ZooChat Big Year 2019

I was looking for an oriole when a friend called me up that there was a very rare cormorant spotted nearby, so I cycled home as fast as I could. A short drive and a few minutes walking later we found ourselves looking at a cormorant the size of a duck.

Birds
191. Eurasian Golden Oriole, Oriolus oriolus
192. Pygmy Cormorant, Microcarbo pygmeus
193. Common Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula

Invertebrates
91. Scorpion-fly, Panorpa germanica
92. Tortrix moth, Aleimma loeflingiana
93. Red-Legged Shield Bug, Pentatoma rufipes
94. Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus
 
Birded for the first time since more than a month today and boy did I miss it!

05/06/2019 (Issen, Morocco)
BIRDS:
102 - Western Bonelli's warbler, Phylloscopus bonelli
xxx - European nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus [heard only]

04/06/2019
(Issen, Morocco)
INVERTEBRATES:
15 - Bordered straw, Heliothis peltigera

My first ever nightjar although I couldn't locate it!

06/06/2019 (Issen, Morocco)
BIRDS:

103 - Barbary falcon, Falco pelegrinoides

HERPS:
4 - Sahara frog, Pelophylax saharicus
 
Received a very pleasing late-night roadside reward for acting as designated driver on last night's pub trip:

Mammals:
30. Eurasian Badger - Meles meles

:)
 
Mammals
15) New England Cottontail Sylvilagus transitionalis

~Thylo

One I've forgotten to add, and another from a couple days ago.

Mammals
16) Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus

Reptiles
10) Black Ratsnake Pantherophis obsoletus

Unfortunately the ratsnake, along with most I see nowadays, was heavily infected with snake fungal disease :(

~Thylo
 
Long overdue for an update. I will start with birds. This will bring me current on birds.

Birds:

82. Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
83. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
84. Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
85. Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
86. Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
87. Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
88. Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
89. Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
90. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
91. Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
92. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
93. Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
94. Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
95. Great Egret Ardea alba
96. Snowy Egret Egretta thula
97. Willet Tringa semipalmata
98. Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
99. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
100. Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
101. Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
102. Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
103. Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
104. Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
105. Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
106. Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
107. Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
108. House Wren Troglodytes aedon
109. Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
110. Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
111. American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
112. Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
113. Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
114. Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
115. Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
116. Northern Parula Setophaga americana
117. Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
118. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
119. Least Tern Sternula antillarum
120. Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii
121. Common Tern Sterna hirundo
122. Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
123. Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
124. emipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
125. Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
126. Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
127. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea
128. Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
129. Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
130. Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
131. American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
132. Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
133. Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
134. Veery Catharus fuscescens
135. Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
136. Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
137. Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
138. Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
139. Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
140. Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
141. Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
142. Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
143. Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
144. Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
145. Purple Martin Progne subis
146. Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
147. Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
148. Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
149. Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
150. Green Heron Butorides virescens
151. Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
152. Saltmarsh Sparrow Ammospiza caudacuta
 
Forgot one:

Birds
143. Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
A pair of long-awaited lifers and a nice vagrant from birding today:

Birds
144. Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
145. American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
146. Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
147. Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
148. Black Tern Chlidonias niger
149. Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
150. Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
151. Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
152. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Mammals

10. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
11. American Mink Neovison vison
12. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
 
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That should be Gallinula galeata I expect! :)

Nice set of species there on your last update!
Yes, it should be.
A pair of long-awaited lifers and a nice vagrant from birding today:

Birds
144. Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
145. American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
146. Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
147. Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
148. Black Tern Chlidonias niger
149. Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
150. Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
151. Common Gallinule Himantopus mexicanus
152. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Mammals

10. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
11. American Mink Neovison vison
12. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
Birds
153. Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
 
Hi,I want to partecipate.
I've visited three places during these months:
Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (2018-2019), London and Sharm El Sheikh,and I saw a lot of birds;

1) Hooded crow

2) House sparrow

3) White wagtail

4) Common myna (Lifer)

5) Common egret

6) Eurasian jackdaw (Lifer)

7) Hoopoe (Lifer)

8) Laughing dove (Lifer)

9) Western reef egret (Lifer)

10) Mangrove heron (Lifer)

11) White-eyed gull (Lifer)

12) Hoodes wheatear (Lifer)

13) Rock dove

14) Grey heron

15) Great tit (Lifer)

16) Wood pigeon

17) Common raven

18) Common shag

19) Coot

20) Common moorhen

21) Black-headed gull

22) Eurasian magpie

23) Common blackbird

24) Tufted duck (Lifer)

25) Greylag goose

26) European robin

27) Common starling

28) Common swallow

29) Pallid mountain swallow (Lifer; I don't know if this is its English name)

30) Great crested grebe (Lifer)







Outside them,I can mention other species seen in Italy;

Blue tit (Lifer)
Alpine cough
Common swift
Chaffinch
 
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06/06/2019 (Issen, Morocco)
BIRDS:

103 - Barbary falcon, Falco pelegrinoides

HERPS:
4 - Sahara frog, Pelophylax saharicus

When I saw that a Western reef heron (a rare vagrant in Morocco) had been reported close to Essaouira, I couldn't pass the chance to check it out; even though road conditions meant driving there took 3 hours despite the city "only" being 175km away from Agadir.

I think I did well because I probably have had my best birding day in recent memory if not ever

11/06/2019
BIRDS:
(Smimou, Morocco)
104 - Common house martin, Delichon urbicum

(Oued Ksob, Morocco)
105 - Eleonora's falcon, Falco eleonorae
106 - Little grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis
107 - Common moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
108 - Red-knobbed coot, Fulica cristata
109 - Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius
110 - Western reef-heron, Egretta gularis

111 - Common redshank, Tringa totanus

(Random spot at Route Nationale N1, Morocco)
112 - Black kite, Milvus migrans

(Tamri Estuary, Morocco)
113 - Red-crested pochard, Netta rufina

To summarize:
- My first successful twitch ever after dipping on two other species previously
- 7 lifers including 3 "highlight" species (species that I've always wanted to see here, especially the very localized Eleonora's falcon) and 3 common species that I've kept on missing on (especially the Little ringed plover)
- Other highlights such as a group of 6 Northern bald ibises by the road which let me get very close and which I've taken decent picture of

All-in-all, an amazing day!
 
I noticed that my checklist wasn't so accurate.
This is the right one (the birds aren't in order)

1. Grey heron
2. Little egret
3. Western reef egret (L)
4. Striated heron (L)
5. White wagtail
6. White stork
7. Blue tit (L)
8. Great tit (L)
9. Wood pigeon
10. Great cormorant
11. Hooded crow
12. Carrion crow
13. Coot
14. Common moorhen
15. Black-headed gull
16. White-Eyed gull (L)
17. Eurasian chaffinch
18. Welcome swallow
19. Eurasian swift
20. Pale crag martin (L)
21. Mallard
22. Greylag goose
23. Tufted duck (L)
24. Common magpie
25. Hooded wheatear (L)
26. Rock dove
27. Eurasian collared dove
28. Laughing dove (L)
29. Common myna (L)
30. Eurasian jackdaw (L)
31. Common hoopoe (L)
32. House sparrow
33. European robin (L)
34. Great crested grebe (L)
35. Alpine chough
36. European blackbird
37. Common starling (L)

"L" stands for "Lifer"


-Mammals

1. Red fox (L)
2. House mouse
 
Additions from Sunday spent at Rutland Water and Glapthorn Cow Pasture. The first day of the year for me where all the major practicably-identifiable insect groups felt really out in force - Lepidoptera, Odonata, longhorn beetles and large hoverflies in particular. One notable animal not eligible for the list were some cracking scorpionflies (Panorpa sp.) at Glapthorn. Might be a few more invert IDs from this day to follow.

Birds:
224. Garden Warbler - Sylvia borin
225. Western Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

(UK: 172 - Eurasian Hobby also added to the UK list, previously seen this year in Poland)

Invertebrates:
40. Variable Longhorn - Stenocorus meridianus
41. Black Hairstreak - Satyrium pruni

42. Green-veined White - Pieris napi
43. Red-headed Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis
44. Scarce Chaser - Libellula fulva
45. Thick-legged Flower Beetle - Oedemera nobilis
46. Chimney Sweeper - Odezia atrata
47. Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum
48. Azure Damselfly - Coenagrion puella
49. Black-striped Longhorn - Strenurella melanura
50. Blue-tailed Damselfly - Ischnura elegans
51. Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn - Agapanthia villosoviridescens
52. Meadow Brown - Manolia jurtina
53. Spotted Longhorn - Rutpela maculata
54. Tapered Dronefly - Eristalis pertinax
55. Blotch-winged Hoverfly - Leucozona lucorum
56. Four-spotted Chaser - Libellula quadrimaculata
57. Cossus Hoverfly - Volucella inflata
58. Black-tailed Skimmer - Orthetrum cancellatum
59. Sixteen-spot Ladybird - Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata

:)
 
I had a great day in the Biesbosch recently which yielded several year birds and many other great sightings. Highlight was the dawn chorus at 5.00 in the willow forest. Everything was filled with the songs of nightingales, redstarts, tits, thrushes, finches and a dozen warbler species. A while later a rare falcon was spotted close to home, so I went to see it and I've now completed my set of Dutch falcons (except vagrants) on my life list.

Birds
194. Mediterranean Gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
195. Little Egret, Egretta garzetta
196. Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus
197. Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola*
198. Common Nightingale, Luscinia megarhynchos
199. Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea
200. Red-Footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus

Invertebrates
95. Great Green Bush Cricket, Tettigonia viridissima
96. Weevil, Chlorophanus viridis
97. Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui

* The bufflehead I saw was almost certainly the same individual that has been hanging around in the Biesbosch during summers since 2016. This individual is considered a true vagrant by the authorities and may be the same one I saw last year in Barendrecht. If the authorities decide otherwise I'll remove the bird from my list.
 
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