Birds
109. Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Zoochat Big Year 2023
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
109. Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
Yesterday 23th March. New species for the year and my first LIFER of the year!!!
64. Polistes dominula. A worker landed in the surface of a bridge in my way to workplace.
65. Empis mediterranea (LIFER). It wat resting on the same bridge a few meters away from the paper wasp, at the shade provided by an elm that grows under the bridge edge. I took the photos with the mobile, I'm waiting to one of my contacts for send them to my email as I don't know how pass the photos from mobile. I wanted to post the photos here but I needed to publish the list as soon as possible! I'm very happy with this completely new species for my photo archive!
66. Holocnemus hispanicus. A young one was at the light that I've mentioned other times at the entry of my work place, sucking one of the hundreds of (unidentifiable) midges that comes attracted to light. I probably molested it while taking the photos, because when I saw the photo it already dropped the migde that was eating.
Also a cranefly, that is not the most common one in my zone. I will try to send the image to a cranefly expert waiting for ID.
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
Forgot one!!! Now too late to edit my previous post :-( Honestly I hate this characteristic of Zoochat (that users can't edit their own posts).
67. Aiolopus strepens. A small male of this grasshopper landed in the door hall of the house where my boyfriend lives while I was waiting for him. I caught the grasshopper for a moment for ensure ID and released it shortly after.
67. Aiolopus strepens. A small male of this grasshopper landed in the door hall of the house where my boyfriend lives while I was waiting for him. I caught the grasshopper for a moment for ensure ID and released it shortly after.
Birds
102 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
About time one of these showed itself this year!
Arrowe Park also produced great views of Stock Dove, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Mandarin.
102 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
About time one of these showed itself this year!
Arrowe Park also produced great views of Stock Dove, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Mandarin.
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Birds
23. Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus 25/3/23
23. Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus 25/3/23
Lota lota
Well-Known Member
Despite the rough conditions with slippery mud,freezing winds and sleet, i still had wonderful day at my local patch with some other young birders.Highlight of the day was the shoveler flyover,the first one this year in Stockholm county.Two white-tailed eagles chasing each other was also a real nice sight.
70 Northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
71 Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis
72 Common crane (Grus grus)
73 Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
74 Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
75 Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
76 White wagtail ( Motacilla alba)
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
ATONISHING LIFER today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In my parents garden there is a very rare and spectacular plant (yep I like botany as much as zoology) that its about to bloom for first time in life after many years sprouting leaves only. I discovered that last thursday. It's logic that I follow the plant more frequently now, checking the growing of the bloom. And of all my garden, an animal has choosed to land on a leaf of just this precise plant. Not a normal insect. It's the first time I've seen any member of this family in my province, and the third time I saw any member of this family (and second this genus) in adult form in my life (and the other two were in wild places very far from here). Not less than a CIMBICIDAE sawfly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More precisely a member of the genus Abia. I've struggled with the info on net for find the specific ID and finally concluded that this is Abia aenea. The photos I've taken were poor because were taken with my mobile phone, but I think the slenderness of the antennae especially the fourth segment are enough visible for distinguish it from its almost identical cousin Abia lonicerae. Any other Abia species are easily ruled out by colour of antennae and pterostigma.
So,
INVERTEBRATES:
68. Abia aenea!!
Besides that, I already wrote a species factsheet (in spanish) in my biodiversty forum of the species of dance fly I posted on my message 422. This is the factsheet: Empis mediterranea
Attachments
A single bird from Friday lunch in Regent's Park, then quite a few from the first day of a long weekend in Madrid.
Mammals
10. European rabbit
11. Common pipistrelle
Birds
104. Coal tit
105. White stork
106. Black kite
107. Eurasian hoopoe
108. Monk parakeet
109. Barn swallow
110. Eurasian blackcap
111. Short-toed treecreeper
112. Spotless starling
113. European serin
I apologise for delaying my updates so much. I have a few bird species left that I missed from Tiruvannamalai. All but the last were the result of a trip to a lake, the owl being seen out of the vehicle while returning. I came back to Bangalore a week ago.First, some housekeeping. I missed a couple of species in my previous updates, either because I was unsure of the exact species (the taxonomy of wagtails, langurs and prinias are all messed-up, I must say), or because I forgot.It is worth noting that I am not IDing most of these myself.
Birds
104. Plain Prinia Prinia inornata
105. River Tern Sterna aurantia
106. Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla chuchunensis
Mammals
7. Tufted Grey Langur Semnopithecus priam
However I also have to remove a bird off the list: I could not see the colours of the thick-knee from Saturday night, and being close to the sea it may well have been a Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris). Therefore I will remove it from the list.
…
Day before yesterday we went in search of eagle owls in a place where we knew a pair lived, a huge collection of boulders and scrub. We were lucky enough to get excellent views and even photographs of them, as well as sightings of a male Blue Rock Thrush high up on the rocks.
Birds
107. Indian Eagle Owl Bubo bengalensis
108. Blue Rock-thrush Monticola solitarius
109. Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica
110. Little Swift Apus affinis
111. Dusky Crag-Martin Ptyonoprogne concolor
112. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
113. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
114. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
115. Jerdon’s Bushlark Mirafra affinis
116. Eurasian Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
These last two I had probably seen earlier this year, but not clearly enough that I felt confident to count them. In a similar vein I also saw a female Shikra today from closer than ever before, right outside the place I’m staying. I had seen accipiters frequently enough, but you never know if they are Shikra…
117. Shikra Accipiter badius
Whether 111 to 114 are lifers or not is a bit iffy - I have encountered birds very similar to each but never identified them conclusively.
Birds
117. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
118. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
119. Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis
120. Barn Owl Tyto alba/javanica stertens
121. Orange-headed Ground Thrush Geokichla citrins citrina
I’m removing the Rosy Starling from my list - while the others in my party did see it, I only saw it out of the corner of my eye. It feels rather dishonest counting it.
Also, snakes! I saw a few snakes in Thiru, including a bronzeback, but it’s nice to see them here in Karnataka since I’m doing a project on local snakes.
Reptiles
4. Common Bronzeback Treesnake Dendrelaphis tristis
5. Spectacled Cobra Naja naja
This is my first wild cobra, not counting the many “””rat snakes””” that may have been cobras.
Spoke too soon - another big movement today and even without any specific birding attempts I had a whole gang fly quite low over me when I stopped at the roadside for a sandwich.
Birds:
143. Whooper Swan - Cygnus cygnus
I managed to carve out some time for birding rather last minute this weekend, and to some good success! After a visit to the Bronx Zoo on yesterday I made an evening stop at an Audubon on the way home that I heard was good for woodcock, a bird I've longed to see. Like clockwork, as soon as the sun fell below the treeline, the fields filled with dozens of peenting birds. While the lighting made it poor for photographs, I got to watch several birds engage in their mating rituals, zipping around and calling to potential mates. I even got to witness one male actively courting a potential mate. Definitely well worth the hours spent waiting in the fields and the particularly dark walk back to my car.
This morning I had initially planned for a second go at the woodcocks, but with my success at the first attempt I decided to check out somewhere else. I chose the Milford Point Audubon, the best locale in the state to see nesting plovers and sandpipers. It's early in the season and the bulk of the nesting species won't arrival for another month or so, but some species have already started to return. A couple of unexpected surprised turned up as well, including a single Eurasian Teal hidden amongst 300+ Green-Winged Teal. Apparently, a few hours after I left today, a Short-Eared Owl was found here. Just goes to show that there never really is an appropriate time to head home
On my way home, I did make a quick pitstop at a pond where an out of season sandpiper had been found some days earlier. Though I had no luck with it, I did pick up an additional sparrow for the year.
139) American Woodcock Scolopax minor
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140) Green-Winged Teal Anas carolinensis
141) American Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
142) Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
143) Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
144) Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
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145) American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
~Thylo
Been very slow on the birding front since this last update. Between rainy weather and a busy schedule, I've not had much opportunity to get outdoors sadly. But still, I have a few birds to share!
I've recently learned that a small patch of the CT coast is a reliable summer spot for Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, a species I always thought was nothing more than an occasional vagrant. With the first of the year reported this past week, I swung by a known roost after work. I did find a night-heron, though it was not the species I was aiming for. The following day, I visited a couple local park ponds to see if there were any waterfowl species passing through.
This weekend was a bit more of a bust, with rain making yesterday a washout. Today I ended up with a few hours later of a start than I wanted, arriving in the late morning to a forest in CT housing a not infrequently seen population of Ruffed Grouse. They seem to be most often encountered during their breeding season, which should be beginning around now. Whether it be my arriving too late or the birds just not being active yet, I failed to find one. A number of other birds new for me are known to inhabit the area, however I only encountered one new year bird. I almost definitely also saw an owl, but I did not get good enough eyes on it to feel totally confident in the ID before it disappeared.
Some highlights from the past week, however, include another woodcock sighting and some surprise cranes. The woodcock was seen at the same spot as the night-heron roost. Of course it takes me years to ever track one down and then two weeks later I see one in broad daylight
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. The cranes were seen today, with a trio of Sandhills turning up on a private property along a road that transects the forest. Apparently these three spent the summer at this property last year as well.146) Black-Crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
147) Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus
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148) Ring-Necked Duck Aythya collaris
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149) American Brown Creeper Certhia americana
~Thylo
BIRDS:
78 Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
79 Merlin Falco columbarius
80 White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
81 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
82 Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
83 Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
84 Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
85 Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
REPTILES:
1 Common Slider Trachemys scripta
Last edited:
Many more birds from a walk before the Prado yesterday and then today spent birding outside Madrid, plus some reptiles, the first of the year.
Mammals
12. Common vole
Birds
114. Iberian green woodpecker
115. Sardinian warbler
116. European greenfinch
117. Red-legged partridge
118. Great Bustard
119. Common raven
120. Crested lark
121. Red-rumped swallow
122. Corn bunting
123. Great spotted cuckoo
124. Black vulture
125. Griffon vulture
126. Spanish eagle
127. Grey wagtail
128. Iberian magpie
129. Redbilled chough
130. Thekla's lark
131. Eurasian crag martin
132. Common house martin
133. Blue rock thrush
Reptiles
1. Red-earred slider
2. European pond turtle
I'm back in Tropical North Queensland for a little over a week. First stop was Green Island, which is about an hour by ferry from Cairns, for a three night stay. The island has a long history of tourism, going back to the nineteenth centaury. There is a small resort on the island, with a capacity of about 80 guests. However many more people come for a day visit, either staying for the day or as a stopover on the way to reefs further out, For residents and visitors to Cairns it is an opportunity for a day at the beach with the beaches on the FNQ coast unsafe due to crocodiles. It is a coral cay, that is a sand island only 8.000 years old, with a fringing reef. The island, as with almost all Great Barrier Reef islands, is a national park.
I've only ever visited the Great Barrier Reef once before, that was to Heron Island at the southern end of the Reef in 2021. Both islands emphasise the marine wildlife viewing opportunities so I thought it worthwhile to compare the two. I should say that I'm writing as a snorkeler. A medical condition means I cannot dive any more.
Heron Island is the larger island, with a larger resort, but no day visitors at all as it is further out. There is also a University of Queensland research station on the island. Pretty much as one steps off the small beach that fringes the island one is in the inner reef. This is easily snorkeled at high tide, while at low tides one can walk right out to the fringing reef, exploring exposed reef and rocks and any number of pools. This opens up the possibility of finding a huge variety of invertebrates, as well as smaller fish. The resort also offers the opportunity of drift snorkeling along the face of the fringe reef, which gives an outer reef experience without the need for a long boat trip out. The resort also supports wildlife watcher with a wildlife guide on duty daily to give tours and a resource building with guidebooks and films of the reef running continuously.
The main snorkeling area at Green Island (around the pier) has a large, shallow seagrass meadow that is frequented by green sea turtles. I would have seen more sea turtles during my stay than I had in my entire life to that point, and I had some excellent views. About 200 metres out as it gets deeper the sea grass gives way to a sandy floor with a number of large coral brommies. These attracted a wide variety of fish, including many large, colourful ones. There is less opportunity to observe invertebrates, although I did see a truly huge giant clam. There is also an opportunity to explore other (more interesting?) areas of reef about a kilometre off shore either on a glass-bottomed boat or by snorkeling off a dive tender. A visit to the outer reef is a full day excursion.
Birds
There are not many land animals on Green Island, not even birds. However the serious birdwatcher might be tempted to make the trip to see the ashy-bellied white-eye. This is a species of the Lesser Sunda Islands that is also found on Cape York. Green Island is the most southerly edge of it's range and also the most easily accessible for Australian bird watchers.
I also finally saw the beach stone-curlew, a species that has eluded me for quite a while. It is seen on beaches on the extreme end of the island but every attempt failed, mostly only seeing reef herons. Then on the last evening, coming down a track onto the beach for the very last time, I saw some wading birds that were not herons (they were whimbrels) on some rocks in the distance. Walking forward to get a better view, a beach stone-curlew pops up 20 metres in front of me, giving a great view.
583. Orange-footed scrub fowl Megapodius reinwardt
584. Bar-shouldered dove Geopelia humeralis
585. Buff-banded rail Hypotaenidia phillipensis
586. Eastern reef heron Egretta sacra
587. Beach stone-curlew Esacus magnirostris
588. Eurasian whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
589. Black noddy Anous minutus
590. Greater tern Thalasseus bergii
591. Eastern osprey Pandion cristatus
592. Sacred kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
583. White-breasted woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
594. Olive-backed sunbird Cinnyris jugularis
595. Ashy-bellied white-eye Zosterops citrinella
Reptiles
15. Closed-litter rainbow skink Carlia longipes
16. Green sea-turtle Chelonia myda
Fish
Without doubt the highlight was the giant barracuda. We had excellent views from the pier as it slowly cruised in the shallows below us. I managed to leave the charging cable for my underwater camera at home, so no doubt I missed quite a few species. If any more come up I'll add them later.
2. Razor wrasse Cymolutes torquatus
3. Black-eyed thicklip Hemigymnus melapterus
4. Bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus
5. Moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare
6. Steephead parrotfish Chlorurus microrhinos
7. Blue-barred parrotfish Scarus ghobban
8. Surf parrotfish Scarus rivulatus
9. Dusky batfish Platax pinnatus
10. Bengal sergeant Abudefduf bengalnsis
11. Blue-green chromis Chromis viridis
12. Lemon damsel Pomacentrus moluccensis
13. Threadfin butterflyfish Chaetodon auriga
14. Yellowtail fusilier Caesio cuning
15. Red bass Lutjanus bohar
16. Moorish idol Zanclus cornutus
17, Blue-lined rabbitfish Siganus puellus
18. Scissortail sergeant Abudefduf sexfasciatus
19. Titan triggerfish Balistoides viridescens
20. Lagoon triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus
21. Brassy trevally Caranx papuensis (new Family)
22. Giant barracuda Sphyraena barracuda (new Family)
23. Coral Sea maskray Neotrygon trigonoides
24. Blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus
25. Sicklefin lemon shark Negaprion acutidens
Invertebrates
5. Luzon sea star Echinaster luzonicus (new Order and Family)
6. Sandy sea cucumber Holothuria atra
7, Licorice sea cucumber Stichopus chloronotus
8. Green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina
9. Australian lurcher Yoma sabina
10. Fuscous swallowtail Papilio fuscus
11. Smooth-handed ghost crab Ocypode cordimana (new Family)
12. Mottled lightfoot crab Grapsus albolineatus
13. Tropical periwinkle Planaxis sulcatus
14. Pleated nerite Nerita plicata (new Family)
15. Boring giant clam Tridacna crocea
16. Gigas giant clam Tridacna gigas
And finally, an honourable mention for an algae, Caulerpa taxifolia, the world's largest single cell organism. Lots of these golf-ball size "bubbles" could be seen floating around close to shore.
I've only ever visited the Great Barrier Reef once before, that was to Heron Island at the southern end of the Reef in 2021. Both islands emphasise the marine wildlife viewing opportunities so I thought it worthwhile to compare the two. I should say that I'm writing as a snorkeler. A medical condition means I cannot dive any more.
Heron Island is the larger island, with a larger resort, but no day visitors at all as it is further out. There is also a University of Queensland research station on the island. Pretty much as one steps off the small beach that fringes the island one is in the inner reef. This is easily snorkeled at high tide, while at low tides one can walk right out to the fringing reef, exploring exposed reef and rocks and any number of pools. This opens up the possibility of finding a huge variety of invertebrates, as well as smaller fish. The resort also offers the opportunity of drift snorkeling along the face of the fringe reef, which gives an outer reef experience without the need for a long boat trip out. The resort also supports wildlife watcher with a wildlife guide on duty daily to give tours and a resource building with guidebooks and films of the reef running continuously.
The main snorkeling area at Green Island (around the pier) has a large, shallow seagrass meadow that is frequented by green sea turtles. I would have seen more sea turtles during my stay than I had in my entire life to that point, and I had some excellent views. About 200 metres out as it gets deeper the sea grass gives way to a sandy floor with a number of large coral brommies. These attracted a wide variety of fish, including many large, colourful ones. There is less opportunity to observe invertebrates, although I did see a truly huge giant clam. There is also an opportunity to explore other (more interesting?) areas of reef about a kilometre off shore either on a glass-bottomed boat or by snorkeling off a dive tender. A visit to the outer reef is a full day excursion.
Birds
There are not many land animals on Green Island, not even birds. However the serious birdwatcher might be tempted to make the trip to see the ashy-bellied white-eye. This is a species of the Lesser Sunda Islands that is also found on Cape York. Green Island is the most southerly edge of it's range and also the most easily accessible for Australian bird watchers.
I also finally saw the beach stone-curlew, a species that has eluded me for quite a while. It is seen on beaches on the extreme end of the island but every attempt failed, mostly only seeing reef herons. Then on the last evening, coming down a track onto the beach for the very last time, I saw some wading birds that were not herons (they were whimbrels) on some rocks in the distance. Walking forward to get a better view, a beach stone-curlew pops up 20 metres in front of me, giving a great view.
583. Orange-footed scrub fowl Megapodius reinwardt
584. Bar-shouldered dove Geopelia humeralis
585. Buff-banded rail Hypotaenidia phillipensis
586. Eastern reef heron Egretta sacra
587. Beach stone-curlew Esacus magnirostris
588. Eurasian whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
589. Black noddy Anous minutus
590. Greater tern Thalasseus bergii
591. Eastern osprey Pandion cristatus
592. Sacred kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
583. White-breasted woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
594. Olive-backed sunbird Cinnyris jugularis
595. Ashy-bellied white-eye Zosterops citrinella
Reptiles
15. Closed-litter rainbow skink Carlia longipes
16. Green sea-turtle Chelonia myda
Fish
Without doubt the highlight was the giant barracuda. We had excellent views from the pier as it slowly cruised in the shallows below us. I managed to leave the charging cable for my underwater camera at home, so no doubt I missed quite a few species. If any more come up I'll add them later.
2. Razor wrasse Cymolutes torquatus
3. Black-eyed thicklip Hemigymnus melapterus
4. Bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus
5. Moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare
6. Steephead parrotfish Chlorurus microrhinos
7. Blue-barred parrotfish Scarus ghobban
8. Surf parrotfish Scarus rivulatus
9. Dusky batfish Platax pinnatus
10. Bengal sergeant Abudefduf bengalnsis
11. Blue-green chromis Chromis viridis
12. Lemon damsel Pomacentrus moluccensis
13. Threadfin butterflyfish Chaetodon auriga
14. Yellowtail fusilier Caesio cuning
15. Red bass Lutjanus bohar
16. Moorish idol Zanclus cornutus
17, Blue-lined rabbitfish Siganus puellus
18. Scissortail sergeant Abudefduf sexfasciatus
19. Titan triggerfish Balistoides viridescens
20. Lagoon triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus
21. Brassy trevally Caranx papuensis (new Family)
22. Giant barracuda Sphyraena barracuda (new Family)
23. Coral Sea maskray Neotrygon trigonoides
24. Blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus
25. Sicklefin lemon shark Negaprion acutidens
Invertebrates
5. Luzon sea star Echinaster luzonicus (new Order and Family)
6. Sandy sea cucumber Holothuria atra
7, Licorice sea cucumber Stichopus chloronotus
8. Green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina
9. Australian lurcher Yoma sabina
10. Fuscous swallowtail Papilio fuscus
11. Smooth-handed ghost crab Ocypode cordimana (new Family)
12. Mottled lightfoot crab Grapsus albolineatus
13. Tropical periwinkle Planaxis sulcatus
14. Pleated nerite Nerita plicata (new Family)
15. Boring giant clam Tridacna crocea
16. Gigas giant clam Tridacna gigas
And finally, an honourable mention for an algae, Caulerpa taxifolia, the world's largest single cell organism. Lots of these golf-ball size "bubbles" could be seen floating around close to shore.
Boring Giant Clam? Have you no consideration for it’s feelings? It can’t help being neurodiverse and introverted, poor thing.
A couple from a very pleasant long walk up and down Derwent Edge yesterday. I've sometimes had Mountain Hares in this area but none playing yesterday so I will head up to my number one spot for them at some point. Somehow I completely missed the wheatear in the UK last year (though I saw them in Spain) - nice to get them good and early this time.
Birds:
144. Red Grouse - Lagopus lagopus
145. Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe
Birds:
144. Red Grouse - Lagopus lagopus
145. Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe
Lota lota
Well-Known Member
Yesterday,winter made a comeback to Stockholm,and the spring feeling with singing mistle thrushes, blackbirds, and tits is now gone. Yesterday's weather was horrible—strong winds and constant snow,thus birding was out of the question. At first, today's conditions seemed to not be any better. But luckily the weather turned around,and with calmer winds,blue sky and a pleasant temprature of about -5°, I booked my afternoon schedule to go birding. Even though I started a bit late due to one classmate's poor work ethic regarding a school project,I still managed to get a nice afternoon with 40 species.
Instead of birding at the wetland part of my local patch,I decided it would be nice to bird in a more forested part of the nature reserve,something I haven't done this year. My plan was then to walk,to the wetland from the forest part ,and on my way to the wetland,pass a smaller wetland from where a Tundra bean goose had been reported.The goose was sadly not found,but other birds showed themselves today.The highlight of today were good close range views of a pair of Black woodpeckers,both foraging a mere 15 meters from me.Very unusual behaviour compared to what you usually see of these beauties.
77 Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
78 Stock dove (Columba oenas)
79 Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis)
80 Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Birds
110. American Woodcock Scolopax minor