Zoochat Big Year 2023

A quick evening excursion to Ogston Reservoir following a report of a whole flock of Chlidonias bore plentiful fruit.

Birds:
176. Black Tern - Chlidonias niger

:)
 
Kakapo said:
Some insects that have been identified since, from this field trip:

276. Aulonogyrus striatus. I believed that they were unidentifiable Gyrinus but at home I saw a thin yellow margin in the individuals, despite the bad quality of the photo:
View attachment 625732

277: Colotes maculatus. Lifer for me! In the village. Identified by myself.
View attachment 625733

278: Coenosia tigrina. Identified by Juergen Peters
View attachment 625734

279: Pheidole pallidula. That's what I tought at first sight but later I decided that they're too clear and bright, honey coloured, even translucent. But ant expert Bartleby ensured the species and said that the color is variable.
View attachment 625735
Click to expand...


The Dinocampus coccinellae (number 172 in my Big Year list) emerged yesterday from the cocoon. I've took photos, but they're not still in my computer.

One more species from the last saturday field trip has been identified:

INVERTEBRATES:
280: Pseudapion fulvirostre

Very sadly, the Gonatopus (that has been collected) was consumed by another of the collected insects of the same canister, in the travel to home. So the possibilities of get an ID now are zero :(
 
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Kakapo said:
The Dinocampus coccinellae (number 172 in my Big Year list) emerged yesterday from the cocoon. I've took photos, but they're not still in my computer.

One more species from the last saturday field trip has been identified:

INVERTEBRATES:
280: Pseudapion fulvirostre

Very sadly, the Gonatopus (that has been collected) was consumed by another of the collected insects of the same canister, in the travel to home. So the possibilities of get an ID now are zero :(
Click to expand...

Today and just about half hour ago. A new insect for the year appeared... in my hair!

INVERTEBRATES:
281. Belonochilus numenius. Second sight in my life (first one was in 2015)
 
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I took a wander along the south coast this morning before (well, during as it turned out) the forecast rain, in the hope for some cetaceans. A couple of Humpback Whales had been spotted yesterday and a few others over the last couple of weeks, and there are periodic Killer Whales as well. None today though. The thing with whale sightings is that I usually hear about them too late, or I'm at work, or whatever other reason which prevents me actually seeing them.

I did see an albatross close enough to get an ID on - usually with binoculars from shore they are just slightly beyond confirmation range for me - and finally added a NZ Pipit for the year at the usual spot I see them.


78) Southern Buller's Albatross Thalassarche bulleri
79) New Zealand Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
 
Time to start catching up. The following are all recent U.K. additions; then back to a non-U.K. trip which happened a month ago....
Birds
116 Swift Apus apus
117 House Martin Delichon urbicum
118 Swallow Hirundo rustica
119 Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
120 Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
121 Whitethroat Sylvia communis
122 Garganey Spatula querquedula
123 Common Tern Sterna hirundo
124 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandwichensis
125 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisea
126 Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus
127 Razorbill Alca torda
128 Guillemot Uria aalge
129 Puffin Fratercula arctica
130 Gannet Sula bassana
131 Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
132 Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
133 Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
134 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin
135 Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca
136 Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix

Mammals
7 Brown Hare Lepus capensis

Butterflies
5 Large White Pieris brassicae
6 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus
7 Comma Polygonia c-album
8 Wall Lasiommata megera
9 Small White Pieris rapae
10 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus

Dragonflies
1 Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
2 Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator

Ladybirds
1 14-spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
 
And so to Arizona and California...
Mammals
8 Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii
9 Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus
10 White-throated Woodrat Neotoma albigula
11 Yellow-nosed Cotton Rat Sigmodon ochrognathus
12 Arizona Cotton Rat Sigmodon arizonae
13 Arizona Grey Squirrel Sciurus arizonensis
14 Common Rock Squirrel Otospermophilus variegatus
15 Round tailed Ground Squirrel Xerospermophilus tereticaudus
16 Cliff Chipmunk Neotamius dorsalis
17 Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
18 Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus
19 Collared Peccary Pecari tajacu
20 Coyote Canis latrans
21 White-nosed Coati Nasua narica
 
Birds
137 Gambel’s Quail Callipepla gambelii
138 Montezuma Quail Cyrtonyx montezumae
139 Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
140 Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
Canada Goose
141 Bufflehead Bucephalus albeola
142 Redhead Aythya americana
143 Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
Northern Shoveler
144 Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
145 Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors
Mallard
146 Mexican Duck Anas diazi
147 Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis
148 Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
149 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
150 Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalise
151 Clark’s Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
Rock Dove
Collared Dove
152 White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
153 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
154 Inca Dove Columbina inca
155 Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina
156 Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis
157 White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatilis
158 Broad-billed Hummingbird Cynanthus latirostris
159 Violet-crowned Hummingbird Amazilia violiceps
160 Rivoli’s Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens
161 Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
162 Anna’s Hummingbird Calypte anna
163 Costa’s Hummingbird Calypte costae
164 Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycerus
165 Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californicus
166 Virginia Rail Ralus limicola
167 Sora Porzana carolina
168 Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
169 American Coot Fulica americana
170 White-faced Ibis Plegadis chichi
171 Black-crowned Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax
172 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
173 Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great White Egret
174 Snowy Egret Egretta thula
175 Neotropical Cormorant Nannopterum brasilianum
176 Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
177 Kildeer Charadrius vociferus
178 Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus
179 American Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus
180 Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
181 Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
182 Spotted Sandpiper Arctitis macularius
183 Greater Yellowlegs Tringamelanoleuca
184 Yellow-footed Gull Larus livens
185 California Gull Larus californicus
186 American Barn-owl Tyto furcata
187 Northern Pygmy-owl Glaucidium californicum
188 Elf Owl Micrathene whitneyi
189 Burrowing Owl Atheneum cunicularia
190 Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
191 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
192 American Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
193 Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus
194 Northern Harrier Circus hudsonicus
195 Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
196 Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperi
197 Harris’s Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
198 Grey Hawk Buteo plagiatus
199 Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni
200 Zone-tailed Hawk Buteo albonotatus
201 Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
202 Red-shafted Flicker Colaptes cafer
203 Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides
204 Lewis’s Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
205 Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
206 Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
207 Ladder-backed Woodpecker Dryobates scalaris
208 Nuttall’s Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
209 Arizona Woodpecker Leuconotopicus arizonae
210 American Kestrel Falco sparverius
 
And passerines
211 Northern Beardless Tyrannulet Camptostoma imberbe
212 Cassin’s Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
213 Thick-billed Kingbird Tyrannus crassirostris
214 Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
215 Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myriarchus taberifera
216 Brown-Crested Flycatcher Myriarchus tyrannulus
217 Ash-throated Flycatcher Myriarchus cinerascens
218 Vermillion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus obscurus
219 Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans
220 Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
221 Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
222 Hammond’s Flycatcher Empidonax hammondi
223 Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
224 Hutton’s Vireo Vireo huttoni
225 Plumbeous Vireo Vireo plumbeus
226 Bell’s Vireo Vireo bellii
Common Raven
227 Mexican Jay Aphelocoma wollweberi
228 California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
229 Bridled Titmouse Baeolophus wollweberi
230 Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus
231 Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli
232 Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
233 Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
Barn Swallow
Bank Swallow
234 Violet-Green Swallow Tachycincta thalassina
235 Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgodopteryx ser ripen is
236 American Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
237 American Trecreeper Certhia americana
238 White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
239 House Wren Troglodytes aedon
240 Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes berwickii
241 Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Starling
242 Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottis
243 Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
244 Bendire’s Thrasher Toxostoma bendirei
245 California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum
246 American Robin Turdus migratorius
247 Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens (I have now seen all of this family in the wild)
248 Olive Warbler Peucedramus taenatus (new family and the reason behind the trip!)
House Sparrow
249 Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubiscens
250 House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
251 Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
252 Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
253 Lawrence’s Goldfinch Spinus lawrencii
254 Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
255 Brewer’s Sparrow Spizella breweri
256 Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
257 Five-striped Sparrow Amphispiza quinquestriata
258 Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammaticus
259 Botteri’s Sparrow Peucaea botterii
260 Green-tailed Towhee Pipilio chionurus
261 Spotted Towhee Pipilio maculatus
262 Canyon Towhee Melozone fuscus
263 California Towhee Melozone crissalis
264 Abert’s Towhee Melozone aberti
265 Yellow-eyed Junco Junco phaeonatus
266 White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
267 White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophys
270 Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
271 Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
272 Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
273 Chihuahuan Meadowlark Sturnella lilianae
274 Scott’s Oriole Icterus parisorum
275 Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockorum
276 Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus
277 Red-winged Blackbird Agelauis phoeniculus
278 Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
279 Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
280 Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
281 Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
282 Lucy’s Warbler Leiothlypis luciae
283 Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
284 Northern Yellow Warbler Setophaga aestiva
285 Audubon’s Warbler Setophaga audubonii
286 Myrtle Warbler Setophaga coronata
287 Grace’s Warbler Setophaga graciae
288 Black-throated Grey Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
289 Rufous-capped Warbler Basileuterus rufifrons
290 Wilson’s Warbler Cardellina pusilla
291 Red-faced Warbler Cardellina rubrifrons
292 Painted Redstart Myioborus pictus
293 Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
294 Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
295 Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
296 Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
297 Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
298 Hepatic Tanager Piranga hepatica
299 Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
300 Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus

Heptiles, Fish and Invertebrate identifications in progress.
 
Kakapo said:
Today and just about half hour ago. A new insect for the year appeared... in my hair!

INVERTEBRATES:
281. Belonochilus numenius. Second sight in my life (first one was in 2015)
Click to expand...


Today I had a pleasant if very brief (about ten minutes) walk along the river. I saw an enormous carp, smaller ones, a great egret, and coming back a hoopoe (probably the very same than the previous one as it landed almost in the same site, but this time I took a blurry photographic evidence), and again a Cetti's warbler moving and silent in the soil close to me. The most pleasant thing was to see a lot of damselflies/dragonflies. The blue ones I' m unable to identify since none landed enough close for observation, they could be either Coenagrion or Enallagma. I've searched especifically of Paracinema tricolor grasshopper, and habitat specialist of the floodable Paspalum prairies at the river shore. Saw a lot of L1 nymphs of grasshoppers, and about three L2 nymphs. First instar nymphs were dark chestnut, second instar already green. However, even when it's most probable, I can't ensure these nymphs are from Paracinema. I must come back later in the year when adults of this grasshopper are present.

FISHES:
4. Common bleak (Alburnus alburnus)

INVERTEBRATES:
282. Willowsia platani
283. Platycnemis latipes
284. Anax parthenope. Probably seen various times earlier in the year but this one was the first enough close for ensure the ID.
285. Aelia germari
286. Euchromius cambridgei
 
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WalkingAgnatha said:
Still timing these posts with my write-ups... (for anyone wondering I'm on 109 birds for the year and 7 mammals)


Birds:
100. Fairy Penguin (Eudyptula novaehollandiae)
Not a hoiho, and not even a life-bird honestly but I'll take it.

Mammals:
6. New Zealand Sealion (Phocarctos hookeri)
Click to expand...
Write-up in this thread.

Birds:
101. Foveaux Shag (Leucocarbo chalconotus)
102. Weka (Gallirallus australis)
103. Kaka (Nestor meridionalis)
104. South-Island Tieke (Philesturnus carunculatus)
105. Yellow-Crowned Kakariki (Cyanoramphus auriceps)
106. Mohua (Mohoua ochrocephala)
107. Pipipi (Mohoua novaeseelandiae)
108. Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
109. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Mammals:
7. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
 
WalkingAgnatha said:
Write-up in this thread.

Birds:
101. Foveaux Shag (Leucocarbo chalconotus)
102. Weka (Gallirallus australis)
103. Kaka (Nestor meridionalis)
104. South-Island Tieke (Philesturnus carunculatus)
105. Yellow-Crowned Kakariki (Cyanoramphus auriceps)
106. Mohua (Mohoua ochrocephala)
107. Pipipi (Mohoua novaeseelandiae)
108. Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
109. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Mammals:
7. White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Click to expand...
Went out to Tiritiri a week back to finally catch up with some targets, and a very successful trip it was I must say, first thing getting off the wharf, were a few basking eagle-rays, netting a lifer at the very start of the day. I saw all regular landbirds on my stay (excluding spotless-crake, pond levels are all too high methinks and ruru), including seeing hihi fantastically well on the Kawerau Track. Another highlight of the first day was stalking around the flax and finally coming across a beautiful adult moko skink (although digibinning a lizard felt bizzare!), as well as the local takahe family being very obliging allowing for some neat photos. The night was fantastic, upon making my way down to the Hobb's Track, randomly came across a kiwi just on the concrete ramp at the wharf! Also finally ticked off tuatara, although it's a bit tricky with them, as they're basically right on their burrows/cover so you'll have one chance to see them when they first move, before they fully slunk out of view. Although some of them, at least on their tails, had a pale faint ochre banding pattern scheme going on which I'd never seen before. Heard petrel vocalizing but see them I did not, at least I found kokopu on the Kawerau Track but not much else. Thus, I headed back to a spot which I'd heard was a good place for another of my targets, Duvaucel's Gecko, our largest remaining species(which like quite a few of our species were reduced to tiny island refugia after invasive mammals, but have been reintroduced to Tiritiri around when I was born funnily enough) , and one I find incredibly interesting as well as having never found a native gecko before I really wanted to try find one. Hence heeding another person's advice, I very slowly made my way up the track, taking a step, stop, scan, step, repeat. I was quite tired by then and was just giving up, when of course I nearly walk right into one, just at eye-level on an overhanging branch on the side of the path!! Stood there and admired it for a few minutes, there were't any gecko-mites on it which I was kind of expecting, so that was kind of interesting. Then I headed back to the bunk, nothing much for the second day, couldn't refind any of the herps during the day, and no wetapunga (apparently haven't been seen during the day for ~a week or so). Tracked down a calling fernbird, and saw a few tree wetas in an actually occupied weta-hotel (they're nearly always empty), before I headed back.


Birds:
110. Little-Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii)

REPTILES TALLY: 4
Squamates:
2. Moko Skink (Oligosoma moco)
3. DUVAUCEL'S GECKO (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii)
Rhynchocephalians:
1. Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

"FISH" TALLY: 4
Ray-finned Fish:
3. Banded Kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus)
Elasmobranchs:
1. NZ Eagle-Ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus)

INVERT TALLY: 40
Insects:
29. Brachaspis collinus (Alpine-grasshopper) [Late ID from Arthur's Pass]
30. Gisborne Cockroach (Drymaplaneta semivitta) [House]
31. Auckland Tree-Weta (Hemideina thoracica) [Tiritiri]
 
So yesterday I went on a day long canoeing trip with my scout troop. The route we were taking started in a river, a couple kilometers inland, which then flowed down into the sea. Even though it wasn't a birdwatching trip, we still managed to see a lot of birds, such as Wood sandpipers, Gray herons and European starlings. The best part of the trip was when we were lifting up the canoes on to dry land at the ending location, which was right by the rivers mouth. I was watching some terns attempting to catch fishes when I noticed that one of the terns seemed massive compared to the rest. That's when I realized it was indeed a Caspian tern, one of my all time wish list birds! It was amazing to see the pure size difference between it and a regular tern, and overall it was a great experience.

Birds

97. Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia 4/6/23
 
WalkingAgnatha said:
Went out to Tiritiri a week back to finally catch up with some targets, and a very successful trip it was I must say, first thing getting off the wharf, were a few basking eagle-rays, netting a lifer at the very start of the day. I saw all regular landbirds on my stay (excluding spotless-crake, pond levels are all too high methinks and ruru), including seeing hihi fantastically well on the Kawerau Track. Another highlight of the first day was stalking around the flax and finally coming across a beautiful adult moko skink (although digibinning a lizard felt bizzare!), as well as the local takahe family being very obliging allowing for some neat photos. The night was fantastic, upon making my way down to the Hobb's Track, randomly came across a kiwi just on the concrete ramp at the wharf! Also finally ticked off tuatara, although it's a bit tricky with them, as they're basically right on their burrows/cover so you'll have one chance to see them when they first move, before they fully slunk out of view. Although some of them, at least on their tails, had a pale faint ochre banding pattern scheme going on which I'd never seen before. Heard petrel vocalizing but see them I did not, at least I found kokopu on the Kawerau Track but not much else. Thus, I headed back to a spot which I'd heard was a good place for another of my targets, Duvaucel's Gecko, our largest remaining species(which like quite a few of our species were reduced to tiny island refugia after invasive mammals, but have been reintroduced to Tiritiri around when I was born funnily enough) , and one I find incredibly interesting as well as having never found a native gecko before I really wanted to try find one. Hence heeding another person's advice, I very slowly made my way up the track, taking a step, stop, scan, step, repeat. I was quite tired by then and was just giving up, when of course I nearly walk right into one, just at eye-level on an overhanging branch on the side of the path!! Stood there and admired it for a few minutes, there were't any gecko-mites on it which I was kind of expecting, so that was kind of interesting. Then I headed back to the bunk, nothing much for the second day, couldn't refind any of the herps during the day, and no wetapunga (apparently haven't been seen during the day for ~a week or so). Tracked down a calling fernbird, and saw a few tree wetas in an actually occupied weta-hotel (they're nearly always empty), before I headed back.


Birds:
110. Little-Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii)

REPTILES TALLY: 4
Squamates:
2. Moko Skink (Oligosoma moco)
3. DUVAUCEL'S GECKO (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii)
Rhynchocephalians:
1. Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

"FISH" TALLY: 4
Ray-finned Fish:
3. Banded Kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus)
Elasmobranchs:
1. NZ Eagle-Ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus)

INVERT TALLY: 40
Insects:
29. Brachaspis collinus (Alpine-grasshopper) [Late ID from Arthur's Pass]
30. Gisborne Cockroach (Drymaplaneta semivitta) [House]
31. Auckland Tree-Weta (Hemideina thoracica) [Tiritiri]
Click to expand...

At least until a few years ago the petrel calls were just a recording to try to lure real petrels back to the island....
 
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