Zoochat Big Year 2022

HungarianBison said:
Looked out on my window today:
1. Great tit (Parus major)
2. Blackbird (Turdus merula)
3. Collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
4. Great spotted woodpecker(Dendrocopos major)
5. Common magpie (Pica pica)
Click to expand...
6. (Emberiza citrinella)
7. (Chloris chloris)
8.(Cyanistes caeruleus)
9. (Corvus cornix)
10. (Corvus frugilegus)
11. (Garrulus glandarius)
12. (Troglodytes troglodytes)
13. (Buteo buteo)
14. (Passer montanus)
15. (Picus viridis)
16. (Carduelis carduelis)
17. (Columba palumbus)
18. (Larus ridibundus)
19. (Anas platyrhyncos)
20. (Phoenicurus ochruros)
21. (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Sorry for writing scientific names only-this is because I don't really know English names.
 
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Najade said:
Bislicher Insel, Wesel

Mammals
02. European Hare (Lepus europaeus)

Birds
12. Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis)

Finally!
Click to expand...
Another quick trip to Belgium. Only got there relatively late in the day cause I had to work in the morning. Walked around a bit more for the kite than I probably would have needed to as it ended up sitting in a bush close to where I’d parked the car. Close views of both female and male harrier on the way in and out. Slavonian Grebe was a no-show though I didn’t search very long (too many water sport people around).
Would have liked to get closer to the geese but they were a bit on the skittish side.

13./ 14. - Ruitersbaan, Peer
15. - Nieuwland, Moere

Birds
13. Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
14. Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
15. Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)

We’ll see if I can add anything else tomorrow, but the weather does not look good. :(
 
Hix said:
Birds
29. Common Starling
30. Willie Wagtail
31. Satin Bowerbird
32. Rainbow Lorikeet
33. Eastern Rosella
34. Australian King Parrot
35. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
36. Rock Dove

Reptiles
2. Eastern Water Dragon
3. Eastern Water Skink

:p

Hix
Click to expand...

I quick trip out to Dubbo the other weekend and visiting a new site here in Sydney has picked up a few more species.

Birds
37. European Goldfinch
38. House Sparrow
39. Double-barred Finch
40. Red-browed Finch
41. Common Blackbird
42. Silvereye
43. Red-whiskered Bulbul
44. Pied Currawong
45. Dusky Woodswallow
46. Eastern Whipbird
47. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
48. New Holland Honeyeater
49. Bell Miner
50. Dollarbird
51. Pacific Koel
52. Australasian Grebe
53. Eastern Yellow Robin
54. Grey Fantail
55. Brown Thornbill
56. Buff-rumped Thornbill
57. Noisy Friarbird
58. Yellow-faced Honeyeater
59. White-throated Treecreeper
60. Crimson Rosella
61. Galah
62. Apostlebird
63. Little Friarbird
64. Blue-faced Honeyeater
65. White-plumed Honeyeater
66. Yellow-throated Miner
67. Yellow-billed Spoonbill
68. Grey Teal
69. White-faced Heron
70. Black-fronted Dotterel
71. Masked Lapwing
72. Hardhead
73. Australasian Shoveller
74. Whistling Kite
75. Black Kite
76. Cockatiel
77. Australasian Darter
78. Magpie Goose
79. Pied Butcherbird
80. Striated Pardalote
81. White-winged Chough
82. Laughing Kookaburra
83. Brown Goshawk
84. Bar-shouldered Dove
85. Peaceful Dove
86. Beautiful Firetail
87. Rufous Whistler
88. Golden Whistler
89. Spotted Pardalote
90. White-eared Honeyeater
91. Little Wattlebird
92. Eastern Spinebill
93. Superb Lyrebird
94. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
95. Brown Cuckoo-dove
96. Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
97. Tree Martin
98. Golden -headed Cisticola
99. Olive-backed Oriole
100. White-browed Scrubwren
101. Rock Warbler
102. Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
103. Brown Treecreeper
104. Sacred Kingfisher

Mammals
1. European Rabbit
2. Eastern Grey Kangaroo
3. Swamp Wallaby
4. Feral Goat

Reptiles
4. Short-necked Turtle

:p

Hix
 
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Chlidonias said:
63) Black Tern Chlidonias niger
64) Black-fronted Tern Chlidonias albostriatus
Click to expand...
65) Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia
66) Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus

As well as the Black Tern (first New Zealand record), two other rare terns have appeared recently in Wellington.

The day after I saw the Black Tern at Plimmerton a Common Tern was also seen at the tern roost there. In NZ the "Common Tern" is more of an "Extremely Rare Tern" (the first NZ record was in 1984, and there are only one or two seen a year). I went back there the following morning but it wasn't amongst the terns present that morning - not sure if it still around or not. It would be another lifer if I can get to see it.

The third rare tern currently here is a Sooty Tern. It was photographed at Waikanae Beach on 30 January, but it wasn't until 4 February (this Friday just gone) that the photo was spotted on iNaturalist by a local birder who then went out and re-found it that same day at Pukerua Bay, which is about halfway between Waikanae and Plimmerton. I didn't see this news until I was already home on Friday after work, so it was too late then. I had to work on Saturday but I took my binoculars with me so I could head up there afterwards. The tern showed at the Pukerua Bay roost intermittently throughout the day ... until about 3.30pm, and I got there just after 4pm.

There is a big storm passing over NZ at the moment and the location of this roost is on an exposed point with no shelter in any direction. I stuck it out for two hours hoping the tern would come back in from fishing. Imagine you are in the shower but fully clothed, and instead of the water coming from above it is blasting in from the side, and instead of water droplets it is shards of ice, and also there are dogs which shoot bees from their mouths. That's what it was like. As the English would call it, a fine summer's day. Eventually I had to give up on account of the onset of hypothermia.

However, bright side, there was a lot of bird activity out over the ocean, amongst which were a number of Arctic Skuas chasing down the White-fronted Terns coming back from fishing in order to steal their catches.

Today (Sunday) I went back out, except in the morning. No work, so lots of free time to wait. Except the roost was almost empty of terns. The weather wasn't quite as bad as yesterday. It's like the difference between having three litres of ice water and two litres of ice water thrown at you. The latter is less ice water overall but you're still drenched in ice water. I stayed from about 9am to 12.30 but finally called it a day.
 
Chlidonias said:
65) Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia
66) Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus

As well as the Black Tern (first New Zealand record), two other rare terns have appeared recently in Wellington.

The day after I saw the Black Tern at Plimmerton a Common Tern was also seen at the tern roost there. In NZ the "Common Tern" is more of an "Extremely Rare Tern" (the first NZ record was in 1984, and there are only one or two seen a year). I went back there the following morning but it wasn't amongst the terns present that morning - not sure if it still around or not. It would be another lifer if I can get to see it.

The third rare tern currently here is a Sooty Tern. It was photographed at Waikanae Beach on 30 January, but it wasn't until 4 February (this Friday just gone) that the photo was spotted on iNaturalist by a local birder who then went out and re-found it that same day at Pukerua Bay, which is about halfway between Waikanae and Plimmerton. I didn't see this news until I was already home on Friday after work, so it was too late then. I had to work on Saturday but I took my binoculars with me so I could head up there afterwards. The tern showed at the Pukerua Bay roost intermittently throughout the day ... until about 3.30pm, and I got there just after 4pm.

There is a big storm passing over NZ at the moment and the location of this roost is on an exposed point with no shelter in any direction. I stuck it out for two hours hoping the tern would come back in from fishing. Imagine you are in the shower but fully clothed, and instead of the water coming from above it is blasting in from the side, and instead of water droplets it is shards of ice, and also there are dogs which shoot bees from their mouths. That's what it was like. As the English would call it, a fine summer's day. Eventually I had to give up on account of the onset of hypothermia.

However, bright side, there was a lot of bird activity out over the ocean, amongst which were a number of Arctic Skuas chasing down the White-fronted Terns coming back from fishing in order to steal their catches.

Today (Sunday) I went back out, except in the morning. No work, so lots of free time to wait. Except the roost was almost empty of terns. The weather wasn't quite as bad as yesterday. It's like the difference between having three litres of ice water and two litres of ice water thrown at you. The latter is less ice water overall but you're still drenched in ice water. I stayed from about 9am to 12.30 but finally called it a day.
Click to expand...
A shame; one good tern deserves another!
 
Been rather busy with exams so far this year, so haven't had chance to get out much (and post my sightings!) This means I've been largely confined to the city so far, hence the absence of many common species I'd have expected so see by now, such as pheasants, chaffinches, and rabbits.

Birds
1. Wood pigeon Columba palumbus
2. Dunnock Prunella modularis
3. Eurasian blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus
4. Eurasian magpie Pica pica
5. Common blackbird Turdus merula
6. European herring gull Larus argentatus
7. Long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus
8. Rook Corvus frugilegus
9. Great tit Parus major
10. European robin Erithacus rubecula
11. Coal tit Periparus ater
12. Eurasian collared tit Streptopelia decaocto
13. European greenfinch Chloris chloris
14. Feral pigeon Columba livia domestica
15. Carrion crow Corvus corone
16. Common starling Sturnus vulgaris
17. House sparrow Passer domesticus
18. Eurasian bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
19. Mute swan Cygnus olor
20. Common buzzard Buteo buteo
21. Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus
22. Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
23. Western jackdaw Coloeus monedula
24. Eurasian treecreeper Certhia familiaris
25. European goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
26. Red kite Milvus milvus
27. Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus
28. Song thrush Turdus philomelos
29. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
30. Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus
31. Eurasian coot Fulica atra
32. Eurasian teal Anas crecca
33. Redwing Turdus iliacus
34. Eurasian wren Troglodytes troglodytes
35. Canada goose Branta canadensis

Mammals
1. Brown hare Lepus europaeus
2. Eastern grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
 
Najade said:
Another quick trip to Belgium. Only got there relatively late in the day cause I had to work in the morning. Walked around a bit more for the kite than I probably would have needed to as it ended up sitting in a bush close to where I’d parked the car. Close views of both female and male harrier on the way in and out. Slavonian Grebe was a no-show though I didn’t search very long (too many water sport people around).
Would have liked to get closer to the geese but they were a bit on the skittish side.

13./ 14. - Ruitersbaan, Peer
15. - Nieuwland, Moere

Birds
13. Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
14. Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
15. Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)

We’ll see if I can add anything else tomorrow, but the weather does not look good. :(
Click to expand...
Pretty short list considering I was out for about 10h. :(
Super windy and pissing rain so I spend most of that time freezing and drenched.
Seemed like all the small passerines were either in hiding or gone because of the big stormfront. Didn't find any of my four targets (Penduline Tit, Lapland Longspur, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Zitting Cisticola) and then didn't have time to look for number five (Blyth's Reed Warbler). But I at least got one lifer and good close up views of the pink-footeds this time.

Het Zwin, Netherlands

Mammals
03. European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Birds
16. Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
 
Chlidonias said:
As well as the Black Tern (first New Zealand record), two other rare terns have appeared recently in Wellington.

The day after I saw the Black Tern at Plimmerton a Common Tern was also seen at the tern roost there. In NZ the "Common Tern" is more of an "Extremely Rare Tern" (the first NZ record was in 1984, and there are only one or two seen a year). I went back there the following morning but it wasn't amongst the terns present that morning - not sure if it still around or not. It would be another lifer if I can get to see it.

The third rare tern currently here is a Sooty Tern. It was photographed at Waikanae Beach on 30 January, but it wasn't until 4 February (this Friday just gone) that the photo was spotted on iNaturalist by a local birder who then went out and re-found it that same day at Pukerua Bay, which is about halfway between Waikanae and Plimmerton. I didn't see this news until I was already home on Friday after work, so it was too late then. I had to work on Saturday but I took my binoculars with me so I could head up there afterwards. The tern showed at the Pukerua Bay roost intermittently throughout the day ... until about 3.30pm, and I got there just after 4pm.

There is a big storm passing over NZ at the moment and the location of this roost is on an exposed point with no shelter in any direction. I stuck it out for two hours hoping the tern would come back in from fishing. Imagine you are in the shower but fully clothed, and instead of the water coming from above it is blasting in from the side, and instead of water droplets it is shards of ice, and also there are dogs which shoot bees from their mouths. That's what it was like. As the English would call it, a fine summer's day. Eventually I had to give up on account of the onset of hypothermia.

However, bright side, there was a lot of bird activity out over the ocean, amongst which were a number of Arctic Skuas chasing down the White-fronted Terns coming back from fishing in order to steal their catches.

Today (Sunday) I went back out, except in the morning. No work, so lots of free time to wait. Except the roost was almost empty of terns. The weather wasn't quite as bad as yesterday. It's like the difference between having three litres of ice water and two litres of ice water thrown at you. The latter is less ice water overall but you're still drenched in ice water. I stayed from about 9am to 12.30 but finally called it a day.
Click to expand...
Tetzoo Quizzer said:
A shame; one good tern deserves another!
Click to expand...
It certainly does!

67) Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus


Yesterday I had thought about dropping into Plimmerton on my way back from not seeing the Sooty Tern at Pukerua Bay, just in case the Common Tern was there. I didn't, because I was just too wet and cold. Turned out the Common Tern was there that afternoon! Bugger.

Today I figured I'd stop first at Plimmerton for the Common Tern and then head up to Pukerua Bay afterwards for the Sooty Tern. It wasn't raining at all today, which was much appreciated, although it was very windy. Instead of getting there early, like I should have done, I woke up a bit later and didn't get to Plimmerton until about 10.30am. There was a guy already there watching a group of roosting White-fronted Terns. The Common Tern had just left about half an hour before. Bugger, again. I wandered around the corner to the main roost of terns. There were two more birders there photographing the Black Tern. One of them had seen the Sooty Tern right there earlier in the morning, about 8 or 9am. Bugger again, again.

Still, this meant that the Black, Common, and Sooty Terns were all in the same place. All I had to do was wait. I spent some time photographing the Black Tern. About an hour after I arrived the Sooty Tern flew in. It remained at the roosts for about two hours before leaving again, and lots of birders (and interested passers-by) got to see it.

The Common Tern didn't come back while I was there, but a non-breeding Common Tern looks extremely similar to a non-breeding White-fronted Tern so I don't know if I'd even be able to identify it confidently if it had. (Edit: of course the Common Tern returned to the roost and was seen by others not long after I had left...)
 
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WalkingAgnatha said:
Went to Western Springs park, which is directly opposite of Auckland Zoo, yesterday. And whilst the lake setting was interesting for viewing the shags, coots and scaups most of it was just glorified duck ponds. Revolting to the nose, with swarms of mallard, feral pigeons and pukekos all over. Although seeing a shag colony on one of the trees was nice, also saw a really huge koi carp and I'm unsure whether they're wild/established so I won't count it on my total, also two birds till I hit 50(And it's only January)!

Birds
45. Little Shag (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
46. Australian Coot (Fulica atra)
47. Little Black Shag (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
48. Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Fish
3. Longfin Eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii)
Click to expand...
Few days back had a walk just along the basic gravel path leading into my local patch of regenerating bush, and just by a doing a few strolls managed to hit 50 birds (for the year mind you) and get a lifer! Would've had a walk through the bush were it not, swelteringly hot and humid (which feels weird given how the sky is completely grey), and the sheer cacophony of invisible cicadas, which actually made me feel like I was going mental. Upon entering the peripheries of the bush was instantly greeted to grey warblers! Some wandering around also netted me a very interesting looking parasitic wasp, which I actually managed to id that happen to be invasive \: (the few inverts above are just some misc things I've seen around which I haven't listed yet). After a few more loops, I saw a large bird silhouette which immediately disappeared, which could've been basically any number of things, from a long tailed koel (which was what my heart was hoping for) to a tui (most likely), and that's what I find really frustrating about forest birding, most if not all the sightings are blurry flashes, mostly either silhouettes or blurs of movement in the undergrowth which leave you second guessing and overall pissed off of either the briefness of the sighting or inconclusive id. After this sighting had left me frustrated and wondering if I could really hit 50 birds, right at the entrance of the path, I find a random male california quail just perched right next to me! Absolutely shocking considering how many times I've been through here, but it's nice to not have to make any effort to try and find them later.

Birds
49. Grey Gerygone (Greygone igata)
50! California Quail (Callipepla californica)

Inverts
12. Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis ssp. labradus)
13. Pantydia sparsa
14. Black Soldierfly (Hermetia illucens)
15. Steelblue Ladybird (Halmus chalybeus)
16. Black-tipped Orange Ichneumon (Ctenochares bicolorus)
 
ChunkyMunky pengopus said:
I can see I've messed up my numbering so I'll just post my full list here:

Mammals:
1. Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
2. Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
3. Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

Birds:
1. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
2. Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
3. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
4. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
5. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
6. Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
7. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
8. Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
9. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
10. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
11. Common/European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
12. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
13. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
14. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
15. Red Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
16. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
17. American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) (Lifer)
18. Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
19. White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
20. Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
21. Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
22. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
23. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) (Lifer)



Additions for this week:

Birds:
24. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
25. Belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Insect/invert:
3. House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata)
Click to expand...

A large snowstorm has meant that looking for waterfowl on the few lakes that remain free of ice has been especially productive (For me at least), yielding 3 lifers for this past week.

Birds:
26. Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
27. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) (Lifer)
28. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) (Lifer)
29. American Wigeon (Mareca americana) (Lifer)
30. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
 
Return trip to Western Treatment Plant at Werribee. Total of 46 bird species and one mammal species observed. Many great observations, the highlight being a brolga with chicks. New bird species for the year:

87. Brolga Antigone rubicunda
88. Little black cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
89. Pied cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
90. Double-banded plover Charadrius bicinctus
91. Red-capped plover Charadrius ruficapillus
92. Common sanderling Calidris alba
93. Red-necked stint Calidris ruficollis
94. *Black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa
95. *Marsh sandpiper Tringa stagnatalis
96. Pacific gull Larus pacificus
97. Fairy tern Sternula nereis
98. Greater crested tern Thalasseus bergii
99. Brown falcon Falco berigora
100. Australasian pipet Anthus novaeseelandiae
101. Fairy martin Petrochelidon ariel
* New to my Australian list.

And missed in a previous list (Tootgarook Swamp):
102. Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus

Two-year new species targets
Mammals 0/100
Birds 4/1000
Bonus ectotherms 4
 
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amur leopard said:
Foxes came back to my backyard! I now have a breeding pair in my backyard plus a couple I've spotted in neighbouring patches. Unfortunately I may have scared them off because I recognised the vixen from last year so went down to see her, didn't notice the male until he walked almost straight into me having just woken up from a nap. Obviously startled, he bolted and she followed suit, but I did get one nice pic which I'll post in a bit.

Then saw a few fairly common birds at my local park although the Dunnock was a nice end to my stint there and a pair of massive rats which seem to have made an entire burrowing system in the area.

25 - European blackbird, Turdus merula
26 - Blue tit - Cyanistes caeruleus
27 - Dunnock - Prunella modularis
28 - House sparrow - Passer domesticus.

Mammals

2 - Red fox, Vulpes vulpes
3 - Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus
Click to expand...

A couple of additions from the last few weeks - haven't really made the necessary effort to go out birding unfortunately...

29 - European robin, Erithacus rubecula
30 - Redwing, Turdus iliacus
31 - Great tit, Parus major
32 - Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata

Mammals

4 - House mouse, Mus musculus.
 
oflory said:
A very successful trip to Welney WWT, in glorious weather brings me to a pleasing century for the year in birds. No Bewicks swans or short earred owls compensated by the bean geese and two pairs of flyover cranes.

Mammals
7. Roe deer

Birds
88. Feral pigeon (forgot to add to previous totals...)
89. Eurasian tree sparrow
90. Rook
91. Western marsh harrier
92. Cattle egret
93. Great white egret
94. Black-tailed godwit
95. Common crane
96. Common pheasant
97. Northern pintail
98. Tundra bean goose
99. Pink-footed goose
100. Whooper swan
Click to expand...

A walk around Ashridge Estate today with a group from my church only provided one more bird (belated!) for the year, though many buzzards, red kites, and rooks were much appreciated.

101. Fieldfare
 
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HungarianBison said:
6. (Emberiza citrinella)
7. (Chloris chloris)
8.(Cyanistes caeruleus)
9. (Corvus cornix)
10. (Corvus frugilegus)
11. (Garrulus glandarius)
12. (Troglodytes troglodytes)
13. (Buteo buteo)
14. (Passer montanus)
15. (Picus viridis)
16. (Carduelis carduelis)
17. (Columba palumbus)
18. (Larus ridibundus)
19. (Anas platyrhyncos)
20. (Phoenicurus ochruros)
21. (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Sorry for writing scientific names only-this is because I don't really know English names.
Click to expand...
22. Ardea cinerea
23. Fulica atra
24. Corvus monedula
25. Erithacus rubecula
 
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