Zoochat Big Year 2022

A few weeks for me, my family and I planned to go to Northern Morocco for a trip during the February holidays I get from school. Northern Morocco's birds aren't distinctive enough from where I am to get my multiple lifers but my main goal would've been to see the few gems that can only be found there in the whole of Morocco, mainly Marsh owl (at Merja Zerga) and Great bustard (at the Assilah steppes). These two species are incredibly rare here (and for the Marsh owl in the Western Palearctic as a whole) and it might be a question of time before they sadly get extirpated from the country. Those two as well as a Purple sandpiper (15th record for Morocco) and Spotted crake (often seen in February in the north) were the species I was targeting for the trip.

Sadly, unlike other trips I've had these past few months in Morocco, none of the targets showed up (we didn't even try for the purple sandpiper because of lack of time). However, it was still a very fun experience to see habitats that are vastly different from the ones I'm accustomed to in southern Morocco (discovering habitats to me is just as important as seeing birds when I go birding) and I could still get two other, minor, targets while there: a lifer Whiskered tern (which means I only need one tern species to complete the Moroccan set composed of 11 regular species) and a Moroccan lifer Monk parakeet in Tangier. It was also an occasion for me to raffle a whole bunch of year additions, including some that I could have easily missed this year otherwise (such as Common crane, Red-crested pochard etc...).

BIRDS:
26/02/2022 (Oued L'Bour [94], Rabat [95], Morocco)
94 - Northern raven, Corvus corax
95 - Western jackdaw, Coloeus monedula
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27/02/2022 (Rabat [96], Salines de Lixus [97-103], Marais du Bas Loukkos [104-107], Morocco)
96 - African blue tit, Cyanistes teneriffae
97 - Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia
98 - Pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta
99 - Eurasian whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus
100 - European golden plover, Pluvialis apricaria
101 - Grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea
102 - Red-crested pochard, Netta rufina
103 - Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica
104 - Sand martin, Riparia riparia
105 - Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola
106 - Ferruginous duck, Aythya nyroca
107 - Common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs
---
28/02/2022 (Merja Zerga [108-109], Merja Bargha [110-113], Marais de Dlalha [114], Morocco)
108 - Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres
109 - Whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida
110 - Squacco heron, Ardeola ralloides
111 - Gadwall, Mareca strepera
112 - African reed warbler, Acrocephalus baeticatus
113 - Red-knobbed coot, Fulica cristata
114 - Common quail, Coturnix coturnix
---
01/03/2022 (Sahel [115], Steppes d'Assilah [116-119], Assilah [120], Morocco)
115 - Long-legged buzzard, Buteo rufinus cirtensis
116 - Black kite, Milvus migrans
117 - Barbary partridge, Alectoris barbara
118 - Common crane, Grus grus
119 - Spotted redshank, Tringa erythropus
120 - Eurasian hoopoe, Upupa epops
---
02/03/2022 (Cap Spartel [121-124], Morocco)
121 - European robin, Erithacus rubecula
122 - Song thrush, Turdus philomelos
123 - Red-rumped swallow, Cecropis daurica
124 - Western subalpine warbler, Curruca iberiae
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03/03/2022 (Église Saint-André, Tanger [125], Morocco)
125 - Monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus
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04/03/2022 (A5 entre Merja Bargha et Douar el Kourchi [126], Morocco)
126 - Black-winged kite, Elanus caeruleus

INVERTS:
27/02/2022 (Salines de Lixus [4-5])
4 - Painted lady, Vanessa cardui
5 - African monarch, Danaus chrysippus
---
28/02/2022 (Merja Zerga [6-7])
6 - Mottled sea hare, Aplysia fasciata
7 - West African fiddler crab, Afruca tangeri

HERPS:
27/02/2022 (Lixus [3], Marais du Bas Loukkos [4])
2 - Greek tortoise, Testudo graeca
3 - Spanish pond turtle, Mauremys leprosa
 
A while ago the dreary weather we have seen so far this year in the Netherlands stopped to give way to bright sunny days. On of the first good day I decided to go to the Wamberg, which has an excellent reputation among local birders, especially when it comes to woodpeckers. During a few hours of very high quality birding, I managed to see four out of five resident Dutch woodpecker species, including two stunning sightings of displaying Middle Spotted Woodpeckers and a very vocal Lesser Spotted. Unfortunately Black Woodpecker remained unseen, despite its call being present throughout the birding session. It is also a good site for Red Squirrel, and I saw two without much trouble.

Over a week has passed since. I did see a migrating kite at work, so that was neat. But this morning, on a cold but bright day, I wanted to try for Black Woodpecker again. Not at the Wamberg, but in my local patch, as I know a few good spots for the species there. The woodpeckers are always a bit hit and miss because they have such large territories, so I decided to just hang around one of their favorite spots and wait for them to show up. It didn't take more than ten minutes before the male showed up and gave great views! Easy. The rest of the morning went very well too, with great sightings of singing Woodlarks, Yellowhammers, one of the local Ravens, a Goshawk, a Peregrine and a Great Grey Shrike.

Also, the amphibians are starting to get active again! I tried some frog-searching one evening but found only a single Edible Frog and loads of toads. Apparently I was a little to early to find the Moor Frogs I was looking for. Four days later someone send me a video of a few calling Moor Frogs, so I decided to go look for them as soon as possible because you have to be early or you'll miss it. It took me two days and when I went most of the activity had already died down. Still, there were two or three displaying frogs so I was happy. Amphibians are not easy.

Birds
124. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Dryobates minor
125. Red Kite, Milvus milvus
126. Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius

Herptiles
2. Common Toad, Bufo bufo
3. Edible Frog, Pelophylax kl. esculentus
4. Moor Frog, Rana arvalis

Mammals
8. Red Squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris
 
It seems like this week, birding wise, is definitely not my lucky week...

While still in Tangier a few days ago, I received an eBird alert that a Ring-necked duck, a rare North American vagrant, was spotted at Estuaire du Tamri, which is one of the spots I regularly visit back home. I made sure to try and twitch it as soon as I'm back home and that was my goal this morning.

Unfortunately the duck was a total no-show, even if I skimmed the entire area for it. A swamphen (weirdly swimming! never seen such behaviour before) and my first blackcap of the year made up for it but the best addition by far was my lifer Wild boar. Although very common (even spotted sometimes in my city at night), it's a species I had never seen before today. Surprisingly enough, the sighting was of a sow and her piglet on the side of the road, near a packed beach!

BIRDS:
05/03/2022 (Estuaire de l'Asif n'Srou [127-128])
125 - Western swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio
126 - Eurasian blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla

MAMMALS:
05/03/2022 (Plage d'Imi Ouaddar [3])
3 - Wild boar, Sus scrofa
 
Birds
90 Avocet Recuvirostra avosetta
91 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
92 Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria

Mammals
6 Bank Vole Myodes glareolus

Amphibians
1 Common Frog Rana temporaria
 
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Dhole dude said:
Two more birds I managed to forget I saw in Florida.

Birds
50. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
51. Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Also, seeing as Feral Cats are now allowed, I have seen one or two so far this year.

Mammals
4. Domestic Cat (Felis Catus)

Mammals: 4
Birds: 51
Reptiles: 7
Fish: 3
Invertebrates: 1
Click to expand...
Saw a few more species today :).

Mammals
5. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Birds
52. Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
53. Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
54. Rock Dove (Columba livia)

Mammals: 5
Birds: 54
Reptiles: 7
Fish: 3
Invertebrates: 1
 
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I and a friend spent the weekend at Kurringai Cottage near Wangaratta. It is sold as “self-catering accommodation for the nature-lover”. It has a three-acre bird garden on a rise overlooking the Ovens Valley towards the Australian Alps, and backing onto the Warby Ranges National Park. It has a bird list of over 130 species. Moreover, most of the species we saw were in significant numbers including Turquoise Parrots.

However, the highlight was the local population of yellow-footed antechinus. My previous sightings of antechinus have been fleeting, and either very early in the morning or late at night. We had numerous, extended and excellent views throughout daylight hours during our stay. The highlight was one that ran across the deck outside were we were having a coffee at 9am this morning, then ran back along the windows, stopped at the glass door to look at us then ran off round the corner. I have never seen anything like it.

Total species seen at cottage:
Mammals 5
Birds 29
Invertebrates 2

Mammals
6. Yellow-footed antechinus Antechinus flavipes

Birds
114. Peaceful dove Geopelia placida
115. Crested pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
116. Rainbow bee-eater Merops ornatus
117. Turquoise parrot Neophema pulchella
118. Red-rumped parrot Psephotus haematonotus
119. Brown treecreeper Climacteris picumnus
120. Brown-headed honeyeater Melithreptus brevirostris
121. Little friarbird Philemon citreogularis
122. Yellow-rumped thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
123. White-browed babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus
124. Restless flycatcher Myiagra inquieta
125. Jacky winter Microeca fascinans

Invertebrates
11. Small dingy swallowtail Papilio anactus
12. Portuguese millipede Ommatoiulus moreleti (new Order and Family)

The new Order Julida is the 100th Order I have seen in the wild and recorded on my list. I might have liked it to be Microbiotheria or Eurypygiformes but there you go.

I wanted to see the speckled warbler because it is range-restricted and can be difficult to find. I was told of a site in the Chiltern Forest that was reliable, which we visited Sunday morning, but it was still a battle to find it. The speckled warbler turned out to be the 1300th species I have added to my list since I started it in 2018.

Total species seen at Chilton Forest:
Birds 10
Invertebrates 1

Birds
126. Spotted pardalote Pardalotus punctatus
127. Speckled warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus
128. Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris
129. Olive-backed oriole Oriolus sagittatus

Invertebrates
13.Orange potter wasp Delta bicinctum

Another mammal I had hoped for was the squirrel glider, which of course we have always kept at Moonlit Sanctuary. There are a number of reserves within Wangaratta with good stands of river red gum and I was told they were good sites for this glider. Besides the normal arboreal possums two nights spotlighting only produced an owl and a moth.

Birds
130. Barking owl Ninox connivens

Invertebrates
14. Labyrinthine ghost moth Abantiades labyrinthicus

Returning home this morning we stopped off at the Winton Wetlands, a 7000ha habitat restoration site of a decommissioned irrigation reservoir. We birded the Duck Pond and got 13 species including:

131. White-browed woodswallow Artamus superciliosus

Two-year new species targets
Mammals 1/100
Birds 9/1000
Bonus ectotherms 12
 
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Birds:
41. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Fish:
1. Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus) (I sighted it as a fisherman was cleaning it on the water’s edge. It was dead, but freshly caught. Let me know if this doesn’t count)

Invertebrates:
4. Giant Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala declivis)
 
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Birdsage said:
Birds:
41. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Fish:
1. Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus) (I sighted it as a fisherman was cleaning it on the water’s edge. It was dead, but freshly caught. Let me know if this doesn’t count)

Invertebrates:
4. Giant Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala declivis)
Click to expand...
Sorry, the rule is that it must be alive.
 
ChunkyMunky pengopus said:
I haven't updated for a while so here are some of the new additions of early spring, including some nice lifers.

Mammals:
4. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
5. Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis) (Lifer)
6. Virginia‌ ‌Opossum‌ ‌(‌Didelphis‌ ‌virginiana)‌

Birds:
34. Redhead (Aythya americana) (Lifer)
35. Red Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
36. Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
37. Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
38. Yellow Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
39. Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
40. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
41. Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Insect/Invertebrate:
4. Yellow sac spider (Cheiracanthium inclusum)
5. Silvanid flat bark beetle (Telephanus atricapillus)
6. False milkweed bug (Lygaeus turcicus)
7. Seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)
8. Northern green-striped grasshopper (Chortophaga viridifasciata viridifasciata) (Lifer)
Click to expand...
A trip to Kankakee river state park and overturning rocks at home yielded some new birds and inverts, including a few lifers. Oh, and I flushed a woodcock out from some shrubs in my backyard while looking for those inverts.

Birds:
1. Ring-Billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
2. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) (Lifer)
3. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) (Lifer)
4. Brown Creeper/ American Treecreeper (Certhia americana)
5. American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) (Lifer)

Insect/Invertebrate:
9. Common water strider (Aquarius remigis) (Lifer)
10. Bean leaf beetle (Cerotoma trifurcata)
11. Nosy pill woodlouse (Armadillidium nasatum)
12. Wandering broadhead planarian (Bipalium adventitium)
13. Long-necked seed bug (Myodocha serripes) (Lifer)
14. Barn funnel weaver spider (Tegenaria domestica) (Lifer)
15. Greenhouse camel cricket (Tachycines asynamorus) (Lifer)
16. Winter ant (Prenolepis imparis)
 
In my last report, white-browed woodswallow should of course be the white-breasted woodswallow. Scientific name was correct.
 
Mr. Zootycoon said:
Birds
124. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Dryobates minor
125. Red Kite, Milvus milvus
126. Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius
Click to expand...

Short correction: when checking my list I saw that I missed Egpytian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) and Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), despite having seen both many times already this year. So I should be on 128 instead.
 
Mr. Zootycoon said:
Unfortunately Black Woodpecker remained unseen, despite its call being present throughout the birding session.
I wanted to try for Black Woodpecker again. Not at the Wamberg, but in my local patch, as I know a few good spots for the species there. The woodpeckers are always a bit hit and miss because they have such large territories, so I decided to just hang around one of their favorite spots and wait for them to show up. It didn't take more than ten minutes before the male showed up and gave great views!

126. Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius
Click to expand...

When you do see Black Woodpecker, do they tend to be on the ground feeding or on treetrunks? What % chance of success do you think you stand each time you try for them? Also, any pointers to your best areas for them (I may have asked this before...apologies if so).
 
Ituri said:
BIRDS
66 Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum
67 American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis
68 White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis
69 Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus
70 Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna
71 Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus
72 Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater
73 Common Merganser - Mergus merganser
74 Great-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus
75 Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
76 Redhead - Aythya americana
77 Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
78 Western Meadowlark - Sturnella neglecta
79 Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor

MAMMALS
3 Coyote - Canis latrans
Click to expand...

BIRDS:
80 Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis
 
Pertinax said:
When you do see Black Woodpecker, do they tend to be on the ground feeding or on treetrunks? What % chance of success do you think you stand each time you try for them? Also, any pointers to your best areas for them (I may have asked this before...apologies if so).
Click to expand...

Usually I see them on the tree trunks or when flying between (patches of) trees. I have seen them on the ground as well, but only a few times.

Because Black Woodpeckers are resident in my local patch, I rarely go to look for them specifically but just encounter them while birding or cycling there. This year it took me a lot longer than usual so I did go and search (or rather, wait at a good location). During "casual" birding I hear them almost every time but I don't seen them very often. If I actually go and look for them I estimate I have about 30% chance of success. Using a bike can make a difference, as you can get quicker to a calling bird. Sometimes however, there are a few spots where the woodpeckers are often and where spotting them is relatively easy, and just waiting for them on such a spot can be very rewarding. I know two such hotspots in my area but unfortunately the best of the two is now off-limits so I cannot visit it anymore.

The best places to see Black Woodpecker in the Netherlands are on the Veluwe, and within that area I can recommend the Deelerwoud and the Wolfhezerheide (both of which are free to visit and without the ridiculous opening times of our national park Hoge Veluwe, which you can only enter after the best hours of birding have already passed!). There are probably plenty of other places which are just as good or better, but on these areas I have personally seen the woodpeckers. I figure that on these locations, where the density of Black Woodpeckers is much higher than in my local patch, you will have substantially better odds at finding one. These places are well worth a visit if you are in the area, even if the woodpeckers remain absent, both for the landscape and for other wildlife (at least, for Dutch standards!).
 
Mr. Zootycoon said:
Usually I see them on the tree trunks or when flying between (patches of) trees. I have seen them on the ground as well, but only a few times.

Because Black Woodpeckers are resident in my local patch, I rarely go to look for them specifically but just encounter them while birding or cycling there. This year it took me a lot longer than usual so I did go and search (or rather, wait at a good location). During "casual" birding I hear them almost every time but I don't seen them very often. If I actually go and look for them I estimate I have about 30% chance of success. Using a bike can make a difference, as you can get quicker to a calling bird. Sometimes however, there are a few spots where the woodpeckers are often and where spotting them is relatively easy, and just waiting for them on such a spot can be very rewarding. I know two such hotspots in my area but unfortunately the best of the two is now off-limits so I cannot visit it anymore.

The best places to see Black Woodpecker in the Netherlands are on the Veluwe, and within that area I can recommend the Deelerwoud and the Wolfhezerheide (both of which are free to visit and without the ridiculous opening times of our national park Hoge Veluwe, which you can only enter after the best hours of birding have already passed!). There are probably plenty of other places which are just as good or better, but on these areas I have personally seen the woodpeckers. I figure that on these locations, where the density of Black Woodpeckers is much higher than in my local patch, you will have substantially better odds at finding one. These places are well worth a visit if you are in the area, even if the woodpeckers remain absent, both for the landscape and for other wildlife (at least, for Dutch standards!).
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the infomation.;)
 
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