ZooChat Big Year 2021

Great Argus said:
While a bit late jumping in, the crisp sunny afternoon proved pretty productive for wildlife around my yard and nearby pond. Highlight was a lone Snow Goose hanging with the Canadas, they don't often turn up on my patch of the woods.

Mammals:

1. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Birds:

1. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
2. Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
3. California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
4. Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
5. Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte annae)
6. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
7. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
8. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
9. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
10. Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
11. European Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
12. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
13. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoencius)
14. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
15. California Towhee (Melozone crissalis)
16. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
17. Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornata)
18. Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
19. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
20. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
21. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
22. California Quail (Callipepla californica)
23. White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
24. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
25. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
26. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
27. Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
28. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
29. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
30. Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)
31. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
32. Bushtit (Psaltripus minimus)
33. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
34. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
35. Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)
36. Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber)
37. American Coot (Fulica americana)
38. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
39. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
40. Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
41. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Invertebrates:

1. European Honeybee (Apis mellivora)

Uncountable:

-- Striped Skunk (smelled)
-- Belted Kingfisher (heard)
-- Nuttall's Woodpecker (heard)
-- Bewick's Wren (heard)
-- unidentified black beetle
Click to expand...

Bit of a dreary day today but got one species from my yard and a handful at one of the local waterfowl hotspots. Unfortunately not as many species as I hoped were present, but that's birding for you. :p

Birds:

42. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
43. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
44. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
45. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
46. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
47. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
48. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delewarensis)
49. California Gull (Larus californensis)
50. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
51. American Wigeon (Mareca americana)
52. Herring Gull (Larus argenteus)
53. Canvasback (Aythya valisneria)

Uncountable:

-- Great Horned Owl (Local pair calling off and on throughout the night, but were never close enough to see.)
-- Downy Woodpecker (heard)
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
Dude, Thats more than I could have hoped for if I was there. :)
Click to expand...

I was expecting 5-8 more! Missed Common Merganser, Barrow's Goldeneye, Eared/Horned grebes kingfisher, grackle, Rock Pigeon, Great Blue Heron, and none of the uncommon gulls were to be found. Besides a handful of on and off species for the location. I'll get them sooner or later. :)
 
Great Argus said:
I was expecting 5-8 more! Missed Common Merganser, Barrow's Goldeneye, Eared/Horned grebes kingfisher, grackle, Rock Pigeon, Great Blue Heron, and none of the uncommon gulls were to be found. Besides a handful of on and off species for the location. I'll get them sooner or later. :)
Click to expand...
I hope you do! My goal is to get to 25 bird species this month.
 
birdsandbats said:
Part of is that you're in Minnesota in winter, not exactly the best place to be. Don't worry, as soon as spring comes (especially May) you will see more birds than you can hope to identify.
Click to expand...

Already an ID problem for me, however I have probably not seen more than 20 bird species... :confused:

Birds
6. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
 
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birdsandbats said:
Part of is that you're in Minnesota in winter, not exactly the best place to be for high counts. Don't worry, as soon as spring comes (especially May) you will see more birds than you can hope to identify.
Click to expand...
Still enjoying myself and the Winter!
 
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CheeseChameleon2007 said:
Still enjoying myself and the Winter!
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Oh I agree, I love winter. I think it is the most beautiful season. I love seeing the snow and the few birds that are around are wonderful. A good day of winter birding will often be some of my favorite days of the year. But don't be surprised if you don't get many species in the winter, especially when you are first starting out.
 
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birdsandbats said:
Oh I agree, I love winter. I think it is the most beautiful season. I love seeing the snow and the few birds that are around are wonderful. A good day of winter birding will often be some of my favorite days of the year. But don't be surprised if you don't get many species in the winter, especially when you are first starting out.
Click to expand...
Well I'd consider myself doing pretty good in terms of wildlife, but even if you don't see much, Doing outdoor activities such as sledding or Building a snow fort are always sure to make the season super enjoyable.
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
I went for a walk at a local park today to tick off a few common water birds. It is also home to a large camp of flying foxes where the three local species can be reliably identified in daylight. Whilst I was looking for the little reds among the larger bat species I was met with a delightful surprise – a Swamp Wallaby and her joey! This patch of park is fringed by dense suburbia close to a very busy road so I was surprised to see them there.

Mammals
2) Grey-headed Flying Fox Pteropus poliocephalus
3) Little Red Flying Fox Pteropus scapulatus
4) Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor

Birds
48) House Sparrow Passer domesticus
49) Australasian Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus
50) Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
51) Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
52) Plumed Whistling Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
53) Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata
54) Lewin’s Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii

Herptiles
2) Eastern Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii
3) Cane Toad Rhinella marina

Invertebrates
10) Variable Ladybird Coelophora inaequalis
11) Lemon Migrant Catopsilia pomona
12) Cabbage White Pieris rapae
13) Scarlet Percher Diplacodes haematodes
14) Blue Skimmer Orthetrum caledonicum
15) Cucumber Moth Diaphania indica
16) Orchard Swallowtail Papilio aegeus

Swamp Wallaby with Joey (Wallabia bicolor)

Swamp Wallaby with Joey (Wallabia bicolor)

Click to expand...
All of the species for today were seen on the grounds of Australia Zoo (love when zoo visits have lots of bonus wildlife). Notably, there was a tightly coiled carpet python on the main path right near where some visitors were standing. They were completely oblivious to the fact that their feet were a few centimetres away from the snake's head. When I told them there was a snake just as a passing comment, their faces of horror said it all. I have never seen a group of prams and parents move so quickly! :p The flycatcher was also nice surprise as was the treecreeper in the kangaroo enclosure.

Birds
55) Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida
56) Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis
57) Australian Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
58) Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos
59) Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula
60) White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea
61) Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta

Herptiles
4) Eastern Water Skink Eulamprus quoyii
5) Coastal Carpet Python Morelia spilota mcdowelli

Invertebrates
17) Monarch Danaus plexippus

Wild - Coastal Carpet Python (Morelia spilota mcdowelli)

Wild - Coastal Carpet Python (Morelia spilota mcdowelli)

 
Great Argus said:
Uncountable:

-- Great Horned Owl (Local pair calling off and on throughout the night, but were never close enough to see.)
-- Downy Woodpecker (heard)
Click to expand...
This reminds me of birding in High Park, Toronto in March 2018, After risking my life on icy stairs and paths, I came across a group led by an obviously experienced birder, perhaps a professional. We looked at some chickadees in a bush and a blackbird, we talked for a couple of minutes about birds then he moved the group on. As they left, I picked out a couple of downy woodpeckers on the tree opposite, an important bird as my first ever woodpeckers. At the end of my walk I saw him taking stock with the group, and walking past close enough to hear, heard him say they had heard downy woodpeckers but not seen them. So even good birders can miss the bird when it is right in front of them.
 
aardvark250 said:
5. Red whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
Click to expand...

Birds
6. Black crowned night heron(Nycticorax nycticorax)
7. Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
8. White breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
9. Masked laughingthrush (Pterorhinus perspicillatus)
10. Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus)
11. Cinereous tit (Parus cinereus)
 
Dannelboyz said:
I made a bit of an error by somehow entering Eurasian Coot twice but forgetting to enter Hoary-headed Grebe and White-breasted Woodswallow - unfortunately the problem when you keep multiple lists with different taxonomies/rules :p As such, my bird total prior to this post should be 149.

All sightings here are from various parts of Gippsland, Victoria. A particularly exciting find was a group of 11 intermediate egrets and a bittern in Sale Common! Intermediate Egrets are quite rare in Victoria with only a handful of confirmed records annually.

BIRDS
150 - Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)
151 - Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
152 - Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)
153 - Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus coronatus)
--- Yellow Thornbill (Acanthiza nana) [heard]
154 - Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)
155 - White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)
156 - Australasian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae)
157 - Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)
158 - Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
159 - Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)
160 - Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)
161 - Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)
162 - Striated Thornbill (Acanthiza lineata)
163 - Red-browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops)
164 - Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)
165 - Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis)
--- Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor) [heard]
--- Crescent Honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus) [heard]
166 - Australian Owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus)
167 - Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)
--- Flame Robin (Petroica phoenica) [heard]
168 - Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)
169 - New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
170 - Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)
171 - Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)
172 - Black-faced Monarch (Monarcha melanopsis)
173 - Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)
174 - Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki)
175 - Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
--- Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) [heard]
--- Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus) [heard]
176 - Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)
177 - Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)
178 - Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
179 - Wonga Pigeon (Leucosarcia melanoleuca)
180 - Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)
181 - Australian Boobook (Ninox boobook)

MAMMALS
6 - Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
7 - Mountain Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus cunninghami)
8 - Krefft's Sugar Glider (Petaurus notatus)
--- Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis) [heard]
--- Feathertail Glider sp. (Acrobates sp.)
9 - Eastern Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus nanus)
10 - Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

REPTILES
6 - Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
7 - Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus)
8 - Black Rock Skink (Egernia saxatilis)
9 - Delicate Skink (Lampropholis delicata)

AMPHIBIANS
1 - Pobblebonk (Limnodynastes dumerilii)
--- Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii) [heard]
--- Eastern Common Froglet (Crinia signifera) [heard]
--- Leaf Green Stream Frog (Litoria nudidigitus) [heard]
Click to expand...
MAMMALS
11 - Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

BIRDS
182 - Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)
183 - Blue-billed Duck (Oxyura australis)
184 - Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
185 - Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
186 - Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)*
187 - Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa)
188 - Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae)
189 - Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops)
190 - Crested Shriketit (Falcunculus frontatus)
191 - Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata)
192 - Little Grassbird (Megalurus gramineus)
193 - Yellow Thornbill (Acanthiza nana)
194 - Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
195 - Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
196 - Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica)
197 - Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
198 - Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides)
199 - Speckled Warbler (Pyrrholaemus sagittatus)
 
Vision said:
BIRDS:
90) Red kite, Milvus milvus
91) European green woodpecker, Picus viridis
92) Short-toed treecreeper, Certhia brachydactyla
93) Eurasian nuthatch, Sitta europaea
94) Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes
95) Middle spotted woodpecker, Dendrocoptes medius

(+3 heard only)

Heard only:
0) European crested tit, Lophophanes cristatus
Click to expand...

BIRDS:
96) Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus
97) Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata
98) Common reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus

(+5 heard only)

Heard only:
0) Water rail, Rallus aquaticus
0) Lesser spotted woodpecker, Dryobates minor

MAMMALS:
2) European roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
 
Today I got some AMAZING photos of some Songbirds, Including chickadees, Cardinals (Yay!) and American goldfinches.
New Species I saw.
21. Dark-Eyed junco (No great photos :()
22. House Finch (Have photos!)
23. Common Raven. (I saw this for Sure today, but I easily could have mistaken it for a crow in previous days of the year.)
 
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i have not updadet for a few days due to studding.
9/1
wen i woke upp i got a notification from a phone a hoopoe have bean found only a 15 mins drive from me. this is a sub vaigrant during summer and autum but in winter it is even more rarer. i have only sean hoope in Sweden 4 times, i found one my self last summer. it was weird to se a hoopoe looking for food in snow. the bird was gone today and migt have past away do the cold. the rest of the birds are regular birds. but the tree creper can be a bit hard to find
birds
38 common hoopoe (Upupa epops)
39 grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
40 mew gull (Larus canus)
41 eurasian treecreper (Certhia familiaris)
10/1
a robin viseted my feeder. not supper common during the vinter
42 european robin (Erithacus rubecula)
11/1
a euroasian sparrow hawk flew bye wile having lunch
43 eurasian sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus)
13/1
during a online exsam a lookt out and saw a lagre finch lading in a tree
44 hawfintch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
 
Great Argus said:
Bit of a dreary day today but got one species from my yard and a handful at one of the local waterfowl hotspots. Unfortunately not as many species as I hoped were present, but that's birding for you. :p

Birds:

42. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
43. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
44. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
45. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
46. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
47. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
48. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delewarensis)
49. California Gull (Larus californensis)
50. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
51. American Wigeon (Mareca americana)
52. Herring Gull (Larus argenteus)
53. Canvasback (Aythya valisneria)

Uncountable:

-- Great Horned Owl (Local pair calling off and on throughout the night, but were never close enough to see.)
-- Downy Woodpecker (heard)
Click to expand...

Handful of species from the yard and a short walk in the neighborhood today.

Birds:

54. Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
55. Nuttall's Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttalli)
56. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Amphibians:

1. American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbiana)
2. Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris regilla)

Invertebrates:

2. Pillbug (Armadillidium vulgare)
3. Millipede (Paeromopus angusticeps)

Uncountable:

-- Belted Kingfisher (heard, eluded me again)
-- Bewick's Wren (heard, again)
 
At Moonlit

Birds
47. Swamp harrier Circus approximans

Invertebrates
6. (moth) Eutrichopidia latinus
7. European earwig Forficula auricularia
 
birdsandbats said:
Cormorants, grebes, and pelicans should all be long gone from Wisconsin this time of year, but I saw 2 cormorants, 2 grebes, and 3 pelicans on one tiny patch of open water. This patch of water was so tiny I got all three species in one photo. I wonder why they were all there and what they will do when this tiny patch of water inevitably freezes over?

Birds
51. Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
52. Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
53. American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
54. Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
Click to expand...
Birds
55. Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
56. American Robin Turdus migratorius
 
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