Where did you see the Sanderling?
ZooChat Big Year 2021
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
The beach next to the lighthouse on Simmons Island Park in Kenosha, Wisconsin
There was a large flock of them and they were very enjoyable to watch scurry down the beach. They were surprisingly small.
197 grey plover
3 more untill goal
3 more untill goal
Last edited:
Birds:
114. American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Mammals: 11
Birds: 114
Herptiles: 14
Fish: 4
Invertebrates: 34
Total: 175
Birds
166 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca
Then a really good day yesterday which added 5 birds and a mammal
167 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
168 Little Stint Calidris minuta
169 Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
170 Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
171 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Mammals
22 Bank Vole Myodes glareolus
166 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca
Then a really good day yesterday which added 5 birds and a mammal
167 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
168 Little Stint Calidris minuta
169 Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
170 Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
171 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Mammals
22 Bank Vole Myodes glareolus
For today's update an established exotic and a rare autumn/winter migrant, both of which species I usually see at least once a year but both had evaded me so far.
Birds
225. Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri
226. Ferruginous Duck, Aythya nyroca
Birds
225. Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri
226. Ferruginous Duck, Aythya nyroca
All these additions might pale in comparison to what could be coming this week though...
Well it seems like I didn't lie about this...
A few weeks ago now, my (birder) friend contacted me about the possibility of doing a birding-oriented trip to Tarfaya, an isolated city in the Sahara, 530km from where I live. The city is well known among birders for the surrounding birding spots like the Khnifiss lagoon (only place where you can reliably see Great black-backed gull in Africa) or the Akhfennir beach (only place where you can reliably see Kelp gull in the WP I think) as well as being great for seawatching. It would be my second ever trip to the Atlantic Sahara and it would my first ever trip with my birding friend so I was definitely hyped about it!
And it did not deceive:
16/09/2021 (Muret près de Bouizakarne, Morocco)
BIRDS:
173 - White-crowned wheatear, Oenanthe leucopyga
(Oued Bou Issafène [amont], Morocco)
174 - Garden warbler, Sylvia borin
One of the first stops on our 8h+ drive was so that we could stretch our legs after 2h of driving. And ironically, this first stop gave me my first lifer! A common wheatear species in the Sahara but a rarity up north, it was one of my target species for the trip so I was happy to find one just perching on a random wall. Then we stopped near a river that is known to be full of migrating passerines to have lunch, and while prospecting it I found one of the more common species (albeit hard to see) that I had been missing. A great first day!
17/09/2021 (Port de Tarfaya, Morocco)
BIRDS:
175 - Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus
176 - Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus
177 - Sooty shearwater, Ardenna grisea
178 - Common scoter, Melanitta nigra
(Lagune de Khnifiss, Morocco)
179 - Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus
180 - Garganey, Spatula querquedula
181 - Black stork, Ciconia nigra
182 - Great egret, Ardea alba
183 - Purple heron, Ardea purpurea
(Piste de Khaoui Nâam, buissons à dromoïque)
184 - Melodious warbler, Hippolais polyglotta
The first real birding day of the trip (since the first one was dedicated to driving) was absolutely fantastic. We first started by seawatching at the Tarfaya harbour and I've never seen this many seabirds in my life! Passage was great and we saw thousands of Cory's shearwaters, nearly ten thousand terns of various species as well as many jaegers and a long-awaited lifer for me: 30 some Sooty shearwaters.
Then the next stop was at the Khnifiss lagoon, which is a rather well-known spot in Moroccan birding, and which might be one of the prettiest places I've seen in my life. Apart from the great number of birds, especially waders, found (54 species which is great, especially for the Sahara), the place itself was very aesthetically pleasing and you could get close to most of them as you navigate through the lagoon by bark. My main target there was the Great black-backed gull, which may not seem like much for a European or American birder but is a rarity in Morocco (used to be a committee species) and we found no less than 3 adults. The other additions were all great as well and it was nice seeing Black stork and Great egret for the second time ever.
We then made a last stop inland to check for Streaked scrub-warbler, another one of my targets, but sadly did not find any. A migrating Melodious warbler, one of the most common species I had been missing for the year, was a welcome sight though!
18/09/2021 (Embouchure de l'Oued Souss, Morocco)
BIRDS:
185 - Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis
- Sadly, my dad (who had the kindness to drive me around during all the trip as I am not old enough to have a driving license yet) had a sudden emergency back home so we had to cut the trip short and get back home before the rest of the group. This means I couldn't get my main target, the Kelp gull, but there's always next time!
The trip wasn't necessarily over though because as my friend drove back to where he lives, he made a stop at my local spot and found a true rarity: a Marsh sandpiper, which is a species that used to commonly migrate through Morocco but is now not even recorded annually. He immediately contacted me about it and I could get there in time to twitch it. What a bird!
All-in-all, probably my best birding trip even if it was cut short and I cannot wait to get back to the region to discover more of its wonders.
Well it seems like I didn't lie about this...
A few weeks ago now, my (birder) friend contacted me about the possibility of doing a birding-oriented trip to Tarfaya, an isolated city in the Sahara, 530km from where I live. The city is well known among birders for the surrounding birding spots like the Khnifiss lagoon (only place where you can reliably see Great black-backed gull in Africa) or the Akhfennir beach (only place where you can reliably see Kelp gull in the WP I think) as well as being great for seawatching. It would be my second ever trip to the Atlantic Sahara and it would my first ever trip with my birding friend so I was definitely hyped about it!
And it did not deceive:
16/09/2021 (Muret près de Bouizakarne, Morocco)
BIRDS:
173 - White-crowned wheatear, Oenanthe leucopyga
(Oued Bou Issafène [amont], Morocco)
174 - Garden warbler, Sylvia borin
One of the first stops on our 8h+ drive was so that we could stretch our legs after 2h of driving. And ironically, this first stop gave me my first lifer! A common wheatear species in the Sahara but a rarity up north, it was one of my target species for the trip so I was happy to find one just perching on a random wall. Then we stopped near a river that is known to be full of migrating passerines to have lunch, and while prospecting it I found one of the more common species (albeit hard to see) that I had been missing. A great first day!
17/09/2021 (Port de Tarfaya, Morocco)
BIRDS:
175 - Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus
176 - Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus
177 - Sooty shearwater, Ardenna grisea
178 - Common scoter, Melanitta nigra
(Lagune de Khnifiss, Morocco)
179 - Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus
180 - Garganey, Spatula querquedula
181 - Black stork, Ciconia nigra
182 - Great egret, Ardea alba
183 - Purple heron, Ardea purpurea
(Piste de Khaoui Nâam, buissons à dromoïque)
184 - Melodious warbler, Hippolais polyglotta
The first real birding day of the trip (since the first one was dedicated to driving) was absolutely fantastic. We first started by seawatching at the Tarfaya harbour and I've never seen this many seabirds in my life! Passage was great and we saw thousands of Cory's shearwaters, nearly ten thousand terns of various species as well as many jaegers and a long-awaited lifer for me: 30 some Sooty shearwaters.
Then the next stop was at the Khnifiss lagoon, which is a rather well-known spot in Moroccan birding, and which might be one of the prettiest places I've seen in my life. Apart from the great number of birds, especially waders, found (54 species which is great, especially for the Sahara), the place itself was very aesthetically pleasing and you could get close to most of them as you navigate through the lagoon by bark. My main target there was the Great black-backed gull, which may not seem like much for a European or American birder but is a rarity in Morocco (used to be a committee species) and we found no less than 3 adults. The other additions were all great as well and it was nice seeing Black stork and Great egret for the second time ever.
We then made a last stop inland to check for Streaked scrub-warbler, another one of my targets, but sadly did not find any. A migrating Melodious warbler, one of the most common species I had been missing for the year, was a welcome sight though!
18/09/2021 (Embouchure de l'Oued Souss, Morocco)
BIRDS:
185 - Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis
- Sadly, my dad (who had the kindness to drive me around during all the trip as I am not old enough to have a driving license yet) had a sudden emergency back home so we had to cut the trip short and get back home before the rest of the group. This means I couldn't get my main target, the Kelp gull, but there's always next time!
The trip wasn't necessarily over though because as my friend drove back to where he lives, he made a stop at my local spot and found a true rarity: a Marsh sandpiper, which is a species that used to commonly migrate through Morocco but is now not even recorded annually. He immediately contacted me about it and I could get there in time to twitch it. What a bird!
All-in-all, probably my best birding trip even if it was cut short and I cannot wait to get back to the region to discover more of its wonders.
I delayed posting this for a few days (but ended up posting it anyway) because my friend and I still had a few puzzling terns that neither of us could identify precisely. One of those was a potential Arctic tern, a rare species that isn't even annual in Morocco (though that's probably because of lack of observers), that we finally could confirm today!
Another rare species on this awesome trip and another lifer for me (albeit retroactively).
17/09/2021 (Port de Tarfaya, Morocco)
BIRDS:
179 - Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea
This means that I'm now on 186 bird species for the year
Birds
316. Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
Another belated update, with some good species picked up in my new area:
Birds
124. Nuttall's Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii)
125. Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli)
126. Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus)
127. Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)
128. Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)
Mammals
17. Coyote (Canis latrans)
18. American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Birds
317. American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
318. White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
An update with a few long-awaited lifers for me. The bearded dragon, three raptors and ladybird were all seen in and around the grounds of Darling Downs Zoo yesterday. Being two hours from Brisbane it's a place I only occasionally travel to so I almost always pick up something new. Black-shouldered Kites are stunning birds in flight as they are basically pure white birds with distinct black wing patches. They are a fantastic species and should be my 13th raptor species I have seen in the wild for 2021.
The bandicoot was just a bit of luck. I found it near a dog park whilst unsuccessfully looking for babblers. The bonus toadfish was identified after my trip to the bayside and the butterfly was confirmed as it was being consumed by a bee-eater! Most of these adventures have been covered here with lots more to come: Exploring What’s on my Doorstep: WhistlingKite24 does South-east Queensland
Mammals
9) Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus
Birds
157) Black Kite Milvus migrans
158) Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
159) Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris
Reptiles
15) Eastern Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata
Fish
5) Common Toadfish Tetractenos hamiltoni
Invertebrates
59) Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi
60) Striped Ladybird Micraspis frenata
Birds
319. American Pipit Anthus rubescens
Well I've done nothing for the past 6 months lol.
Birds:
30. Blue whistling thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)
31. Scarlet minivet (Pericrocotus speciosus)
Reptiles:
1. Four-clawed gecko (Gehyra mutilata)
Discovered a new spot today that looks super promising for marsh birds (especially crakes, which I'll look for hopefully when spring comes). A lot of birds today as well but the mammals were more exciting this time:
02/10/2021 (Mares d'El Jouaber, Morocco)
BIRDS:
187 - Ferruginous duck, Aythya nyroca
MAMMALS:
6 - Egyptian mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon
7 - Moroccan jird, Meriones grandis
02/10/2021 (Mares d'El Jouaber, Morocco)
BIRDS:
187 - Ferruginous duck, Aythya nyroca
MAMMALS:
6 - Egyptian mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon
7 - Moroccan jird, Meriones grandis
198 yellow-browed warbler Phylloscopus inornatus
a nice swedish lifer for me. it was almost one the date two year ago when i last saw one . in mongolia in 2019. felas long ago ....
a nice swedish lifer for me. it was almost one the date two year ago when i last saw one . in mongolia in 2019. felas long ago ....
I have been keeping an eye on bird reports from CT these past few weeks and the fall migration is clearly in full swing, but dozens of wonderful passerines in particular making their way through the state. Few of which I have seen before. Unfortunately, my academic studies this semester have proved no less taxing and time-consuming than they have been these last couple of years and I have struggled finding the time to get outdoors purely for wildlife watching purposes. Yesterday was an exception, however, as my girlfriend and I planned a belated birthday whale watching tour out of Boston. The plan was to spend the full weekend away and do more wildlife-related activities today, but alas I now have an exam scheduled for tomorrow so I'm back home making up for the lost study time from yesterday. Despite only two new animals seen for the year (and a Mola-Mola sighted by others but not ourselves), cannot say I regret taking the amazing opportunity all things considered!
Birds
168) Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
Mammals
20) Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae
~Thylo
Birds:
115. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Mammals: 11
Birds: 115
Herptiles: 14
Fish: 4
Invertebrates: 34
Total: 176
Birds:
89. Bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea)
90. Rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
91. Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
92. Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Insect/Invertebrate:
194. Eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons)
195. White-speck armyworm moth (Mythimna unipuncta)
196. Arabesque orbweaver (Neoscona arabesca)