Zoochat Big Year 2022

[oflory]

A really good morning of South-West London / Surrey birding. An early morning trip to find lesser spotted woodpecker and then to Staines Reservoir for the scaup. Really pleased by species seen, and not even 1pm yet!

113. Eurasian treecreeper
114. Lesser spotted woodpecker
115. Black-necked grebe
116. Greater scaup

A walk in glorious weather in Kensington Gardens nets me two more birds. Looking forward to next weekend, when should hopefully add more mammals and herps.

117. Tawny owl
118. Mandarin duck (fully flighted, not escapees from the St James's Park wildfowl collection...)

 

[Maguari]

This update covers two very different days. On Wednesday I headed out with my dad for a birding day at North Cave Wetlands and Blacktoft Sands - in the end actual new birds were pretty thin on the ground (kingfisher at North Cave and a lovely close spoonbill at Blacktoft) but a lot of entertainment was provided by the recent warm weather awakening many more of our adult-overwintering insects - along with Smooth Newts and a brief Common Lizard at North Cave. The absolute best of the day was my dad turning over some discarded pond liner looking for ground beetles and finding a whole pile of tiny ants being hunted by a Common Shrew - I think only my second confirmed Sorex araneus sighting.

Today I headed out for some local Derbyshire wildlife. First stop was to try to kick start the fish list with some trout and a check of a lamprey spawning stream. You can see from the below lists and their total lack of fish how successful I was at finding fish - but this stop produced a pair of Common Toads - and I had been clued into a good stretch of the River Derwent nearby to check for water voles, of which I found one, but a good showy one.

After this I went to Ramsley Reservoir, a spot locally known as the most reliable place to see Common Lizards. It's also good for amphibians but the actual water isn't very accessible so it's generally better for those out of breeding season when it's a looking under things situation. I was mainly there because I was annoyed how poor the view of the previous lizard was, and sure enough I was able to find a much nicer one here, as well as a second pair of toads.

The last major stop was an attempt to resolve a quandary. Around this time of year is when I usually go for one of my favourite regular Derbyshire species - Mountain Hares. But my usual site for these is currently incredibly difficult to access, as it's on Snake Road - currently closed for an indeterminate amount of time due to storm damage. So this time I was forced to improvise with a different location - I went for the only other place I've ever really looked for them, Derwent Edge, near Ladybower Reservoir. Last time it was an utter failure. This time I found two hares within half a mile of the car park. Boom. It was also the site of today's only bird addition - where there are Mountain Hares in Derbyshire, there are Red Grouse. As a final coda to the day, on the way back I saw three big groups of Red Deer and also three Brown Hares in the fields closer to town, so an excellent mammal day.



Birds:
133. Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis
134. Eurasian Spoonbill - Platalea leucorodia
135. Red Grouse - Lagopus lagopus

Mammals:
16. Common Shrew - Sorex araneus
17. Northern Water Vole - Arvicola amphibius
18. Mountain Hare - Lepus timidus

Reptiles:
1. Common Lizard - Zootoca vivipara

Amphibians:
1. Smooth Newt - Lissotriton vulgaris
2. Common Toad - Bufo bufo

Invertebrates:
4. Ground Beetle - Poecilus versicolor
5. Brimstone - Gonepteryx rhamni
6. Peacock - Aglais io
7. Common Green Lacewing - Chrysopepla carnea
8. Seven-spot Ladybird - Coccinella septempunctata
9. Comma - Polygonia c-album
10. Tree Bumblebee - Bombus hypnorum
11. Early Bumblebee - Bombus pratorum
12. White-tailed Bumblebee - Bombus lucorum

 

[Tetzoo Quizzer]

Birds
99 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
100 Garganey Spatula querquedula
101 Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
102 Brambling Fringilla montifringilla

 

[carl the birder]

gor lots of bird to ad just need to find the time to put it down here

 

[dinosauria]

Finally, a new species! Spotted four of these little goldfinches in a neighbor's bushes as well as a ladybug while jogging.

Birds
43. Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria

Inverts

24. Seven-Spotted Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

 

[Tetzoo Quizzer]

Invertebrates
16 Slender Groundhopper Tetrix subulata

 

[Chlidonias]

I'm rounding up the last few pages' totals.

@Mehdi - I'm assuming you are on 128 birds?

03/03/2022 (Église Saint-André, Tanger [125], Morocco)
125 - Monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus
---
04/03/2022 (A5 entre Merja Bargha et Douar el Kourchi [126], Morocco)
126 - Black-winged kite, Elanus caeruleus

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

@birdsandbats - you have 86 twice, so are you on 94 now?

Birds
86. Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii

Birds
86. Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
87. Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

@MRJ - you jumped from 19 to 22 invertebrates, so are you actually on 25 now?

Invertebrates
There was an abundance of butterflies, at this stage I have only included new species I observed.
15. Bordered rustic Cupha prosope
16. Common grass yellow Eurema hecabe
17. Common aeroplane Phaedyma shepherdi
18. Small green banded blue Psychonotis caelius
And to finish up a recent observation from Moonlit
19. Honeybrown beetle Ecnolagria grandis

Invertebrates observed at various places:
22. Common albatross Appias paulina
23. Blue wanderer (tiger) Tirumala hamata
24. Blue triangle Graphium choredon
25. Lydia lichen moth Asura lydia
26. False garden mantis Pseudomantis albofimbriata (new Order and Family)
27. Australian ghost shrimp Trypaea australiensis (new Family)

 

[Chlidonias]

@Mr. Zootycoon - I'll put you on 5 herptiles.

Herptiles
1. Smooth Newt, Lissotriton vulgaris

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

Herptiles
4. Palmate Newt, Lissotriton helveticus

 

[WhistlingKite24]

A much needed update with mainly the usual suspects. Highlight since my last post has been a butterfly – my first Yellow Admiral. Everything I had read about them described them as common but I’d yet to come across one. After a long week at work during my usual potter to the bus, I spotted a dull butterfly perched in lomandra bushes. It opened it wings and flashed its unmistakable markings. A really lovely little thing that brightened my day.

Mammals
6) Little Red Flying Fox, Pteropus scapulatus
7) Grey-headed Flying Fox, Pteropus poliocephalus

Birds
77) Peaceful Dove, Geopelia placida
78) Bar-shouldered Dove, Geopelia humeralis
79) Greater Crested Tern, Thalasseus bergii
80) Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
81) Pied Butcherbird, Cracticus nigrogularis
82) Galah, Eolophus roseicapilla
83) Australian Wood Duck, Chenonetta jubata
84) Golden-headed Cisticola, Cisticola exilis
85) Australasian Darter, Anhinga novaehollandiae
86) Brahminy Kite, Haliastur indus
87) Common Cicadabird, Edolisoma tenuirostre
88) Long-billed Corella, Cacatua tenuirostris

Herptiles
03) Bar-sided Skink, Concinnia tenuis
04) Garden Skink, Lampropholis delicata
05) Eastern Water Dragon, Intellagama lesueurii
06) Brisbane River Turtle, Emyduras macquarii signata
07) Eastern Water Skink, Eulamprus quoyii
08) Saw-shelled Turtle, Myuchelys latisternum

Invertebrates
12) European Honeybee, Apis mellifera
13) Blue-banded Bee, Amegilla cingulata
14) Orchard Swallowtail, Papilio aegeus
15) Green Jumping Spider, Mopsus mormon
16) 28-Spotted Potato Ladybird, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata
17) Blue Triangle, Graphium sarpedon
18) Glasswing, Acraea andromacha
19) Common Brown Ringlet, Hypocysta metirius
20) Wandering Ringtail, Austrolestes leda
21) Tesselated Stick Insect, Anchiale austrotessulata
22) Nagia linteola
23) Asian Magpie Moth, Nyctemera baulus
24) Scarlet Three-spined Mangrove Crab, Neosarmatium trispinosum
25) Maroon Mangrove Crab Perisesarma messa
26) Compressed Fiddler Crab, Tubuca coarctata
27) Copper Jewel, Hypochrysops apelles
28) Lyell’s Swift, Pelopidas lyelli
29) Grey Wall Jumping Spider, Menemerus bivittatus
30) Yellow/Australian Admiral, Vanessa itea
31) Richmond Birdwing, Ornithoptera richmondia

An end-of-month update with some of my new additions for the year. I was very pleased to be able to tick off Black-necked Stork relatively early in the year at Kedron Brook Wetlands. A few interesting inverts as well especially dragonflies.

Birds
89) Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii
90) Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
91) Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
92) Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus

Reptiles
09) Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher

Fish
1) Mozambique Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus
2) Platy Xiphophorus maculatus
3) Banded Toadfish Marilyna pleurosticta

Invertebrates
32) Cleora repetita
33) Wide-brand Grass-Dart, Suniana sunias
34) Sea-green Jumping Spider Cosmophasis thalassina
35) White Garland House Hopper Maratus scutulatus
36) Mocis trifasciata
37) Red and Blue Damsel Xanthagrion erythroneurum
38) Leaf-curling Spider Phonognatha graeffei
39) Yellow Tussock Euproctis lutea
40) Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum
41) Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi
42) Meadow Argus Junonia villida
43) Black Jezebel Delias nigrina
44) Slender Skimmer Orthetrum sabina
45) Common Aeroplane Phaedyma shepherdi
46) Green Skimmer Orthetrum serapia
47) Swamp Tiger Danaus affinis

 

[MRJ]

you jumped from 19 to 22 invertebrates, so are you actually on 25 now?.

Hmmm interesting. I'll go back and take a look, and start at 26 next time.

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

Quite a diverse set of additions this time. Most of the birds are migrants passing through or settling in my local patches. The Woodcock was particularly nice find during a breeding bird census, and it showed quite well.

Most of my recent trips have been herptile related. My most wanted herp... no, animal in the Netherlands is adder, so I went searching for them at a relatively well-known spot. But adders can be tricky. I've heard that the best way to see them is to be on location quite early, and then walk very quietly (because snakes can feel vibrations in the ground) and scan ahead over the path and other open or sandy patched between the heather to see them basking before they know you're there. I had been searching for hours without succes when I came across a small patch that, to me, seemed absolutely perfect for adders. Then, suddenly, I heard a rustling noise through the heather very close to my feet. It was not a lizard, lizards rustle differently, it was a snake. It moved so fast through such as dense patch of heather that I couldn't make out more than a vague snake-like shape. The area has both adder and smooth snake, so that sighting was quite frustrating. (Especially as the time of year and weather conditions are perfect for adders but not for smooth snakes, but I still can't be sure). I didn't see another snake (or any reptile for that matter) in the area after that, but at least I found my first damselfly of the year.

Because of the frustration from the probable-but-unsure adder sighting and because I still had seen no identifiable snakes I decided to go look for grass snakes which are a hundred times easier to see. So I went to a good spot, walked around for a couple of minutes until another snake-searching person pointed one out to me. The snake showed quite but I would have preferred to find one myself, so we split up again. In the next 20 minutes or so I found three more grass snakes so I was very happy again. A very early orange-tip butterfly was a neat bonus.

A few days later I had a very busy day, so in the evening I wanted to go out and see if I could see or hear any other amphibians in my local area. Turns out that the natterjack toads have become active again and there was a spectacular and very loud chorus going on. I just walked right up the water's edge and sat there enjoying the chorus as it became stronger by the minute. Bats started to come out and hawk over the water. A flock of over a hundred redwings that were foraging in the area when I arrived now took to the air to travel north. After listening for a while I decided to check out another pond to see more amphibians, and there I saw loads of common toads and a few smooth newts, along with another surprise woodcock and a few roe deer. There were also common frogs croaking but I couldn't find them so they'll be on the heard-only list for now. By the time I was cycling home it was fully dark and several long-eared owls were calling. Now that's what I call a good evening!

Birds
135. Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola
136. Bluethroat, Luscinia svecica
137. (Western) Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
138. Jack Snipe, Lymnocryptes minimus
139. Garganey, Spatula querquedula

Herptiles
6. Barred Grass Snake, Natrix helvetica
7. Natterjack Toad, Epidalea calamita

Butterflies
4. European Peacock, Aglais oi
5. Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta
5. Orange Tip, Anthocharis cardamines

Dragonflies
1. Common Winter Damselfly, Sympecma fusca

 

[Coelacanth18]

Next update will be tomorrow.

Birds
39. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
40. American Coot (Fulica americana)
41. Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
42. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
43. Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
44. Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
45. Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)
46. Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)
47. Canyon Towhee (Melozone fusca)
48. Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cynocephalus)
49. Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)

Mammals
3. Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)
4. Rock Squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus)
5. Harris’s Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii)

Sunday comes after Friday, right?

Not much story with this update: a fairly productive pack of West Coast grassland species plus a couple odds 'n ends from the mountains, all seen during my first two weeks at work. Highlights included my first Prairie Falcon; my second (and third and fourth and so on) Horned Larks; and near-daily sightings of Coyote running through the tall grass.

Tomorrow I will cover my off-work time: nearly 40 wetland birds and a couple surprise exotics.

Birds
50. California Quail (Callipepla californica)
51. Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
52. Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
53. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
54. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
55. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
56. White-throated Swift (Aeronautes saxatalis)
57. Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
58. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
59. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
60. California Towhee (Melozone crissalis)
61. California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
62. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
63. Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya)

Mammals
6. California Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi)
7. Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)

8. Coyote (Canis latrans)
9. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

 

[Tetzoo Quizzer]

Invertebrates
17 Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombylius major

 

[German Zoo World]

Intervertebrates

Butterflys and Moths

3. Cabbage white Butterfly (Pieris rapae)

4. Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)

Bees and Wasps

5. Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)

 

[birdsandbats]

Birds
90. Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
91. Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
92. Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
93. American Wigeon Mareca americana

I'm rounding up the last few pages' totals.

@Mehdi - I'm assuming you are on 128 birds?





@birdsandbats - you have 86 twice, so are you on 94 now?





@MRJ - you jumped from 19 to 22 invertebrates, so are you actually on 25 now?

Yes, 94 would be right. Also:

Birds
95. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
96. Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
97. Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
98. Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis
99. Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
100. Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors

 

[Dhole dude]

Mammals
6. Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Birds
59. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
60. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Mammals: 6
Birds: 60
Reptiles: 7
Fish: 3
Invertebrates: 1

A fairly successful first day of birding in Durban, South Africa .

Mammals
7. Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)

Birds
61. Dusky Sunbird (Cinnyris fuscus)
62. Golden-Tailed Woodpecker (Campethera abingoni)
63. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
64. Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea)
65. Red-Headed Finch (Amadina erythrocephala)
66. Magpie Mannikin (Spermestes fringilloides)
67. Cape Canary (Serinus canicollis)
68. Yellow-Fronted Canary (Crithagra mozambica)
69. Black-Headed Canary (Serinus alario)
70. European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
71. Cape Turtle Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
72. Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)
73. Black Saw-Wing (Psalidoprocne pristoptera)
74. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
75. Spur-Winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis)
76. Cape Crow (Corvus capensis)
77. African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)
78. Red-Winged Starling (Onychognathus morio)
79. Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata)
80. Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)
81. Dark-Capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)
82. Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher (Trochocercus cyanomelas)
83. White-Browed Scrub Robin (Cerotrichas leucophrys)

Reptiles
8. Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia)

Mammals: 7
Birds: 83
Reptiles: 8
Fish: 3
Invertebrates: 1

 

[Great Argus]

A fairly successful first day of birding in Durban, South Africa .

Mammals
7. Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)

Birds
61. Dusky Sunbird (Cinnyris fuscus)
62. Golden-Tailed Woodpecker (Campethera abingoni)
63. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
64. Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea)
65. Red-Headed Finch (Amadina erythrocephala)
66. Magpie Mannikin (Spermestes fringilloides)
67. Cape Canary (Serinus canicollis)
68. Yellow-Fronted Canary (Crithagra mozambica)
69. Black-Headed Canary (Serinus alario)
70. European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
71. Cape Turtle Dove (Streptopelia capicola)
72. Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)
73. Black Saw-Wing (Psalidoprocne pristoptera)
74. Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
75. Spur-Winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis)
76. Cape Crow (Corvus capensis)
77. African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)
78. Red-Winged Starling (Onychognathus morio)
79. Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata)
80. Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)
81. Dark-Capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor)
82. Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher (Trochocercus cyanomelas)
83. White-Browed Scrub Robin (Cerotrichas leucophrys)

Reptiles
8. Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia)

Mammals: 7
Birds: 83
Reptiles: 8
Fish: 3
Invertebrates: 1

No lifers in all that!? Or are you not bolding them?

 

[Coelacanth18]

77. African Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)

One of my favorite birds I saw when I was in Africa; not one of the most colorful, but still quite beautiful and stunning in person.

 

[Dhole dude]

No lifers in all that!? Or are you not bolding them?

All but the Barn Swallow are lifers. I won’t bother bolding anything until the end of the year, when I compile my entire list.

One of my favorite birds I saw when I was in Africa; not one of the most colorful, but still quite beautiful and stunning in person.

I would have to agree, a very stunning species indeed.

 

[Chlidonias]

68) Common Tern Sterna hirundo

This is the sixth tern species I have seen so far this year - White-fronted, Caspian, Black, Black-fronted, Sooty, and Common. I'm quite pleased with that because normally in Wellington I'd only see two (White-fronted and Caspian), and of those six terns three of them are very rare birds in New Zealand (the Black Tern in particular, being the first New Zealand record).

69) Little Tern Sternula albifrons

Surprisingly, another two uncommon terns recently made an appearance in Wellington - or, as I have officially renamed it, Wellingtern. At the start of last week a White-winged Black Tern and a Little Tern both terned up in the White-fronted Tern roost at the Waikanae estuary. And yes I did just spell that "terned".

I couldn't go look for these until today - unlike Plimmerton, where I saw all the other species, Waikanae is too far to travel before work so it had to wait until I had a free day. The WWBT wasn't seen again after the first sighting but the Little Tern has fortunately hung around. Apparently there are up to a hundred Little Terns a year in New Zealand but I don't know where they usually end up because I've only ever seen the species once, in 2013 up in Auckland.

This particular Little Tern was in a mixed roost of Caspian and White-fronted Terns, where it looked like a marmoset in a troop of capuchins. Such a tiny little tern! I couldn't get much in the way of photos but I saw it well at least.