Zoochat Big Year 2024
- Thread starter Chlidonias
- Start date
Birds
509. Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
Welcome to the elite ranks of "people who have gone birding with Thylo"although I doubt anything I helped him see for the first time beats the possum!
We need to go again now that I'm actually a birder as opposed to to a casual observer
~Thylo
We need to go again now that I'm actually a birder as opposed to to a casual observer
~Thylo
My flat is always open to yourself and your other half, as you know!
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Was on my way out for a wet and windy afternoon looking at deer, when I heard a commotion in the garden and found a Sparrowhawk taking a Starling off the bird feeders.
One of the mature Starlings from the growing flock here was the prey and it was a noisy and grim end. It's a good job we have had breeding success with the Starlings (and Sparrows) of late so there are enough to breed more and also feed the local birds of prey. In the round a positive outcome though I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor prey in the moment.
I guess with the madly stormy weather it was a timely hunt and the garden is enclosed fence wise so the Sparrowhawk didn't feel in danger hanging about and was out of the wind while feeding.
I had time to get my camera out, snap the kill through the kitchen window and then thought I'd try my luck outside where the bird calmly ate quite a lot of the Starling without paying much attention to me standing maybe 10m away in the rain. Eventually it took the remains off over the fence. Got some pics which will hopefully come out. Either a female or a juvenile, time to get the books out to see if I can tell!
Quite a wow tbh to see a wild one up close (I can count the Sparrowhawks I have ever had any sort of view of on the fingers of one hand) and one of those wild encounters I probably won't ever get again.
99. Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, 08/12/2024, Garden
One of the mature Starlings from the growing flock here was the prey and it was a noisy and grim end. It's a good job we have had breeding success with the Starlings (and Sparrows) of late so there are enough to breed more and also feed the local birds of prey. In the round a positive outcome though I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor prey in the moment.
I guess with the madly stormy weather it was a timely hunt and the garden is enclosed fence wise so the Sparrowhawk didn't feel in danger hanging about and was out of the wind while feeding.
I had time to get my camera out, snap the kill through the kitchen window and then thought I'd try my luck outside where the bird calmly ate quite a lot of the Starling without paying much attention to me standing maybe 10m away in the rain. Eventually it took the remains off over the fence. Got some pics which will hopefully come out. Either a female or a juvenile, time to get the books out to see if I can tell!
Quite a wow tbh to see a wild one up close (I can count the Sparrowhawks I have ever had any sort of view of on the fingers of one hand) and one of those wild encounters I probably won't ever get again.
99. Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, 08/12/2024, Garden
Back on the British birding today - with a day that was left unexpectedly free due to a series of events that ended with Storm Darragh and its aftermath. If Storm Darragh was part of the cause of this free day, it was also part of the success it became - being the cause of a lot of seabird action on the east coast, and in particular - a huge northward movement of Little Auks. This is a species I have long coveted but always failed to coincide with and given the chance, I was determined to make the most of it.
I selected Filey Brigg as the place to try, being lower to the water than many of the more familiar nearby sites like Bempton and Flamborough, my possibly simplistic view being that if you're looking for a small bird, get closer.
There were lots of auks moving about offshore and as always with such things, I spent a decent time trying to squint and scope and make some of them into Little Auks (and given the numbers reported past Flamborough Head it's likely many actually were, in truth) but in the end, there were two separate birds who came in really nice and close to give me my long-sought-after clear-cut views, and even a classic blurry record shot. Also got another bonus year bird while waiting, as well as a nice Great Northern Diver on the water. After Filey I did go and have a look at Flamborough as well, where I saw a number of great birds (including Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Red-throated Diver, and Barn Owl) but nothing more new for the year, but nevertheless - a triumphant day.
Birds:
329. Manx Shearwater - Puffinus puffinus
330. Little Auk - Alle alle
(UK: 199)
I selected Filey Brigg as the place to try, being lower to the water than many of the more familiar nearby sites like Bempton and Flamborough, my possibly simplistic view being that if you're looking for a small bird, get closer.
There were lots of auks moving about offshore and as always with such things, I spent a decent time trying to squint and scope and make some of them into Little Auks (and given the numbers reported past Flamborough Head it's likely many actually were, in truth) but in the end, there were two separate birds who came in really nice and close to give me my long-sought-after clear-cut views, and even a classic blurry record shot. Also got another bonus year bird while waiting, as well as a nice Great Northern Diver on the water. After Filey I did go and have a look at Flamborough as well, where I saw a number of great birds (including Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Red-throated Diver, and Barn Owl) but nothing more new for the year, but nevertheless - a triumphant day.
Birds:
329. Manx Shearwater - Puffinus puffinus
330. Little Auk - Alle alle
(UK: 199)
Attachments
Platypusboy
Well-Known Member
Mammals
15. Stoat, Mustela erminea 11/12/24
Birds
253. Bohemian waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus 11/12/24
15. Stoat, Mustela erminea 11/12/24
Birds
253. Bohemian waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus 11/12/24
Birdsage
Well-Known Member
Back in the game:
Birds
I didn’t actually make as serious of a birding effort as I perhaps should have; most of these sightings are from the back and front yards, plus no more than three dedicated birding outings (in the general Seabrook area on February 18, the University of Houston on March 17, and Pine Gully Park on November 10; the last of which also yielded a Swamp Rabbit):
16. Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor (15 Jan)
17: Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata (23 Jan)
18: American Goldfinch Spinus tristis (30 Jan)
19: Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus (30 Jan)
20: Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens (30 Jan)
21: Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura (18 Feb)
22: Osprey Pandion haliaetus (18 Feb)
23: House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus (18 Feb)
24: Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis (18 Feb)
25: Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum (18 Feb)
26: Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax (18 Feb)
27: Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias (18 Feb)
28: American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos (18 Feb)
29: (Feral) Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata (18 Feb)
30: Great Egret Ardea alba (10 Mar)
31: Killdeer Charadrius vociferus (17 Mar)
32: Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos (17 Mar)
33: White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica (26 Mar)
34: Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus (5 Apr)
35: Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea (21 Apr)
36: Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis (1 Jun)
37: Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica (3 Jun)
38: Western Cattle-Egret Bubulcus ibis (10 Jun)
39: (Feral) Rock Pigeon Columba livia (8 Jul)
40: Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus (8 Jul)
41: Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor (28 Jul)
42: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris (14 Nov)
43: Snowy Egret Egretta thula (9 Nov)
44: Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus (10 Nov)
45: Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (10 Nov)
Mammals
3: Swamp Rabbit (10 Nov)
4: Virginia Opossum (10 Nov)
Reptiles
All reptiles and amphibians were seen around the backyard:
2: Common Five-lined Skink Plestiodon fasciatus (15 Jun)
3: Green Anole (21 Jun)
Amphibians
1: Gulf Coast Toad Incilius nebulifer (2 Jun)
2: Green Treefrog Hyla cinerea (20 Jun)
3: American Bullfrog (7 Jul)
Invertebrates
The majority of these were sighted in one well-lit vehicular lot in Dickinson, plus a few from the backyard:
1: Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera (23 Apr)
2: A comb-footed spider, Platnickina adamsoni (25 May)
3: Wandering Hammerhead Worm Bipalium vagum (28 May)
4: Formosan Subterranean Termite Coptotermes formosanus (29 May)
5: Dark Rover Ant Brachymyrmex patagonicus (30 May)
6: American Cockroach Periplaneta americana (31 May)
7: Common Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (31 May)
8: Common Pill Woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare (31 May)
9: Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis (3 Jun)
10: A May beetle, Diplotaxis fimbrata (3 Jun)
11: Deceptive Carpenter Ant Camponotus decipiens (3 Jun)
12: Alfalfa Weevil Hypera postica (7 Jun)
13: A water boatman, Trichocorixa kanza (7 Jun)
14: Inland Floodwater Mosquito Aedes vexans (7 Jun)
15: Sweet Click Beetle Aeolus mellillus (7 Jun)
16: A planthopper, Rhynchomitra recurva (7 Jun)
17: Bicolored Pennant Ant Tetramorium bicarinatum (8 Jun)
18: Southern Corn Leaf Beetle Myochrous denticollis (8 Jun)
19: Long-necked Seed Bug Myodocha serripes (9 Jun)
20: Gulf Fritillary Dione vanillae (15 Jun)
21: Eastern Parson Spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus (15 Jun)
22: Common True Katydid Pterophylla camellifolia (17 Jun)
23: An orbweaver spider, Araneus detrimentosus (22 Jun)
24: Ring-legged Earwig Euborellia annulipes (23 Jun)
25: South American Toothed Hacklemesh Spider Metaltella simoni (24 Jul)
26: Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp Evania appendigaster (25 Jun)
27: Common House Fly Musca domestica (25 Jun)
28: Triangulate Combfoot Steatoda triangulosa (26 Jun)
29: A picture-winged fly, Chaetopsis fulvifrons (28 Jun)
30: Bermudagrass Leafhopper Xyphon reticulatum (28 Jun)
31: A diving beetle, Hydacticus bimarginatus (28 Jun)
32: Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta (28 Jun)
33: A diving beetle, Laccophilus proximus (29 Jun)
34: German Cockroach Blattella germanica (30 Jun)
35: A long-legged fly, Condylostylus longicornis (7 Jul)
36: A leaf-footed bug, Leptoglossus zonatus (8 Jul)
37: Green-striped Grasshopper Chortophaga viridifasciata (8 Jul)
38: Long-flange Millipede Orthopmorpha coarctata (11 Jul)
39: An assassin bug, Diaditus tejanus (13 Jul)
40: Garden Ghost Spider Hibana gracilis (13 Jul)
41: Navigating Big-headed Ant Pheidole navigans (29 Jul)
42: American Bumble Bee Bombus pennsylvanicus (2 Aug)
43: Beautiful Clown Weevil Eudiagogus pulcher (9 Aug)
44: Western Lynx Spider Oxyopes scalaris (9 Aug)
45: A wolf spider, Tigrosa annexa (9 Aug)
46: Slender Meadow Katydid Conocephalus fasciatus (10 Aug)
47: Seaside Lady Beetle Naemia seriata (10 Aug)
48: Green Semipoint-mouth Beetle Semiardistomis viridis (13 Aug)
49: Two-lined Burrowing Bug Pangaeus bilineatus (13 Aug)
50: A shore fly, Notiphila pulchrifrons (14 Aug)
51: Bluegrass Webworm Moth Parapediasia teterrellus (14 Aug)
52: Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle Chilocorus stigma (15 Aug)
53: Kyoto Moth Autosticha kyotensis (15 Aug)
54: Pink-spotted Trig Anaxipha rosamacula (16 Aug)
55: Delightful Donacaula Moth Donacaula melinellus (19 Aug)
56: Brown Stink Bug Euschistus servus (26 Aug)
57: American Sunflower Moth Homoeosoma electella (7 Sep)
58: A ground beetle, Agonum punctiforme (9 Sep)
59: Clubbed Seed Bug Ptochiomera nodosa (9 Sep)
60: Pine Spittlebug Aphrophora cribrata (9 Sep)
61: An earwig, Euborellia arcanum (18 Sep)
62: Ragweed Leaf Beetle Ophraella communa (20 Sep)
63: Carolina Ground Cricket Eunemobius carolinus (20 Sep)
64: Columbian Trig Cyrtoxipha columbiana (21 Sep)
65: Thin-nosed Curculio, Conotrachelus naso (22 Sep)
66: A diving beetle, Tropisternus lateralis (22 Sep)
67: Clidemia Leafroller Ategumia ebulealis (26 Sep)
68: Red-lipped Green Lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris (26 Sep)
69: Slender Flower Moth Schinia gracilenta (26 Sep)
70: Variegated Midget Elaphria versicolor (26 Sep)
71: Flower Lebia Beetle Lebia viridis (26 Sep)
72: Mournful Sphinx Enyo lugubris (18 Oct)
73: Black Saltmarsh Mosquito Aedes taeniorhynchus (27 Oct)
74: Spinybacked Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (5 Dec)
Birds
I didn’t actually make as serious of a birding effort as I perhaps should have; most of these sightings are from the back and front yards, plus no more than three dedicated birding outings (in the general Seabrook area on February 18, the University of Houston on March 17, and Pine Gully Park on November 10; the last of which also yielded a Swamp Rabbit):
16. Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor (15 Jan)
17: Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata (23 Jan)
18: American Goldfinch Spinus tristis (30 Jan)
19: Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus (30 Jan)
20: Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens (30 Jan)
21: Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura (18 Feb)
22: Osprey Pandion haliaetus (18 Feb)
23: House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus (18 Feb)
24: Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis (18 Feb)
25: Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum (18 Feb)
26: Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax (18 Feb)
27: Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias (18 Feb)
28: American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos (18 Feb)
29: (Feral) Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata (18 Feb)
30: Great Egret Ardea alba (10 Mar)
31: Killdeer Charadrius vociferus (17 Mar)
32: Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos (17 Mar)
33: White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica (26 Mar)
34: Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus (5 Apr)
35: Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea (21 Apr)
36: Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis (1 Jun)
37: Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica (3 Jun)
38: Western Cattle-Egret Bubulcus ibis (10 Jun)
39: (Feral) Rock Pigeon Columba livia (8 Jul)
40: Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus (8 Jul)
41: Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor (28 Jul)
42: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris (14 Nov)
43: Snowy Egret Egretta thula (9 Nov)
44: Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus (10 Nov)
45: Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (10 Nov)
Mammals
3: Swamp Rabbit (10 Nov)
4: Virginia Opossum (10 Nov)
Reptiles
All reptiles and amphibians were seen around the backyard:
2: Common Five-lined Skink Plestiodon fasciatus (15 Jun)
3: Green Anole (21 Jun)
Amphibians
1: Gulf Coast Toad Incilius nebulifer (2 Jun)
2: Green Treefrog Hyla cinerea (20 Jun)
3: American Bullfrog (7 Jul)
Invertebrates
The majority of these were sighted in one well-lit vehicular lot in Dickinson, plus a few from the backyard:
1: Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera (23 Apr)
2: A comb-footed spider, Platnickina adamsoni (25 May)
3: Wandering Hammerhead Worm Bipalium vagum (28 May)
4: Formosan Subterranean Termite Coptotermes formosanus (29 May)
5: Dark Rover Ant Brachymyrmex patagonicus (30 May)
6: American Cockroach Periplaneta americana (31 May)
7: Common Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (31 May)
8: Common Pill Woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare (31 May)
9: Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis (3 Jun)
10: A May beetle, Diplotaxis fimbrata (3 Jun)
11: Deceptive Carpenter Ant Camponotus decipiens (3 Jun)
12: Alfalfa Weevil Hypera postica (7 Jun)
13: A water boatman, Trichocorixa kanza (7 Jun)
14: Inland Floodwater Mosquito Aedes vexans (7 Jun)
15: Sweet Click Beetle Aeolus mellillus (7 Jun)
16: A planthopper, Rhynchomitra recurva (7 Jun)
17: Bicolored Pennant Ant Tetramorium bicarinatum (8 Jun)
18: Southern Corn Leaf Beetle Myochrous denticollis (8 Jun)
19: Long-necked Seed Bug Myodocha serripes (9 Jun)
20: Gulf Fritillary Dione vanillae (15 Jun)
21: Eastern Parson Spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus (15 Jun)
22: Common True Katydid Pterophylla camellifolia (17 Jun)
23: An orbweaver spider, Araneus detrimentosus (22 Jun)
24: Ring-legged Earwig Euborellia annulipes (23 Jun)
25: South American Toothed Hacklemesh Spider Metaltella simoni (24 Jul)
26: Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp Evania appendigaster (25 Jun)
27: Common House Fly Musca domestica (25 Jun)
28: Triangulate Combfoot Steatoda triangulosa (26 Jun)
29: A picture-winged fly, Chaetopsis fulvifrons (28 Jun)
30: Bermudagrass Leafhopper Xyphon reticulatum (28 Jun)
31: A diving beetle, Hydacticus bimarginatus (28 Jun)
32: Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta (28 Jun)
33: A diving beetle, Laccophilus proximus (29 Jun)
34: German Cockroach Blattella germanica (30 Jun)
35: A long-legged fly, Condylostylus longicornis (7 Jul)
36: A leaf-footed bug, Leptoglossus zonatus (8 Jul)
37: Green-striped Grasshopper Chortophaga viridifasciata (8 Jul)
38: Long-flange Millipede Orthopmorpha coarctata (11 Jul)
39: An assassin bug, Diaditus tejanus (13 Jul)
40: Garden Ghost Spider Hibana gracilis (13 Jul)
41: Navigating Big-headed Ant Pheidole navigans (29 Jul)
42: American Bumble Bee Bombus pennsylvanicus (2 Aug)
43: Beautiful Clown Weevil Eudiagogus pulcher (9 Aug)
44: Western Lynx Spider Oxyopes scalaris (9 Aug)
45: A wolf spider, Tigrosa annexa (9 Aug)
46: Slender Meadow Katydid Conocephalus fasciatus (10 Aug)
47: Seaside Lady Beetle Naemia seriata (10 Aug)
48: Green Semipoint-mouth Beetle Semiardistomis viridis (13 Aug)
49: Two-lined Burrowing Bug Pangaeus bilineatus (13 Aug)
50: A shore fly, Notiphila pulchrifrons (14 Aug)
51: Bluegrass Webworm Moth Parapediasia teterrellus (14 Aug)
52: Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle Chilocorus stigma (15 Aug)
53: Kyoto Moth Autosticha kyotensis (15 Aug)
54: Pink-spotted Trig Anaxipha rosamacula (16 Aug)
55: Delightful Donacaula Moth Donacaula melinellus (19 Aug)
56: Brown Stink Bug Euschistus servus (26 Aug)
57: American Sunflower Moth Homoeosoma electella (7 Sep)
58: A ground beetle, Agonum punctiforme (9 Sep)
59: Clubbed Seed Bug Ptochiomera nodosa (9 Sep)
60: Pine Spittlebug Aphrophora cribrata (9 Sep)
61: An earwig, Euborellia arcanum (18 Sep)
62: Ragweed Leaf Beetle Ophraella communa (20 Sep)
63: Carolina Ground Cricket Eunemobius carolinus (20 Sep)
64: Columbian Trig Cyrtoxipha columbiana (21 Sep)
65: Thin-nosed Curculio, Conotrachelus naso (22 Sep)
66: A diving beetle, Tropisternus lateralis (22 Sep)
67: Clidemia Leafroller Ategumia ebulealis (26 Sep)
68: Red-lipped Green Lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris (26 Sep)
69: Slender Flower Moth Schinia gracilenta (26 Sep)
70: Variegated Midget Elaphria versicolor (26 Sep)
71: Flower Lebia Beetle Lebia viridis (26 Sep)
72: Mournful Sphinx Enyo lugubris (18 Oct)
73: Black Saltmarsh Mosquito Aedes taeniorhynchus (27 Oct)
74: Spinybacked Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (5 Dec)
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Around Dali, China
BIRDS:
195) Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
196) Greater Scaup Aythya marila
197) Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
198) Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
199) Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus
200) Crested Mynah Acridotheres cristatellus
201) Hoopoe Upupa epops
202) Grey-headed Swamphen Porphyrio poliocephalus
203) Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
204) Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
205) Gadwall Anas strepera
206) Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
207) Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
208) Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
209) Black-headed Sibia Heterophasia desgodinsi
210) Grey-crested Tit Lophophanes dichrous
211) Chestnut-tailed Minla Actinodura strigula
212) Goldcrest Regulus regulus
213) Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus
214) Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis
215) Black-browed Tit Aegithalos bonvaloti
216) Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis
217) Eurasian Crag-Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
MAMMALS:
12) Northern Tree Shrew Tupaia belangeri
13) Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel Tamiops swinhoei
Tengchong, China
218) Great Spotted Woodpecker Picus major
219) Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
220) Moustached Laughing Thrush Ianothocincla cineracea
221) Yellow-bellied Fantail Cheildorhynx hypoxanthus
222) Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii
223) Striated Yuhina Staphida castaniceps
224) Whiskered Yuhina Yuhina flavicollis
225) Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus
226) Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher
227) Blue-throated Barbet Psilopogon asiaticus
228) Himalayan Bluetail Tarsiger rufilatus
229) Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus
230) Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
231) Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus
232) Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
233) Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia
234) Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
235) Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
236) Yellow-cheeked Tit Parus spilonotus
BIRDS:
195) Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
196) Greater Scaup Aythya marila
197) Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
198) Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
199) Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus
200) Crested Mynah Acridotheres cristatellus
201) Hoopoe Upupa epops
202) Grey-headed Swamphen Porphyrio poliocephalus
203) Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
204) Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
205) Gadwall Anas strepera
206) Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
207) Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
208) Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
209) Black-headed Sibia Heterophasia desgodinsi
210) Grey-crested Tit Lophophanes dichrous
211) Chestnut-tailed Minla Actinodura strigula
212) Goldcrest Regulus regulus
213) Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus
214) Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis
215) Black-browed Tit Aegithalos bonvaloti
216) Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis
217) Eurasian Crag-Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
MAMMALS:
12) Northern Tree Shrew Tupaia belangeri
13) Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel Tamiops swinhoei
Tengchong, China
218) Great Spotted Woodpecker Picus major
219) Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
220) Moustached Laughing Thrush Ianothocincla cineracea
221) Yellow-bellied Fantail Cheildorhynx hypoxanthus
222) Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii
223) Striated Yuhina Staphida castaniceps
224) Whiskered Yuhina Yuhina flavicollis
225) Eye-browed Thrush Turdus obscurus
226) Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher
227) Blue-throated Barbet Psilopogon asiaticus
228) Himalayan Bluetail Tarsiger rufilatus
229) Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus
230) Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
231) Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus
232) Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
233) Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia
234) Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
235) Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
236) Yellow-cheeked Tit Parus spilonotus
A final post of India additions (well, barring any discoveries when I fine-tooth-comb the photos over the coming weeks) - what I've been able to confidently ID from photos of the few fish and many invertebrates seen. For most groups there was actually quite good information available on what is present in the area and spending time (for example) scrutinising my mantis photos against a dichotomous key of Indian Hierodula is all very much part of the fun.
Fishes:
5. Nile Tilapia - Oreochromis niloticus
6. Mullya Garra - Garra mullya
Invertebrates (grouped taxonomically for ease):
69. East African Giant Land Snail - Lissachatina fulica
70. Oriental Spiny Orb-weaver - Gasteracantha geminata
71. Black Wood Spider - Nephila kuhlii
72. Giant Wood Spider - Nephila pilipes
73. Indian Ornamental Spider - Poeciliotheria regalis
74. Red-spined Millipede - Xenobolus carnifex
75. Potter Wasp - Phimenes flavopictus
76. Common Tiger - Danaus genutia
77. Tailed Palmfly - Elymnias caudata
78. Common Crow - Euploea core
79. Common Diadem (Danaid Eggfly) - Hypolimnas misippus
80. Chocolate Pansy - Junonia iphita
81. Common Evening Brown - Melanitis leda
82. Common Sailor - Neptis hylas
83. Dark Blue Tiger - Tirumala septentrionis
84. Common Four-ring - Ypthmia huebneri
85. Crimson Rose - Pachliopta hector
86. Blue Mormon - Papilio polymnestor
87. Common Emigrant - Catopsilia pomona
88. Common Jezebel - Delias eucharis
89. Common Grass Yellow - Eurema hecabe
90. Indian Wanderer - Pareronia hippia
91. Unimaculated Giant Asian Mantis - Hierodula unimaculata
One fantastic animal where the information to ID it beyond genus simply isn't there (general consensus is that not all the common ones are even described, never mind mapped and keyed) were the brilliant Giant Pill Millipedes, Arthrosphaera sp. Can't be counted but well worth an honorable mention.
Fishes:
5. Nile Tilapia - Oreochromis niloticus
6. Mullya Garra - Garra mullya
Invertebrates (grouped taxonomically for ease):
69. East African Giant Land Snail - Lissachatina fulica
70. Oriental Spiny Orb-weaver - Gasteracantha geminata
71. Black Wood Spider - Nephila kuhlii
72. Giant Wood Spider - Nephila pilipes
73. Indian Ornamental Spider - Poeciliotheria regalis
74. Red-spined Millipede - Xenobolus carnifex
75. Potter Wasp - Phimenes flavopictus
76. Common Tiger - Danaus genutia
77. Tailed Palmfly - Elymnias caudata
78. Common Crow - Euploea core
79. Common Diadem (Danaid Eggfly) - Hypolimnas misippus
80. Chocolate Pansy - Junonia iphita
81. Common Evening Brown - Melanitis leda
82. Common Sailor - Neptis hylas
83. Dark Blue Tiger - Tirumala septentrionis
84. Common Four-ring - Ypthmia huebneri
85. Crimson Rose - Pachliopta hector
86. Blue Mormon - Papilio polymnestor
87. Common Emigrant - Catopsilia pomona
88. Common Jezebel - Delias eucharis
89. Common Grass Yellow - Eurema hecabe
90. Indian Wanderer - Pareronia hippia
91. Unimaculated Giant Asian Mantis - Hierodula unimaculata
One fantastic animal where the information to ID it beyond genus simply isn't there (general consensus is that not all the common ones are even described, never mind mapped and keyed) were the brilliant Giant Pill Millipedes, Arthrosphaera sp. Can't be counted but well worth an honorable mention.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
A trip to Taronga Western Plains Zoo yielded just one new species, but I suppose that is to be expected this time of year.
Reptiles
24. Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)
Perhaps the most glaring missing species on my list this year was the tundra bean goose. Hundreds or thousands of them winter in the wetlands and farmlands alongside the main river in my region, but last winter they were near absent, which is why I hadn't seen any. This winter however, a friend told me they were suddenly everywhere. So, when I at last found a moment when I had both the time and energy to go, I drove towards one of the best waterfowl spots in my area.
I had a good time and there were lots of common waterfowl around - pochards, teals, gadwalls, coots and the like. But geese were scarcely present: only a few dozen greylags and a single greater white-fronted. So I drove around a little while, hoping to spot foraging flocks on the field, but no luck. When it started to rain I gave up and went home. Then, last week, while doing fieldwork, I heard a great many geese calling. I so walked towards the meadow they were on and, peering with my binoculars, saw there were at least a hundred tundra bean geese on the field.
Birds can be like that sometimes.
Birds
220. Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus
221. Tundra Bean Goose, Anser serrirostris
Gastropods
13. Black Slug, Arion ater
I had a good time and there were lots of common waterfowl around - pochards, teals, gadwalls, coots and the like. But geese were scarcely present: only a few dozen greylags and a single greater white-fronted. So I drove around a little while, hoping to spot foraging flocks on the field, but no luck. When it started to rain I gave up and went home. Then, last week, while doing fieldwork, I heard a great many geese calling. I so walked towards the meadow they were on and, peering with my binoculars, saw there were at least a hundred tundra bean geese on the field.
Birds can be like that sometimes.
Birds
220. Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus
221. Tundra Bean Goose, Anser serrirostris
Gastropods
13. Black Slug, Arion ater
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
Likely to be my last invert tick this year which was seen on Tuesday just above my door:
338) Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
338) Winter Moth Operophtera brumata
That’s an impressive Invertebrate total, well done.
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
Thank you @Tetzoo Quizzer. I agree it has been a fruitful year although I'm still very much a novice in invertebrates so hopefully yet more practice will increase the species total for 2025. However, I may be distracted as I'm trying to learn my bryophytes, more grass species and also more ferns as I'm hoping to acquire my FISC certificate next year.
The statistics of this year's invert species are the following:
16 Butterflies, 128 Moths 11 Bees, 6 Wasps & Hornets, 11 Sawflies, 51 Beetles, 7 Grasshoppers & Crickets, 23 True Bugs, 15 Odonata, 1 Earwig, 37 Flies, 12 Snails & Slugs, 9 Spiders, 1 Pseudoscorpion, 1 Mite, 1 Springtail, 2 Millipedes, 4 Woodlice, 1 Shrimp & 1 Flatworm
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Oops! Original comment deleted.