ZooChat Big Year 2021
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
83 Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Birds
Waterfowl
14.Pochard
Mammals
Deer
2. European roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
Waterfowl
14.Pochard
Mammals
Deer
2. European roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
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Kazaa67
Active Member
Jumped from 126 to 128 because I forgot to list water rail.
01/03/2021 (Laag keppel, Gelderland)
BIRDS:
128) Pergerine falcon, Falco peregrinus
02/03/2021 (Bakel, Noord-Brabant)
Looked for eagle owl at night but didn't find anything. did find 3 other yearticks.
BIRDS:
129) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola
130) Little owl, Athene noctua
131) Tawny owl, Strix aluco
01/03/2021 (Laag keppel, Gelderland)
BIRDS:
128) Pergerine falcon, Falco peregrinus
02/03/2021 (Bakel, Noord-Brabant)
Looked for eagle owl at night but didn't find anything. did find 3 other yearticks.
BIRDS:
129) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola
130) Little owl, Athene noctua
131) Tawny owl, Strix aluco
Birds
74. Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Today was a very good birding day. The forest was alive with birds: thrushes and dunnocks were singing everywhere, large flocks of finches were hopping through the trees, and woodpeckers (all three of the Dutch "spotted" species) gave away great views. I also found a couple of new species for the year list, including two marsh tits which I do not see very often.
Birds
141. Coal Tit, Periparus ater
142. Long-eared Owl, Asio otus
143. Marsh Tit, Poecile palustris
Invertebrates
11. Missing-sector Orb-weaver, Zygiella x-notata
If things go according to plan I've got quite a few exciting birding/wildlife-ing days ahead in the next month or two. But given the unsure times we live in I won't hold my breath just yet.
Yes, I was surprised too, but there was no other option (viviparous is the only lizard that occurs at that particular location) and lizards have been reported that day at multiple locations. All of the newts were also in their aquatic phase and lots of toads are already moving to their breeding grounds, so the herptiles certainly seem to think spring has arrived!
Birds
141. Coal Tit, Periparus ater
142. Long-eared Owl, Asio otus
143. Marsh Tit, Poecile palustris
Invertebrates
11. Missing-sector Orb-weaver, Zygiella x-notata
If things go according to plan I've got quite a few exciting birding/wildlife-ing days ahead in the next month or two. But given the unsure times we live in I won't hold my breath just yet.
Yes, I was surprised too, but there was no other option (viviparous is the only lizard that occurs at that particular location) and lizards have been reported that day at multiple locations. All of the newts were also in their aquatic phase and lots of toads are already moving to their breeding grounds, so the herptiles certainly seem to think spring has arrived!
Birds
75. Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
I saw this sitting on a tree branch on my way to school.
Mammals:
4. Fox Squirrel
Here is my list for the year brought up to date. Highlights so far this year include two Mountain Goats visible from the Highway south of Anchorage, three Muskox viewed through binoculars from the distance of a couple miles, several Willow Ptarmigan blending in perfectly with the snow covered tundra...their distinct trails recording their passage being consumed by the never ending wind...and today on a patch of open water, surrounding by our year round resident Mallards, on Cottonwood Creek...a Common Goldeneye. My wife and I circled back three times to glimpse the bird from the busy bridge, aided on the third pass by a traffic jam forming behind a birder who had actually pulled to the side of the narrow road to better identify the bird. Uncounted still are the Feral European Rabbits (a few have survived each winter in my area and rebound each spring...in Alaska, in addition the the Palmer-Wasilla area, they can also be found in east and south Anchorage, the town of Valdez, and some off shore islands) that my neighbor has managed to photograph, the Snowshoe Hares (whose sign I spot on every dog walk through the woods), and the Grey Wolf (three confirmed near my work). My co-worker got a very blurry, but still amazing photograph of one the animals near the road.
So, as we near the end of 2021’s first quarter...here is my list so far:
1. Common Raven - Corvus Corax
2. Black-billed Magpie - Pica Hudsonia
3. European Starling - Sturnus Vulgaris
4. Rock Dove - Columba Livia
5. Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus Leucocephalus
6. Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile Atricapilla
7. Downy Woodpecker - Picoide Pubescons
8. Hairy Woodpecker - Picoide Villosus
9. Bohemian Waxwing - Bombycilla Garrulus
10. Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta Canadesis
11. Mallard - Anas Platyrhynchos
12. American Wigeon - Maleca Americana
13. American Dipper - Cinclus Mexicanus
14. Willow Ptarmigan- Lagopus Lagopus
15. Common Goldeneye- Bucephala Clangula
16. Common Redpoll - Cardcelis Flammea
Mammals:
1. Moose - Alces Alces
2. Red Fox - Vulpes Vulpes
3. Arctic Fox - Vulpes Lagopus
4. Red Squirrel - Tamiascirus Hudsonicus
5. Dall Sheep - Ovid Dalli
6. Mountain Goat - Oreamnos Americanus
7. Muskox - Ovibos Moschatus
So, as we near the end of 2021’s first quarter...here is my list so far:
1. Common Raven - Corvus Corax
2. Black-billed Magpie - Pica Hudsonia
3. European Starling - Sturnus Vulgaris
4. Rock Dove - Columba Livia
5. Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus Leucocephalus
6. Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile Atricapilla
7. Downy Woodpecker - Picoide Pubescons
8. Hairy Woodpecker - Picoide Villosus
9. Bohemian Waxwing - Bombycilla Garrulus
10. Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta Canadesis
11. Mallard - Anas Platyrhynchos
12. American Wigeon - Maleca Americana
13. American Dipper - Cinclus Mexicanus
14. Willow Ptarmigan- Lagopus Lagopus
15. Common Goldeneye- Bucephala Clangula
16. Common Redpoll - Cardcelis Flammea
Mammals:
1. Moose - Alces Alces
2. Red Fox - Vulpes Vulpes
3. Arctic Fox - Vulpes Lagopus
4. Red Squirrel - Tamiascirus Hudsonicus
5. Dall Sheep - Ovid Dalli
6. Mountain Goat - Oreamnos Americanus
7. Muskox - Ovibos Moschatus
Where do you see the Musk Oxen?
I find this slightly worrying, is this by any chance related to climate change?
I just realised that this could actually have been some sort of babbler, a possibility I forgot about when trying to ID this bird. Sorry for being so careless so far, I promise to be more stringent about my ID in the future
Today was a surprisingly good day for birds, despite being a non-birding trip to my school. I saw one after one a number of Afroaves, all more or less ‘rarities’ in the sense they usually turn up randomly and don’t have reliable spots in which to look for them in my experience, several being seen out of the window soon after boarding the school bus. On the way back, I also saw some sparrows, which were arguably the most surprising part of the trip. Considering that they are easily my favourite raptor species, I was certainly very pleased to see no less than 4 different black-winged kites, one of which was showcasing the iconic, kestrel-like hovering ability of the species.
Birds
19. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
20. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
21. Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris
22. Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
23. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
24. White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa
25. Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
26. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
27. Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps
28. Indian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
29. Cinerous atit Parus cinereus
30. Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
31. House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Mammals
2. Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii
Birds
19. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
20. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
21. Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris
22. Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
23. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
24. White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa
25. Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
26. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
27. Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps
28. Indian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
29. Cinerous atit Parus cinereus
30. Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
31. House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Mammals
2. Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii
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84 Linnet Carduelis cannabina
I'd had to postpone the Napier part of my trip from last week, so I made up for that with a quick overnighter to try and see the Marsh Sandpiper which has been reported there. It wouldn't be a lifer - I have seen the species in four other countries - but it would be new for my New Zealand list. The bus schedule would give me the latter half of the first day and the first half of the second, so I should have time for the sandpiper, the Plumed Whistling Duck which is resident in another part of the city, and also the National Aquarium which I hadn't visited since 2011.
The sandpiper was being reported at the so-called "Southern Marsh" (really more of a small lagoon) at the Ahuriri estuary. There are only a few urban bus routes within Napier, they all only run once an hour, and they all stop running between 5pm and 6pm. They aren't the most convenient of city transports I've ever seen, but there was a route which would take me to Westshore which is right on the estuary and quite close to the Southern Marsh.
From the bus stop it was less than ten minutes walk to and across the train / cycle / pedestrian bridge which runs parallel to the motorway bridge. The motorway is flanked either side by canals, and the Southern Marsh is located on the far side. On maps of the estuary's cycle pathway there are footbridges crossing these two canals, with a path also running under the motorway between. Quick and easy. Except that when I got there I discovered that the path under the motorway was under renovation and hence the footbridges were blocked off with construction fencing. The only way to get to the Southern Marsh now was to continue walking along the path I was on, all the way to the next major road, and then all the way back up on the other side - an extra 3km of walking instead of the 100 metres it should have been! And it was just over 30 degrees that day (that's 86 Fahrenheit for Americans), so it was a tedious walk.
The track at the eastern end of the lagoon was also blocked, so I went down to the western end - the track along the length of the lagoon has zero view of the water due to all the bushes - where I spent two hours not finding the Marsh Sandpiper! There were some other birds added to the year-list but of my target bird not a sign. I suspect it was down the eastern end which was too far away to be able to tell what the smaller birds were. I was waiting for the construction workers to end their day and go home, but at 6pm they were still showing no signs of doing so (!), so I gave up on the sandpiper and headed off to Anderson Park where the whistling duck lived, a distance of about 4km, mostly walking along the edge of the motorway.
In 2011 three Plumed Whistling Ducks turned up at Anderson Park. It was one of those less-common vagrant situations where the birds are in an easily-accessible urban location, everyone (including me) goes to see them as soon as they can before they depart again, but then they just stay put for years. One of the trio disappeared in May 2013, and one of the remaining two also disappeared some years later (it is believed to have been hit by a car in late 2019). The third bird was still reliably present this year.
I checked both the ponds at the park - lots of shovellers and mallards, and even a couple of dabchicks - but no whistling duck. Today wasn't going so well! Fortunately there had been a mention on the NZ birding forum of a "canal" so I went off across the park and found this on the far side. Walking along the channel, I saw a Great White Egret (called White Heron in New Zealand). That was a year-bird at least, so I put up my binoculars to have a look at it - and the whistling duck was standing right in front of it! For a bird over a decade old, it is in remarkably fine health [a quick Google suggests a wild lifespan of seven to ten years, and captive up to fifteen years].
The next morning I was a bit iffy about whether I wanted to go back for the Marsh Sandpiper with the extended walk needed to get there, but that was why I had come up here after all, so I went with it. I took the earliest bus around to Westshore, which got me there at 7am. I was crossing my fingers that the construction workers wouldn't have arrived yet, and fortunately that was the case. I nipped over the first footbridge and hopped the barriers, crossed the motorway, over the second footbridge and over the second set of barriers, and there I was at the eastern end of the Southern Marsh. No sandpiper at this end. Down I went to the western end and, happily, soon spotted the bird I was after. It was not the best of viewing conditions - the sun was rising in the east which was the direction I had to be facing, and the sandpiper was also at just such a distance that I could see it was indeed the Marsh Sandpiper but not really close enough for enjoyable views. Nevertheless, mission accomplished, and I even managed to get back across the bridges before any workers arrived and be back at the bus stop for the next bus back to town, hence giving me plenty of time for a leisurely Aquarium visit before the bus back to Wellington.
73) Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia
74) Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
75) Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
76) European Skylark Alauda arvensis
77) Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
78) Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
79) Wrybill Anarhynchus frontalis
80) Australasian Shoveller Anas rhynchotis
81) Great White Egret Egretta alba
82) Plumed Whistling Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
83) Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
The sandpiper was being reported at the so-called "Southern Marsh" (really more of a small lagoon) at the Ahuriri estuary. There are only a few urban bus routes within Napier, they all only run once an hour, and they all stop running between 5pm and 6pm. They aren't the most convenient of city transports I've ever seen, but there was a route which would take me to Westshore which is right on the estuary and quite close to the Southern Marsh.
From the bus stop it was less than ten minutes walk to and across the train / cycle / pedestrian bridge which runs parallel to the motorway bridge. The motorway is flanked either side by canals, and the Southern Marsh is located on the far side. On maps of the estuary's cycle pathway there are footbridges crossing these two canals, with a path also running under the motorway between. Quick and easy. Except that when I got there I discovered that the path under the motorway was under renovation and hence the footbridges were blocked off with construction fencing. The only way to get to the Southern Marsh now was to continue walking along the path I was on, all the way to the next major road, and then all the way back up on the other side - an extra 3km of walking instead of the 100 metres it should have been! And it was just over 30 degrees that day (that's 86 Fahrenheit for Americans), so it was a tedious walk.
The track at the eastern end of the lagoon was also blocked, so I went down to the western end - the track along the length of the lagoon has zero view of the water due to all the bushes - where I spent two hours not finding the Marsh Sandpiper! There were some other birds added to the year-list but of my target bird not a sign. I suspect it was down the eastern end which was too far away to be able to tell what the smaller birds were. I was waiting for the construction workers to end their day and go home, but at 6pm they were still showing no signs of doing so (!), so I gave up on the sandpiper and headed off to Anderson Park where the whistling duck lived, a distance of about 4km, mostly walking along the edge of the motorway.
In 2011 three Plumed Whistling Ducks turned up at Anderson Park. It was one of those less-common vagrant situations where the birds are in an easily-accessible urban location, everyone (including me) goes to see them as soon as they can before they depart again, but then they just stay put for years. One of the trio disappeared in May 2013, and one of the remaining two also disappeared some years later (it is believed to have been hit by a car in late 2019). The third bird was still reliably present this year.
I checked both the ponds at the park - lots of shovellers and mallards, and even a couple of dabchicks - but no whistling duck. Today wasn't going so well! Fortunately there had been a mention on the NZ birding forum of a "canal" so I went off across the park and found this on the far side. Walking along the channel, I saw a Great White Egret (called White Heron in New Zealand). That was a year-bird at least, so I put up my binoculars to have a look at it - and the whistling duck was standing right in front of it! For a bird over a decade old, it is in remarkably fine health [a quick Google suggests a wild lifespan of seven to ten years, and captive up to fifteen years].
The next morning I was a bit iffy about whether I wanted to go back for the Marsh Sandpiper with the extended walk needed to get there, but that was why I had come up here after all, so I went with it. I took the earliest bus around to Westshore, which got me there at 7am. I was crossing my fingers that the construction workers wouldn't have arrived yet, and fortunately that was the case. I nipped over the first footbridge and hopped the barriers, crossed the motorway, over the second footbridge and over the second set of barriers, and there I was at the eastern end of the Southern Marsh. No sandpiper at this end. Down I went to the western end and, happily, soon spotted the bird I was after. It was not the best of viewing conditions - the sun was rising in the east which was the direction I had to be facing, and the sandpiper was also at just such a distance that I could see it was indeed the Marsh Sandpiper but not really close enough for enjoyable views. Nevertheless, mission accomplished, and I even managed to get back across the bridges before any workers arrived and be back at the bus stop for the next bus back to town, hence giving me plenty of time for a leisurely Aquarium visit before the bus back to Wellington.
73) Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia
74) Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
75) Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
76) European Skylark Alauda arvensis
77) Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
78) Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
79) Wrybill Anarhynchus frontalis
80) Australasian Shoveller Anas rhynchotis
81) Great White Egret Egretta alba
82) Plumed Whistling Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
83) Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
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Almost undoubtedly. Climate change has meant that herptiles come out of hibernation a lot earlier here in New England than they're meant to and it can have some pretty disastrous results. About 5 years ago now I volunteered with a local conservationist surveying salamanders laying in various vernal pools in the state. We went out at the very beginning of their laying season to find that there were hardly any salamanders out because the warmer temperatures had led to them all coming out weeks earlier and breeding too early. A subsequent cold front ended up freezing the pools and killing many of the eggs...
~Thylo
I went on a short drive to do some errands, and the road I went on passed through some nice 'prairie' on the side of some railroad tracks. I also saw some rock pigeons on telephone wires.
Birds:
18. Rock Pigeon/ Rock dove (Columba livia)
19. Red Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Birds:
18. Rock Pigeon/ Rock dove (Columba livia)
19. Red Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
That’s concerning. Thank you for alerting me to this, I will try to do more research about this.
Intervertebrates
Ants
3.Common black Ant
Flys
4. Common Housefly
Ants
3.Common black Ant
Flys
4. Common Housefly