ZooChat Big Year 2021
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
Major update time after a week in Scotland added all the following (except the last 2 birds locally)
Birds
134 Goldeneye Bucephalus clangula
135 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
136 Common Scoter Melanitta nigra
137 Eider Somateria mollissima
138 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata
139 Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica
140 Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus
141 Gannet Morus bassanus
142 Great Skua Stercorarius skua
143 Black Guillemot Cepheus grylle
144 Common Sandpiper Arcturus hypoleucos
145 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
146 Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix
148 Osprey Pandion haliaetus
149 Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus
150 Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
151 Merlin Falco columbarius
152 Cuckoo Cuculus Canopus
153 Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus
154 Crested Tit Lophophanes crostatas
155 Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
156 Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
157 Siskin Spinus spinus
158 Yellowhammer Emberiza citronella
159 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra
160 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
161 Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
(Apologies if any of these are already listed, happy to be corrected)
Mammals
11 Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris
12 Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber (lifer)
13 Mountain Hare Lepus timidus
14 Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus
15 Daubenton’s Bat Myotis daubentonii
16 Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus
17 Red Deer Cervus elaphus
18 Common Seal Phoca vitulina
19 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus
20 Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutirostrata
21 Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Fish
1 Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar
Invertebrates
181 Common Limpet Patella vulgata
182 Edible Periwinkle Littorina littorea
183 Rough Periwinkle Littorina saxatilis
184 Dog Whelk Nucella lapillus
185 Sandhopper Talitrus saltator
186 Common Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa
187 Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella
188 Common Hawker Arsenal juncea
189 Golden-ringed Dragonfly Corduegaster boltonii
190 Giant Cranefly Tipula maxima (impressive lifer)
191 Giant Tachinid Tachina grossa (lifer)
192 Yellow Flat-footed Fly Agathomyia wankowiczii
193 Dark Green Fritillary Speyeria aglaja
194 Scotch Argus Erebus aethiops
195 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
196 Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
197 Northern Spinach Eulithis populata
198 Dark Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta citrata
199 Broom Melanchra pisi
200 Narrow-bodied Cuckoo Wasp Chrysos angustula
201 Leman’s Ant Formica lemani
202 spider Cheiracanthium erraticum
203 harvestman Phalangium opilio
Birds
134 Goldeneye Bucephalus clangula
135 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
136 Common Scoter Melanitta nigra
137 Eider Somateria mollissima
138 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata
139 Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica
140 Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus
141 Gannet Morus bassanus
142 Great Skua Stercorarius skua
143 Black Guillemot Cepheus grylle
144 Common Sandpiper Arcturus hypoleucos
145 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
146 Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix
148 Osprey Pandion haliaetus
149 Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus
150 Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
151 Merlin Falco columbarius
152 Cuckoo Cuculus Canopus
153 Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus
154 Crested Tit Lophophanes crostatas
155 Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
156 Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
157 Siskin Spinus spinus
158 Yellowhammer Emberiza citronella
159 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra
160 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
161 Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
(Apologies if any of these are already listed, happy to be corrected)
Mammals
11 Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris
12 Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber (lifer)
13 Mountain Hare Lepus timidus
14 Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus
15 Daubenton’s Bat Myotis daubentonii
16 Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus
17 Red Deer Cervus elaphus
18 Common Seal Phoca vitulina
19 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus
20 Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutirostrata
21 Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Fish
1 Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar
Invertebrates
181 Common Limpet Patella vulgata
182 Edible Periwinkle Littorina littorea
183 Rough Periwinkle Littorina saxatilis
184 Dog Whelk Nucella lapillus
185 Sandhopper Talitrus saltator
186 Common Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa
187 Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella
188 Common Hawker Arsenal juncea
189 Golden-ringed Dragonfly Corduegaster boltonii
190 Giant Cranefly Tipula maxima (impressive lifer)
191 Giant Tachinid Tachina grossa (lifer)
192 Yellow Flat-footed Fly Agathomyia wankowiczii
193 Dark Green Fritillary Speyeria aglaja
194 Scotch Argus Erebus aethiops
195 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
196 Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
197 Northern Spinach Eulithis populata
198 Dark Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta citrata
199 Broom Melanchra pisi
200 Narrow-bodied Cuckoo Wasp Chrysos angustula
201 Leman’s Ant Formica lemani
202 spider Cheiracanthium erraticum
203 harvestman Phalangium opilio
Insect/Invertebrate:
157. Constricted leafhopper (Agallia constricta)
158. Green cloverworm moth (Hypena scabra)
159. Great golden digger wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus)
160. Band-winged crane fly (Epiphragma fasciapenne)
161. Silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
162. Spined micrathena (Micrathena gracilis)
163. Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
164. Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus)
165. American snout (Libytheana carinenta)
166. Giant robber fly (Promachus hinei)
167. European earwig (Forficula auricularia)
168. Maize calligrapher (Toxomerus politus)
169. Eastern flower fly (Syrphus knabi)
170. Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata)
171. Slaty skimmer (Libellula incesta)
Fish:
3. Longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis)
mamals
14 wild bore sus scrofa
herps 5 common toad Bufo bufo
workign one a invert list
14 wild bore sus scrofa
herps 5 common toad Bufo bufo
workign one a invert list
Invertebrates:
34. Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Mammals: 11
Birds: 111
Herptiles: 14
Fish: 4
Invertebrates: 34
Total: 172
A few days of holiday in the northern part of the Netherlands finally gave me a few new year birds!
The first stop on the trip was the famous Fochtelooërveen, which has one of the best preserved raised bogs and wet heather landscapes of the Netherlands. Besides it being an absolutely spectacular area in and of itself, it is also well-known for its cranes, as it was the first breeding site after more than 200 years of absence in the country. We were lucky enough to hear a few calls in the distance, after which we saw a small group of four fly over the bogs far away. Among birders, it is also known for the snake eagles which are present most years. This year was no exceptions and a far-but-decent view of one was the first year bird since I saw black storks at the end of June, ironically, in an effort to twitch a snake eagle. Funny how that goes. The Fochtelooërveen was also an excellent butterfly area.
We also visited a few local wet grasslands a bit further north. Excitingly, this produced a few surprise Caspian Terns, a species were hoped to see at the next location, the Lauwersmeer. Given the time of year we hoped for large numbers of Curlew Sandpiper here. While the species was not completely absent, with just seven individuals seen we had hoped for more. Nonetheless the area gave us some very productive hours of birding, with large numbers of waders and waterfowl.
The final main area was the Weerribben, of which we only visited a small portion. While the other areas were mostly birding spots, in the Weerribben the focus was on dragonflies. Notably, the area has a huge population of Spotted Darter, which is extremely restricted in the Netherlands. With dozen of individuals seen it was a great succes, even without counting the other rare species like Green Hawker and the absolutely stunning Yellow-spotted Emerald (both lifers). In terms of bird the highlight here was a Purple Heron, a species I don't see very often.
Birds
221. Short-toed Snake Eagle, Circeatus gallicus
222. Curlew Sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea
Dragonflies
29. Common Spreadwing, Lestes sponsa
30. Spotted Darter, Sympetrum depressiusculum
31. Southern Hawker, Aeshna cyanea
32. Yellow-spotted Emerald, Somatochlora flavomaculata
33. Brown Hawker, Aeshna grandis
34. Green Hawker, Aeshna viridis
35. Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta
36. Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum
Butterflies
26. Silver-studded Blue, Plebejus argus
27. Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae
Other invertebrates
74. Great Green Bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima
75. Small Emperor Moth, Saturnia pavonia
76. Eristalis intricaria
77. Red Twin-spot Carpet, Xanthorhoe spadicearia
78. Longhorn Beetle, Leptura quadrifasciata
79. Musk Beetle, Aromia moschata
80. 'Golden Grasshopper' Chrysochraon dispar
81. Dingy Footman, Collita griseola
For @Chlidonias:
Total inverts: 144
The first stop on the trip was the famous Fochtelooërveen, which has one of the best preserved raised bogs and wet heather landscapes of the Netherlands. Besides it being an absolutely spectacular area in and of itself, it is also well-known for its cranes, as it was the first breeding site after more than 200 years of absence in the country. We were lucky enough to hear a few calls in the distance, after which we saw a small group of four fly over the bogs far away. Among birders, it is also known for the snake eagles which are present most years. This year was no exceptions and a far-but-decent view of one was the first year bird since I saw black storks at the end of June, ironically, in an effort to twitch a snake eagle. Funny how that goes. The Fochtelooërveen was also an excellent butterfly area.
We also visited a few local wet grasslands a bit further north. Excitingly, this produced a few surprise Caspian Terns, a species were hoped to see at the next location, the Lauwersmeer. Given the time of year we hoped for large numbers of Curlew Sandpiper here. While the species was not completely absent, with just seven individuals seen we had hoped for more. Nonetheless the area gave us some very productive hours of birding, with large numbers of waders and waterfowl.
The final main area was the Weerribben, of which we only visited a small portion. While the other areas were mostly birding spots, in the Weerribben the focus was on dragonflies. Notably, the area has a huge population of Spotted Darter, which is extremely restricted in the Netherlands. With dozen of individuals seen it was a great succes, even without counting the other rare species like Green Hawker and the absolutely stunning Yellow-spotted Emerald (both lifers). In terms of bird the highlight here was a Purple Heron, a species I don't see very often.
Birds
221. Short-toed Snake Eagle, Circeatus gallicus
222. Curlew Sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea
Dragonflies
29. Common Spreadwing, Lestes sponsa
30. Spotted Darter, Sympetrum depressiusculum
31. Southern Hawker, Aeshna cyanea
32. Yellow-spotted Emerald, Somatochlora flavomaculata
33. Brown Hawker, Aeshna grandis
34. Green Hawker, Aeshna viridis
35. Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta
36. Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum
Butterflies
26. Silver-studded Blue, Plebejus argus
27. Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae
Other invertebrates
74. Great Green Bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima
75. Small Emperor Moth, Saturnia pavonia
76. Eristalis intricaria
77. Red Twin-spot Carpet, Xanthorhoe spadicearia
78. Longhorn Beetle, Leptura quadrifasciata
79. Musk Beetle, Aromia moschata
80. 'Golden Grasshopper' Chrysochraon dispar
81. Dingy Footman, Collita griseola
For @Chlidonias:
Total inverts: 144
Birds
307. Least Tern Sternula antillarum
Mammals
36. Franklin's Ground Squirrel Poliocitellus franklinii
Found less than half of what I was looking for as usual. But at least it's more than one this time.^^
Also found a dead mole and shrew (either N. anomalus or fodiens), which would have been nice additions if still aliveand good numbers of Pelophylax sp. but too difficult to ID.
Rieselfelder Münster
Birds
14. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
15. Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
16. Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
Romania, north of Constanta
Mammals
9. European Souslik (Spermophilus citellus)
10. Steppe Mouse (Mus spicilegus)
11. Golden Jackal (Canis aureus)
12. Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
13. Badger (Meles meles)
Birds
17. European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
18. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
19. Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Still in Romania, north of Constanta
Mammals
14. Romanian Hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni)
15. Schreiber’s Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii)
16. Northern White-breasted Hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus)
Birds
20. Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor)
21. Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)
Is the European Schreiber’s Bat still the same as the Australian one or have they been split by now?
Interestingly just a few minutes ago I read a post by somebody on Mammalwatching.com asking for hints as to where to find northern white-breasted hedgehogs. I had never heard of them before today.
Invertebrates
204 Fish Leech Piscicola geometra
205 pond snail Bithynia leachii
206 rams horn snail Planorbis contortus
207 water slater Asellus aquaticus
208 Lake Olive Cloeon simile
209 Pygmy Backswimmer Plea minutissima
Fish
2 Three-spined Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
204 Fish Leech Piscicola geometra
205 pond snail Bithynia leachii
206 rams horn snail Planorbis contortus
207 water slater Asellus aquaticus
208 Lake Olive Cloeon simile
209 Pygmy Backswimmer Plea minutissima
Fish
2 Three-spined Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
Never heard of that either.
Mammals:
7. Black Flying Fox (Pteropus alecto)
8. Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
9. Little Red Flying Fox (Pteropus scapulatus)
Birds:
100. Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis)
101. Little Friarbird (Philemon citreogularis)
102. Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
103. Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea)
104. Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
105. Mistletoe Bird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)
106. Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata)
Was pretty stoked to finally find my nemesis species, the short-beaked echidna. Ended up relocating a young echidna from a busy housing estate roundabout to a nearby piece of bushland after it ran out in front of me while I was driving. Definitely the last place I ever would have expected to see one but was happy to be able to help it and prevent it from getting run over.
Walked down to my local beach on Saturday, as the tide was at it's lowest extent, so I went down there with the original intent being to walk to a rocky island only exposed in the low tide, as so I could observe and play around with the fauna trapped in the tidepools. Although this I unexpectedly got sidetracked after seeing a brown-ish shore bird type job. Something that I would've never expected at my local beach as a) I've never seen anything except oystercatchers and gulls there (tough this could be chocked up with me hardly ever going outside, in the years that I've lived here) and b) its winter! What would a migrating shorebird be doing here? This led me to abandon my sandals which were weighing me down, and go on a 20 minute chase trying to get id'able photos of the bird, realising it was some sort of godwit in the process. After, getting enough photos which I thought would do well, I went back to collect my sandals with them not being there anymore! Leading to a further 20 minutes of me walking loops around the empty mudflats searching for them, in my desperation returning to the godwit, which I then looked into the waves and saw black objects bobbing up and down, my sandals having apparently been swept out to sea! After reclaiming them, I quickly left the beach, as I saw grey clouds looming ahead my return being drowned in rain, and cutting my excursion short. I got an id of the godwit which I'm pretty sure is it, considering the fact that apparently bar-tailed godwit juveniles stay year round here.
Birds
31. Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
The Australian one is now M. orianae. The subspecies within Australia might also be elevated to full species themselves (so depending on which you saw you might have some extra armchair ticks coming along later).
182 black tern (Chlidonias niger)
183 little stint Calidris minuta
the black tern was a specie that i thout i was a lost for this year couse they are moving around now. but yesturday a flock of 16 birds was found probely push down by the hevy rain that nigth 16 is a new record nubers in one flock for my area
183 little stint Calidris minuta
the black tern was a specie that i thout i was a lost for this year couse they are moving around now. but yesturday a flock of 16 birds was found probely push down by the hevy rain that nigth 16 is a new record nubers in one flock for my area
That scientific name is for the zebra dove. Peaceful dove's scientific name is Geopelia placida.
A little update from a little spot of birding along the coastline today, plus a snake from Kansas I just had IDed:
Birds
130) Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
131) Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
132) Green Heron Butorides virescens
133) Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
134) Semipalmated Sandpiper Ereunetes pusilla
135) Common Tern Sterna hirundo
136) Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
Reptiles
8) Plain-Bellied Water Snake Nerodia erythrogaster
Crabronidae
1) Eastern Cicada-Killer Sphecius speciosus
Vespidae
1) Eastern Yellowjacket Vespula maculifrons
Viviparidae
1) Chinese Mystery Snail Cipangopaludina chinensis
Paguridae
1) Long-Wristed Hermit Crab Pagurus longicarpus
Invertebrates total: 7
Anguillidae
1) American Eel Anguilla rostrata - medium-sized animal that found themselves trapped in a large puddle-sized tidepool.
~Thylo