ZooChat Big Year 2018

[animal_expert01]

Birds:
37. Channel Billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae)

Reptiles:
9. Common Garden Skink (Lampropholis guichenoti)

Mammals:
4. House Mouse (Mus musculus)

Birds:
38. Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
39. Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata)
40. Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus)
41. Bush Turkey (Alectura lathami)

Invertebrates:
3. Daddy Long Legs (Pholcidae sp)
4. Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

 

[Mehdi]

3. Daddy Long Legs (Pholcidae sp)

I'm pretty sure you have to know the exact species to list it...

 

[Chlidonias]

Invertebrates:
3. Daddy Long Legs (Pholcidae sp)

I'm pretty sure you have to know the exact species to list it...

It is kind of like listing "Antelope (Bovidae sp)"

 

[ThylacineAlive]

A few more I know I saw but forgot to add last night:

Mammals
18) Mexican Rock Squirrel Otospermophilus variegatus

Birds
68) Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
69) Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

~Thylo

One mammal from today and four more birds which slipped my mind and my notes...

Mammals
Eastern Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis

Birds
70) Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
71) North American Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
72) Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
73) Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans

~Thylo

 

[Swampy]

Mammals:
4. Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes

 

[Vision]

BIRDS:
74) Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla

 

[jayjds2]

Birds
7. European starling
8. Blue jay
9. American robin
10. Pileated woodpecker

Inverts
1/25/18
1. House fly

Birds

1/26/18
11. Feral pigeon

1/27/18
12. Ring-billed gull
13. Slate-colored junco (ssp. carolinensis)
14. White-breasted nuthatch
15. Field sparrow
16. Downy woodpecker
17. Northern mockingbird

To be honest, I got more than I expected from today. Birding is not my forte, but hopefully this signals the start of me getting better at it. Step by step...

 

[birdsandbats]

13. Slate-colored junco (ssp. carolinensis)
14. White-breasted nuthatch.

Slate-Colored Junco? What taxonomy are you using?

 

[Vision]

@birdsandbats subspecies hyemalis, carolinensis and cismontanus of dark-eyed junco are usually called "slate-colored junco," according to Wikipedia.
However, when deciding not to use scientific names, it would make it easier for everyone to stick to the "official" common names of whatever bird list you're using @jayjds2

 

[DesertRhino150]

Went out early this morning to a local watchpoint that has been seeing all manner of interesting woodland birds. Struck very lucky here, with three new species one of which was a lifer (my first for the year):

76. Bohemian waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
77. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes
78. Goldcrest Regulus regulus

This was followed by a brief walk at Heybridge gravel pits - the tide was out on this visit and allowed me to see two new waders plus a third bird on the pits themselves:

79. Black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa (NT)
80. Little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
81. Pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

Also gradually seeing more insects; my second species for my bee and wasp list came in through the window a couple of nights back and my first ladybird was seen earlier this afternoon:

2. Ichneumon wasp Ophion obscuratus

1. Seven-spot ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

Another new bird for my year list turned up in the garden today:

82. Grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

A small trip to a local area didn't yield as much birds as expected. In fact it was almost devoid of any birds, but among the very few birds I saw was one year-bird. The lark was seen on the farmland on my way back. I did have some succes with identifying early inverts.

Birds
106. Brambling [Fringilla montifringilla]
107. Eurasian skylark [Alauda arvensis]

Invertebrates
2. "Dung beetle" [Typhaeus typhoeus]
3. Brown centipede [Lithobius forficatus]

 

[jayjds2]

Slate-Colored Junco? What taxonomy are you using?

@birdsandbats subspecies hyemalis, carolinensis and cismontanus of dark-eyed junco are usually called "slate-colored junco," according to Wikipedia.
However, when deciding not to use scientific names, it would make it easier for everyone to stick to the "official" common names of whatever bird list you're using @jayjds2

Yes, as Vision explains, I was referring to J. hyemalis carolinensis, which is a morph and subspecies of dark-eyed junco. The common name for it is slate colored junco, and all the juncos in the area are referred to as such by birders. I figured the ssp name was enough to avoid confusion.

 

[Swampy]

I actually went birding today A trip to Oare Marshes brought me a few species, but nothing massively unusual.
Birds
46. Northern Shoveler, Spatula clypeata
47. European Stonechat, Saxicola rubicola
48. Eurasian Teal, Anas crecca
49. Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula
50. Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
51. Common Coot, Fulica atra
52. Northern Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus
53. Common Redshank, Tringa totanus
54. Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis
55. Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
56. Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa
57. Pied Avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta
58. Ruddy Turnstone, Arenaria interpres
59. Western Marsh Harrier, Circus aeruginosus
60. Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata
61. Eurasian Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus
62. Sanderling, Calidris alba

 

[LaughingDove]

66) European Goldfinch

Additions from wild in Warsaw Zoo and a bit of a walk along the nearby Vistula River: (including quite a few species that are usually only summer visitors)

67) Dunnock
68) Eurasian Sparrowhawk
69) Common Chaffinch
70) European Robin
71) Common Starling
72) Common Pheasant

4) House Mouse
5) Brown Rat

 

[robmv]

Today's diversion on the return drive took me to Howden Reservoir in Derbyshire (thanks to Maguari for the intel):

111. Parrot Crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus)

After doing a bit of research, I've decided to remove this species from my list as I can't be 100% certain of the identification (about 95%, but that's not good enough for a lifer).

However, a trip to Chester Zoo today added a couple of species:

111. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
112. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

After doing a bit of research, I've decided to remove this species from my list as I can't be 100% certain of the identification (about 95%, but that's not good enough for a lifer).

That's really a shame. They are nice birds but identification is not easy. Any plans to try again?

I came across what must have been a mixed flock of common and parrot crossbills last year. I too couldn't be 100% sure I actually saw parrot crossbills.

 

[robmv]

That's really a shame. They are nice birds but identification is not easy. Any plans to try again?

Perhaps. It's too far for a day trip, but work may take me up that way again soon.

 

[Swampy]

Birds:
63. European Greenfinch, Chloris chloris

 

[Maguari]

Perhaps. It's too far for a day trip, but work may take me up that way again soon.

That's really a shame. They are nice birds but identification is not easy. Any plans to try again?

I came across what must have been a mixed flock of common and parrot crossbills last year. I too couldn't be 100% sure I actually saw parrot crossbills.

A shame indeed. They were a bit better behaved when I was up there, and I was able to give them a good eyeball and get some photos - not very artistic photos, mostly little more than silhouettes, but good for checking bill profiles!

 

[boof]

30/1/2018
101. common blackbird