattlebird
60. Black-faced Cuckooshrike
61. Willie Wagtail
62. Golden-headed Cisticola
63. Little Grassbird
64. Common Starling
65. Australasian Grebe
66. Striated Thornbill

Invertebrates:

1. Leopard Slug (Limax maximus)
 
Happy New Year everyone. First post of the year for me. It was awfully quiet pelagic birding on my way back to Brisbane. However, the very calm water brought in a large pod of new dolphins and the big white tropicbirds were a constant at least. Red-footed Booby was a lovely surprise. A few species were quickly picked up around the Port of Brisbane as I got back to Brisbane yesterday and then I went to Sandy Camp Road Wetlands Reserve today to search for showy Spotless Crakes without success but did see a reasonable range of species. It’s always good to get all three Brisbane fairywrens in a day and I enjoyed some choice dragonflies like Australian Tigers. I hope to get into the rainforest, out west and out to the mudflats soon to bulk up the list.

Mammals:
01)
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata

Birds:
01) Grey-faced Petrel Pterodroma gouldi
02) Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda
03) Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
04) Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica
05) Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis
06) Red-footed Booby Sula sula
07) Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
08) Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
09) Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii
10) Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
11) Black Swan Cygnus atratus
12) Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
13) Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
14) Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
15) Feral Pigeon Columba livia
16) Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
17) Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia
18) Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
19)Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
20) Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
21) Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
22) Pied Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus
23) Striated Heron Butorides striata
24) Australasian Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus
25) Chestnut Teal Anas castanea
26) Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
27) Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
28) Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta
29) Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
30) Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos
31) Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel
32) Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis
33) Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae
34) Black-shouldered Lapwing Vanellus (miles) novaehollandiae
35) Torresian Crow Corvus orru
36) Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
37) Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus
38) Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus
39) Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti
40) Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
41) White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
42) Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami
43) Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata
44) Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea
45) Little Egret Egretta garzetta
46) Plumed Egret Ardea plumifera
47) Brown Goshawk Tachyspiza fasciata
48) Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
49) Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
50) Variegated Fairywren Malurus lamberti
51) Lewin’s Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii
52) Red-backed Fairywren Malurus melanocephalus
53) Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus
54) Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
55) Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis
56) Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis
57) Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica
58) Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
59) Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris
60) Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus
61) Australian Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons
62) Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula
63) Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax
64) Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis
65) House Sparrow Passer domesticus
66) Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea

Herptiles:
01)Garden Skink Lampropholis delicata
02) Dark Bar-sided Skink Concinnia martini
03) Eastern Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii

Inverts:
01)Clanger Psaltoda claripennis
02)Grey Wall Jumping Spider Menemerus bivittatus
03)Swamp Tiger Danaus affinis
04)Cabbage White Pieris rapae
05)Dome-Web Spider Cyrtophora moluccensis
06)Humped Golden Orbweaver Trichonephila plumipes
07)Wide-brand Grass-Dart Suniana sunias
08)Silver Orb Spider Leucauge dromedaria
09)Common Grass-Blue Zizina labradus
10)Sumpigaster fasciatus [bristle fly]
11)Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens
12)Stable Fly Stomoxys calcitrans
13)Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina
14) Bathroom Moth Fly Clogmia albipunctata
15) Celtis Leaf Beetle Menippus cynicus
16) Orchard Swallowtail Papilio aegeus
17) Black-headed Skimmer Crocothemis nigrifrons
18) European Honeybee Apis mellifera
19) Lemon Migrant Catopsilia pomona
20) Common Crow Euploea core
21) Scarlet Jezebel Delias argenthona
22) Yellow-striped Flutterer Rhyothemis phyllis
23) Blue Skimmer Orthetrum caledonicum
24) Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda
25) Australian Tiger Ictinogomphus australis
26) Variable Ladybird Coelophora inaequalis
27) Slender Skimmer Orthetrum sabina
Summer has been very pleasant in terms of weather (though it's going to heat up later in the week with rain) so the birds have been out and about with a large boom of inverts including a few nice lifers. Fine rainforest birding provided three pitta sightings, all three local bowerbirds and lots of rainforest pigeons.

Mammals:

02) Red-legged Pademelon Thylogale stigmatica
03) Grey-headed Flying Fox Pteropus poliocephalus
04) Black Flying Fox Pteropus alecto
05) Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula

Birds:
67) Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus
68) Rufous Shrike-thrush Colluricincla rufogaster
69) Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis
70) Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
71) Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
72) Brown Cuckoo-dove Macropygia phasianella
73) Wompoo Fruit-dove Ptilinopus magnificus
74) Topknot Pigeon Lopholaimus antarcticus
75) Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
76) Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki
77) Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa
78) Yellow-throated Scrubwren Sericornis citreogularis
79) Black-faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis
80) Regent Bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus
81) Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
82) Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
83) Pied Currawong Strepera graculina
84) Large-billed Scrubwren Sericornis magnirostra
85) Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
86) Pale-Yellow Robin Tregellasia capito
87) Australian Logrunner Orthonyx temminckii
88) Australian Wood-Duck Chenonetta jubata
89) White-headed Pigeon Columba leucomela
90) Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus
91) White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
92) Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor
93) Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
94) Australian Spectacled Monarch Symposiachrus trivirgatus
95) Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
96) Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
97) Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis

Herptiles:
04) Murray’s Skink Silvascincus murrayi
05) Carpet Python Morelia spilota
06) Shade Gullyskink Saproscinus spectabilis
07) Bar-sided Skink Concinnia tenuis

Fish:
01)Longfin Eel Anguilla reinhardtii

Inverts:
28) Chalky Percher Diplacodes trivialis
29) Bordered Rustic Cupha prosope
30) Purple Crow Euploea tulliolus
31) Splendid Orche Trapezites symmomus
32) Baehr's Cosmophasis Cosmophasis baehrae
33) Grey House Spider Zosis geniculata
34) Common Flatwing Austroargiolestes icteromelas
35) Little Black-Knees Methiolopsis geniculata
36) White Garland House Jumper Maratus scutulatus
37) Monarch Danaus plexippus
38) Blue Triangle Graphium choredon
39) Macleay’s Swallowtail Graphium macleayanus
40) Brown Ringlet Hypocysta metirius
41) Slender Green Orbweaver Araneus talipedatus
42) Large Grass-Yellow Eurema hecabe
43) Stomorhina discolor [nose fly]
44) Iridescent Semi-Slug Ubiquitarion iridis
45) Pale Hunter Austrogomphus amphiclitus
46) Colepia ingloria [robber fly]
47) Small Green-banded Blue Psychonotis caelius
48) Jumping Jack Ant Myrmecia nigrocincta
49) Jezebel Nymph Mynes geoffroyi
50) Chauliognathus imperialis [beetle]
51) Golden Flatwing Austroargiolestes chrysoides

52) Large Purple Line-Blue Nacaduba berenice
53) Pale Triangle Graphium eurypylus
54) Snake Mantis Kongobatha diademata
55) Richmond Birdwing Ornithoptera richmondia
56) Black Jezebel Delias nigrina
57) Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum
58) Rhytidoponera croesus [ant]
59) Common Aeroplane Phaedyma shepherdi
60) Narrow-banded Awl Hasora khoda
61) Whitewater Rockmaster Diphlebia lestoides
62) Razor Grinder Henicopsaltria eydouxii
63) Glasswing Acraea andromacha
64) Lyramna vigil [millipede assassin bug]
65) Oides seminigra [leaf beetle]

66) Wandering Percher Diplacodes bipunctata
67) Blue-eyes Lacewing Nymphes myrmeleonides
68) Australian Cockroach Periplaneta australasiae
69) Mocis trifasciata [moth]
70) Yellow Albatross Appias paulina
71) Glistening Pencil-Blue Candalides absimilis
72) Brown Huntsman Heteropoda jugulans
73) Yellow-blotched Pearl Moth Eurrhyparodes bracteolalis
 
A pretty slow start to the year since I've been working every day, which leaves me with only about 1 hour max of daylight to bird a day..1st bird was a Common blackbird scared by the fireworks.

January 1st
1 Common blackbird (Turdus merula

2 Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)

3 Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

4 Hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

5 Eurasian bullfinch( Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

6 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

7 Goosander (Mergus merganser)

8 Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)

9 Eurasian goshawk (Astur gentilis)

10 Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

11 Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Some more species I manged to get after squeezing in some birding after work.
12. Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
13. European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
14. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
15. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
16. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
17. Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
18. Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
19. Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
20. Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
21. Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
22. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
23. Common Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
24. Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
25. Feral Pigeon (Columba livia forma domestica)
26. Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
27. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
28. Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus)
29. European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
30. Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
31. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)
32. Eurasian Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
33. White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
 
Animals seen in a short visit to Guangxi province (mainly seen at Chongzuo), China.

BIRDS:
75) Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
76) Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus
77) White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
78) Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
79) Pin-striped Tit-Babbler Mixornis gularis
80) Mountain Tailorbird Phyllergates cucullatus
81) Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja
82) Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis
83) Pale-footed Bush Warbler Hemitesia (Cettia) pallidipes

MAMMALS:
2) Red-bellied Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus
3) White-headed Langur Trachypithecus leucocephalus
 
Over the past few days, I have seen another five species from the house. This included clearing up all of the regular winter thrush species in this area:

33. Greylag goose, Anser anser
34. Long-tailed tit, Aegithalos caudatus
35. Mistle thrush, Turdus viscivorus
36. Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
37. Song thrush, Turdus philomelos

I also got my first confirmed mammal of the year - first from a rather poor view a couple of days ago, but this morning got a much clearer view of one in the back garden:

1. Reeve's muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi

Showing why it is perhaps not the best idea to upload sightings around midday, I saw another new bird yesterday afternoon, flying over the garden:

38. Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus

This morning, I also got a flyby from my first invertebrate of the year:

1. Red admiral butterfly, Vanessa atalanta
 
Today, I wasn't very lucky with birds as the weather warmed up after it snowed a couple days ago.
January 13th, 2025
BIRDS
10. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
11. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Mammal: 2 species
Bird: 11 species
Total: 13 species
Today was another slow day, maybe my luck will be increased next month in the Bahamas! I did see a red-tailed hawk soaring over a soccer field, perching on top of a clocktower though which was cool. I haven't seen (probably haven't noticed) a Merlin before.

January 14th, 2025
BIRDS
12. Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Mammal: 2 species
Bird: 12 species
Total: 14 species
 
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