ZooChat Big Year 2014

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Proper computer today!

Here are yesterday's nicely formatted:

90. Great-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus
91. American Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus
92. Crimson-fronted Conure - Aratinga finschii
93. White-winged Dove - Zenaida asiatica
94. Great Kiskadee - Pitangus sulphuratus
95. Clay-coloured Robin - Turdus grayi

And here are today's - from around San Jose (including the zoo grounds) and the Poas Volcano National Park:

96. Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis
97. Bronzed Cowbird - Molothrus aeneus
98. Rufous-collared Sparrow - Zonotrichia capensis
99. Yellow-thighed Finch - Pselliophorus tibialis
100. Black Guan - Chamaepetes unicolor
101. Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
102. Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula
103. Blue-crowned Motmot - Momotus momota
104. Grey-necked Wood Rail - Aramides cajaneus
105. Blue-grey Tanager - Thraupis episcopus
106. Green Kingfisher - Chloroceryle americana
107. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird - Amazilia tzacatl
108. Grey Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis
109. Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis
110. Little Green Heron - Butorides virescens
111. House Wren - Troglodytes aedon
112. Hoffmann's Woodpecker - Melanerpes hoffmannii

There a few others pending ID from photos. Also a very good day for the squirrel fan:

Mammals:
8. Variegated Squirrel - Sciurus variegatoides dorsalis
9. Poas Squirrel - Syntheosciurus brochus
10. Red-tailed Squirrel - Sciurus granatensis

Not a bad old day! :)
 
BeardsleyZooFan said:
13. Snowy Owl
14. Greater Black-Backed Gull
15. Dark-Eyed Junco
16. Gray Catbird
17. Black-Capped Chickadee
18. Turkey Vulture
Click to expand...

BIRDS:
19. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
20. White-Throated Sparrow

MAMMALS:
3. Eastern Cottontail

REPTILES:
1. Common Garter Snake
2. Black Rat Snake
(Oddly enough, both of the snakes were seen within one minute of each other. Anyways, my trip to Florida will hopefully result in some new sightings!)
 
Well, I've had another big weekend. Yesterday, our local Audobon Society held a field trip to the little town of Junction, TX in the western part of the Texas Hill Country (central Texas). Oddly, this was my first trip to this part of Texas, and is only 4.5 hours away. There are a few birds that are endemic to this area and are endangered - Black-Capped Vireo and Golden-Cheeked Warbler. There are also a few tropical species that show up here like Zone-Tailed Hawk, which is a much harder bird to find, but theoretically possible. My goal for the trip was somewhere close to 30 year birds. I walked away north of that figure with 33.

209 Black-chinned Hummingbird - Archilochus alexandri
210 Golden-fronted Woodpecker - Melanerpes aurifrons
211 Vermilion Flycatcher - Pyrocephalus rubinus
212 Ash-throated Flycatcher - Myiarchus cinerascens
213 Bell's Vireo - Vireo bellii
214 Cave Swallow - Petrochelidon fulva
215 Clay-colored Sparrow - Spizella pallida
216 Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus
217 Black-throated Sparrow - Amphispiza bilineata
218 Scott's Oriole - Icterus parisorum
219 Northern Bobwhite - Colinus virginianus
220 Common Ground-Dove - Columbina passerina
221 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris
222 Ladder-backed Woodpecker - Picoides scalaris
223 White-eyed Vireo - Vireo griseus
224 Black-capped Vireo - Vireo atricapilla
225 Black-crested Titmouse - Baeolophus atricristatus
226 Verdin - Auriparus flaviceps
227 Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia
228 Nashville Warbler - Oreothlypis ruficapilla
229 Golden-cheeked Warbler - Setophaga chrysoparia
230 Yellow-breasted Chat - Icteria virens
231 Canyon Towhee - Melozone fusca
232 Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina
233 Baird's Sandpiper - Calidris bairdii
234 Zone-tailed Hawk - Buteo albonotatus
235 Inca Dove - Columbina inca
236 Yellow-throated Vireo - Vireo flavifrons
237 Western Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma californica
238 Yellow-throated Warbler - Setophaga dominica
239 Summer Tanager - Piranga rubra
240 Orchard Oriole - Icterus spurius
241 Lesser Goldfinch - Spinus psaltria
 
mstickmanp said:
Got two new birds while on a walk with the local Audubon Society chapter.

166. Black-throated Gray Warbler
167. Oak Titmouse
Click to expand...

Went birding to a local park before work today and got three new birds:

168. Vaux's Swift
169. Yellow Warbler
170. Yellow-breasted Chat
 
I have to take one off my list. My Whimbrel turned out to be a Long-Billed Curlew, but I'm adding a Tennessee Warbler that I just ID'ed based on photos.

241. Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina)
 
Amazing day in Tortuguero!

Apologies for absence of bird scientific names; on the phone/WiFi combo again.

Lifers are starred:

113. Short-billed Pigeon*
114. Spotted Sandpiper
115. Royal Tern
116. Montezuma Oropendola*
117. Variable Seedeater*
118. Bare-throated Tiger Heron*
119. Social Flycatcher*
120. Tropical Kingbird*
121. Tropical Pewee*
122. Mangrove Swallow*
123. Bank Swallow*
124. Anhinga
125. Common Black Hawk*
126. Great White Egret
127. Little Blue Heron
128. Keel-billed Toucan*
129. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan*
130. Collared Aracari*
131. White-crowned Pionus*
132. Ringed Kingfisher*
133. Laughing Gull
134. Sandwich Tern
135. Magnificent Frigatebird
136. Northern Jacana*
137. Purple Gallinule*
138. Red-lored Amazon*
139. Sungrebe*
140. White-collared Manakin*
141. Neotropical Cormorant*
142. Amazon Kingfisher*
143. Tricoloured Heron
144. Snowy Egret

I'll let you guess my overall favourite, but as a clue it starts with 'sungr' and ends in 'ebe'..!

Also:

11. Mexican Prehensile-tailed Porcupine - Sphiggurus mexicanus*
12. Mantled Howler Monkey - Alouatta palliata*
13. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth - Bradypus variegatus*
14. White-faced Capuchin*

3. Gulf Coast Toad - Incilius valliceps*

Reptiles - at last!
1. Green Iguana
2. Brown Basilisk*
3. Four-striped Ameiva - Ameiva quadrilineata*
4. Spectacled Caiman*
5. Plumed Basilisk*
6. Black Wood Turtle - Rhinoclemmys funerea*
7. Common House Gecko


Phew...!
 
Ituri said:
139 Wilson's Snipe
140 Black-necked Stilt
141 Savannah Sparrow
142 Bushtit

15 Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel
Click to expand...

Time to catch up because I have a fun adventure in the morning.

Made a third return trip to try for the Black-backed Woodpecker, but no luck. I think I have a nemesis bird. But I did pick up a couple more year birds

143 Pygmy Nuthatch
144 Mountain Bluebird

And then a few migrants have rolled in during the last week

145 Barn Swallow
146 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
147 Swainson's Hawk.

Update on tomorrow's fun to come!
 
er.... not quite as exciting an update as Maguari's!!

PENANG (MALAYSIA):

BIRDS:
390) Crested mynah Acridotheres cristatellus
391) Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
392) Chinese pond heron Ardeola bacchus

MAMMALS:
49) Plantain squirrel Callosciurus notatus
 
Some recent additions:

121. Corn Bunting
122. Sand Martin
123. Swallow
124. Wheatear
125. Pied Flycatcher

Spring is definitely here!
 
Today was a special day. I had the unique opportunity to visit the Hixon Sharp-tailed Grouse Preserve. In 1985, a population of Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse wasfound living on a property near Weiser, Idaho. The Nature Conservancy purchased the land, which was up for sale and then turned it over to the Bureau of Land Management to manage as a preserve for the only population of sharp-tailed grouse in western Idaho. This morning we were escorted out onto the preserve by an Idaho Fish & Game biologist who oversees the grouse in the preserve. We got there at the crack of dawn to see the grouse performing their mating rituals in the lek. It was an amazing show to watch! We watched the grouse for over an hour, as we were watched by a neighboring Coyote and some curious Mule Deer. Afterwards we birded our way out of the preserve and hit some nearby birding hot-spots.

148 Sharp-tailed Grouse
149 Vesper Sparrow
150 Fox Sparrow
151 Common Loon
152 Townsend's Solitaire
153 Red Crossbill
 
Last edited:
I just sent a few days on a mates property in the west of New South wales.
234. red rumped parrot
235. emu
236. cockatiel
237. australian ringneck
238. yellow throated miner
239. brown falcon
240. brush bronzewing
241. major mitchell cockatoo
242. white plumed honeyeater
243. little crow
244. restless flycatcher
245. jacky winter
246. grey shrike thrush
247. black falcon
248. eastern barn owl
249. Red-Backed Kingfisher*
250. brown treecreeper
251. buff-rumped thornbill
252. apostlebird
253. hooded robin
254. zebra finch
255. Plum Headed Finch*
256. diamond dove
257. blue bonnet
258. spiny-cheeked honeyeater
259. crested bellbird
260. singing honeyeater
261. spotted harrier
 
Tonight I am leaving Madagascar, after spending 5 months on this amazing island, so a final Malagasy update for me, including the species I saw the past 4 weeks:

Antananarivo and the road to Ankarafantsika:

54. Madagascar wagtail
55. Great white egret
56. Dimorphic egret
57. Cattle egret
58. Black heron
59. Squacco heron
60. Madagascar pond heron
61. Black crowned night heron
62. Madagascar kingfisher
63. Madagascar lark
64. Pied crow
65. Madagascar harrier hawk
66. Mascarene martin
67. Madagascar partridge
68. Namaqua dove

Ankarafantsika National Park

69. Common jery
70. Sickle billed vanga
71. Sakalava weaver
72. Glossy ibis
73. Coquerel coua
74. White-breasted mesite
75. Grey-headed lovebird
76. Striated heron
77. Purple heron
78. Madagascar fish eagle
79. Madagascar cisticola
80. Sooty falcon
81. Madagascar buttonquail
82. Red-capped coua

Mammals

14. Ravelobe Mouse lemur
15. Common Brown lemur
16. Milne-Edwards sportive lemur
17. Western avahi
18. Coquerel sifaka
19. Grey Mouse lemur
20. Fat-tailed dwarf lemur
21. Mongoose lemur
22. Norwegian rat

Herpetofauna
34. Furcifer oustaleti
35. Furcifer rhinoceratus
36. Oplurus cuvieri
37. Phelsuma kochi


Ranomafana National Park

83. Pollens vanga
84. Tylas vanga
85. White-throated oxylabes
86. Wedge-tailed tetraka
87. Common sunbird asity
88. Madagascar brush warbler
89. Yellow-bellied sunbird asity
90. Brown emutail
91. Madagascar flufftail
92. Wards vanga
93. Dark newtonia
94. Grey emutail
95. Red-billed teal
96. Mellers duck
97. Madagascar stonechat

Mammals
23. Milne-Edwards sifaka
24. Red-fronted Brown lemur
25. Lowland streaked tenrec
26. Greater bamboo lemur
27. Golden bamboo lemur
28. Red-bellied lemur
29. Red forest rat
30. Small-toothed sportive lemur

Herpetofauna
38. Uroplatus ebenaui
39. Glaws chameleon
40. Blue legged chameleon
41. O’shaughneys chameleon
42. Calumma nasuta
43. Leioheterodon modestus


The South (Toliara region & Isalo)

98. Hammerkop
99. Greater ringed plover
100. Running coua
101. Green-capped coua
102. Subdesert mesite
103. Long-tailed ground roller
104. Archbolds newtonia
105. Madagascar cuckoo
106. Madagascar hoopoo
107. Thamnornis warbler
108. Eleonora’s falcon
109. Ruddy turnstone
110. Barn swallow
111. Lesser crested tern
112. Madagascar gull
113. Sub-desert warbler
114. Littoral rock trush
115. White-throated plover
116. Red-tailed tropicbird
117. Grey heron
118. Grey plover
119. Madagascar plover
120. Black-winged stilt
121. Forest rock trush
122. Madagascar black swift
123. Yellow-billed kite

Mammals

31. Ring-tailed lemur
32. Verreaux sifaka


Herpetofauna

44. Furcifer antimena
45. Furcifer verrucosus
46. Oplurus cyclurus
47. Chalarodon madagascariensis
48. Blaesodactylus sakalava
49. Standings day gecko
50. Spider tortoise
51. Furcifer lateralis
52. Mimophis mahafalensis
53. Heterilaxis betsileo

All in all I had expected more birds (especially waterbirds), but I was in the completely wrong season, the beginning of Malagasy winter... Also I could not visit Tsimanampetsotsa national park, which would have yielded 2 flamingo species, 2 additional coua species and Grandidiers vontsira/mongoose. And night walks being forbidden inside the national parks was also no good for mammal sightings. But all in all it is still an amazing list with lots of nice species :)
 
Maguari said:
Amazing day in Tortuguero!
...

11. Mexican Prehensile-tailed Porcupine - Sphiggurus mexicanus*
12. Mantled Howler Monkey - Alouatta palliata*
13. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth - Bradypus variegatus*
14. White-faced Capuchin*

3. Gulf Coast Toad - Incilius valliceps*

Reptiles - at last!
1. Green Iguana
2. Brown Basilisk*
3. Four-striped Ameiva - Ameiva quadrilineata*
4. Spectacled Caiman*
5. Plumed Basilisk*
6. Black Wood Turtle - Rhinoclemmys funerea*
7. Common House Gecko


Phew...!
Click to expand...

Additions from 14/04/14 and from 15/04/14 so far (I still have a night walk ahead of me)::

145. Plain-Brown Woodcreeper
146. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker
147. Pale-billed Woodpecker
148. Lineated Woodpecker
149. Palm Tanager
150. Roadside Hawk
151. White-flanked Antwren
152. Slaty-tailed Trogon
153. Blackburnian Warbler
154. Least Flycatcher
155. Osprey
156. Barn Swallow
157. Pale-vented Pigeon
158. Common Tody-Flycatcher
159. Chimney Swift
160. Yellow-crowned Night Heron
161. Olive-throated Conure
162. Boat-billed Heron

8. Ground Anole - Norops humilis
9. Slender Brown Anole - Norops limnifrons
10. Yellow-tailed Dwarf Gecko - Sphaerodactylus homolepis
11. Mesoamerican Slider - Trachemys venusta

4. Strawberry Poison Dart Frog - Oophaga pumilio

15. Long-nosed Bat - Rhynchonycteris naso
16. Geoffroy's Spider Monkey - Ateles geoffroyi
17. Neotropical River Otter - Lontra longicaudis


The last were brilliant and ended up chasing the boat along the canal.

:)

Last night in Tortuguero tonight, then a change of scenery!
 
Above already requires an update:

163. Summer Tanager
164. Olive-backed Euphonia

:)
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Went on a field trip to Wicken Fen yesterday and managed to pick up a nice number of new species:

Birds:
61. Eurasian chiffchaff
62. Reed bunting
63. Northern shoveler
64. Meadow pipit

Mammals:
11. Roe deer

Reptiles:
1. Grass snake

Fish:
1. Common rudd

Also heard tons of Cetti's warbler and some sort of amphibian (possibly a common toad) but saw neither.
Click to expand...

Some new sightings from the last couple of days-

Birds:
65. Barn swallow

Mammals:
12. Eurasian badger
13. Red fox

Reptiles:
2. Slow worm

The badger and fox are the best sighting of the year hands-down; the fox chasing the badger in the open and in broad daylight right past where I was standing.
 
I can't remember my numbers, but on the 18th April I saw and heard 2 cuckoos, one chasing the other which I have never seen this before.
also seen lately

Black cap

Goldcrest

Barn Swallow on the 9th April

Garden warbler
 
mstickmanp said:
Went birding to a local park before work today and got three new birds:

168. Vaux's Swift
169. Yellow Warbler
170. Yellow-breasted Chat
Click to expand...

Went to a local preserve by my house today and got five new birds. I went to this place back in January and it was completely dead, but today it was full of bird life.

171. California Quail
172. Black-chinned Hummingbird
173. Black-chinned Sparrow
174. Bell's Sparrow
175. Black-headed Grosbeak
 
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