Birds
183. Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
184. Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
185. American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
Zoochat Big Year 2023
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
183. Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
184. Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
185. American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
Only a few additions this time, but a few very good ones!
As far back as 2017, the year I saw my first white-tailed eagle, I thought had seen every species of raptor (counting both accipitridae and falconidae as raptors) that breeds in the Netherlands. But that autumn, news was made public that a pair of pallid harriers had bred in a far corner of Groningen, about as far away for me as is possible within the country. Ever since I have longed to see one of these elusive birds, preferably an adult male, but the locations in Groningen are kept secret (for good reason!), they're not reliably present every year, and given the distance I was quite unwilling to just drive all the way there hoping for a chance encounter. So my hope, basically, was to stumble upon a migrating individual.
My first good chance was back in 2021, when an adult male was hunting on a field right next to the migration counting site I frequent. Having just finished work, I rushed there as quickly as I could, only to miss it by mere minutes. Then, last winter, I visited the Peazemerlannen, which is a salt marsh in Friesland, where a first-year bird had been staying for several weeks already. I saw a very slender, ruddy-coloured harrier there, but the wind was strong, the bird far away and rain was troublesome. I saw the bird mere seconds before it sat down in the salt marsh and didn't show again, so I definitely couldn't count it. A second visit two days later yielded no further sightings.
Last weekend I was birding along the far west border of my province. Pallid harriers had been seen passing through in very good numbers that week. We had a terrific morning, with grasshopper warbler, cuckoo, goshawk, nightingale, and a surprise lesser redpoll, among others. But no pallid harrier. However, an adult male had been seen hanging around in an area a bit further east, so when we had thoroughly explored our initial excursion site, we opted to go and seek the harrier. We drove through an area of farmland, stopping somewhat in the middle, with fields and meadows in all directions. We knew it was a long shot, but we definitely wanted to take some time to try. After half an hour in which we saw no sign of the bird, the pallid harrier appeared, out of nowhere, right above our heads! A fantastic and long awaited sighting. The bird circled around for a while before soaring away, soon lost from sight. The whole thing took only a few minutes.
But the harrier was barely out of sight when I saw a small, elongated shape on the road. I put my binoculars on it, and it turned out to be stoat! I called to my friends, but one of them missed it before it dashed off into the grass. We were a little disappointed not all of us got to see it, but that's how mustelids roll. They're often gone before you fully realize they're there at all. But, to our surprise, it returned. And not just a walk-by this time, we saw it hunting around a ditch, chasing water voles out of their burrows and them following them into the water and catching them here. Which was good for me, as I got two new mammals for the price of one, but obviously less good for the water voles, which were clearly outgunned and suffered major losses. I think I saw the stoat carry away at least four or five big adult voles in less than fifteen minutes. And all that time we could observe it from up close, sometimes from less than ten metres distance. The harrier was fantastic, but it was honestly the stoat that stole the show that day! We finished the birding day on a different location, where there were again good birds a plenty, including spotted redshank, black tern, little gull, osprey and black-winged stilt.
All things considered a very productive day, both for us and for the stoat!
Birds
199. Lesser Redpoll, Acanthis cabaret
200. Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus
201. Western Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
Butterflies
15. Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus
Mammals
18. Stoat, Mustela erminea
19. European Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius
As far back as 2017, the year I saw my first white-tailed eagle, I thought had seen every species of raptor (counting both accipitridae and falconidae as raptors) that breeds in the Netherlands. But that autumn, news was made public that a pair of pallid harriers had bred in a far corner of Groningen, about as far away for me as is possible within the country. Ever since I have longed to see one of these elusive birds, preferably an adult male, but the locations in Groningen are kept secret (for good reason!), they're not reliably present every year, and given the distance I was quite unwilling to just drive all the way there hoping for a chance encounter. So my hope, basically, was to stumble upon a migrating individual.
My first good chance was back in 2021, when an adult male was hunting on a field right next to the migration counting site I frequent. Having just finished work, I rushed there as quickly as I could, only to miss it by mere minutes. Then, last winter, I visited the Peazemerlannen, which is a salt marsh in Friesland, where a first-year bird had been staying for several weeks already. I saw a very slender, ruddy-coloured harrier there, but the wind was strong, the bird far away and rain was troublesome. I saw the bird mere seconds before it sat down in the salt marsh and didn't show again, so I definitely couldn't count it. A second visit two days later yielded no further sightings.
Last weekend I was birding along the far west border of my province. Pallid harriers had been seen passing through in very good numbers that week. We had a terrific morning, with grasshopper warbler, cuckoo, goshawk, nightingale, and a surprise lesser redpoll, among others. But no pallid harrier. However, an adult male had been seen hanging around in an area a bit further east, so when we had thoroughly explored our initial excursion site, we opted to go and seek the harrier. We drove through an area of farmland, stopping somewhat in the middle, with fields and meadows in all directions. We knew it was a long shot, but we definitely wanted to take some time to try. After half an hour in which we saw no sign of the bird, the pallid harrier appeared, out of nowhere, right above our heads! A fantastic and long awaited sighting. The bird circled around for a while before soaring away, soon lost from sight. The whole thing took only a few minutes.
But the harrier was barely out of sight when I saw a small, elongated shape on the road. I put my binoculars on it, and it turned out to be stoat! I called to my friends, but one of them missed it before it dashed off into the grass. We were a little disappointed not all of us got to see it, but that's how mustelids roll. They're often gone before you fully realize they're there at all. But, to our surprise, it returned. And not just a walk-by this time, we saw it hunting around a ditch, chasing water voles out of their burrows and them following them into the water and catching them here. Which was good for me, as I got two new mammals for the price of one, but obviously less good for the water voles, which were clearly outgunned and suffered major losses. I think I saw the stoat carry away at least four or five big adult voles in less than fifteen minutes. And all that time we could observe it from up close, sometimes from less than ten metres distance. The harrier was fantastic, but it was honestly the stoat that stole the show that day! We finished the birding day on a different location, where there were again good birds a plenty, including spotted redshank, black tern, little gull, osprey and black-winged stilt.
All things considered a very productive day, both for us and for the stoat!
Birds
199. Lesser Redpoll, Acanthis cabaret
200. Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus
201. Western Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
Butterflies
15. Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus
Mammals
18. Stoat, Mustela erminea
19. European Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius
Took a nice walk along a path that went by some fields and ponds in the neighborhood. Was able to snag 4 birds for my year list, and one of them was a lifer.
5/9/23
Birds:
53. Chimney swift Chaetura pelagica
54. Bank swallow Riparia riparia
55. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica
56. Yellow warbler Setophaga petechia
Total Species: 70
Birds: 56
Mammals: 9
Herptiles: 5
Birds
186. Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
187. Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
188. Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Mammals
6. Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus 10/5/23
6. Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus 10/5/23
5/10/23
Today was a big day for me seeing over 40 species of birds. I thought the day I first saw a bufflehead was good, but today was far more exciting. I started off with a little bit of bird-watching in my backyard.
57. White-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
In the afternoon I was joined by @Azamat Shackleford where we birded the local Metropark for a few hours, and were able to log 36 species of birds. We started off well with about 10 species within the first 15-30 minutes, and things kept going well for us as the day went on. We had to cut the adventure short but with a day like today, it's hard to complain about that.
58. Palm warbler Setophaga palmarum
59. Rose-breasted grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
60. House wren Troglodytes aedon
61. Lesser yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
62. Blue-winged teal Spatula discors
63. Gray catbird Dumetella carolinensis
64. Tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor
65. Ruddy duck Oxyura jamaicensis
66. Eastern kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
Total Species: 79
Birds: 65
Mammals: 9
Herptiles: 5
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DesertTortoise
Well-Known Member
Birds
May
122. Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
123. Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
124. Franklin’s gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)
125. Marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa)
126. Western kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
127. Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
128. Red-eyed vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
129. Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea)
130. Great crested flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
131. Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
132. Wilson’s warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
133. Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Invertebrates
May
24. American lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Fish
April
8. Bigmouth shiner (Notropis dorsalis)
9. Sand shiner (Notropis stramineus)
May
10. Suckermouth minnow (Phenacobius mirabilis)
11. Creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
12. European carp (Cyprinus carpio)
13. Yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis)
Fishes
5. Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides
6. Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus
May has to be the best month of the year
Birds
Busey Woods, May 5
170. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
171. Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
172. Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) (Lifer)
173. Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)
174. Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
175. Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
176. Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
177. Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) (Lifer)
Crystal Lake Park, May 5171. Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
172. Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) (Lifer)
173. Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)
174. Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
175. Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
176. Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
177. Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) (Lifer)
178. Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
Crystal Lake Park, May 9
179. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
180. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
181. Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
182. Prothonotary Warbler (Prothonotaria citrea)
183. Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
184. American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
185. Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)
186. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
187. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
188. Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)
189. Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) (Lifer)
190. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
191. Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)
192. Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
193. Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
180. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
181. Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
182. Prothonotary Warbler (Prothonotaria citrea)
183. Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
184. American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
185. Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)
186. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
187. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
188. Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)
189. Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) (Lifer)
190. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
191. Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)
192. Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
193. Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
Reptiles
Some turtles, finally, including a silver-dollar-sized softshell that I handled briefly, a highlight, at Crystal Lake Park, May 9
2. Common Slider (Trachemys scripta) (Ssp. Red eared slider (T.s. elegans)
3. Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)
4. Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Amphibians3. Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)
4. Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Also at Crystal Lake, same day
2. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)
3. American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Herptiles3. American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
3. Common Slider (Trachemys scripta) (Ssp. Red eared slider (T.s. elegans)
4. Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)
5. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)
6. Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
7. American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
4. Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)
5. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)
6. Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
7. American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Insect/Inverts
60. Blue oat mite (Penthaleus major) (Lifer)
61. Pink volcano barnacle (Tetraclita rubescens) (Lifer)
62. Eastern forktail (Ischnura verticalis)
63. Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
64. Question mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
65. White-jawed jumping spider (Hentzia mitrata) (Lifer)
61. Pink volcano barnacle (Tetraclita rubescens) (Lifer)
62. Eastern forktail (Ischnura verticalis)
63. Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
64. Question mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
65. White-jawed jumping spider (Hentzia mitrata) (Lifer)
I don't think there was any doubt about this. Easily agree.
Birds
189. Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
Birds
190. Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
191. Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
192. Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
193. Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
Today when arrived to workplace I found a giant surprise. No less than a SNAKE FLY!!! A very small male. My third time in life seeing an alive snakefly, and first one in industrial environment and at so low altitude. I hope it will be possible to ID, but this is a very complicated group for identifications.
Meanwhile, at the same place, later I've found a micro moth resting:
INVERTEBRATES:
158. Enolmis userai
You should be on 13 now:
1. House mouse
2. Grey squirrel
3. Red fox
4. Common seal
5. Roe deer
6. Red squirrel
7. Coypu
8. Red deer
9. European hare
10. European rabbit
11. Common pipistrelle
12. Common vole
You should be on 7 now:
1. Red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris 1/1/2023
2. Bank vole, Myodes glareolus 13/1/2022
3. European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus 13/1/2022
4. Red fox, Vulpes vulpes 30/3/23
5. Mountain hare, Lepus timidus 2/4/23
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Here's a bunch of new birds from the last two days, including a trip to Laajalahti (possibly the best birdwatching spot in southern Finland) today.
Birds
78. Lesser whitethroat, Sylvia curruca 12/5/23
79. European herring gull, Larus argentatus 12/5/23
80. Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea 13/5/23
81. Eurasian marsh-harrier, Circus aeruginosus 13/5/23
82. Spotted redshank, Tringa erythropus 13/5/23
83. Ruff, Calidris pugnax 13/5/23
84. Sedge warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 13/5/23
85. Northern wren, Troglodytes troglodytes 13/5/23
86. Western yellow wagtail, Motacilla flava 13/5/23
87. Wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix 13/5/23
88. Eurasian siskin, Spinus spinus 13/5/23
Birds
78. Lesser whitethroat, Sylvia curruca 12/5/23
79. European herring gull, Larus argentatus 12/5/23
80. Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea 13/5/23
81. Eurasian marsh-harrier, Circus aeruginosus 13/5/23
82. Spotted redshank, Tringa erythropus 13/5/23
83. Ruff, Calidris pugnax 13/5/23
84. Sedge warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 13/5/23
85. Northern wren, Troglodytes troglodytes 13/5/23
86. Western yellow wagtail, Motacilla flava 13/5/23
87. Wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix 13/5/23
88. Eurasian siskin, Spinus spinus 13/5/23
Birds
194. Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
195. Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
196. Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
197. Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
After some research, the house wren was actually a Carolina wren, meaning I was actually at 65 birds by the end of the day.
I'm now living in Indiana for the summer where I'll be conducting an internship. I decided to check out the nearby park today to do some birding. I wasn't able to get there in the morning so there wasn't a whole lot of activity in the afternoon. I heard a lot more than I actually saw.
5/13/13
Birds:
66. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
67. Least flycatcher Empidonax minimus
68. Red-eyed vireo Vireo olivaceus
69. Blue-gray gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
70. Least sandpiper Calidris minutilla
Herptiles:
6. American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus
Total Species: 85
Birds: 70
Mammals: 9
Herptiles: 6
Kakapo
Well-Known Member
Yesterday I saw a new MAMMAL for the year! A rat runned away at the river shore while I and my boyfriend were contemplating the sunset. There were also little egrets. The river level is at minimum.
MAMMALS:
5. Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)