ZooChat Big Year 2019

Great Argus said:
Also a small update:

Birds:

115. White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Reptiles/Amphibians:

4. Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus)

Invertebrates:

10. Jerusalem Cricket (Stenopelmatus fuscus)
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Been awhile, but been getting some species! Birds are slow, migration has been delayed by an unusually wet and cold winter. That said, will have a big jump this coming week as a trip to the coast is always productive. :)

Mammals:

10. California Myotis (Myotis californicus)

Birds:

116. Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

Reptiles/Amphibians

5. Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Invertebrates:

11. Common Yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris)
12. Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
13. Painted Lady (Vanessa cardeui)
 
animal_expert01 said:
Birds:
88. Chestnut Breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax)
89. Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus)

Reptiles:
16. Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii)
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Birds:
90. Pied Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus)

Fish:
19. Ornate Rainbowfish (Rhadinocentrus ornatus)
20. Striped Gudgeon (Gobiomorphus australis)

Also saw a second keelback and a third lace monitor.
 
A few casual additions from the past few days:

INVERTS:
10) Hypositticus pubescens
11) Holly blue, Celastrina argiolus
12) Nursery web spider, Pisaura mirabilis

HERPS:
3) Common toad, Bufo bufo

FISH:
2) Common carp, Cyprinus carpio
 
birdsandbats said:
I went to go check on the aforementioned Great Horned Owl nest today. I'm not the only one who has seen it, other birders have checked in on it, on apparently there are two owlets (I didn't see them). Anyway, I get out of the car, about t walk to the owl to the owl nest, and I hear this:

"Who-cooks-for-you? Who-cooks-for-youall?"

A Barred Owl. I immediately start thinking about that species instead. I see some other birders, who tell me that they had seen the Barred Owl nearby and told me where it was. So I get over there and, no luck. Only Great Horned for me today.

So all I added today was this:

Birds
55. Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
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Birds
56. Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

Finally saw an owlet as well.
 
Najade said:
Mammals
27. Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)


And that's the last for my trip with nothing new the last couple of days. I'm really not good at birding by myself.
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Birds
22. Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)

(I guess there's at least something positive to cyclones.)
 
Some recent local birding.

BIRDS
116. Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
117. Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
118. Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
119. Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
120. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

INVERTS
5. Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria)
6. Common Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
7. Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
 
birdsandbats said:
Birds
56. Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

Finally saw an owlet as well.
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From some birding in the past few days:

Birds
57. Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
58. Brown-Headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
59. Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
60. Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
61. Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
 
Coelacanth18 said:
My Central California trip was a success! For finding my target species, I went 2 for 2 on mammals (sea otter and elephant seal) and 2 for 2 on birds (California condor and yellow-billed magpie). I also got a few unexpected surprises like Wild Turkey, Peregrine Falcon, and a badger crossing a country road in daylight!

Updated list:

Birds
123. Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nutalli) (VU)
124. Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) (NT)
125. Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
126. California Quail (Callipepla californica)
127. Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
128. California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) (CR)
129. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
130. Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
131. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Mammals
9. American Badger (Taxidea taxus)
10. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
10. California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus)
11. Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) (EN)
12. Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris)
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Updates from my boat trip around the Channel Islands last week:

Birds
132. Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea) (NT) [CHANNEL ISLANDS]
133. Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) (VU)
134. Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas) (NT)
135. Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
136. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
137. Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)
138. Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
139. Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) (NT)
140. Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba)
141. Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) (NT)
142. Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)
143. Craveri’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri) (VU)
144. Scripps’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) (VU)

Mammals
14. Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Ardenna creatopus) [CHANNEL ISLANDS]
15. Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
16. Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
17. Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

And update from birding in my neighborhood yesterday. Got quite a few new ones since the migrants started showing up a couple days ago:

Birds
145. Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus)
146. Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
147. Mitred Parakeet (Psittacara mitratus)
148. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
149. Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
150. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
151. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
152. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
153. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
 
One of the most enigmatic and endangered birds in the Netherlands is the Black Grouse. In a time when spectacular creatures such as eagles, ospreys, cranes, boar, jackals and even wolves are on the increase in the Netherlands, the Black grouse slowly fades away. They are fantastic beasts that, to me, are reminiscent of a bygone time. Extinct in all but a single nature reserve, only the Sallandse Heuvelrug supports a tiny relict population, they were my top target this year. And the trip I had last weekend was when it was supposed to happen.

Some time before dawn we reached the Heuvelrug. As the first light peeked over the hills, we could see the spectacular landscape consisting of vast expanses of heath with stands of birch and pine dotted around. The hills in the distance are covered in forest, and at this hour not a single human soul is to be found. Not a grouse soul either, but in the distance we hear their frankly bizarre mating calls for the first time, as they echo over the endless heath. After that, we struggled through about two hour of frustration, with the mist rolling in and out, but never clearing enough for good views. Then, one of my friends, while scanning through his spotting scope, suddenly said “I’ve found three of them!” In one of the birch stands far away we saw a couple of huge, almost turkey-like shapes. Good enough to count – there’s really nothing that can be confused here with an adult grouse -, but by no means a good view.

When the mist finally cleared, the birds were gone. But soon afterwards, I discovered a male sitting on the top of a small pine. In the sunshine, the black feathers on their backs seemed almost blue. Another male flew past, and the two of them flew off into the forest. Within about half an hour after that sighting, we again found a trio, all females, perched in the treetops at the forest’s edge. They eventually all disappeared into the areas of the park were visitors are not allowed. Before any of the joggers, hikers or cyclers arrive, this fantastic display of one of our most enigmatic birds has slipped away again. And it won’t be long before it is completely lost to our country. While there was a brief moment of sadness, we were euphoric that we managed to find them before it would be too late.

Afterwards we visited a few other sites which yielded several more year-list birds, and one lifer, though by far not as specular as the grouse. Best bird, but most easy and boring sighting, was the eagle-owl. Technically not a lifer, but it feels like that, as the only time I had seen one was before I got into birding.

Birds
141. Western Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava (flava)
142. Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius
143. Black Grouse, Lyrurus tetrix
144. Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Bubo bubo
145. Common Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla
146. Eurasian Treecreeper, Certhia familiaris
147. Black-Tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa
148. Pied Avocet, Recurvirostra avocetta
149. Garganey, Spatula querquedula

Invertebrates
31. March dagger moth, Diurnea fagella
32. Morning-glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla
33. Small quacker, Orthosia curda
34. European peacock, Aglais io
 
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Coelacanth18 said:
Updates from my boat trip around the Channel Islands last week:

Birds
132. Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea) (NT) [CHANNEL ISLANDS]
133. Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) (VU)
134. Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas) (NT)
135. Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
136. Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
137. Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)
138. Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
139. Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) (NT)
140. Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba)
141. Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) (NT)
142. Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)
143. Craveri’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri) (VU)
144. Scripps’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) (VU)

Mammals
14. Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Ardenna creatopus) [CHANNEL ISLANDS]
15. Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
16. Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
17. Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

And update from birding in my neighborhood yesterday. Got quite a few new ones since the migrants started showing up a couple days ago:

Birds
145. Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus)
146. Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
147. Mitred Parakeet (Psittacara mitratus)
148. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
149. Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
150. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
151. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
152. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
153. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
Click to expand...

I'm jealous! I was supposed to spend a few days in and around the Channel Islands in 2018 but it was canceled due to bad weather that never came. Another time perhaps.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
A long overdue update:

Mammals
5) White-Tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
6) Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus
7) Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus

Birds
20) Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
21) Rock Pigeon Columba livia
22) Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
23) Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
24) Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis
25) Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
26) Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
27) Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
28) Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
29) Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
30) Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

~Thylo
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Picked up two of my favorite native mammals between last night and this morning:

8) Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
9) Bobcat Lynx rufus

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Picked up two of my favorite native mammals between last night and this morning:

8) Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
9) Bobcat Lynx rufus

~Thylo
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I've still never seen a wild bobcat... weird that they're so common yet incredibly difficult to see in most places.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
I've still never seen a wild bobcat... weird that they're so common yet incredibly difficult to see in most places.
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There's just a ton of them in the town I grew up in. I lived in an extremely wooded area with lots of native wildlife and used to drive around late at night a lot so I would see raccoons, skunks, and opossums pretty regularly along with usually a handful of Bobcats a year. I live in a much more urban area now and every sightings I've had of those species this year has been when I've been visiting friends or family. Today's sighting really surprised me, though, as I was not expecting to see one at all this year let alone in the middle of the day.

I've always struggled with wild mustelids, though, even though they are supposed to be relatively common in my hometown.

~Thylo
 
I had resigned myself to getting no new species in March, as it's been a busy month and I missed the one weekend I had a good chance of heading out to the outskirts of my city to bird. I've also been procrastinating on ID-ing the local gulls and rats, which I might do to bump numbers.

BUT I had another entrant into the list last night, after one of the neighbors in my apartment building texted me: "It's inside come quick!"

Bolted down the stairs to find him chasing the famous "it" around with a broom. "It" had trapped itself in the entrance of the building, where a short set of insurmountable steps prevented "it" from escaping to the outside brush in which my neighbors (but not I) had been consistently seeing "it". I got a cardboard plank and we got "it" out and to freedom after a few minutes of chaos.

Not the most impressive species, but an amusing addition (for me, who had never before spent time focusing on one, and for my neighbors who couldn't understand why I cared so much until I explained Big Year):

Mammals:
7. Asian musk shrew (Suncus murinus) :p
 
Coelacanth18 said:
Mammals
14. Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Ardenna creatopus) [CHANNEL ISLANDS]
15. Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
16. Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
17. Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Click to expand...
Did you skip number 13, or did I miss it somewhere?
 
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