ZooChat Big Year 2016

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A few mostly common things from my first day in Perth, no mammals yet though, and a bit of spotlighting was unsuccessful.

318) Australian Magpie
319) Australian Ringneck Parrot
320) Australian Raven
321) New Holland Honeyeater
322) Magpie Lark
323) Galah
324) Australian White Ibis
325) Carnaby's White-tailed Black Cockatoo
326) Square-tailed Kite
327) Singing Honeyeater
328) Spotted Pardalote
329) Rufous Whistler
330) Grey Fantail
331) Weebill
332) Striated Pardalote
333) Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
334) Laughing Kookaburra
335) Little Crow

Still quite a few more common things for me to get over the next couple of days.

A few more birds today:

336) Red Wattlebird
337) Common Bronzewing
338) Willie Wagtail
339) Grey Currawong
340) Splendid Fairy Wren
341) Golden Whistler
342) Western Yellow Robin
343) Rufous Treecreeper
344) Rainbow Lorikeet
345) Red-capped Parrot
346) Western Spinebill
347) Scarlet Robin
348) Varied Sittella
349) Grey Shrike-thrush
350) Australian Wood Duck
351) Western Wattlebird
352) Australasian Grebe
353) Hardhead
354) Australasian Darter
356) Musk Duck
357) Pied Cormorant (not little)
358) Little Black Cormorant

And a mammal:

40) Western Grey Kangaroo

I also have one more bird that I am hoping to ID in the gallery, and I should get a few more with tomorrow's plans.
 
359) Yellow-rumped Thornbill

360) White-cheeked Honeyeater
361) Brown Honeyeater
362) Grey Butcherbird
363) Dusky Moorhen
364) Pacific Black Duck
365) Purple Swamphen
366) Tree Martin
367) Pink-eared Duck

368) Brown Falcon
369) Welcome Swallow
370) Blue-bill Duck
371) Australian Shoveler
372) Grey Teal

373) Yellow-billed Spoonbill
374) Mistletoebird
375) Crested Tern
376) Little Pied Cormorant
377) Silver Gull
378) Silvereye
379) Black Swan
380) Australian Shelduck
381) Little Corella
382) Nankeen Night Heron

41) Southern Brown Bandicoot (Quenda)

7) Oblong Turtle
 
Last edited:
4/6/2016
217. white browed babbler
5/6/2016
218. crested bellbird
219. horsfield bronze cuckoo
6/6/2016
220. chestnut rumped thornbill
221. southern whiteface
222. striated perdalote
223. striped honeyeater
224. chestnut crowned babbler
225. little crow
226. rufous songlark
227. WHITE BROWED TREECREEPER*
 
360) White-cheeked Honeyeater
361) Brown Honeyeater
362) Grey Butcherbird
363) Dusky Moorhen
364) Pacific Black Duck
365) Purple Swamphen
366) Tree Martin
367) Pink-eared Duck

368) Brown Falcon
369) Welcome Swallow
370) Blue-bill Duck
371) Australian Shoveler
372) Grey Teal

373) Yellow-billed Spoonbill
374) Mistletoebird
375) Crested Tern
376) Little Pied Cormorant
377) Silver Gull
378) Silvereye
379) Black Swan
380) Australian Shelduck
381) Little Corella
382) Nankeen Night Heron

41) Southern Brown Bandicoot (Quenda)

7) Oblong Turtle

Terrible weather probably reduced my bird list considerably, but I still got a few new additions:
`
383) Swamp Harrier
384) Australasian Reed Warbler
385) White-backed Swallow
386) Little Grassbird

387) Glossy Ibis
388) Eastern Great Egret
389) Brown Goshawk

390) Australian Pelican
391) Buff-banded Rail - I got a really good long view of this, fantastic.
392) Spotted Harrier

393) Straw-necked Ibis
394) Variegated Wren
395) Long-billed Corella

Also worth mentioning Laughing Doves which I saw earlier in the year, but today was my first sighting in Australia.

Should get a few more WA birds tomorrow, and then tomorrow evening I am going to Queensland.
 
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LaughingDove said:
365) Purple Swamphen
do you keep your lists as per the IBC/HBW taxonomy? Many listers like to split the Old World Porphyrio into several species, including bellus as a full species. I just keep them all in P. porphyrio (as the HBW does) because it is easier, but they really do all look quite different.
 
do you keep your lists as per the IBC/HBW taxonomy? Many listers like to split the Old World Porphyrio into several species, including bellus as a full species. I just keep them all in P. porphyrio (as the HBW does) because it is easier, but they really do all look quite different.

I tend to use the HBW taxonomy, however there are a few examples, like the swamphens, when it is clearly out of date (I suspect the Swamphens will be split eventually on HBW anyway). I didn't know bellus was split from the other Australasian subspecies though, and I though it was usually considered a subspecies of P. melanotus ?
 
I tend to use the HBW taxonomy, however there are a few examples, like the swamphens, when it is clearly out of date (I suspect the Swamphens will be split eventually on HBW anyway). I didn't know bellus was split from the other Australasian subspecies though, and I though it was usually considered a subspecies of P. melanotus ?
it can be P. porphyrio bellus or P. melanotus bellus or P. bellus. It depends how splitty a birder is.
 
it can be P. porphyrio bellus or P. melanotus bellus or P. bellus. It depends how splitty a birder is.

Although I tend to be sceptical of ridiculous splits, I suspect if I see another Swamphen of a different (sub)species I will be inclined to count it if I can :p


Anyway, I've just come back from spotlighting which was unsuccessful until near the end when I saw a:

396) Masked Owl
 
Since I got back home, I have heard a turtle dove several times (and possibly seen two) but since I cannot guarantee the sighting yet I will not count it for now.

While out looking for the turtle doves over the past couple of days, I have managed to find one new fish, one new butterfly and three new Odonata:

7. Northern pike Esox lucius

10. Gatekeeper butterfly Pyronia tithonus

5. White-legged damselfly Platycnemis pennipes
6. Hairy dragonfly Brachytron pratense
7. Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly Libellula depressa

Since my last update, I have seen one other new Odonata, and earlier this morning had a new bird visit the garden (a favourite of mine, which I haven't seen in a couple of years):

137. European turtle dove Streptopelia turtur (Vu)

8. Red-eyed damselfly Erythromma najas
 
Birds
52) Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica

~Thylo:cool:

In Los Angeles at the moment. Unfortunately haven't had a chance and likely won't be able to head out and do some proper birding but picked up these two nice lifers from the zoo yesterday.

Birds
53) Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
54) White-Throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis

I have a few more species, too, but I haven't been able to sit down and ID them yet.

~Thylo:cool:
 
Although I tend to be sceptical of ridiculous splits, I suspect if I see another Swamphen of a different (sub)species I will be inclined to count it if I can :p


Anyway, I've just come back from spotlighting which was unsuccessful until near the end when I saw a:

396) Masked Owl

A few additions this morning:

397) Eastern Reef Egret
398) Caspian Tern
399) Osprey

Does anyone know the taxonomic status of the Australian Great Cormorant? Is it a valid split?

Still not got any White-faced Herons or Cuckooshrikes which should both be really common around here.
 
LaughingDove said:
Does anyone know the taxonomic status of the Australian Great Cormorant? Is it a valid split?
I've never heard of it being split by anyone, but I googled it and apparently some desperate people do split it. I certainly wouldn't.
 
In Los Angeles at the moment. Unfortunately haven't had a chance and likely won't be able to head out and do some proper birding but picked up these two nice lifers from the zoo yesterday.

Birds
53) Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
54) White-Throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis

I have a few more species, too, but I haven't been able to sit down and ID them yet.

~Thylo:cool:

Few more from Griffith Park today.

Birds
55) Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
56) California Towhee Melozone crissalis

Also saw a rabbit, small bat, and centipede I need to ID. Don't imagine I'll get the later two, though.

~Thylo:cool:
 
I am massively envious about the various species LaughingDove has seen of late :p but once I have got back into the flow of life in the UK (having returned from my latest Germany trip) I shall be posting a rather nice array of wild sightings :)
 
Had a long day out in Norfolk yesterday. Despite the ambivalent weather forecast we managed to dodge the worst until the journey home, though the invertebrate haul was reduced by the sun being masked by cloud through almost the entire day - to the point we only saw only saw two butterflies each all day, and I only saw one species. By combination of luck and judgement though, the one species I saw was the one you want to see after getting up at 5.30 to travel to Norfolk! :D

Very nice mammal day though!

Additions are variously from Strumpshaw Fen, the beach at Cley, Titchwell Marsh and the mouth of the River Nene (a good seal spot - even more so if you have a scope).


Birds:
315. Little Tern - Sternula albifrons
316. Hobby - Falco subbuteo
317. Spotted Redshank - Tringa erythropus
318. Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus

Mammals:
50. Eurasian Otter - Lutra lutra
51. Chinese Water Deer - Hydropotes inermis
52. Common Seal - Phoca vitulina

Invertebrates:
49. Silver-ground Carpet Moth - Xanthorhoe montanata
50. Red-headed Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis
51. Yellow-barred Long-horn Moth - Nemophora degeerella

52. Two-spotted Ladybird - Adalia bipunctata
53. Common Swallowtail - Papilio machaon
54. European Hornet - Vespa crabro


Little Tern took my 2016 British bird list past last year's total, making this year now officially my highest UK year list total at 179 and counting. :)
 
Few more from Griffith Park today.

Birds
55) Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
56) California Towhee Melozone crissalis

Also saw a rabbit, small bat, and centipede I need to ID. Don't imagine I'll get the later two, though.

~Thylo:cool:

Mammals
11) Brush Rabbit Sylvilagus bachmani

Birds
57) Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii

~Thylo:cool:
 
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