Zoochat Big Year 2025

Najade said:
23.04.25 - Sylvan Falls, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Mammals
80. Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus)
81. Spix’s Disk-winged Bat (Thyroptera tricolor)
82. Niceforo’s Big-eared Bat (Trinycteris nicefori)
83. Tomes’ Spiny Rat (Proechimys semispinosus)
84. Greater Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes major)

Birds (non-passerines)
94. Bronzy Hermit (Glaucis aeneus)
95. Great Tinamou (Tinamus major)
96. Gray-chested Dove (Leptotila cassinii)
97. Charming (Beryl-crowned) Hummingbird (Amazilia decora)

Birds (passerines)
98. Black-hooded Antshrike (Thamnophilus bridgesi)
99. Riverside Wren (Cantorchilus semibadius)
100. Buff-rumped Warbler (Myiothlypis fulvicauda)
101. Shining Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes lucidus)

Amphibians
10. Veragua Cross-banded Tree Frog (Smilisca sordida)
11. Tungara Frog (Engystomops pustulosus)
Click to expand...
Congratulations on the Giant Tinamou. My only experiences with tinamous have been lots of calls and no sightings.
 
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KiwiBirb said:
Probably should post another update before migration season goes into full swing! This update begins 2 weekends ago as I traveled to Liberty State Park in search of Red-Throated Loon. They had been quite common in the Upper New York Bay this year so I was expecting to see them. My day there started slow, only seeing a flock of the resident Boat-Tailed Grackles that had just arrived, however as I was walking to the nature center area and away from the bay I spotted a Horned Grebe, a nice pickup. However, within the matter of a minute an American Oystercatcher along with a group of Tree Swallows flew over me. While walking through the nature center I was explaining to my father how I was a bit shocked not to see a Phoebe yet this year, and then as we turned the corner a Phoebe perched on the tree right in front of us (love jinxing myself in ways that help me.) After getting back to the car I decided to try one more team for the Red-Throated Loon. Luckily for me I caught it right before it was scared of by a Jet-ski. My luck continued when I got home as I saw a Hermit Thrush chilling under my feeder with some sparrows. The next day I took a trip to Staten Island where a Mega-Rarity Gray-Breasted Martin had been spotted. When I first arrived I was greeted by a variety of shorebirds including new for the year Greater Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper and a long-overdue lifer in the Wilson’s Snipe. After seeing a group of birders on the other side of the marsh, I drove over there to find they had spotted it and it didn’t take me long to also spot the Gray-Breasted Martin, a bird that I may never see again with it only being the 3rd US Record of the bird (funnily enough, one of the other 2 was in Brooklyn, so maybe they like the area.) The following week was relatively uneventful in terms of birds until the end of the week when I saw a Chipping Sparrow during a non-birding trip to West Point. The weekend was rainy and slow, however Sunday I got in a trip to DeKorte where I got to see a Blue-Winged Teal (first time seeing one there surprisingly) and a flock a Field Sparrows, which were almost as many as I saw in total all of last year. Additionally while leaving I saw a Muskrat trying to hide in the reeds. Monday I took a short trip to the Demarest Nature Center for the first time. While slow at first, wit the majority of my sightings being Hermit Thrushes, I was quite happy after getting a Lifer Louisiana Waterthrush hanging out near a pair of Hermit Thrushes. Later in the week I finally got a new species on the golf course as a Broad-Winged Hawk flew over. Despite missing an opportunity to see a Little Gull later that day, I was able to get in a trip to Van Saun Park to see a Pine Warbler hanging out near a group of Phoebes and a pair of Pied-Billed Grebes diving in the lake. Despite rain on Friday I persisted in going to the Celery Farm, a typically good place to see birds. A good place it was as I picked up 4 new species there. First was a pair of Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers hopping around the tops of trees. Next up was a huge Pileated Woodpecker that flew right over me and landed in a tree. It was the best view I’ve had of one yet with 2 times I’ve seen them before being deep in the woods where my view was heavily obstructed. After going out of the old forest, there was a curious Ruby-Crowned Kinglet along with some Chickadees there to greet me. While I thought I was done for the day, while leaving I saw a small, overwintering Winter Wren popping out of the reeds. Finally yesterday I took a ride up to Lake Henry in Ramapo where I saw several flocks of songbirds, all of them containing Palm Warblers, a long overdue species for the year. This week I’m on Spring Break and thus should have even more time for birding, and this is before the height of migration season next week.

Mammals
9) Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Birds
106) Boat-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major)
107) Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
108) American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)
109) Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
110) Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
111) Red-Throated Loon (Gavia stellata)
112) Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
113) Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
114) Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata)
115) Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
116) Gray-Breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)
117) Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
118) Blue-Winged Teal (Spatula discors)
119) Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
120) Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)
121) Broad-Winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
122) Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)
123) Pied-Billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
124) Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)
125) Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
126) Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
127) Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
128) Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

Progress:
Mammals- 9
Birds- 128
Herptiles- 1
Total- 138
Click to expand...
This update begins as I traveled to Sandy Hook to try and see some of the last ocean birds I need for the year, along with some possible Thrashers and Towhees. It wasn’t long after arriving that I saw a couple of Laughing Gulls flying around and a Barn Swallow flying shortly after I arrived. After going on a small hike through the woods where I saw the Western Tanager in January, I went to the beach where I saw a Common Loon flyby. After trying 2 more short walks in the bushy woods of Sandy Hook in search of Towhees, Thrashers, and any other songbirds that turned up nothing but a couple late Kinglets and a couple of Black-Capped Chickadees being flagged as rare (they’re common in Sandy Hook but not the county,) nothing turned up. However a walk to the north end turned up a Loon up close in breeding plumage and a distant Northern Gannet in the water, my first for the US. On the way back I took a short stop to Raritan Bay Waterfornt Park to try and see a Black-Headed Gull spotted there. Despite the Gull seemingly moving on, there was still a pair of Bonaparte’s Gull hanging around. The next day I went to Richard DeKorte Park in the meadowlands after hearing reports of Ruff. Of course I forgot to check the tide times and there were no mudflats open for the Ruff with high tide about :rolleyes: Despite this their were plenty of Forster’s Terns flying around and a Snowy Egret at a nearby pond. The next day I got up early to try and see the Ruff at low tide. Despite initial struggles to find the bird from myself and other birders, with myself only seeing plenty of Yellowlegs including a few Lesser Yellowlegs, another birder located the Ruff far out on the mud flats and I was able to get in my scope for a couple seconds. After leaving the Eurasian visitor, I took a hike up the more woodsy side of DeKorte where plenty of Barn and Northern Rough-Winged Swallows were flying just inches from me on top a hill. The next day I went to Garrett Mountain in search of a Vesper Sparrow that had been spotted there. When arriving, I was greeted by not just a Vesper Sparrow but 5 of them, something many more experienced birders told me was unheard of in my area. After seeing the sparrows I went on a walk with another local birder who helped me learn how to bird in the Preserve that I had been to just once. Along said walk I saw plenty of Eastern Towhees and Brown Thrashers which I had missed in Sandy Hook earlier in the week. After getting home from Garrett Mountain at lunchtime, I decided to take a ride to the NJ/NY border in the north to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge which is apparently a good place to see Sandhill Cranes. Sure enough it didn’t take long after arriving to see the 2 cranes which are an east-coast lifer (saw them in Yellowstone before I started Birding.) After taking a break for Easter when I saw some of my first mid-spring migrants in Chimney Swift, Northern House Wren, and Northern Parula, I took a trip to Teaneck Creek. Despite it being a hotspot for Warblers in the past couple days, I only saw more Yellow-Rumped, although there was a Solitary Sandpiper and Gray Catbird there to add to my year list. Finally yesterday I went to Van Saun where after seeing a pair of Warbling Vireo, I saw my first Rarity for the pond in a Little Blue Heron foraging on the mudflats bringing my bird list to a nice round 150.

Mammals
10) Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
11) American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Birds
129) Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
130) Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
131) Common Loon (Gavia immer)
132) Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
133) Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
134) Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)
135) Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
136) Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
137) Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
138) Northern Rough-Winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
139) Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)
140) Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
141) Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
142) Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)
143) Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)
144) Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
145) Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
146) Blue-Headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
147) Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
148) Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
149) Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
150) Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

Progress:
Mammals- 11
Birds- 150
Herptiles- 1 (Got to get around to IDing some turtles)
Total- 162
 
MRJ said:
Congratulations on the Giant Tinamou. My only experiences with tinamous have been lots of calls and no sightings.
Click to expand...
I’ve seen three species on this trip which bumps my total up to six (I think). But yeah, like most of the chicken-sized ground birds they’re a bit on the shy side.
And I feel your pain: the one I wanted to see in Paraguay also made itself scarce :(
 
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Najade said:
24.04.25 - Sylvan Falls, Puntarenas (85/ 102, 103/ 10); La Georgina (106-109), Los Quetzales (86), Road to Las Vueltas (104/ 110), Robles Mimosos Ecolodge, Cartago, Costa Rica

Mammals
85. Red-backed Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
86. Coyote (Canis latrans)
87. Talamancan Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira mordax)

Birds (non-passerines)
102. Little Tinamou (Crypturellus soui)
103. Costa Rican [Band-rumped] Swift (Chaetura [spinicauda] fumosa)
104. Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)
105. Bare-shanked Screech-owl (Megascops clarkii)

Birds (passerines)
106. Mountain Thrush (Turdus plebejus)
107. Sooty-capped Bush-tanager (Chlorospingus pileatus)
108. Ruddy Treerunner (Margarornis rubiginosus)
109. Black-billed Nightingale-thrush (Catharus gracilirostris)
110. Wrenthrush (Zeledonia coronata)

Reptiles
10. Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
Click to expand...
25.04.25 - Robles Mimosos Ecolodge, Cartago, Costa Rica

Birds (non-passerines)
111. Southern Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas [fasciata] albilinea)
112. Purple-throated [Variable] Mountain-gem (Lampornis [castaneoventris] calolaemus)
113. Scintillant Hummingbird (Selasphorus scintilla)
114. Richmond’s [Vaux’s] Swift (Chaetura [vauxi] richmondi)

Birds (passerines)
115. Chestnut-capped Brushfinch (Arremon brunneinucha)
116. Mountain Elaenia (Elaenia frantzii)
117. Ruddy-capped Nightingale-thrush (Catharus frantzii)
118. Golden-browed Chlorophonia (Euphonia (Chlorophonia) callophrys)
119. Spangle-cheeked Tanager (Tangara dowii)
 
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And that’s another trip done and dusted.
87 mammals (19 lifers) in 13 days. And while birding wasn’t a main focus I still managed around a 100 new lifers (plus a couple new ones for CR) and a handful incidental herps.
8 new familes plus two new for the wild:

Family Thyropteridae (disc-winged bats)

Family Formicariidae (antthrushes)
Family Onychorhynchidae (royal flycatchers and allies)
Family Ptiliogonidae (silky-flycatchers)
Family Rhodinocichlidae (thrush-tanager)
Family Zeledoniidae (wrenthrush)

Family Loxocemidae (mexican python)

Family Strabomantidae (cloud forest landfrogs)

New families for the wild:
Family Odontophoridae (new world quails)
Family Capitonidae (new world barbets)

Some others I sadly missed (pocket gophers, sungrebe, dusky-faced tanager and prong-billed barbet), but that leaves some targets for the next visit. :)
 
MOG2012 said:
April 25, 2025

Today, we drove back to Rome

BIRDS:
46) Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
47) Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

MAMMALS: 6 species
BIRDS: 47 species
REPTILES: 2 species
FISH: 7 species
INVERTEBRATES: 19 species
TOTAL: 81 species
Click to expand...
April 26, 2025
Today, we took a day trip in Tuscany for our last full day in Italy

BIRDS:
48) Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
49) Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)
50) Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
51) Eurasian Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)

MAMMALS: 6 species
BIRDS: 51 species
REPTILES: 2 species
FISH: 7 species
INVERTEBRATES: 19 species
TOTAL: 85 species
 
birdsandbats said:
Mammals
14. American Beaver Castor canadensis
Click to expand...

birdsandbats said:
Birds
163. Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
164. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
165. Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus

Herps
3. Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis
Click to expand...
Birds
166. Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
167. Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
168. Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
169. Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
170. Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
171. Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
172. Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
173. Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
174. Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
175. Snowy Egret Egretta thula

Mammals
15. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
 
DaLilFishie said:
Two just identified from Thursday. The mantis I have seen many times but only now identified to species level.
INVERTS
52 - Paperbark Mantis Ima fusca
53 - a cockroach, Allacta australiensis
Click to expand...
Shocked it took me this long to see Laughing Kookaburra!!

BIRDS
149 - Black-fronted Dotterel Thinornis melanops
150 - Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
151 - Red-backed Fairywren Malurus melanocephalus

The dotterel I also saw in February but forgot to list it :D
 
birdsandbats said:
Birds
166. Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
167. Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
168. Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
169. Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
170. Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
171. Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
172. Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
173. Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
174. Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
175. Snowy Egret Egretta thula

Mammals
15. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
Click to expand...
Birds
176. Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
 
Bisonblake said:
4/23/25
Herptiles:
6. American toad Anaxyrus americanus

4/24/25
Birds:
108. Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
109. Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
110. Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
111. Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
112. Great Egret Ardea alba
113. Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
114. Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
115. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

Mammals:
13. Raccoon Pryocon lotor

Total species: 134
Birds: 115
Mammals: 13
Herptiles: 6
Click to expand...
I'm having the best month of birding I've ever had. For the first time, I've seen 100 species in one month. I haven't had any lifers, but I've been enjoying all the migrants coming back.

4/27/25
Birds:
116. Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
117. Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
118. Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
119. Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus

Mammals:
14. American beaver Castor canadensis

Total species: 139
Birds: 119
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 6
 
Matthew Typpo said:
April 15-April 23, 2025

Birds

41. White-Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Mammals

9. Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Reptiles

2. Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

Totals
Birds: 41
Mammals: 9
Invertebrates: 4
Reptiles:2
Fish:1
Total: 57
Click to expand...

April 27, 2025

Birds

42. White-Throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)
43. Rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
44. Peregrine Falcon (Falco Peregrinus)
45. Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

Fish

2. Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
3. Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)
4. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
5. Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Reptiles

3. Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

Amphibians

1. American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

Totals
Birds: 45
Mammals: 9
Fish: 5
Invertebrates: 4
Reptiles: 3
Amphibians: 1
Total: 67
 
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Bisonblake said:
I'm having the best month of birding I've ever had. For the first time, I've seen 100 species in one month. I haven't had any lifers, but I've been enjoying all the migrants coming back.

4/27/25
Birds:
116. Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
117. Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
118. Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
119. Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus

Mammals:
14. American beaver Castor canadensis

Total species: 139
Birds: 119
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 6
Click to expand...
4/28/25
Birds:
120. Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
121. Northern Parula Setophaga americana
122. Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica
123. Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
124. Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Total species: 144
Birds: 124
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 6
 
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