ZooChat Big Year 2014

[nanoboy]

If you sign up to the website you can have the Birdline sightings emailed to you.

They also have functions (for member's only) that identify birding sites in your area, with lists of birds seen there. I'm sure has already used it to work out which sites in and around Darwin to visit!



Hix

And if you sign up to e-Bird, you can do your part to help conservation of birds by uploading your trip lists to the Cornell-affiliated site.

 

[robmv]

A quick detour to a reliable site provided #81 Dipper.

 

[Maguari]

Can't say for sure, but it looks right to me: greyish wings, brown head and a broad white tip to the tail (and it's too small for a Greylag).

Thanks Rob.

As corroboration, I checked the sightings blog and there was a Pink-foot reported on the day before (unfortunately no entry for the 1st itself): (The Avenue Washlands sightings by Ron Turner | Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

So, unless anyone objects, I'm 'aving that!

73. Pink-footed Goose - Anser brachyrhynchus

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Birds
10) Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

~Thylo

Birds
11) Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

~Thylo

 

[boof]

144. Brown Cuckoo-Dove
145. Australian Logrunner
146. Large-Billed Gerygone

 

[mstickmanp]

So after a slow several weeks of birding I went to San Jacinto Wildlife Area in search of a continuing Black-throated Blue Warbler female that has been seen in the area. These guys are normally found in Northeast US so I had to go try and find her, which I did. I also managed to see 19 other new birds on the day.

91. Gadwall
92. American Wigeon
93. Cinnamon Teal
94. Northern Pintail
95. Eared Grebe
96. Common Gallinule
97. Black-necked Stilt
98. American Avocet
99. Least Sandpiper
100. Long-billed Dowitcher
101. Wilson's Snipe
102. White-throated Swift
103. Loggerhead Shrike
104. Tree Swallow
105. Wrentit
106. Sage Thrasher
107. Black-throated Blue Warbler
108. Vesper Sparrow
109. Great-tailed Grackle
110.Brown-headed Cowbird

Since this is my first year birding, my goal was to get 100 species but I passed that I passed that very easily. My new goal is 200, so hopefully I can pass that.

Last Sunday I was able to see one lifer while volunteering at the LA Zoo, although it was a non-countable bird per ABA recording rules. The peafowl is one of a handful birds that roam freely on zoo grounds but are not part of the zoo collection. Indian peafowls, although not common, can be found in several places roaming free in LA county.

* Indian Peafowl

The next day I saw another non-countable lifer right outside my job. Parrots are very common in the San Gabriel Valley (especially in Pasadena) part of LA county and I've seen flocks of over 50 parrots at a time.

* Mitred Parakeet

Today was my first real birding day in over a week. Before getting to work I decided to make a quick stop at a park that has a nicely sized lake in the hopes of seeing some lifers. In 30 minutes I saw 32 species, five of those which were lifers. The big surprise of the day was the pelican.

111. Lesser Scaup
112. American White Pelican
113. Belted Kingfisher
114. Red-crowned Parrot
115. American Goldfinch

 

[lintworm]

birds:

47. Pitta-like ground roller
48. Helmeted guineafowl


Herpetofauna

28. Phelsuma pusilla

I take the Iticyphus miniatus from the list, the snake I saw was maybe that species, but I won't be sure...

 

[arcticwolf]

17. Black capped chickadee
18. House sparrow
19. Mourning dove
20. Downy woodpecker

21. American tree sparrow

 

[jbnbsn99]

Early morning birding today. I got up a few hours before dawn and watched the sun rise over my local wetlands.

127 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis
128 Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus
129 Barn Owl - Tyto alba
130 Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto
131 Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis

 

[robmv]

An afternoon in Ellesmere added #81 Kestrel and #82 Grey Wagtail.

 

[mstickmanp]

Last Sunday I was able to see one lifer while volunteering at the LA Zoo, although it was a non-countable bird per ABA recording rules. The peafowl is one of a handful birds that roam freely on zoo grounds but are not part of the zoo collection. Indian peafowls, although not common, can be found in several places roaming free in LA county.

* Indian Peafowl

The next day I saw another non-countable lifer right outside my job. Parrots are very common in the San Gabriel Valley (especially in Pasadena) part of LA county and I've seen flocks of over 50 parrots at a time.

* Mitred Parakeet

Today was my first real birding day in over a week. Before getting to work I decided to make a quick stop at a park that has a nicely sized lake in the hopes of seeing some lifers. In 30 minutes I saw 32 species, five of those which were lifers. The big surprise of the day was the pelican.

111. Lesser Scaup
112. American White Pelican
113. Belted Kingfisher
114. Red-crowned Parrot
115. American Goldfinch

Went birding today to a park with a very large lake and got 13 new lifers.

116. Greater Scaup
117. Bufflehead
118. Common Merganser
119. Horned Grebe
120. Western Grebe
121. Clark's Grebe
122. Black-crowned Night-heron
123. Turkey Vulture
124. Osprey
125. Spotted Sandpiper
126. Cactus Wren
127. California Gnatcatcher
128. Dark-eyed Junco

 

[Hix]

Birds
141. Australian King Parrot



Hix

 

[Hevden]

The yellow-rumped warbler did stay and was my second lifer of the year on saturday. I also managed to add a few more to my year list around Cleveland on saturday and Nottinghamshire on sunday.

107. Yellow-rumped Warbler
108. Eider
109. Barnacle Goose
110. Siskin
111. Green woodpecker
112. Woodlark
113. Chiffchaff

Another trip to north wales at the weekend added a few more to my yearlist and exceptional views of at least five adult male surf scoter.

114. Great northern diver
115. Slavonian grebe
116. Shag
117. Surf scoter
118. Bittern
119. Snipe

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Birds
11) Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

~Thylo

Birds
12) American Robin Turdus migratorius
13) Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis

At least some enjoyment came out of my dentist appointment

~Thylo

 

[dean]

Can any one help to identify a bird I saw today I hadn't my camera with me alas
It was in one of my gardens, looked at first sight like robin, except it was dark Grey with white stripe to it's wing edge, lighter Grey below and a red tail, rather like a robins breast, it bobbed like a robin too.
It was around an open cart lodge at mid morning and hopping around a low loader trailer this evening rather in the style of a wagtail, looking for insects. The nearest I can come up with from my books is Black red start, but it would seam it's to early for them, and the colouring is wrong from the book.
I'm very intrigued and will try for a photo tomorrow morning.

 

[robmv]

That sounds exactly like a Black Redstart to me - although Common Redstarts are only summer visitors, Black Redstarts are here year round.

 

[dean]

Thanks for that robmv My first ever redstart, Black or otherwise.

 

[JBZvolunteer]

After going on vacation to Florida last week with a stop in Cincinnatti, I have picked up quite a few new species.

Birds

1. american crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
2. american robin Turdus migratorius
   [*]brown creeper Certhia americana
   
3. Black Capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
4. Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
5. northern cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
6. mallard Anas platyrhynchos
7. cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii
8. Dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis
9. Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus
10. Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
11. Common Raven Corvus corax
12. Wood Duck Aix sponsa
13. Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
14. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
15. Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
16. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
17. Great Egret Ardea alba
18. Snowy Egret Egretta thula
19. Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
    [*]Wood Stork Mycteria americana
20. Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
21. Mourning Dove Zenaida morcura
22. American White Ibis Eudocimus albus
23. Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
24. Ring Billed Gull Larus delawarensis
25. Pigeon Columba livia
26. Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
27. Double Crested Comorant Phalacrocorax auritus
28. Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
29. House Sparrow Passer domesticus
    [*]Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
    [*]Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
    [*]White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
30. Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
31. Red Shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
    [*]Broad-Winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
    
32. American Coot Fulica Americana
    [*]Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major
33. Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
    [*]Great Comorant Phalacrocorax carbo
34. Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula

Mammals

1. eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus
2. eastern fox squirrel Sciurus niger
3. virginia opossum Didelphis virgiana
   [*]north american river otter Lontra canadensis
4. eastern gray squirrel Sciurus carolinensis

Reptiles

1. American Alligator Alligator mississippienis
2. Brown Anole Anolis sagrei
3. Six-lined Race Runner Cnemidophorus sexlineatus

 

[BeardsleyZooFan]

I haven't gotten a chance to really go out looking for wildlife (plus we've been getting consistent snow up in the Northeast), so my list isn't nearly as impressive as many others, but here goes nothing;
BIRDS:
1. Herring Gull
2. Mourning Dove
3. American Crow
4. House Sparrow
5. Mallard
6. Canada Goose
7. Wild Turkey

MAMMALS:
1. White-Tailed Deer
2. Eastern Gray Squirrel

8. Northern Cardinal
9. Golden-Crowned Kinglet
10. European Starling
11. Blue Jay
12. American Robin

 

[Ituri]

I did indeed head south, but upping my waterfowl count wasn't all that productive.

86 Redhead

However, another location recently had a couple of female Long-tailed Ducks reported so I headed down south again to try and find them. After much searching, the Long-tailed Ducks failed to show (I feel like I'm missing a lot more often when I twitch this year) but I did have a few other good birds.

87 Red-breasted Merganser
88 Western Grebe
89 Tundra Swan
90 Northern Pintail
91 American Tree Sparrow

And then this afternoon while I was downtown I saw a Peregrine Falcon eating a meal on the ledge of one of the skyscrapers.

92 Peregrine Falcon

Okay, so I haven't done any major birding trips but I have picked up a few year birds here and there.

93 Ring-necked Pheasant
94 Western Meadowlark
95 Sandhill Crane
96 Say's Phoebe
97 Lesser Goldfinch

also, that darn Mute Swan keeps making my count go off, so for now I'm counting it, even though they've yet to be officially put on the Idaho state checklist.