ZooChat Big Year 2014
- Thread starter jbnbsn99
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Awesome list of FNQ birds Hix. Did you go on an organised trip or did you go after then on your own.
The parrot finch is a great bird but I really want to see a yellow honeyeater. I've seen photos and the colour is amazing. could you write a trip reprt if you have time please?
The parrot finch is a great bird but I really want to see a yellow honeyeater. I've seen photos and the colour is amazing. could you write a trip reprt if you have time please?
jusko88
Well-Known Member
This is my 1st year birding. what a year it has been for me. im still hoping for more lifebirds like snowy owl,snow bunting,lapland longspur and more within these next 3 weeks but got my lifebird #200 Ross's Goose St. Vincent Lake Westmoreland County, PA. this was a 3rd County Record also!!!
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FNQ (Far North Queensland) was far more productive than I thought it would be.
Currently Australian birds for the year are at 263, Tanzania is at 301 (but I still have a few more to ID) and Uganda is on 77. I also have a couple of waders I photographed in Queensland that need an ID.
And my Lifelist is now just over 800.
Because I only had 2 1/2 days I hired one of the local bird guides for a few hours, specifically for the Parrot Finch. The eBird records for Blue-faced Parrot Finch in Australia during December only has a handful of records, all from Mt Lewis. The guide, Carol Iles, not only knew where to go, but has a very keen ear - we wouldn't have seen the Parrot Finch if she hadn't heard it first. We also heard Victoria's Riflebird, Golden Bowerbird and a few fruit pigeons.Nanoboy said:
boof said:
Mt Lewis and Julatten were with Carol Iles. I stayed at Kingfisher Park Bird Lodge because I had heard good things about it (and it's a great location!). Wonga Beach I found in the Birdwatching part of the "Cairns and Tropical North Queensland" app which I downloaded to my iPad. The other locations I planned top visit anyway - the book Finding Australian Birds by Dolby and Clarke was an excellent source of information. If I had more than 2 1/2 days and if there hadn't been storms I probably could have seen quite a bit more.
A real highlight for me was not actually a bird at all - while hiking up Mt Whitfield I came a cross a Green Tree Snake that was hunting, captured and ate a small skink. I have a nice sequence of photos taken from less than 2 metres away.
As for a trip report, possibly - but I still have a three week Tanzanian safari to write up!
Hix
Ituri where do you go to see so many small mammal species?
A beautiful place I like to call "outside". I live in the center of ground squirrel radiation in North America. Also I've been fortunate enough to do a fair amount of traveling this year around the northwest as well as Arizona, Minnesota, and Florida. I rarely go looking for mammals specifically but encounter quite a few while birding.
Haha well I meant more specifically do you have any national parks, or other locations you could suggest? Also I"ll be traveling to Florida end of this month, any tips for Marsh Rabbits (I believe you saw those?)
Oh you want specifics! I can do that:
1. Eastern Fox Squirrel - all around Boise, Idaho.
2. Red Fox - frequently seen along Boise River and Boise foothills
3. Mule Deer - frequently seen along Boise River, particularly city parks
4. Coyote - Boise foothills
5. Pronghorn - easily seen on sagebrush flats between Boise and Twin Falls, also seen at Antelope Island State Park in Utah and outside Flagstaff Arizona
6. White-tailed Antelope Squirrel - Owyhee desert, southwest Idaho
7. Piute Ground Squirrel - Snake River Birds of Prey NCA
8. Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Snake River Birds of Prey NCA, city parks in Phoenix
9. Yellow-bellied Marmot - Boise foothills, Pocatello Zoo (wild)
10. Yellow Pine Chipmunk - central Idaho mountains. Easily seen near Idaho City
11. White-tailed Deer - central Idaho, Minnesota, Madera Canyon Arizona (Coue's subspecies)
12. Wapiti - Garden Valley Idaho, Humboldt County California outside Arcata
13. American Bison - Antelope a Island State Park, Utah
14. American Red Squirrel - Idaho mountains
15. Common Muskrat - Boise River
16. Mountain Cottontail - Boise foothills
17. Idaho Ground Squirrel - foothills near Emmett, Idaho
18. Uinta Ground Squirrel - Juniper habitat outside Pocatello, ID
19. Harbor Seal - Humboldt Bay, Shell Island, OR
20. California Sea Lion - Humboldt Bay, Shell Island, OR
21. Steller Sea Lion - Shell Island, OR
22. Brush Rabbit - Oregon coast
23. Virginia Opossum - Arcata Marsh, CA
24. Belding's Ground Squirrel - northeast California
25. Least Chipmunk - Idaho sagebrush habitat
26. Columbian Ground Squirrel - Bogus Basin, ID
27. Eastern Gray Squirrel - Minnesota
28. Eastern Chipmunk - Minnesota
29. Eastern Cottontail - Minnesota
30. Dall's Porpoise - San Juan Island, WA
31. Douglas Squirrel - Sequoia Park Zoo
32. Bushy-tailed Woodrat - Boise foothills
33. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel - Crater Lake, OR
34. North American River Otter - Trinidad CA
35. Townsend's Chipmunk - southwest Oregon
36. Northern Elephant Seal - Shell Island, OR
37. Gray Whale - Shell Island, OR
38. Rock Squirrel - Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
39. Desert Cottontail - Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
40. Arizona Cotton Rat - Gilbert Water Ranch Arizona
41. Cliff Chipmunk - Mt Lemmon, AZ
42. Arizona Gray Squirrel - Madera Canyon AZ
43. Harris's Antelope Squirrel - Phoenix Zoo
44. Marsh Rabbit - seen numerous places in central FL. I recall them being fairly numerous at Walt Disney World.
Also, revisiting this makes me realize one was missed
45. Harbor Porpoise
1. Eastern Fox Squirrel - all around Boise, Idaho.
2. Red Fox - frequently seen along Boise River and Boise foothills
3. Mule Deer - frequently seen along Boise River, particularly city parks
4. Coyote - Boise foothills
5. Pronghorn - easily seen on sagebrush flats between Boise and Twin Falls, also seen at Antelope Island State Park in Utah and outside Flagstaff Arizona
6. White-tailed Antelope Squirrel - Owyhee desert, southwest Idaho
7. Piute Ground Squirrel - Snake River Birds of Prey NCA
8. Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Snake River Birds of Prey NCA, city parks in Phoenix
9. Yellow-bellied Marmot - Boise foothills, Pocatello Zoo (wild)
10. Yellow Pine Chipmunk - central Idaho mountains. Easily seen near Idaho City
11. White-tailed Deer - central Idaho, Minnesota, Madera Canyon Arizona (Coue's subspecies)
12. Wapiti - Garden Valley Idaho, Humboldt County California outside Arcata
13. American Bison - Antelope a Island State Park, Utah
14. American Red Squirrel - Idaho mountains
15. Common Muskrat - Boise River
16. Mountain Cottontail - Boise foothills
17. Idaho Ground Squirrel - foothills near Emmett, Idaho
18. Uinta Ground Squirrel - Juniper habitat outside Pocatello, ID
19. Harbor Seal - Humboldt Bay, Shell Island, OR
20. California Sea Lion - Humboldt Bay, Shell Island, OR
21. Steller Sea Lion - Shell Island, OR
22. Brush Rabbit - Oregon coast
23. Virginia Opossum - Arcata Marsh, CA
24. Belding's Ground Squirrel - northeast California
25. Least Chipmunk - Idaho sagebrush habitat
26. Columbian Ground Squirrel - Bogus Basin, ID
27. Eastern Gray Squirrel - Minnesota
28. Eastern Chipmunk - Minnesota
29. Eastern Cottontail - Minnesota
30. Dall's Porpoise - San Juan Island, WA
31. Douglas Squirrel - Sequoia Park Zoo
32. Bushy-tailed Woodrat - Boise foothills
33. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel - Crater Lake, OR
34. North American River Otter - Trinidad CA
35. Townsend's Chipmunk - southwest Oregon
36. Northern Elephant Seal - Shell Island, OR
37. Gray Whale - Shell Island, OR
38. Rock Squirrel - Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
39. Desert Cottontail - Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
40. Arizona Cotton Rat - Gilbert Water Ranch Arizona
41. Cliff Chipmunk - Mt Lemmon, AZ
42. Arizona Gray Squirrel - Madera Canyon AZ
43. Harris's Antelope Squirrel - Phoenix Zoo
44. Marsh Rabbit - seen numerous places in central FL. I recall them being fairly numerous at Walt Disney World.
Also, revisiting this makes me realize one was missed
45. Harbor Porpoise
nanoboy
Well-Known Member
How do you birders find out about rare bird sightings and vagrants? Is anyone in the UK registered to the Rare Bird Alert, and do you go birding with your pager clipped to your belt? 
Is there a similar service in USA and other countries? (I just regularly check the local birdlines and Facebook birding groups.)
Is there a similar service in USA and other countries? (I just regularly check the local birdlines and Facebook birding groups.)
it's been three months since my last year bird (Little Owl on 26 Sept) but finally there has been a weekend with good weather, so I went up to Kaikoura and found some birds. I also achieved my good deed for the year by saving a little dog which had been lost/abandoned on the top of the peninsula.
BIRDS:
571) Eastern reef egret Egretta sacra
572) Australasian gannet Morus serrator
573) Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres
574) Northern giant petrel Macronectes halli
575) Northern royal albatross Diomedea sanfordi
576) Gibson's albatross Diomedea gibsoni
577) Salvin's mollymawk Thalassarche salvini
578) Southern royal albatross Diomedea epomophora
579) Westland black petrel Procellaria westlandica
580) White-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis
581) Grey-faced petrel Pterodroma macroptera
582) Flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes
583) Hutton's shearwater Puffinus huttoni
584) NZ white-capped mollymawk Thalassarche steadi
MAMMALS:
73) Dusky dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus
74) Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
BIRDS:
571) Eastern reef egret Egretta sacra
572) Australasian gannet Morus serrator
573) Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres
574) Northern giant petrel Macronectes halli
575) Northern royal albatross Diomedea sanfordi
576) Gibson's albatross Diomedea gibsoni
577) Salvin's mollymawk Thalassarche salvini
578) Southern royal albatross Diomedea epomophora
579) Westland black petrel Procellaria westlandica
580) White-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis
581) Grey-faced petrel Pterodroma macroptera
582) Flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes
583) Hutton's shearwater Puffinus huttoni
584) NZ white-capped mollymawk Thalassarche steadi
MAMMALS:
73) Dusky dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus
74) Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Wow, these sightings sound really cool. Particularly the above two. Were they good sightings?
Added another new bird to the list yesterday.
131. Redwing
I doubt I will be able to add any new birds for this year. I managed 35 more species than I did last year, 15 of which were lifers. I also managed 3 more mammals than I did last year, including 1 lifer. Saw the exact same number and species of reptiles, and fewer amphibian and fish species than 2013.
Highlights of this year include:
Top three birds of last year that I missed this year - Barn owl, European white stork, osprey
Top five target birds for next year - Cetti's warbler (if I miss these for a third year running I may as well retire from birdwatching), hen harrier, lesser spotted woodpecker, smew and black-necked grebe. Also going to actively search for common frog and either otter, stoat or weasel next year.
131. Redwing
I doubt I will be able to add any new birds for this year. I managed 35 more species than I did last year, 15 of which were lifers. I also managed 3 more mammals than I did last year, including 1 lifer. Saw the exact same number and species of reptiles, and fewer amphibian and fish species than 2013.
Highlights of this year include:
- Norfolk - 16 birds, of which 8 were lifers - highlights were marsh tit, arctic skua and Eurasian spoonbill
- Other leggy waterbirds - First ever great bitterns and the first great egrets I've seen in the Old World
- Migration times - Having some unusual birds (including lifers) passing over or through the garden including Northern gannet, spotted flycatcher, hobby and turtle dove
- Seeing a fox chasing a badger during broad daylight
- Seeing water voles and a water shrew in the heart of Cambridge - the latter was slightly frustrating given I spent the entire previous summer searching for them to no avail
Top three birds of last year that I missed this year - Barn owl, European white stork, osprey
Top five target birds for next year - Cetti's warbler (if I miss these for a third year running I may as well retire from birdwatching), hen harrier, lesser spotted woodpecker, smew and black-necked grebe. Also going to actively search for common frog and either otter, stoat or weasel next year.
It's gonna be a close one this year!
Birds
589. Greater Sand Plover
Reptiles
25. Bluetongue Skink
Hix
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they were both from the cliff-top. The dolphins were average, the sperm whale very poor. I only saw the whale by watching where the whale boats were gathered, watching the spout to see where the whale was, and then waiting until it up-tailed to dive (they tend to stay at the surface for around ten minutes or so breathing, then dive and not come up again for I think it's about 45 minutes or so). If they had been lifers then I would have counted the dolphins but not the whale, but for year ticks they will do.
The marine birds were all from the albatross boat so were very close.
I'm betting on birds being won by, in order, Hix, Chlidonias, then Maguari. Mammals probably in exactly the same order.Hix said:
176) Eurasian Teal
I visited Port Lympne Wild Animal Park today and in some of the boggy areas of the 'African Experience' exhibit I saw my first teals of the year
I visited Port Lympne Wild Animal Park today and in some of the boggy areas of the 'African Experience' exhibit I saw my first teals of the year
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