ZooChat Big Year 2015

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Hix said:
Really? Were you out spotlighting?

:p

Hix
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No. Are they nocturnal?

But actually, I am wrong, they are black-shouldered kites. I misremembered what I ID'd them as last year, and didn't check the book (they are the same pair I think).

So it should be:
78 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris


And then today I saw another new species when walking the dog:
99 Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
 
zooboy28 said:
No. Are they nocturnal?
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Yes. Black-shouldered is more commonly sighted (being diurnal) and often misidentified as Letterwing. And they are very similar.

:p

Hix
 
Spent the evening touring the nearer parts of the Peak District wildlife spotting at a few favoured sites. Had five or six target species in mind and found three:

125. Red Grouse - Lagopus lagopus
126. Ring Ouzel - Turdus torquatus

14. Daubenton's Bat - Myotis daubentonii


:)
 
mstickmanp said:
209. California Gnatcatcher
210. Lark Sparrow
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Got a report that a Ruff was found yesterday about 15 miles from my house, so I had to go chase it today! There is another Ruff that has been in Los Angeles for the last month or so, but it's about 70 miles from my house...in LA traffic that is a good 2 hour drive one way. Not only was the Ruff a lifer, but I also got another lifer and a nice little swift.

211. Ruff
212. Solitary Sandpiper
213. Vaux's Swift
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Forgot to note that I got another new bird for the year list locally a few days ago.

109. Common blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
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Another spring bird has arrived locally, which I managed to find today:

110. Common whitethroat Sylvia communis

I also got my first reptile of the year:

1. Slow worm Anguis fragilis

I am now only 21 birds away from equalling the whole of last year - I reckon I could easily beat it, since I am heading back to Norfolk again this year.
 
Ituri said:
Birds:
169 Cinnamon Teal
170 Black-necked Stilt
171 American Avocet
172 Sagebrush Sparrow
173 House Wren
174 Great-tailed Grackle
175 Clark's Grebe
176 Marbled Godwit
177 Barn Swallow
178 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
179 Brown-headed Cowbird
180 Juniper Titmouse
181 Fox Sparrow
182 Bonaparte's Gull
183 Cliff Swallow
184 Blue-winged Teal
185 Greater Yellowlegs

Amphibians:
1 Pacific Tree Frog
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186 White-faced Ibis
187 Long-billed Dowitcher
188 Caspian Tern
189 Western Sandpiper
190 Franklin's Gull
191 Loggerhead Shrike
192 Chipping Sparrow
193 Lincoln's Sparrow
194 Western Kingbird
195 Lesser Yellowlegs
196 Common Yellowthroat
197 Violet-green Swallow
 
Hevden said:
A day around north wales kept my list ticking over on saturday.

172. Black grouse (20+ males lekking)
173. Peregrine
174. Kittiwake
175. Guillemot
176. Chough
177. Sand martin
178. House martin
179. Blackcap
180. Reed warbler

Finally managed to find a rarity in cheshire this morning with two Black-winged stilts. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, they only stayed an hour after I found them.

181. Whitethroat
182. Short-eared owl
183. Black-winged stilt
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I painfully dipped on husonian godwit on Saturday missing it by 30mins. However I did get some good year ticks as a consolation.

184. Common sandpiper
185. Common crane
186. Wood sandpiper
187. Cuckoo
188. Arctic tern

And a couple more today

189. Pied-billed grebe
190. Spotted redshank
 
I went looking for little bitterns at a nearby lake that is supposed to have a few breeding pairs and failed.

Did see a fish though:
4) Roach
 
Somehow, like usual, my mammal count has gotten off. Here's a full accounting to correct it.

1 Coyote - Canis latrans
2 Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus
3 Wapiti - Cervus canadensis
4 Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana
5 Eastern Fox Squirrel - Sciurus niger
6 Mountain Cottontail - Sylvilagus nuttallii
7 Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes
8 Common Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus
9 Northern Pocket Gopher - Thomomys talpoides
10 American Red Squirrel - Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
11 Piute Ground Squirrel - Spermophilus mollis
12 Long-tailed Weasel - Mustela frenata
13 Moose - Alces americanus
14 Douglas Squirrel - Tamiasciurus douglasii
15 Harbor Seal - Phoca vitulina
16 California Sea-Lion - Zalophus californianus
17 Eastern Gray Squirrel - Sciurus carolinensis
18 Belding's Ground Squirrel - Spermophilus beldingi
19 White-tailed Deer - Odocoileus virginianus
20 Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus
21 Yellow-bellied Marmot - Marmota flaviventris
 
Pleistohorse said:
Birds:
10. Red-breasted Nuthatch
11. White-winged Crossbill
12. Pine Siskin
13. Cackling Goose
12. Canada Goose
13. Common Goldeneye
14. Red-necked Grebe
15. Northern Harrier
16. Red-tailed Hawk
17. Mew Gull
18. Glaucous-winged Gull
19. Boreal Chickadee

Mammals:
5. Dall Sheep
6. Mountain Goat
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20. Dark-eyed Junco
21. Greater Scaup
 
Oh, just another birding weekend...

Camping in central Texas.

306 Western Kingbird - Tyrannus verticalis
307 Bell's Vireo - Vireo bellii
308 Yellow-throated Vireo - Vireo flavifrons
309 Field Sparrow - Spizella pusilla
310 Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus
311 Nashville Warbler - Oreothlypis ruficapilla
312 Lesser Nighthawk - Chordeiles acutipennis
313 Common Poorwill - Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
314 Chuck-will's-widow - Antrostomus carolinensis
315 Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo
316 Black-capped Vireo - Vireo atricapilla
317 Yellow-breasted Chat - Icteria virens
318 Cassin's Sparrow - Peucaea cassinii
319 Bullock's Oriole - Icterus bullockii

I now have 290 in Texas alone.
 
Just three to add from this weekend:

168. Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)
169. Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
170. Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
 
Mammals:

22. Gray Fox
23. Axis Deer

The Axis are a long-standing introduced species in central Texas that have a self-sustaining breeding population for many decades. They are included in official checklists and field guides.
 
Axis count too me provided the fence is under 8 feet high. Aoudad, Sika, Fallow, Blackbuck, Mouflon, Nilgai, and Emus too. Gemsbok in New Mexico are fair & legit in my book as well!
 
Pleistohorse said:
Axis count too me provided the fence is under 8 feet high. Aoudad, Sika, Fallow, Blackbuck, Mouflon, Nilgai, and Emus too. Gemsbok in New Mexico are fair & legit in my book as well!
Click to expand...

There were two groups. Both outside of the fence.
 
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