ZooChat Big Year 2021

It was like -De-de-De-De-De.......De-De-De-De-De-De
It doesn't matter anyway, I only heard the bird so it doesn't count.
 
I think I ID'd the snail, Judging by the size and the Patterns I think it is an Acute Bladder snail, Physella acuta, A species native to Minnesota.
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Inverts:
1. Acute Bladder snail.
 
birdsandbats said:
Only in the far southern parts of the state.
Click to expand...

Last I checked, southern Minnesota is part of Minnesota ;) Most of the sightings I see on eBird are from the Twin Cities area, which is in the southern half of Minnesota but still a hundred miles from the southern state border. That area is also where half the state's population lives, so if there are a fair number of sightings there I don't see it being improbable for someone in Minnesota to see one.

I have no opinion on what this individual bird was, I just don't see how the data shows someone probably won't see flickers in Minnesota until March.
 
This morning I went to a wetland reserve called the Pauatahanui Nature Reserve. It's a pretty poor spot for birds really and I don't go there often. It looks like the sort of place which should have loads of waders and ducks, but never does, but it's normally the only place around Wellington that I see Grey Teal so I thought I'd pop out there for a bit.

While sitting in one of the hides I happened to notice a small dark bird on a nearby patch of mud in front of the reeds. I almost didn't even bother looking at it - just a starling, I thought - but as soon as I turned my head properly I realised it was a rail. To be precise, a Spotless Crake, which was a lifer for me. The last lifer I had was Australian Cicadabird in October 2019 (in Australia), and the last lifer I had in New Zealand was Marsh Crake in August 2017.


38) Black Swan Cygnus atrata
39) Canada Goose Branta canadensis
40) Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
41) Spur-winged Plover (Masked Lapwing) Vanellus miles
42) White-headed (Pied) Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus
43) Grey Teal Anas gracilis
44) Spotless Crake Zapornia tabuensis
45) Pukeko (Purple Gallinule) Porphyrio melanotus
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
I think I ID'd the snail, Judging by the size and the Patterns I think it is an Acute Bladder snail, Physella acuta, A species native to Minnesota.
full



Inverts:
1. Acute Bladder snail.
Click to expand...


If you want to get better with invertebrate species identifying, I recommend using iNaturalist to also post observations. They also help with identifying, personally found it a very useful resource when it comes to invertebrates! I think you can also use it to see what species are in your area.
 
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I guess I'll join. Maybe I'll do some birding this year. maybe not. Who knows?

Birds
1. Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus)
2. Spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis)
3. Black collared starling (Gracupica nigricollis)
4. Oriental magpie robin (Copsychus saularis)
 
Chlidonias said:
This morning I went to a wetland reserve called the Pauatahanui Nature Reserve. It's a pretty poor spot for birds really and I don't go there often. It looks like the sort of place which should have loads of waders and ducks, but never does, but it's normally the only place around Wellington that I see Grey Teal so I thought I'd pop out there for a bit.

While sitting in one of the hides I happened to notice a small dark bird on a nearby patch of mud in front of the reeds. I almost didn't even bother looking at it - just a starling, I thought - but as soon as I turned my head properly I realised it was a rail. To be precise, a Spotless Crake, which was a lifer for me. The last lifer I had was Australian Cicadabird in October 2019 (in Australia), and the last lifer I had in New Zealand was Marsh Crake in August 2017.


38) Black Swan Cygnus atrata
39) Canada Goose Branta canadensis
40) Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
41) Spur-winged Plover (Masked Lapwing) Vanellus miles
42) White-headed (Pied) Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus
43) Grey Teal Anas gracilis
44) Spotless Crake Zapornia tabuensis
45) Pukeko (Purple Gallinule) Porphyrio melanotus
Click to expand...
do you have any breding birds left to see?
 
This morning's exercise walk was up to Linacre Reservoirs, as my last chance for a daylight walk that isn't constrained by work lunch time for a while. Long a reliable Mandarin Duck site, the population has increased significantly recently (the highest one-day count I've seen is 179), and there were dozens to be seen today, alongside the Mallards and Tufties and a few pairs of Goosander. The woods around the water also added a few more birds and the couple of fields between my part of town and the reservoirs produced a nice new mammal to keep things moving there too.

Birds:
62. Mandarin Duck - Aix galericulata
63. Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea
64. Goldcrest - Regulus regulus
65. Eurasian Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus

Mammals:
3. Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus

:)
 
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Ursus said:
If you want to get better with invertebrate species identifying, I recommend using iNaturalist to also post observations. They also help with identifying, personally found it a very useful resource when it comes to invertebrates! I think you can also use it to see what species are in your area.
Click to expand...
I have Inaturalist, I put this ID on there as well. :p
I've had it since January of Last year :D
I used Inaturalist to Get My Id of looking at Snails of Minnesota, thats How I determined the Acute Bladder snail.
I am an animal Nerd at heart, I have been since I could walk, I'm not new to everything, Okay? :)
 
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Ursus said:
Not saying you are... Only giving out a recommendation for tools that are handy to use for invert IDs since stringing inverts is all too easy, and I personally care for it. As well as its a cool platform in general.
Click to expand...
Yes, Go on it every day.
 
19. American Goldfinch.
Heading to some other places today to get some Waterfowl, and More Freshwater Inverts.
 
birdsandbats said:
LBBG is one the last normally occurring Wisconsin birds I hadn't seen yet, so I was hapy to run into two of them today. The creeper is from several days ago but I forgot to post it then.

Birds
48. Brown Creeper Certhia americana
48. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
49. Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa

Mammals
5. Common Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
Click to expand...
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
 
Mammals:
1: - Red Fox Vulpes vulpes (04-05-2021)
2: - Harbour Seal Phoca vitulina (05-05-2021)
3: - Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris (today)
4: - Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus (today)

Birds:
103: - Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
104: - Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
105: - Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
106: - Dunlin Calidris alpina
 
carl the birder said:
do you have any breding birds left to see?
Click to expand...
There are four endemic land-birds which are super rare, or just plain difficult, or I just haven't been to where they live yet (Kakapo, Great Spotted Kiwi, North Island Brown Kiwi, and Orange-fronted Kakariki) and some seabirds (e.g. NZ Storm Petrel which basically requires an expensive pelagic trip). In terms of non-lifers there are also a couple of very rare natives which I've already seen in other countries (e.g. Nankeen Night Heron and Barn Owl), and probably a couple of introduced species (although Galah is the only one which comes to mind).

Then of course there are all the endemics on the islands (Chatham Islands and subantarctic islands) to which I have never been.
 
6. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
7. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
9. White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)
10. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
11. Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
12. Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Mammals: 1
Birds: 12
 
Today I just have one New Invert,
2. Rusty Crayfish (Took It out of the water to Make sure what it was).

I had an Awesome day today though, Saw A bunch of trumpeter swans, Mallards, and A diving Beetle that I caught, But I don't know the exact species of Dytiscus that I found, So it doesn't count.
 
I went back to the Stream later Today, So nothing Knew except some Mayfly Larvae, Crawling and bobbing its head through the water.
Not that Easy to Know what species of Mayfly It was though so I didn't attempt.
 
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