ZooChat Big Year 2015
- Thread starter jbnbsn99
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Hevden
Well-Known Member
The five above counts the previous two reptiles. And I have two amphibians for good measure.
1 Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla)
2 American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Added another mammal
22 American Pika (Ochotona princeps)
And several more birds:
221 Dunlin - Calidris alpina
222 Willet - Tringa semipalmata
223 Snowy Egret - Egretta thula
224 Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri
225 Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus
226 MacGillivray's Warbler - Geothlypis tolmiei
227 Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
228 Western Wood-Pewee - Contopus sordidulus
229 Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii
230 Common Poorwill - Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
231 Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis
232 Wilson's Warbler - Cardellina pusilla
very good, your seven herptiles currently puts you first-equal with lintworm.
And pika is a very good mammal. There aren't many Zoochatters with those on their life-lists. You are in the company of awesome.
@Chli, "fortunately" I saw an agile lizard 2 days ago, so that puts my herptile total at 8 (5 reptiles, 3 amphibians) 
And 2 new birds
140. Mistle trush
141. Eurasian crag martin
I have also seen several European foxes the last days, 2 times a young litter and also an adult one. But for this year it is only a new subspecies, as I have seen a red fox already in Morocco this year.
And 2 new birds
140. Mistle trush
141. Eurasian crag martin
I have also seen several European foxes the last days, 2 times a young litter and also an adult one. But for this year it is only a new subspecies, as I have seen a red fox already in Morocco this year.
Speaking of herps:
Reptiles
1) Black Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus
~Thylo
Reptiles
1) Black Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus
~Thylo
38. Varied Thrush
39. Sandhill Crane
40. Whimbrel
41. Northwestern Crow
42. Hoary Redpoll
43. Orange-crowned Warbler
44. Common Loon
Uncounted Mammal. Grey Wolf howls heard out near Green Lake. As with the Black Bear tracks found on Potter Marsh, I will not count mammals detected only via sign. I am fairly confidant I'll spot a Black Bear this summer. I haven't seen a wolf since 2010. Might get lucky up at Denali this summer though.
39. Sandhill Crane
40. Whimbrel
41. Northwestern Crow
42. Hoary Redpoll
43. Orange-crowned Warbler
44. Common Loon
Uncounted Mammal. Grey Wolf howls heard out near Green Lake. As with the Black Bear tracks found on Potter Marsh, I will not count mammals detected only via sign. I am fairly confidant I'll spot a Black Bear this summer. I haven't seen a wolf since 2010. Might get lucky up at Denali this summer though.
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I decided that rather than go back and constantly edit what I saw in Norfolk, I would just wait until I am home and then add a total list.
126. Little tern Sternula albifrons
127. Eurasian spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
128. Mediterranean gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
129. Little gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
130. Ruff Philomachus pugnax
131. Barn owl Tyto alba
132. Grey partridge Perdix perdix
133. Eurasian dotterel Charadrius morinellus
134. Sandwich tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
135. Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo
136. Bearded reedling Panurus biarmicus
That means that I have now broken my record for the whole of last year already!
12. Common Shrew
13. Canadian Beaver
13. Canadian Beaver
jbnbsn99
Well-Known Member
Driving to work yesterday (last day of school - woohoo!), I saw a new mammal on the side of the road. Probably out in the open due to all the floods.
26. American Beaver
Well, quasi-lifer anyway. i saw one some years ago before I was a wildlife watcher, so it never made the list.
26. American Beaver
Well, quasi-lifer anyway. i saw one some years ago before I was a wildlife watcher, so it never made the list.
A fantastic weekend which saw me break the 200 barrier and pick up a lifer along the way.
198. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
199. Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)
200. Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
201. Corncrake (Crex crex) - LIFER
202. Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)
Although the Corncrake was a lifer, it was the Nightjar that provided the highlight of my birding year so far. I've always been fascinated by this species and it was all the more enjoyable as I found them myself (i.e. not at a well known site) and just a few miles from home.
198. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
199. Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)
200. Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)
201. Corncrake (Crex crex) - LIFER
202. Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)
Although the Corncrake was a lifer, it was the Nightjar that provided the highlight of my birding year so far. I've always been fascinated by this species and it was all the more enjoyable as I found them myself (i.e. not at a well known site) and just a few miles from home.
@Chli, "fortunately" I saw an agile lizard 2 days ago, so that puts my herptile total at 8 (5 reptiles, 3 amphibians)
And 2 new birds
140. Mistle trush
141. Eurasian crag martin
I have also seen several European foxes the last days, 2 times a young litter and also an adult one. But for this year it is only a new subspecies, as I have seen a red fox already in Morocco this year.
Today I passed to 220 birds mark, the list will follow, when I am back from Kenya, at the end of this week. I have seen 85 species of birds in the past 3 days, despite being in the car or in meetings most of the time, so that illustrates how extremely species rich this country is.
A provisional mammal + herp update
16. Common zebra
17. Common warthog
18. Eland
19. Olive baboon
20. Thomson gazelle
21. African buffalo
22. Impala
23. Vervet monkey
Herps
9. Nile crocodile
10. Nile monitor
11. Spurred tortoise
12. Leopard tortoise
Went over to Abberton Reservoir on the off-chance of seeing a bird that has been hanging around recently in the area:
137. Garganey Anas querquedula
This was a species that had been seen in several places in North Norfolk the day before or after I visited, so to track two drakes down and get close views of them was especially pleasing.
45. Tundra Swan
46. Red-necked Phalarope
46. Red-necked Phalarope
jbnbsn99
Well-Known Member
334 Barn Owl - Tyto alba
335 Fish Crow - Corvus ossifragus
336 Northern Bobwhite - Colinus virginianus
337 Red-headed Woodpecker - Melanerpes erythrocephalus
338 Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Picoides borealis
339 Bachman's Sparrow - Peucaea aestivalis
340 Anhinga - Anhinga anhinga
341 Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens
Full write up at my new birding blog:
https://bretsbirdingblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/the-jaeger-hunt-and-the-piney-woods/
335 Fish Crow - Corvus ossifragus
336 Northern Bobwhite - Colinus virginianus
337 Red-headed Woodpecker - Melanerpes erythrocephalus
338 Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Picoides borealis
339 Bachman's Sparrow - Peucaea aestivalis
340 Anhinga - Anhinga anhinga
341 Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens
Full write up at my new birding blog:
https://bretsbirdingblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/the-jaeger-hunt-and-the-piney-woods/
6) Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina - Finally!!
Elephant seals are a fairly regular vagrant to NZ coasts from the subantarctic, but they always seem to appear where-ever I am not! On Friday a young male arrived on the Kaikoura coast, a couple of hours north of my location, and today (Wednesday) I managed to get up there to try and find him.
Brilliant animal! So much more amazing in person than I would have imagined. I would LOVE to see a full adult male though!!
Some photos here: New Zealand - Wildlife Gallery
This is my first new mammal since Horsfield's tarsier in Borneo last year.
Elephant seals are a fairly regular vagrant to NZ coasts from the subantarctic, but they always seem to appear where-ever I am not! On Friday a young male arrived on the Kaikoura coast, a couple of hours north of my location, and today (Wednesday) I managed to get up there to try and find him.
Brilliant animal! So much more amazing in person than I would have imagined. I would LOVE to see a full adult male though!!
Some photos here: New Zealand - Wildlife Gallery
This is my first new mammal since Horsfield's tarsier in Borneo last year.
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Gosh, both are such dull species
Very jealous though, it looks huuuuge! I'm still disappointed that I missed out on Northern Elephant Seal this time last year.
I am indeed very lucky! My friend and I had been trying to round up a ride up to Kaikoura, but couldn't manage one. Yesterday just as I was getting to work my friend rang me to say his mum could drive us up at 2pm. So I told my boss I was not feeling well, turned around and went home, got my camera, went to my friend's place, we drove up to Kaikoura and got there about an hour or so before dark (it is winter here so getting dark early).
The elephant seal was not at Goose Bay where it had been since Friday. We drove around a bit, couldn't find it, so went back to Goose Bay and asked at the holiday park. They said it left yesterday and no-one had seen it since! So gutted. But as we were heading southwards again - we spotted it lying on the beach.
I have missed two long-staying elephant seals previously, both actually in Christchurch about 15 minutes from where I used to live. One was a female back in the late 1980s - my mum used to see it regularly in the river on her walks, I never did! The other was an adult male which again I never managed to see (that one had a sad end - some local louts poured petrol over it and set it alight; it survived but I don't know what happened after that).
The elephant seal was not at Goose Bay where it had been since Friday. We drove around a bit, couldn't find it, so went back to Goose Bay and asked at the holiday park. They said it left yesterday and no-one had seen it since! So gutted. But as we were heading southwards again - we spotted it lying on the beach.
I have missed two long-staying elephant seals previously, both actually in Christchurch about 15 minutes from where I used to live. One was a female back in the late 1980s - my mum used to see it regularly in the river on her walks, I never did! The other was an adult male which again I never managed to see (that one had a sad end - some local louts poured petrol over it and set it alight; it survived but I don't know what happened after that).
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