Zoochat Big Year 2023

[Bisonblake]

Unfortunately, the rainy and windy weather cut my birding adventure short today. Still glad to add another lifer.

4/21/23
Birds:
44. Belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon

Total Species: 55
Birds: 44
Mammals: 8
Herptiles: 3

4/24/23
Birds:
45. Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii

Total Species: 56
Birds: 45
Mammals: 8
Herptiles: 3

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Just shy of a week ago, I returned from a 5-day trek out to the plains, deserts, and mountains of Wyoming and Idaho, where I was accompanied by @Ituri and @Giant Eland on what we've deemed the Great Squirrel Safari.

The objective was simple but ambitious: find as many of the native ground squirrel species as we could. Other primary objectives were lagomorph-related (namely the Pygmy Rabbit and American Pika) and of course birding the sagebrush prairies and mountains as best we could.

Unfortunately, as good as the unseasonal record snowfall the region has recently been hit with is for replenishing some of the water reserves, it also made for some challenging wildlife watching conditions. Areas that should be in full spring this time of year are still buried in several feet of snowpack, and birds that should either be wintering in the lowlands or arriving in the mountains are instead scattered and nowhere to be found at their normal seasonal grounds. This made for a... frustrating experience at times, however we made the best of it and ultimately did pretty well all things considered.

My journey started on Thursday, April 13, when I flew into Wichita, Kansas, to meet with @Ituri. At 2am that night, we hit the road and began the ~14-hour drive to Kemmerer, Wyoming. About halfway between the two is Denver, Colorado, where we stopped to pick-up @Giant Eland. The area around the airport is supposedly very good for both Black-Tailed Prairie Dog and Burrowing Owl, though rainy weather the day we passed through resulted in no success with those two species. The following species were spotted while driving along the highway:

159) Great-Tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
160) Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
161) Black-Billed Magpie Pica hudsonia

12) Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
13) Mule Deer Odocoileus hemonius

Once in Wyoming, there's a little rest stop just outside of Rock Springs where one can stop and have a near-guaranteed chance of seeing very habituated prairie dogs and chipmunks. We were pleased to find the animal activity here wasn't impacted much by the presence of snow. As we headed further into the mountains, however, we entered a winter wonderland (or wasteland as it felt at times). Heading through one mountain pass, we were greeted by herds of Elk and eagles perched on rocky outcrops. In the late afternoon, we arrived in Kemmerer, our final destination for day 1. When checking into our hotel, we learned that a Moose had been hanging around town. We did drive around the snow laden town for a while searching for him, but never managed to spot the animal.

After our check-in and a brief Moose hunt, we made our way to Fossil Butte National Monument. Typically, this time of year the visitor center is surrounded by miles of pristine sagebrush prairie and should be teaming with newly arrived birds and hungry ground squirrels. This location is also historically a good place to find Pygmy Rabbit around dusk. Despite the snow in the mountains, we were expecting Fossil Butte to be relatively clear. What we found instead were miles of thick, hard snowpack almost completely covering the sage. According to a local, this is the first time in over 20 years that Fossil Butte has been buried in snow in mid-April. Needless to say, we did not find any Pygmy Rabbits or ground squirrels, though we did spot a few more prairie dogs and chipmunks, some larger rabbits, and some likely pretty confused early spring bird arrivals.

162) Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
163) Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
164) Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya
165) Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus

14) White-Tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys leucurus
15) Least Chipmunk Neotamias minimus
16) Elk Cervus canadensis
17) White-Tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii
18) Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii

The following morning, we made additional attempts at the Moose and Fossil Butte, but only to the same result. From speaking with a ranger at Fossil Butte, the rabbits aren’t nearly as prevalent in the park as they used to be and the ranger himself hasn’t actually seen one in a few years. That said, in the fresh snowfall that fell overnight, we did find some small lagomorph-looking footprints adjacent to the visitor center, so they may still be around just shier than in the past. A little disheartened, we left Wyoming on our way to Craters of the Moon in Idaho. Along the way, we had two very lucky roadside encounters near Soda Springs, Idaho, with some wandering grouse and an entirely unplanned ground squirrel species!

166) Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
167) Sharp-Tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus

19) Uinta Ground Squirrel Urocitellus armatus

At Craters, what is normally miles of lava beds scattered with vegetation, typically home to Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel, pika, and nutcracker, is currently a bed of thick snowpack with a handful of rocks poking above the surface, home to the occasional marmot. As we expected on our arrival, the area of the park where pika and ground squirrels are most typically found was not even accessible with the specific road leading to it completely blocked with snow. Bird-wise, we were met with a pretty silent scene as well. All we found were juncos and a single chickadee heard but not seen. In general, there wasn't much to be found here. At the least, we did spot the endemic chipmunk taxa around the visitor's center. As with the pikas that live here, there is some debate as to whether the geographically isolated population of chipmunks here may actually represent a distinct, if not similar species adapted to an entirely different habitat from the Yellow-Pine found in western Idaho.

20) Yellow-Bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris
21) Fox Squirrel (Parasciurus) Sciurus niger
22) Yellow-Pine Chipmunk Neotamias (amoenus) cratericus

After our pretty brief visit to Craters, we decided to make our way to the Silver Creek Preserve in Bellevue, Idaho. Here we found a virtually snowless landscape of restored sagebrush habitat neighbored by some flooded farm fields. The absence of white was a breath of fresh air for us, and the site proved to be one of our most productive of the trip. The flooded fields hosted cranes, curlew, waterfowl, pheasant, and flocks of song birds. The roadside bordering the fields also proved to be a great spot to look for voles. Heading to the visitor center, we encountered many ground squirrels living along the side of the road at the edge of the sagebrush. As we explored the trails, we encountered a tiny cottontail which briefly gave @Giant Eland and I a glimmer of hope we’d found our rabbit after all. @Ituri assured us, however, that this animal was nothing more than a young Mountain Cottontail. On our way out, I even encountered my one new herp for the trip.

168) Swanson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
169) Rough-Legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
170) Northern Pintail Anas acuta
171) Long-Billed Curlew Numenius americanus
172) Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
173) Ring-Necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
174) Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
175) American Goldfinch Spinus tristis

23) Montane Vole Microtus montanus
24) Columbian Ground Squirrel Urocitellus columbianus
25) Mountain Cottontail Sylvilagus nuttallii

6) Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis

That evening we arrived in Boise, Idaho, where we would be based from for the remainder of the trip. That night we decided to take a drive through the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (full name!) to spotlight for nocturnal mammals. We had pretty good success, finding a couple of native rodents and two badgers. Satisfied and with midnight approaching, we decided to get some sleep as day 2 came to a close.

26) American Badger Taxidea taxus
27) Ord's Kangaroo-Rat Dipodomys ordii
28) Western Deer Mouse Peromyscus sonoriensis
29) Black-Tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus

Day 3 started bright and early with a return to Snake River, specifically to Dedication Point for ground squirrels and birding. For those unaware, Dedication Point is supposed to be one of the nation’s best for raptor spotting. Strangely, few birds—namely the raptors—were visible and the ground squirrels were nowhere to be found. We did strike some luck and found an additional deer mouse out in the early morning which allowed for some good photo opportunities. With not much else around, we made our way to the floor of the canyon to bird around the Snake River itself. This spot is also good habitat for antelope squirrel and weasel, however we found neither. The canyon walls and valley provided a little better of a birding opportunity. After failing at the antelope squirrel, we made our way back to Dedication Point where, apart from ravens, we still found a pretty lifeless scene. We started making the drive back towards town when @Ituri made a lucky stop just prior to the exit to the Conservation Area. Here, we finally found an abundance of very skittish ground squirrels.

176) California Gull Larus californicus
177) Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus
178) Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
179) Violet-Green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
180) California Quail Callipepla californica

30) Piute Ground Squirrel Urocitellus mollis

After lunch, we met up with a local naturalist @Ituri knows. He was nice enough to take time out of his day to take us around to a couple less obvious spots to look for wildlife. We made attempts for both Northern and Townsend’s Pocket-Gopher as well as wood-rat, and managed to nab one of the three. Following this, we took a drive out to Emmett, Idaho. For only about two months out of the year, if one crosses the Piute River on the far side of town, the farmland and countryside along Van Duesen Road is an excellent place to spot the Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel before they fall back into their 9–10-month slumber. This countryside is also the same area where Idaho's first-ever reported Tricolored Blackbirds have been found. There were two feed lots along this road where flocks of the bird have been seen, as recently as the very same day we were there! Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts at both feed lots, we never managed to find the blackbirds.

181) Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
182) Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis

31) Townsend’s Pocket-Gopher Thomomys townsendii
32) Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel Urocitellus endemicus

On our fourth and last full day of the trip, @Giant Eland made his own way into Washington for addition ground squirrel species. @Ituri and I decided to take the absence of a true blooded mammal watcher to dedicate some time to pure birding in the mountains near Idaho City. The bulk of our morning was spent along Grimes Creek, which is typically known to be great for a wide variety of montane and foothills species that were on my target list (jays, bluebird, dipper, grouse, pygmy-owl…). Unfortunately, we only encountered one new bird for all our searching, albeit a fantastic one.

183) Steller’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri

As the morning came to a close, we decided to start making our way towards the Tamarack Forest mill for our final ground squirrel target: the Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel. This endangered taxa is debatably distinct from its southern counterpart, but is found in much higher elevations and wakes from hibernation later in the season than the SIGS. Mid-to-late April is generally the only time of year when one can expect to maybe find both taxa awake and active at the same time. Unfortunately, the heavy snowfall we’d been finding throughout all our mountain adventures left us hesitant to even attempt this squirrel. With the frustrating lack of new birds near Idaho City, however, we decided to make a go at it knowing the route would take us past Ponderosa State Park, where new opportunities might present themselves.

After over two hours of white-knuckle dirt road driving through the melting mountain roads of rural Idaho, we made it into the Cascades region. Despite hopes of Moose, grouse, and maybe even Bighorn Sheep along our drive, we didn’t spot much from the car. One animal we did encounter, though, was the true Yellow-Pine Chipmunk and a number of red squirrels. Once in McCall, we continued to find little more than a snow packed town at first. We much of the State Park itself closed, we opted instead to simply drive around the town keeping an ear out for any new birds. As luck would have it, we did manage to find our final three new bird species for the trip:

184) Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea
185) Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli
186) Cassin’s Finch Haemorhous cassinii

With rain starting to fall, we headed towards Tamarack Forest Products and the Weiser River Trail, a public path that runs through the mill grounds in New Meadows, Idaho. The hillside here is reportedly great for finding NIGS. For us, we only found more snow. Accepting our fate, we headed back down the mountains and made a final go for the blackbirds. Unfortunately, same bad luck. That luck would only compound as when we stopped at the second of the feed lots, I heard the hissing of air spewing out of one of our tires. After a mad dash to get back on paved roads and somewhere safe to change the tire, we were left to reevaluate our plans. Initially, we’d planned to make our way towards the Diamondfield Jack Campgrounds to search for Cassia Crossbill in the morning before I would fly out of Salt Lake City, Utah, and @Ituri would continue the drive home. Instead, we had the tire patched in the morning and rushed to Utah for me to catch my flight. Fittingly, as I sat in the airport waiting for my plane a hailstorm rolled in. Not the most triumphant of endings to this trip report. Not all endings are, though.

So, what did I make of our trip? Was it worth it? Absolutely! It’s very unfortunate we were met with the poor timing and luck we found with the unusual weather, but I still had a great time with both @Ituri and @Giant Eland and I certainly can’t knock 21 lifeticks (22 if you split the Yellow-Pine Chipmunk) in 5 days. Still, I can't help but feel as though I now have unfinished business in Idaho. It's quite likely I will be finding my way back there to try for all the species the weather took real chances away from me at some point in the upcoming years!

~Thylo

As with @Ituri, I did some additional birding over the weekend and added a handful more to my tally:

187) Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
188) American Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
189) Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
190) Willet Tringa semipalmata

~Thylo

 

[birdsandbats]

As with @Ituri, I did some additional birding over the weekend and added a handful more to my tally:

187) Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
188) American Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
189) Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
190) Willet Tringa semipalmata

~Thylo

What's the non-American Field Sparrow? Dunnock?

 

[Chlidonias]

MAMMALS:
6 Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
7 White-tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys leucurus
8 Least Chipmunk Neotamias minimus minimus
9 White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii
10 American Elk Cervus canadensis canadensis
11 Rocky Mountain Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus hemionus
12 Craters of the Moon Chipmunk Neotamias cratericus
13 Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris nosophora
14 Montane Vole Microtus montanus
15 Columbian Ground Squirrel Urocitellus columbianus columbianus
16 Mountain Cottontail Sylvilagus nuttallii grangeri
17 Northwestern American Badger Taxidea taxus jeffersonii
18 Ord’s Kamgaroo-Rat Dipodomys ordii columbianus
19 Western Deer Mouse Peromyscus sonoriensis
20 Great Basin Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus deserticola
21 Piute Ground Squirrel Urocitellus mollis idahoensis
22 Townsend’s Pocket Gopher Thomomys townsendii
23 Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel Urocitellus brunneus endemicus
24 Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris avara
25 Yellow Pine Chipmunk Neotamias amoenus lutreiventris
26 American Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus richardsonii
27 Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii baileyi

You've got Yellow-bellied Marmot on there twice (#13 and 24), so I'm dropping you to 26 total.

 

[Giant Eland]

Following 3 weeks in South Africa, where I lead my first safari, I managed to see 70 more mammal species on the year, featuring 3 wild family lifers (WFL) including my first ever Golden Moles! Species in bold were my first time in the wild.

!Khwa ttu Nature Reserve:
4. Common Duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia (Mar 3)
5. Karoo Bush Rat, Otomys unisulcatus
6. Four-striped grass mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio
7. Springbok, Antidorcas marsupialis

Papkuilsfontein Guest Farm Nieuwoudtville:
8. Namaqua Rock Rat, Aethomys namaquensis
9. Cape Gerbil, Gerbilliscus afra
10. Scrub Hare, Lepus saxatilis
11. Cape gray mongoose, Herpestes pulverulentus (Mar 4)
12. Cape Rock Sengi, Elephantulus edwardii
13. Cape Porcupine, Hystrix africaeaustralis (Mar 5)
14. Bat-eared Fox, Otocyon megalotis
15. Steenbok, Raphicerus campestris
16. Cape Fox, Vulpes chama
17. Rock hyrax, Procavia capensis
18. Yellow mongoose, Cynictis penicillata

Cape Town:
19. Cape Golden Mole, Chrysochloris asiatica (Mar 7) (WFL)
20. Cape Mole-rat, Georychus capensis
21. Natal Long-fingered Bat, Miniopterus natalensis

Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve:
22. Cape Ground Squirrel, Geosciurus inauris (Mar 9)
23. West-Central South African Four-striped Grass Rat, Rhabdomys bechuanae
24. Gemsbok, Oryx gazella
25. Meerkat, Suricata suricatta
26. Common Eland, Taurotragus oryx
27. Blesbok, Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi
28. Roan Antelope, Hippotragus equinus
29. Sable Antelope, Hippotragus niger
30. Common Warthog, Phacochoerus africanus
31. South African Springhare, Pedetes capensis
32. Aardwolf, Proteles cristatus
33. African Buffalo, Syncerus caffer (Mar 10)
34. Cape Short-eared Gerbil, Desmodillus auricularis
35. Egyptian Free-tailed Bat, Tadarida aegyptiaca
36. Hippo, Hippopotamus amphibius
37. African Wildcat, Felis lybica
38. Small-spotted genet, Genetta genetta
39. Aardvark, Orycteropus afer (WFL)
40. Cape Hare, Lepus capensis
41. Highveld Gerbil, Gerbilliscus brantsii (Mar 11)
42. Cape Serotine, Laephotis capensis
43. Impala, Aepyceros melampus
44. Eastern Rock Sengi, Elephantulus myurus
45. Vervet, Chlorocebus pygerythrus (Mar 12)

Mokala National Park:
46. Burchell’s Zebra, Equus quagga burchellii
47. Lowland Nyala, Tragelaphus angasii (Mar 13)
48. Red Hartebeest, Alcelaphus buselaphus caama
49. Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros
50. Chacma Baboon, Papio ursinus
51. Common Tsessebe, Damaliscus lunatus lunatus
52. Black-backed Jackal, Lupulella mesomelas
53. Blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus
54. White Rhino, Ceratotherium simum
55. Black wildebeest, Connochaetes gnou

Marrick Safari:
56. African Pygmy Mouse, Mus minutoides

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park:
57. Hairy-footed Gerbil, Gerbillurus paeba (Mar 14)
58. Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus (Mar 15)
59. Long-tailed Serotine, Eptesicus hottentotus
60. Brant’s Whistling Rat, Parotomys brantsii 3.16
61. Southern Giraffe, Giraffa giraffa
62. African Leopard, Panthera pardus pardus
63. Slender Mongoose, Herpestes sanguineus
64. African Lion, Panthera leo
65. Spotted Hyena, Crocuta crocuta (Mar 17)
66. Honey badger, Mellivora capensis (Mar 18)

Augrabies Falls National Park:
67. Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus
68. Marsh Mongoose, Atilax paludinosus
69. Hartman’s Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra hartmannae (Mar 19)

Goegap Nature Reserve:
70. Dassie Rat, Petromus typicus (Mar 20) (WFL)
71. Western Rock Sengi, Elephantulus rupestris

Port Nolloth:
72. Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii

Cape Town:
73. Cape Fur Seal, Arctocephalus pusillus (Mar 23)

Yes such a wonderful write up by @ThylacineAlive! I'll update my own list and share my final 2 days below.


As @ThylacineAlive mentioned, on day 4 I broke off from the group and drove a rental car 5 hours to Prosser, Washington in search of Townsend's Ground Squirrel. Previous reports on mammalwatching.com had mentioned Frontier Rd along 14 Hands Winery as a prime location. I searched high and low at midday for several hours but only found a solitary Yellow-bellied Marmot, some rustling voles and some ground squirrel holes. After interviewing employees of the Winery, they suggested I check the vineyards at nearby Hogue Cellars. Here, where Wine Country Rd meets Max Benitz Rd I uncovered a field full of holes in front of the wine orchard. I slowly stalked along these mounds, periodically checking my thermal imager for signs of life on this overcast afternoon. My persistence paid off as a handful of Townsend's Ground Squirrels emerged from their underground lairs over the next half hour.

With this stop taking three times as long as I had hoped, I ended up having one hour of daylight remaining by the time I arrived at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. As mentioned in prior reports, Washington Ground Squirrel occurs in areas along route 262 at the Southeastern edge of Potholes Reservoir. Racing against sunset, I checked several areas, but found nothing more than ground squirrel excavations. I soon turned in for the night at a Moses Lake motel, knowing I'd have another chance the following day.

I woke to my own tire trouble: my right rear tire had dangerously low pressure. After refilling it with air, I prayed it would last and returned to 262 with hopes of success. I spent the entire morning in quest of this tiny rodent, staking out several colonies of holes, but saw no signs of life amidst unseasonably high winds. All the while, my tire pressure gradually dwindled down. Ready to give up and painfully aware a 6 hour drive awaited, I decided to get the tire repaired at Les Schwab Tire Center in Othello. Not only did they patch my tire for free, but one of the women behind the counter had several suggestions for ground squirrel! Driving on four healthy tires, I made my way over to Sage Hills Golf Club. I scanned the sloped island of brush between their entry road and Rt 17 and found myself one single Washington Ground Squirrel! Fantastic! I couldn’t believe the serendipity. I’ve certainly never had car trouble actually increase my chances of finding a target.

All these delays meant there was no time to look for Merriam’s Ground Squirrel on the way back to Boise, but I was more than satisfied to have gotten my tire repair squirrel!


Fossil Butte National Monument, WY:
74. Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana (Apr 14)
75. White-tailed Prairie Dog, Cynomys leucurus
76. Least Chipmunk, Neotamias minimus minimus
77. American Elk, Cervus canadensis canadensis
78. Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus hemionus
79. White-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
80. Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii grangeri (Apr 15)

Southeastern ID:
81. Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus
82. Yellow-bellied Marmot, Marmota flaviventris nosophora
83. Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger

Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, ID:
84. Craters of the Moon Chipmunk, Neotamias cratericus

Silver Creek Preserve, ID:
85. Montane Vole, Microtus montanus
86. Columbian Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus columbianus columbianus

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area:
87. Northwestern American Badger, Taxidea taxus jeffersonii
88. Ord’s Kamgaroo-Rat, Dipodomys ordii columbianus
89. Western Deer Mouse, Peromyscus sonoriensis
90. Great Basin Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus deserticola
91. Piute Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus mollis idahoensis (Apr 16)

Bowler Park, ID:
92. Townsend’s Pocket Gopher, Thomomys townsendii

Emmett, ID:
93. Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus brunneus endemicus

Prosser, WA:
94. Townsend's Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus townsendii (Apr 17)

Warden, WA:
95. Washington Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus washingtoni (Apr 18)


P.S. And I wanted to mention a special thanks to @Ituri and @ThylacineAlive for an awesome trip together!

 

[MRJ]

Ugandan invertebrates. You could easily devote a whole trip to invertebrates, especially the butterflies.

Listed previously
1. Long skimmer Orthetrum trinacria
2. Black and white carpenter bee Xylocopa nigrita

Not listed previously
27. sp. Potter wasp Synagris aestuans
. . Army (safari) ant Dorylus sp.
28. Goliath beetle Goliathus goliatus
. . Dung beetle Helicopris sp
29. African rhinoceros beetle Oryctes monoceros
30. Autumnleaf vagrant Afrodryas leda
31. African caper Belenois creona
32. Common grass yellow Eurema hecabe
33. Westwood's acraea Acraea pseudegina
34. Herminia glider Cymothoe herminia
35. Plain tiger Danaus chrysippus
36. Danaid eggfly Hypolimnas misippus
37. Blue diadem Hypolimnas salmacis
38. Yellow pansy Junonia hierta
39. Little pansy Junonia sophia
40. Soldier commodore Junonia terea
41. Gaudy commodore Precis octavia
42. Lady maid butterfly Vanessula milca
43. Mocker swallowtail Papilio dardanus
44. Citrus swallowtail Papilio demodocus
45. Applegreen swallowtail Papilio phorcas
46. Eastern scarlet Axiocerses tjoane
47. Wahiberg's emperor Nudaurelia wahlbergii
48. Inspector Chalcostephia flavifrons
49, Violet dropwing Trithemis annulata
50. sp. large green preying mantis Sphodromantis kersteni
51. Hairy golden orbweaver Trichonephila fenestrata

 

[MRJ]

74) Spotted Shag Stictocarbo punctatus

Technically a common bird locally - they breed on Somes Island in the middle of Wellington Harbour - but I don't often see them around the waterfront. I was still missing this species for the year so decided to walk home today along the harbour where, fortuitously, I did indeed see a Spotted Shag.

Here is a photo from last year to show what they look like: Spotted Shag (Stictocarbo punctatus) - ZooChat

I presume it would be possible to take a ferry ride to see it in it's island?

 

[Chlidonias]

I presume it would be possible to take a ferry ride to see it in it's island?

Yes, absolutely. There is a regular commuter ferry running back and forth across the harbour which stops at Somes Island for visitors. It's a nice little island - has Red-crowned Kakariki, Brothers Island Tuatara, Cook Strait Giant Weta, and some other stuff (although I've never seen the weta). Last time I was over there, a NZ Falcon was doing loops of the island's tracks picking off European Blackbirds.

 

[Ituri]

You've got Yellow-bellied Marmot on there twice (#13 and 24), so I'm dropping you to 26 total.

Oh yeah, I forgot to subtract that. I tally subspecies on my personal list and we saw two.

 

[Platypusboy]

Birds

61. Common redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus 25/4/23

 

[Lota lota]

A short afternoon walk around my otherwise pretty dead local lake was a good decision.Several flocks of Green sandpipers and Common snipes were all nice.The moste noteworthy species i heard were,Water rail and Jack snipe.A male ruff transitioning to his breeding plumage was seen in the reeds and one of the tern pair that nest in the lake has returned.

96 Common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
97 European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

98 Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
99 Common tern (Sterna hirundo)

Fish:
2 Common bleak (Alburnus alburnus)
3 European perch (Perca fluviatilis)

4 Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua)

6 Moose (Alces alces)

7 Bank vole (Myodes glareolus)

 

[Giant Eland]

Yes such a wonderful write up by @ThylacineAlive! I'll update my own list and share my final 2 days below.


As @ThylacineAlive mentioned, on day 4 I broke off from the group and drove a rental car 5 hours to Prosser, Washington in search of Townsend's Ground Squirrel. Previous reports on mammalwatching.com had mentioned Frontier Rd along 14 Hands Winery as a prime location. I searched high and low at midday for several hours but only found a solitary Yellow-bellied Marmot, some rustling voles and some ground squirrel holes. After interviewing employees of the Winery, they suggested I check the vineyards at nearby Hogue Cellars. Here, where Wine Country Rd meets Max Benitz Rd I uncovered a field full of holes in front of the wine orchard. I slowly stalked along these mounds, periodically checking my thermal imager for signs of life on this overcast afternoon. My persistence paid off as a handful of Townsend's Ground Squirrels emerged from their underground lairs over the next half hour.

With this stop taking three times as long as I had hoped, I ended up having one hour of daylight remaining by the time I arrived at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. As mentioned in prior reports, Washington Ground Squirrel occurs in areas along route 262 at the Southeastern edge of Potholes Reservoir. Racing against sunset, I checked several areas, but found nothing more than ground squirrel excavations. I soon turned in for the night at a Moses Lake motel, knowing I'd have another chance the following day.

I woke to my own tire trouble: my right rear tire had dangerously low pressure. After refilling it with air, I prayed it would last and returned to 262 with hopes of success. I spent the entire morning in quest of this tiny rodent, staking out several colonies of holes, but saw no signs of life amidst unseasonably high winds. All the while, my tire pressure gradually dwindled down. Ready to give up and painfully aware a 6 hour drive awaited, I decided to get the tire repaired at Les Schwab Tire Center in Othello. Not only did they patch my tire for free, but one of the women behind the counter had several suggestions for ground squirrel! Driving on four healthy tires, I made my way over to Sage Hills Golf Club. I scanned the sloped island of brush between their entry road and Rt 17 and found myself one single Washington Ground Squirrel! Fantastic! I couldn’t believe the serendipity. I’ve certainly never had car trouble actually increase my chances of finding a target.

All these delays meant there was no time to look for Merriam’s Ground Squirrel on the way back to Boise, but I was more than satisfied to have gotten my tire repair squirrel!


Fossil Butte National Monument, WY:
74. Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana (Apr 14)
75. White-tailed Prairie Dog, Cynomys leucurus
76. Least Chipmunk, Neotamias minimus minimus
77. American Elk, Cervus canadensis canadensis
78. Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus hemionus
79. White-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
80. Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii grangeri (Apr 15)

Southeastern ID:
81. Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus
82. Yellow-bellied Marmot, Marmota flaviventris nosophora
83. Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger

Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, ID:
84. Craters of the Moon Chipmunk, Neotamias cratericus

Silver Creek Preserve, ID:
85. Montane Vole, Microtus montanus
86. Columbian Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus columbianus columbianus

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area:
87. Northwestern American Badger, Taxidea taxus jeffersonii
88. Ord’s Kamgaroo-Rat, Dipodomys ordii columbianus
89. Western Deer Mouse, Peromyscus sonoriensis
90. Great Basin Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus deserticola
91. Piute Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus mollis idahoensis (Apr 16)

Bowler Park, ID:
92. Townsend’s Pocket Gopher, Thomomys townsendii

Emmett, ID:
93. Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus brunneus endemicus

Prosser, WA:
94. Townsend's Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus townsendii (Apr 17)

Warden, WA:
95. Washington Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus washingtoni (Apr 18)


P.S. And I wanted to mention a special thanks to @Ituri and @ThylacineAlive for an awesome trip together!

Minor change:

#80 was actually a Desert Cottontail and we saw Mountain Cottontail for the first time at Silver Creek so...

96. Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii (Apr 15)

 

[birdsandbats]

Birds
127. Great Egret Ardea alba
128. Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
129. Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Herps
4. Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta

Herps
5. Redbelly Snake Storeria occipitomaculata

 

[Bisonblake]

4/21/23
Birds:
41. Great blue heron Ardea herodias
42. Brown-headed cowbird Molothrus ater
43. Fox sparrow Passerella iliaca

Total Species: 54
Birds: 43
Mammals: 8
Herptiles: 3

Also, I'd like to note some heard-only species that aren't on my year list:
1. Northern flicker Colaptes auratus
2. Great horned owl Bubo virginianus
3. Swamp sparrow Melospiza georgiana

I made a mistake while identifying the fox sparrow, which turned out to be a dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis. I was aware fox sparrows have a sooty plumage, but it turns out this specific plumage is native to the pacific northwest. I was able to get a good look at the same bird today, and that's when I realized I made a mistake. I'm still at 45 birds so it doesn't affect my count for this year.

 

[CMP]

Birds
State rarity at weaver park. I might've seen these in Florida or SC before, but more likely they were snowy egrets instead, which I know I've seen down there. New to my species list either way.

156. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) (Lifer)
​

Some early(er) migratory songbirds at crystal lake park

157. Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)
158. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
159. Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)
​

One sandpiper, where a local rarity black-necked stilt also was (Seen this year already)

160. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
​

Both seen outside the car window on the same short drive home, both much to my surprise!

161. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
162. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
​

Seen near the university

163. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
164. Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)​

Fish
In crystal lake

2. Blackstripe topminnow (Fundulus notatus)
​

Insect/Inverts

53. Indian-meal moth (Plodia interpunctella) (Lifer)
54. Two lined leatherwing (Atalantycha bilineata)
55. Ground beetle (Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis) (Lifer)
56. Four-spotted sap beetle (Glischrochilus quadrisignatus)
​

They're coming through this way right now, interestingly enough a small group was just spotted today here in Champaign Co. as well, although I haven't visited yet because they were on private property essentially and I've seen them already this year.

Birds
Some more migratory bird watching at Busey Woods, although this spring has been a little weird, tanager before most of the parulids is unexpected. Some nice vireos though.

164. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
165. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
166. Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
167. Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
168. White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
​

Seen in my backyard, second year in a row. I hope they can be reliably be seen here each April, they are cute little warblers

169. Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)​

Insect/Inverts

57. Bent-spined acorn ant (Temnothorax curvispinosus) (Lifer)
58. Immigrant pavement ant (tetramorium immigrans)​

 

[oflory]

A walk at lunch in Regents Park gets another small tick for the year. No common redstart or wheatear yet, though.

Birds
135. Willow warbler

Two more birds from a trip to Brest to see the arctic seal species there. Am 99% sure that I saw a hen harrier from the train but a fleeting 3 second glimpse isn't enough to fully convince me.

136. European shag
137. Common swift

 

[Kakapo]

One new insect yesterday, a couple individuals jumped when I moved a honeysuckle branch in my parents garden.

INVERTEBRATES:

139. Ficocyba ficaria

Today my yellow flag iris bloomed at last, and I saw a very tame male blackbird that keep doing its things about a meter of distance of me even when I was moving and watering. When arrived to work place, I saw finally (first in the year in this place, but not in other places) one of those millipedes that I saw daily in past years but that went extint when the truck parking was built in the nearby badland. A quite interesting Y-shaped plume moth was resting here. When I go out of the work I found a fabulous LIFER beetle for me and a ID-pending Cixiidae, probably in genus Hyalesthes, that I will write here if I get an specific ID.

INVERTEBRATES:

140. Agdistis meridionalis
141. Rhizotrogus chevrolati (Lifer! The fourth species of Rhizotrogus in my life)

 

[Bisonblake]

4/24/23
Birds:
45. Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii

Total Species: 56
Birds: 45
Mammals: 8
Herptiles: 3

4/27/23
Birds:
46. Yellow-rumped warbler Setophaga coronata

Mammals:
9. Groundhog Marmota monax

Herptiles:
4. Common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina
5. Garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis

Total Species: 60
Birds: 46
Mammals: 9
Herptiles: 5

 

[Kakapo]

Today my yellow flag iris bloomed at last, and I saw a very tame male blackbird that keep doing its things about a meter of distance of me even when I was moving and watering. When arrived to work place, I saw finally (first in the year in this place, but not in other places) one of those millipedes that I saw daily in past years but that went extint when the truck parking was built in the nearby badland. A quite interesting Y-shaped plume moth was resting here. When I go out of the work I found a fabulous LIFER beetle for me and a ID-pending Cixiidae, probably in genus Hyalesthes, that I will write here if I get an specific ID.

INVERTEBRATES:

140. Agdistis meridionalis
141. Rhizotrogus chevrolati (Lifer! The fourth species of Rhizotrogus in my life)

Forgot one:

INVERTEBRATES:
142. Nomophila noctuella

 

[Platypusboy]

Went back to my nearest local bird lake today, after my successful trip a week ago. Target species were Gadwalls and Reed buntings, both of which I ended up seeing plus the years first terns.

Birds

62. Gadwall, Mareca strepera 28/4/23
63. Common tern, Sterna hirundo 28/4/23
64. Common reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus 28/4/23