ZooChat Big Year 2021

Can I put animals on my list for this year that were also on my list last year? For example, I saw a European Starling last year, so if I see another one today, can I put it on my list?

Yes, as MRJ says each year is brand new. So after, say, ten years of birding you can have the fun of still seeing "new" birds each year, even though they are the same old sparrows and starlings as every other day.
 
A few more from this afternoons walk.

So what is my objective for this year. If I can do the interstate trips I am planning I am sure I will get upwards of 250 birds and 40 or more mammals. If this current madness continues and I am stuck in Victoria it will be more like 10 or 20 mammals. I just read that the all-time Big Year record for Victoria is 392 birds, and I am neither as good nor would I have the time of the guys who did that. I did get to 150 birds excluding Sri Lanka this year, most of them local, so I'd bet on 200 birds if held in Victoria.

Mammals

1. European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Birds

19. Common bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera
20. Yellow-tailed black cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus
21. Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
22. Rainbow lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus
23. Red wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
24. Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
25. Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca
 
Happy new year everyone!

Birds:
1. Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)
2. Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)
3. Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)
4. Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)
5. Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)
6. White Headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela)
7. Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)
8. Scaly Breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)
9. Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)
10. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus)
11. Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti)
12. Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)
13. Torresian Kingfisher (Todiramphus sordidus)
14. Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus)
15. Masked Plover (Vanellus miles)
16. Peewee (Grallina cyanoleuca)
17. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
18. Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
19. Lewin’s Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
20. Pied Comorant (Phalacrocorax varius)

Reptiles:
1. Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii)
 
I had a slow start to the year, with just a few birds seen out the window and then on a walk into the city. I don't count invertebrates but for some reason there were loads of Yellow Admirals Vanessa itea about as well as lots of Cabbage Whites Pieris rapae and a lone Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus.


Birds seen today:

1) House Sparrow Passer domesticus
2) Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
3) European Blackbird Turdus merula
4) Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
5) Pied Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
6) Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
7) Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
8) Feral Pigeon Columba livia
9) Southern Black-backed (Kelp) Gull Larus dominicanus
 
Today, after a failed attempt to visit a park next to my home (which was closed for unknown reasons), I went to my local patch, where I saw some of the most common species; nothing exceptional, but still a good start, at least for my standards.

Birds

1. Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis
2. Italian Sparrow, Passer italiae
3. White Wagtail, Motacilla alba
4. Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
5. Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
6. Sandwich Tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis
7. Black Redstart, Phoenicorus ochrusos
8. Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix

And obviously, loads and loads of feral pigeons.
Surprisingly, no blackbirds yet...

 
from todays dog waking in the order i saw them
birds
2 eurasian magpie
3 great tit
4 greater spotted woodpecker
5 blue tit
6 tree sparow
6 euroasian jay
7 hooded crow
8 european nuchach
9 house spearow
10 mallard
11 common merganser
12 euroasian coot
13 mute swan
14 tufed duck
15 great cormorant
all common bird i will see every day mostly
 
from todays dog waking in the order i saw them
birds
2 eurasian magpie
3 great tit
4 greater spotted woodpecker
5 blue tit
6 tree sparow
6 euroasian jay
7 hooded crow
8 european nuchach
9 house spearow
10 mallard
11 common merganser
12 euroasian coot
13 mute swan
14 tufed duck
15 great cormorant
all common bird i will see every day mostly
You put 6 twice, might want to fix that ;)
 
from todays dog waking in the order i saw them
birds
2 eurasian magpie
3 great tit
4 greater spotted woodpecker
5 blue tit
6 tree sparow
6 euroasian jay
7 hooded crow
8 european nuchach
9 house spearow
10 mallard
11 common merganser
12 euroasian coot
13 mute swan
14 tufed duck
15 great cormorant
all common bird i will see every day mostly
sory the comorant shoud be 16
16. great cormorant thanks for pointing it out @Mattaki
 
Managed a couple of local walks today; unfortunately my main walking route down to the river was completely flooded, so there are some fairly obvious species I failed to find:

1. Eurasian magpie Pica pica
2. Common woodpigeon Columba palumbus
3. European blackbird Turdus merula
4. Mistle thrush Turdus viscivorus
5. Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
6. Dunnock Prunella modularis
7. Eurasian blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus
8. Long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus
9. House sparrow Passer domesticus
10. Great tit Parus major
11. European robin Erithacus rubecula
12. Goldcrest Regulus regulus
13. Great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major
14. Eurasian wren Troglodytes troglodytes
15. Great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
16. European green woodpecker Picus viridis
17. Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
18. Carrion crow Corvus corone
19. Common buzzard Buteo buteo
20. Northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus (NT)
21. Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius
22. Pied wagtail Motacilla alba yarrelli
23. Meadow pipit Anthus pratensis (NT)
24. Song thrush Turdus philomelos
25. Ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus
26. Common starling Sturnus vulgaris
27. European golden plover Pluvialis apricaria
28. Stock dove Columba oenas
29. Common chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
30. Redwing Turdus iliacus (NT)
31. Grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea

1.
European brown hare Lepus europaeus
2. European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (En)

Unfortunately, birding will have to take a backseat until late February (when my dissertation is due to be handed in) so any additions until then will be incidental sightings from my window.
 
Time to get this started. Here is some species seen from my window.

Birds:

1. Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
2. Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
3. Western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
A few more from today.

Birds:

4. Common blackbird (Turdus merula)
5. House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
6. European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
 
Happy New Year! Looks like snowy conditions are gonna keep me relatively grounded at least for the day. Here’s what I could muster this morning.

BIRDS:
1. Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
2. Wood Duck - Aix sponsa
3. Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
4. Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis
5. Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus
6. Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus
7. Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata
8. American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos
9. Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus
10. European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
11. Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis
12. Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis
 
Well, new year new me. The end goal for this year is 200 to 300 species. Within that range... should be doable. So let's kick of and get 1/8th done of the 200!

1/1/2021

BIRDS
1 - Western jackdaw, Coloeus monedula
2 - Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
3 - European coot, Fulica atra
4 - Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus
5 - Rock pigeon, Columba livia
6 - European blackbird, Turdus merula
7 - Waterhen, Gallinula chloropus
8 - Grey heron, Ardea cinerea
9 - European spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia
10 - Great egret, Ardea alba
11 - Common sheldduck, Tadorna tadorna
12 - Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula
13 - Mute swan, Cygnus olor
14 - Greylag goose, Anser anser
15 - Greater white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons
16 - Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
17 - European kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
18 - Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus
19 - Egyptian goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca
20 - European robin, Larus marinus
21 - European magpie, Pica pica
22 - Stock dove, Columba oenas
23 - House sparrow, Passer domesticus
24 - Carrion crow, Corvus corone
25 - Wood pigeon, Columba palumbus
26 - Great tit, Parus major

Originally when seeing the gull I thought I was looking at a mute swan, from a distance without binocs it really did look like one since the back wasn't visible to me with poor eyesight. But upon seeing it through the binoculars it was pretty easily to say I was very wrong. It was a massive gull, for a hot second I thought I was looking at some albatross cause those were the largest seabirds I could think off, never knew a gull could be this huge!
 
Happy new year everyone!
I'm participating this year, but I am not planning to travel outside the Netherlands so I am hoping to see 100 species.
From my first walk this year I got the following species:

Birds:
1. Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
2. Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
3. Great egret (Ardea alba)
4. Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
5. Eurasian coot (Fulica atra)
6. Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
7. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
8. Greylag goose (Anser anser)
9. Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
10. House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
11. Rock dove (Columba livia)
12. Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
13. Western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
14. Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
 
Ah well, Doesn't hurt to try.

The Animals you will see below are probably the only ones I'll be seeing for a while, Not getting much different species around here this winter

Today on multiple different walks I saw:

Birds:
1. Peregrine falcon
2. Blue Jay
3. Black-Capped chickadee
4. American Crow

Mammals:
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Cottontail.

Mammals, 2
Birds, 4.
 
I spent most of the day in a car back from a trip I will talk about in the Big Year 2020 thread soon, so my count is a bit lower than it usually is at this time. This is by far the coolest first bird of the year I've ever had though. It's a shame that is was run over by a car about half a second after I saw it - by the vehicle I was in. Well camouflaged birds shouldn't sit in the middle of the road before sunrise on a street the same color as them in the middle of Duluth!

Birds
1. Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
2. Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
3. Rock Pigeon Columba livia
4. Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
5. Herring Gull Larus argentatus
6. Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
7. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
8. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
9. Common Raven Corvus corax
10. American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
11. Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
12. Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
13. Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
14. Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
15. Canada Goose Branta canadensis
16. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
17. European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
18. Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

Mammals
1. Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
2. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
 
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