ZooChat Big Year 2013

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I think Ituri is still winning, but hopefully I am closing the gap.

127) Eastern Towhee
128) Blue-winged Teal
129) Eastern Phoebe
130) Turkey Vulture
131) American Woodcock
132) Tree Swallow
133) American Pipit
134) Horned Grebe
135) Eared Grebe
136) Common Loon
137) Pine Warbler
138) Lesser Yellowlegs
139) Western Grebe
140) American Golden-plover
141) Greater Yellowlegs
142) Pectoral Sandpiper
143) Eurasian Tree Sparrow

I have also gotten 10 life birds this year, which are American Black Duck, White-winged Crossbill, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull, Barrow's Goldeneye, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Pine Warbler, Western Grebe, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and Brewer's Blackbird.
 
I made a little mistake by including the european sparrowhawk twice in my list ;)

But I spotted species 98 for this year:

98. White wagtail

@KCzoofan, in North America there is just more to see in winter, we still have to live without any swallows untill now in the Netherlands for example. But in the next 2 months many species will come back fortunately :). So in time we might catch up ;)
 
@KCzoofan, in North America there is just more to see in winter, we still have to live without any swallows untill now in the Netherlands for example. But in the next 2 months many species will come back fortunately :). So in time we might catch up ;)[/QUOTE]

I think North America is just better overall than the Netherlands. Winter months lack at least 60% of our species, maybe more. No swallows winter in my area, but 6 species breed. Checking some sources, the top birders in the Netherlands got between 100-135 species last year, I know at least 15 people in Kansas who surpassed that.
 
@KCZoofan, check your sources ;) the topbirder last year got 340 species in NL, which is a record. There are about 300 species which are regularly seen in the Netherlands, of which about 200 are breeding.

And of course North America overall is better than the Netherlands, but that's not strange as 38 of 50 american states are larger than the Netherlands ;).

But on all american lists I see species like swallows etc, species we are still waiting to arrive. That's the point I wanted to make.
 
I was at Sydney Olympic park last November which has lots of varying habitat, lake, mangrove, woodland, trees, shrubs, grassland and in about two hours or so I counted about 40 species without really trying and there was other lbj types which I did'nt quite id.
I was amazed at the sheer amount and variety of bird species that could be easily observed just in the City area and parks.
A lazy birdwatchers dream.
I was also fascinated by the similarity in cheeky behavior and appearance of the Noisy miner (honeyeater) and the introduced Indian Myna (starling), and it was a while before I could easily tell them apart.
 
I was at Sydney Olympic park last November which has lots of varying habitat, lake, mangrove, woodland, trees, shrubs, grassland and in about two hours or so I counted about 40 species without really trying

That's good to hear, I'm heading up there next week with my camera.

:p

Hix
 
20) Ruby Crowned Kinglet
21) American Kestrel
22) Carolina Chickadee
23) House Finch
24) Common Grackle
25) Great-Tailed Grackle
26) Dark-eyed Junco
27) Downy Woodpecker
28) Red-Shouldered Hawk

Working on a few different sparrows.
 
Just got back from a zoology field trip to Devon and managed to add some nice species despite the awful weather.

Birds:
63) European nuthatch
64) Common raven

Mammals:
9) Red deer
10) Wood mouse
11) Bank vole
12) Roe deer

Fish:
2) European eel
 
115 Baird's Sandpiper - Calidris bairdii
116 Herring Gull - Larus argentatus
117 Greater Roadrunner
118 Merlin - Falco columbarius
119 Pine Warbler - Setophaga pinus
120 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea
121 Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia
122 Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina
123 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea
124 Wilson's Phalarope - Phalaropus tricolor
125 White-eyed Vireo - Vireo griseus
126 Swainson's Hawk - Buteo swainsoni
127 American Golden-Plover - Pluvialis dominica
128 Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria
129 Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea
130 Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus
131 Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri
132 Cinnamon Teal - Anas cyanoptera
133 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Tyrannus forficatus
 
Mniotilta - I thought it was a typo until I checked (it's not a typo).

Doesn't look latin or greek, it just looks wrong! Thank goodnes it's monospecific. Does anyone know its etymology?

How does one pronounce it in Nth America?

:p

Hix
 
Mniotilta means "moss-plucker", from Greek mnion "seaweed" and tillo "to pluck"

How do you say it? Not a clue!
 
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