ZooChat Big Year 2020

On a ferry trip between between Sorrento and Queenscliff, the highlight of which was watching the gannets diving for fish.

347. Black-faced cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens
 
Mallacoota eastern Victoria, a little post-dinner birdwatching

348. Eastern curlew Numenius madagascariensis
349. White-headed pigeon Columba leucomela
 
A little spotlighting Mammals

46. Koala Phascolarctos cinereus
 
Mallacoota morning walk. It probably comes as no surprise to learn that the bush around here was extremely badly burnt in last summers bushfires. What is amazing is that I saw no indication of damage to buildings. In many cases buildings are still standing only metres away from what must have been a ferocious forest fire. Only one bird to add to the list.

350. Eastern whipbird Psophodes olivaceus
 
Seen spotlighting at Mulligans Flat, Canberra

Mammals,

47. Eastern quoll Dasyurus viverrinus
48, Eastern bettong Bettongia gaimardi

Birds

351. Bush stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius
 
Lunch stop on the drive home at Chiltern National Park

Birds

352. Yellow-tufted honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops

Reptiles

23. Eastern bearded dragon Pogona barbata
24. Eastern brown snake Pseudonaja textilis
 
Another overdue update trying to get everything current before the end of the year.
2020 actually turned out as my 3rd highest total for bird species in a year and best in nearly 30 years. The lost Common Cuckoo that showed up in Rhode Island was my 500th lifebird. Several species that I saw this year, I haven't seen in years and some only once before.

Birds:
185. Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
186. Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
187. Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
188. Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
189. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea
190. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
191. Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
192. Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
193. Common Raven Corvus corax
194. Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
195. Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
196. Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
197. Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
198. Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
199. Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
200. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
201. Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
202. Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
203. Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
204. Redhead Aythya americana
205. Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
206. Nelson's Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
207. Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
208. Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
209. Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
210. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
211. Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
212. Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
213. Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
214. Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
215. Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
216. Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
 
Some observations missed previously

Reptiles

25. Eastern water skink Eulamprus quoyii (Mogo Zoo)

Fish

3. Western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis (Moonlit Sanctuary)
4. Spotted galaxias Galaxias truttaceus (Moonlit Sanctuary)

Invertebrates

30. Green grocer cicada Cyclochila australasiae (Mallacoota)
31. Meadow argus Junonia villida (Mulligans Flat)
32. Willow-herb day-moth Phalaenoides tristifica (Mulligans Flat)
33. Black spot moth Epicoma melanospila (Moonlit Sanctuary)
34. Spiny spider Austracantha minax (Moonlit Sanctuary)
 
Dannelboyz said:
Left East Gippsland to head up to the mallee for a week now that restrictions have eased (Cicadabird was in Gippsland but the rest are mallee species). Travelling in a loop from Little Desert up to Murray-Sunset and finishing up in the Terricks, I got some excellent birds for the trip including four lifer birds and several rare Vic birds I've only seen once or twice before. I was targeting the family of Ground Cuckooshrikes that had been reported in Wyperfeld NP throughout the lockdown and was stoked to get excellent views of both adults and all three fledglings. Striated Grasswren was another highlight - this bird is highly sought after and I had previously only seen the back end of a bird running rodent-like along the ground from me. After searching through the Triodia-dominated mallee in Hattah for over five hours on Thursday with no luck, I spotted one from the car on the way back. We all hopped out and managed views of a grasswren carrying a spider in its bill running towards us!!! We were all within metres of the bird watching it out in the open. One of the most prominent birdwatchers in Australia was with us at at the time and he described it as best grasswren encounter he had ever experienced.

With 310 birds in Victoria for the year including two heard-onlies, I have passed last year's Victorian total of 303! I have also reached a total life list of 359 Victorian birds, all seen.

BIRDS
294 - Common Cicadabird (Edolisoma tenuirostre)
295 - Bush Stone-Curlew (Burhinus grallarius)
296 - Slender-billed Thornbill (Acanthiza iredalei)
-- Little Buttonquail (Turnix velox) [heard only]
297 - Masked Woodswallow (Artamus personatus)
298 - Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus)
299 - Ground Cuckooshrike (Coracina maxima)
300 - Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)
301 - Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis)
302 - Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps)
303 - Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
304 - Striated Grasswren (Amytornis striatus)
305 - White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)
-- Rufous Songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi) [heard only]
306 - Grey-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis)
307 - Stubble Quail (Coturnix pectoralis)
308 - Plumed Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni)

MAMMALS
39 - Feral Goat (Capra aegagrus)*

REPTILES
22 - Painted Dragon (Ctenophorus pictus)
23 - Shingleback (Tiliqua rugosa)
24 - Southern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus intermedius)
25 - Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)
25 - Mallee Dragon (Ctenophorus fordi)
26 - Sand Goanna (Varanus gouldii)
27 - Tree Dtella (Gehyra variegata)
28 - Regal Striped Skink (Ctenotus regius)
Click to expand...
Fair bit of birding in the last month :) Not a bad year list so far, considering I haven't left Victoria.

BIRDS
-- Australian Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea) [heard]
310 - Lewin's Rail (Lewinia pectoralis)
311 - Wandering Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata)
312 - Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)
-- Rufous Bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti) [heard]
313 - Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (Hylacola pyrrhopygia)
314 - Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata)
315 - Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
316 - Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
317 - Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis)
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Invertebrates
43. Celtis Leaf Beetle Menippus cynicus
45. Humped Golden Orb-weaver Nephila plumipes
46. Leaf-curling Spider Phonognatha graeffei
Click to expand...
WhistlingKite24 said:
I visited another local wetlands today. Highlights included lots of fiddler crabs (which I will try and get identified to species level when I update invertebrates) and a nice pair of Brahminy Kites that patrolled the mangroves. Grey Kangaroos were also common along the walking trails. An assortment of fairywrens, fantails, bee-eaters, yellow-faced honeyeaters and kingfishers were also seen along with one surprising lifer.

Birds
126. Grey Shrikethrush Colluricincla harmonica
Click to expand...
I went to Nudgee Beach Wetlands Boardwalk yesterday which is an excellent spot to tick off some mangrove specialists. I saw lots of Brown Honeyeaters along the mangrove boardwalk that were purposefully confusing me, pretending to be Mangrove Honeyeaters. :p I was also delighted to see 100s of waders (including some juvenile stilts) from the bird hide but just as I was about to lift my binoculars to try and test my limited wader id skills, a low-flying sea eagle sent them all into a panicked flight. I will have to try again soon as that spot seems to be a pretty reliable area for waders. Today at the local park, I was surprised to see a new resident amongst the reeds near a small stream and I later confirmed it as an Australian Reed-warbler. Really nice addition for the list and it just goes to show the surprises that come with wildlife watching even close to home.

I have also finally gotten around to updating inverts (mainly species that are easier to identify than most). Highlight for 2020 has been seeing Australia’s largest species of bee – Great Carpenter Bee Xylocopa aruana. They are huge! Invert no. 46 [Leaf-curling Spider] is actually meant to be no. 45 as I accidently skipped no. 44.

Birds
127. Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster
128. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
129. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
130. Australian Reed warbler Acrocephalus australis

Fish
3. Mozambique Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus

Invertebrates
46. Cluster Caterpillar Spodoptera litura
47. Sea-green Jumping Spider Cosmophasis thalassina
48. Dotted-head Acacia Beetle Calomela maculicollis
49. Green Jumping Spider Mopsus mormon
50. Great Carpenter Bee Xylocopa aruana
51. Brown Cockchafer Rhopaea magnicornis
52. Caper White Belenois java
53. Brown Flower Beetle Glycyphana stolata
54. Fiddle Beetle Eupoecila australasiae
55. Spotted Flower Chafer Neorrhina punctatum
56. Mango Planthopper Colgaroides acuminata
57. Cowboy Beetle Chondropyga dorsalis
58. Harlequin Hibiscus Bug Tectocoris diophthalmus
59. Neon Cuckoo Bee Thyreus nitidulus
60. Rice Weevil Sitophilus oryzae
61. Grass Webworm Herpetogramma licarsisalis
62. Asian Tramp Snail Bradybaena similaris
63. Wandering Ringtail Austrolestes leda
64. Common Flatwing Austroargiolestes icteromelas
65. Yellow-striped Flutterer Rhyothemis phyllis
66. Caper Gull Cepora perimale
67. Common Brown Ringlet Hypocysta metirius
68. Chequered Swallowtail Papilio demoleus
69. Yellow-shouldered Ladybird Apolinus lividigaster
70. Compressed Fiddler Crab Tubuca coarctata
71. Swamp Tiger Danaus affinis
72. Perplexing Fiddler Crab Austruca perplexa
73.Orange-spotted Ladybird Orcus australasiae

 
WhistlingKite24 said:
I saw lots of Brown Honeyeaters along the mangrove boardwalk that were purposefully confusing me, pretending to be Mangrove Honeyeaters.
Click to expand...
I know that feeling! It didn't help that the Slater field guide I had with me in Brisbane had duplicated the Pied Honeyeater map for the Brown Honeyeater, meaning the east coast was missing from its distribution.

I still haven't seen a Mangrove Honeyeater.
 
Mammals:
11. Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus
12. North American River Otter Lontra canadensis
13. Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus
Fishes:
7. Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
8. Striped Bass Morone saxatilis
9. Scup Stenotomus chrysops
10. Northern Kingfish Menticirrhus saxatilis
11. Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus
12. Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides
13. Chain Pickerel Esox niger

This completes the vertebrates so far for the year, still working on the inverts.
 
Chlidonias said:
I know that feeling! It didn't help that the Slater field guide I had with me in Brisbane had duplicated the Pied Honeyeater map for the Brown Honeyeater, meaning the east coast was missing from its distribution.

I still haven't seen a Mangrove Honeyeater.
Click to expand...

:eek: But why? They look completely different.
 
Ituri said:
233 Sanderling - Calidris alba
234 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis
235 Swallow-tailed Kite - Elanoides forficatus
236 Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus
Click to expand...

Not a lot since last update back in August but here goes...
237 Blue-headed Vireo - Vireo solitarius
238 Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
239 Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
240 Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata
241 Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis
242 Yellow-billed Loon - Gavia adamsii
243 Eastern Screech-Owl - Megascops asio
 
Ituri said:
Not a lot since last update back in August but here goes...
237 Blue-headed Vireo - Vireo solitarius
238 Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
239 Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
240 Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata
241 Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis
242 Yellow-billed Loon - Gavia adamsii
243 Eastern Screech-Owl - Megascops asio
Click to expand...
Being a Southern Hemisphere person I was wondering where and how hard it is to see loon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top