Zoochat Big Year 2023
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
Likely my last update before I fly out on Friday! Three additional mammals:
37) Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus
38) Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
39) New England Cottontail Sylvilagus transitionalis
~Thylo
02.07.23 - largely a driving day, mist-netting and spotlighting (finding only some good birds) at Crandall Reserve, Monte Verde, Costa Rica
Mammals
89. Greater Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus vittatus)
90. Toltec Fruit-eating Bat (Dermanura tolteca)
91. Hairy-legged Myotis (Myotis pilosatibialis)
Birds (non-passerines)
259. Highland Tinamou (Nothocercus bonapartei)
Birds (passerines)
260. Scaled Antpitta (Grallaria guatimalensis)
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Birds
113. Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia 4/7/23
114. Long-tailed tit, Aegithalos caudatus 4/7/23
115. Common whitethroat, Curruca communis 4/7/23
113. Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia 4/7/23
114. Long-tailed tit, Aegithalos caudatus 4/7/23
115. Common whitethroat, Curruca communis 4/7/23
03.07.23 - around the Bat Jungle, Monte Verde + tunnel in Miraflores + Carara + Damas Caves
Mammals
92. Red-backed Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
93. Northern Ghost Bat (Diclidurus albus)
94. Lesser Doglike Bat (Peropteryx macrotis)
95. Mesoamerican Mustached Bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus)
96. Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus)
97. Orange Nectar Bat (Lonchophylla robusta)
98. Intermediate Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus intermedius)
Birds (non-passerines)
261. Fasciated Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum)
262. Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)
263. Northern Black-throated Trogon (Trogon [rufus] tenellus)
264. Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda)
Birds (passerines)
265. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Myiodynastes luteiventris)
266. Rufous-collared Sparrow (Onotrichia capensis)
267. Gray-headed Tanager (Eucometis penicillata)
Reptiles
45. Helmeted Basilisk (Corytophanes cristatus)
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04.07.23 - Damas caves + Damas mangroves, Costa Rica
Mammals
99. Central American Silky Anteater (Cyclopes dorsalis)
100. Mexican Funnel-eared Bat (Natalus mexicanus)
101. Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus)
Birds (non-passerines)
268. Western Willet (Tringa [semipalmata] inornata)
269. Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)
Birds (passerines)
270. Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea)
271. Mangrove [Yellow] Warbler (Setophaga petechia bryanti)
Fish
9. Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas
05.07.23 - Drake Bay pelagic, Costa Rica
Mammals
102. Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuate)
103. Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Birds (non-passerines)
272. Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus)
273. Galapagos Shearwater (Puffinus subalaris)
274. Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea)
275. Black Storm-petrel (Halocyptena (Hydrobates) melania)
276. Peruvian [Wedge-rumped] Storm-petrel (Halocyptena (Hydrobates) [tethys] kelsalli)
277. Brewster’s Brown Booby (Sula [leucogaster] brewsteri)
278. Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii)
279. Western Bridled Tern (Onychoprion [anaethetus] melanopterus)
280. Common Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus)
Reptiles
46. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Mammals
7. European hare, Lepus europaeus 7/7/23
7. European hare, Lepus europaeus 7/7/23
Herps
12. American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus
Bactrian Deer
Well-Known Member
Mammals:
9. White-Tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
Birds:
27. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Reptiles:
3. Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina (carolina)
A mid-year update from me. Lots of new birds from out west near Oakey, just around Toowoomba. My first wild cockatiels [Cockatiel - ZooChat] and musk lorikeets [Musk Lorikeet - ZooChat] were particular highlights and were very easy to find in the town’s centre as more western birds are pushed east as it dries out inland. For a couple of years, I’ve been chasing records of Cotton Pygmy-Geese [Cotton Pygmy-Goose - ZooChat] ; one of Australia’s more elusive waterfowl species and finally saw no less than five of them across two locations. I’ve also had three wild koala [Koala - ZooChat] sightings this year which is three more than last year as well. Other targets like Common Bronzewing [Common Bronzewing - ZooChat] and Sooty Oystercatcher were pleasingly ticked off the list as well. Invert #183 has been the notable one as an incredibly large ant species with jaws to match.
Mammals
11) Koala Phascolarctos cinereus
Birds
163) Black Kite Milvus migrans
164) Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata
165) Common Blackbird Turdus merula
166) Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
167) Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
168) Regent Bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus
169) Speckled Warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus
170) Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris
171) Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna
172) Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus
173) Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus
174) Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes
175) White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus
176) Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
177) Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca
178) Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris
179) Australian Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon macrotarsa
180) Dusky Honeyeater Myzomela obscura
181) Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
182) Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera
183) Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax
184) Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus
185) Beach Stone-Curlew Esacus magnirostris
186) Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus
187) Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
188) Cotton Pygmy-Goose Nettapus coromandelianus
189) White-eared Monarch Carterornis leucotis
190) Nankeen Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus
Herptiles
21) Scute-snouted Calyptotis Calyptotis scutirostrum
22) Great Barred Frog Mixophyes fasciolatus
Invertebrates
179) Compressed Fiddler Crab Tubuca coarctata
180) Bag-shelter Moth Ochrogaster lunifer
181) Maroon Mangrove Crab Parasesarma messa
182) Harlequin Hibiscus Bug Tectocoris diophthalmus
183) Giant Bulldog Ant Myrmecia brevinoda
184) Polistes humilis [paper wasp]
185) Tenagogerris euphrosyne [water strider]
186) Dingy Grass-Skipper Timoconia peron
187) Two-spotted Line-Blue Nacaduba biocellata
188) CommonTwo-tailed Spider Tamopsis brisbanensis
189) Crotalaria Pod Borer Argina astrea
06.07.23 - Cuajiniquil Creek, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
(Caracara from Mangrove tour on the 04.07.)
also close encounter with another Baird’s Tapir, and improved views of several Big-eared Climbing Rats and Mexican Mouse Opossums
Birds (non-passerines)
281. Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima)
Birds (passerines)
282. Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus)
Reptiles
47. Common Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira rhombifera)
Amphibians
12. Small-headed Treefrog (Dendropsophus microcephalus)
13. Turbo White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus poecilochilus)
14. Túngara Frog (Engystomops pustulosus)
15. Veined Treefrog (Trachycephalus venulosus)
I have finally hit my goal of 100 bird species! I set this goal at the beginning of the year thinking it would take the entire year, but I have hit that goal already, about halfway through the year.
Birds:
7/5/23
While at work, I was walking past the lake in the middle of the zoo. I saw a duck swimming around which I assumed was a male mallard with its eclipse plumage. During my birding adventure today, I was seeing mallards with their normal breeding plumage. After some more research, I came to the conclusion that the duck I saw the other day was an American black duck.
95. American black duck Anas rubripes
7/7/23
I went out on my first dusk birding adventure looking for nighthawks and owls. I didn't find any, unfortunately, but I was surprised by a huge flock of swallows on a telephone wire with 100+ birds. It was mainly tree swallows, but there were some barn swallows and northern rough-winged swallows mixed in. Another birder that was also there happened to see some cliff swallows mixed in too.
96. Northern rough-winged swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
7/8/23
Normally I don't find new species right when I start birding, but I saw a northern mockingbird perched on top of a tree at the start of the trail. About halfway through the hike, I heard the beautiful wimpy call of a bald eagle. I instantly looked up to see a juvenile bald eagle soaring by. A few minutes later I focused my binoculars on a black spot sitting on top of a tree. Despite it being about a half-mile away, I was still able to make out the white head of an adult bald eagle.
97. Northern mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
98. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
99. Vesper sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
100. Acadian flycatcher Empidonax virescens
Total Species: 125
Birds: 100
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 9
Fish: 2
Reptiles
9. Streaked Kukri Snake Oligodon taeniolatus (very young one, only a few inches long)
Another two birds from a trip to the Cotswolds!
146. Eurasian bullfinch
147. Spotted flycatcher
07.07.23 - Guanacaste 5km walking trail + Cacao, Santa Rosa river
Mammals
104. Costa Rican Forest Rabbit (Sylvilagus gabbi)
105. Argentine Brown Bat (Eptesicus furinalis)
106. Tricolored Bat (Glyphonycteris sylvestris)
107. Gray’s Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga leachii)
Birds (non-passerines)
283. Northern Sunbittern (Eurypyga [helias] major)
284. Blue Ground Dove (Claravis pretiosa)
285. Yellow-naped Amazon (Parrot) (Amazona [ochrocephala] auropalliata)
Birds (passerines)
286. Grayish [Olivaceous] Woodcreeper (Sittasomus [griseicapillus] griseus)
287. Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus)
288. Yellow-green Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis)
289. Scrub Euphonia (Euphonia affinis)
Reptiles
48. Cope’s Black-striped Snake (Coniophanes piceivittis)
Amphibians
16. Common Mexican Tree Frog (Smilisca baudinii)
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7/9/23
Birds:
101. Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
Total Species: 126
Birds: 101
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 9
Fish: 2
I said I was going to do live updates? Oof.
First a quick one picked up while connecting my flight in France:
244) Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
Now for my first report from Kenya! My first stop is Brackenhurst Forest in Limuru, Kenya. I will be staying here until Friday while completing some research.
While not the "typical" African scene, I have to say I absolutely love Brackenhurst already—and I've barely left the campus I'm staying at so far!
245) Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash
246) Abyssinian Thrush Turdus abyssinicus
247) Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht
248) Rüppell's Robin-Chat Cossypha semirufa
249) Northern Double-Collared Sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi
250) Dark-Capped Bulbul Pycnonotus tricolor
251) Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula
252) White-Eyed Slaty Flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri
253) Streaky Seedeater Serinus striolatus
254) African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp
255) African Pied Crow Corvus albus
256) Yellow-Rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus
257) Red-Eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
258) White-Bellied Tit Melaniparus albiventris
259) Black-and-White (Red-Backed) Mannikin Spermestes bicolor
260) Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra
261) Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus
262) Variable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus
263) Yellow-Breasted Apalis Apalis flavida
264) Black Kite Milvus migrans
265) African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta
266) Bronze Sunbird Nectarinia kilimensis
267) Kenyan Rufous Sparrow Passer rufocinctus
268) Hunter's Cisticola Cisticola hunteri
269) Yellow-Whiskered Greenbul Eurillas latirostris
270) Green-Headed Sunbird Cyanomitra verticalis
271) Green-Backed Honeybird Prodotiscus zambesiae
272) Brown Parisoma Curruca lugens
273) Kikuyu White-Eye Zosterops kikuyensis
40) Black-and-White Colobus Colobus guereza
41) Sykes' Guenon Cercopithecus albogularis
42) African Yellow Bat Scotophilus dinganii
43) Long-Tailed House Bat Eptesicus hottentotus
All the animals with the exception of the bats were sightings on the grounds of the Brackenhurst Hotel & Conference Center. The bats were observed a 10 minute walk down the road. The colobus in particular were a unique sighting because, until fairly recently, this species didn't exist anymore in Brackenhurst. The forest was once entirely clear cut for plantations (for which there are still many) and the native primates all disappeared from the region. When the forest was reestablished, the guenons returned quickly and have remained numerous, but the colobus did not return until within the last decade or so. Today, there are only three troops of colobus, each about a dozen to two dozen strong. This is not a species I expected to find here, but as I was being told this story, we rounded the corner and there was one troop, sunning themselves on the roof of a building. The troop remained for a couple of hours in the area, before disappearing again back into the forest.
I'm just a day in, but already I'm loving Kenya! One thing that's definitely surprised me, though, is how cold it has been here. When I arrived around 3am to the campus, and again last night, temperatures were around 50 degrees F.
That's my update for now, as I finish breakfast and prepare for day 2. One last addition to make, however, spotted on my walk to the dining hall:
274) Speke's Weaver Ploceus spekei
~Thylo
The East African highlands are fantastic
Superdiverse and with a very agreeable climate for an European 
. You are sitting at about 2000 metres above sea level, which explains why the locals are always cold....