Zoochat Big Year 2025

Had some unexpected time come free today so headed up to the coast again for a few hours to try to nab some migrants and vagrants. Dipped on Firecrest and had a fairly-near miss on a Pallid Swift but the Phylloscopus were out in force at Flamborough and Bempton. The Dusky is especially notable as this was only my second ever sighting, and gave me a much longer view this time round.

Birds:
197. Dusky Warbler - Phylloscopus fuscatus
198. Pallas' Leaf Warbler - Phylloscopus proregulus
199. Yellow-browed Warbler - Phylloscopus inornatus

(UK: 193)

:)
 
MOG2012 said:
November 1, 2025

INVERTEBRATES:
47) Long-bodied Cellar Spider Pholcus phalangioides
48) Odorous House Ant Tapinoma sessile

MAMMALS: 12 taxa
BIRDS: 79 taxa
REPTILES: 6 taxa
AMPHIBIANS: 3 taxa
FISH: 17 taxa
INVERTEBRATES: 48 taxa
TOTAL: 165 taxa
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November 9th 2025

BIRDS:
80) Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata

MAMMALS: 12 taxa
BIRDS: 80 taxa
REPTILES: 6 taxa
AMPHIBIANS: 3 taxa
FISH: 17 taxa
INVERTEBRATES: 48 taxa
TOTAL: 166 taxa
 
A few more species picked up here and there
Birds
147 Fieldfare Turdus pilaris Martin Mere
148 Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Burton Mere
149 Merlin Falco columbarius Burton Marsh
150 Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus Leasowe
151 Grey Partridge Perdix perdix Rufford

On Wednesday I fly out to Ethiopia for a 17 day birding trip which should push the list along!
 
CarnotaurusSastrei said:
Cambridge - 10/11
Birds
135. Long-Tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
136. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
137. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

Invertebrates
39. Cross Orbweaver (Araneus diadematus)

Portsmouth - 10/12
Birds
138. Great Black-Backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Fishes
6. European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Invertebrates
40. Mediterranean Fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii)

Totals: 138 Birds, 15 Mammals, 3 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians, 6 Fishes, 40 Invertebrates (204 Total)
New Life List Entries: 74 Birds, 7 Mammals, 1 Reptile, 4 Fishes, 33 Invertebrates (119 Total)
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Chester Zoo - 10/25
Birds
139. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Silwood Park - 10/30
Birds
140. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Silwood Park - 11/6
Birds
141. Gray Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
142. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

Invertebrates
41. Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Totals: 142 Birds, 15 Mammals, 3 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians, 6 Fishes, 41 Invertebrates (209 Total)
New Life List Entries: 78 Birds, 7 Mammals, 1 Reptile, 4 Fishes, 33 Invertebrates (123 Total)
 
birdsandbats said:
Once again this year, some friends and I took a trip down to southern Illinois to the legendary Snake Road. Unfortunately, this year was kind of a downer. The weather was not on our side, with cool temps and rain. Compared to last year, where we got hundreds (possibly thousands, we lost track) of snakes, this year we got a grand total of 14. And I almost got bitten by a cottonmouth this time... Can't complain about the incredible lifer mammal, though!:

Mammals
44. Mexican Long-nosed Armadillo Dasypus mexicanus

Birds
349. Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis

Herps
20. Blanchard's Cricket Frog Acris blanchardi
21. Northern Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus
22. Gray Ratsnake Pantherophis spiloides
23. Cave Salamander Eurycea lucifuga
24. Eastern Newt Notophthalmus viridescens
25. Northern Zigzag Salamander Plethodon dorsalis
26. American Green Tree Frog Dryophytes cinereus
27. Cope's Gray Tree Frog Dryophytes chrysoscelis*
28. Mediterranean Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus

*almost certainly not actually the first time I've seen this species, but the first time I've been able to ID it
Click to expand...
Birds
350. Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
 
DaLilFishie said:
There are a few other fish which I'm fairly sure are new species for the year but I am struggling to identify them...

FISHES
196 - Honeyhead Damsel Dischistodus prosopotaenia
Click to expand...
These are both tentative IDs, but are from very difficult groups to ID so I doubt I will be able to tell what species they are with total certainty.

FISHES
197 - Vachell's Glassfish Ambassis vachellii
198 - Slender Hardyhead Atherinomorus lacunosus
 
MRJ said:
Looking through my postings this year, I noticed that I had included glossy ibis twice, once in the Dominican Republic and once in Central Java. So, my birds should be on 354.
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Looking back I can see I went too far back to deduct the one extra bird, so with the cuckoo at the Gardens, I should be back at 356. Too bad I can't count.
 
CarnotaurusSastrei said:
Chester Zoo - 10/25
Birds
139. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Silwood Park - 10/30
Birds
140. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Silwood Park - 11/6
Birds
141. Gray Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
142. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

Invertebrates
41. Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Totals: 142 Birds, 15 Mammals, 3 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians, 6 Fishes, 41 Invertebrates (209 Total)
New Life List Entries: 78 Birds, 7 Mammals, 1 Reptile, 4 Fishes, 33 Invertebrates (123 Total)
Click to expand...
CarnotaurusSastrei said:
Chester Zoo - 10/25
Birds
139. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Silwood Park - 10/30
Birds
140. Red Kite (Milvus milvus)

Silwood Park - 11/6
Birds
141. Gray Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
142. Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

Invertebrates
41. Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Totals: 142 Birds, 15 Mammals, 3 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians, 6 Fishes, 41 Invertebrates (209 Total)
New Life List Entries: 78 Birds, 7 Mammals, 1 Reptile, 4 Fishes, 33 Invertebrates (123 Total)
Click to expand...
Tring - 11/13
Invertebrates
42. Seven-Spotted Ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata)

Wildwood Trust - 11/16
Birds
143. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
144. Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

Totals: 144 Birds, 15 Mammals, 3 Reptiles, 2 Amphibians, 6 Fishes, 42 Invertebrates (212 Total)
New Life List Entries: 80 Birds, 7 Mammals, 1 Reptile, 4 Fishes, 34 Invertebrates (126 Total)
 
For quite some time I have wanted to go and stay on Tiritiri Matangi Island, one of a number of refuge islands that have been stocked with native New Zealand birds to protect them from the ravages of introduced predators. It is quite easy to take a ferry from Auckland to visit the island for a few hours during the middle of the day, however whenever I have tried to book the limited accommodation for an overnight visit it has been booked out. A few months ago, I finally managed to book beds for me and my friend Graeme for this Wednesday night.

We arrived last night after a 3.5-hour flight from Melbourne on Saturday night. First bird seen was a silver gull. We are based in Auckland, with Sunday and Monday visiting some birding spots, Tuesday a whale watching trip, and Wednesday and Thursday for Tiritiri Matangi Island. I hired a car for the first two days.

I have only been to New Zealand twice before. The first trip to a zoo conference in Christchurch, I hardly left the CBD and don't remember any birds. The second to another zoo conference in Wellington, after which I toured around part of the North Island looking at wildlife parks and picking up a few birds on the way. I hope to fill a few gaps as well as see representatives of the four endemic New Zealand families I have not seen.

First stop on Sunday was Muriwai Beach for the gannet and tern colonies.

357. Californian quail Callipepla californica (introduced)
358. Australasian gannet Morus serrator
359. Kelp gull Larus dominicanus
360. White-fronted tern Sterna striata
361. Sacred kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
362. New Zealand bellbird Anthornis melanura
363. Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
364. Grey warbler (gerygone) Gerygone igata
365. Common mynah Acridotheres tristis (introduced)
366. Song thrush Turdus philomelos (introduced)

We then drove north to Tutukaka where we birded the Ngunguru Estuary from the foreshore. It took an age to get there, as the main highway was closed for repairs, and we had to take a long and winding detour. We also stopped at the Old Mill Lane boardwalk, where we met its owner as well as seeing some fernbirds. Hilton brought a degraded wetland back to natural condition and then built a boardwalk so anybody could enjoy it.

367. Variable oystercatcher Haematopus unicolor
368. Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres
369 Bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica
370. Black-billed gull Chroicocephalus bulleri
371. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella (introduced)
372. Fernbird Poodytes punctatus

We also stopped at a small lake in Whangarei on the way through, hoping to find a couple of NZ endemic ducks. However they were all typical Australian species including black swans, as well as some mallards.

373. Australasian shoveller Spatula rhynchotis

There are always birds you see from the car on road trips, in this case the shelducks and pigeons were seen multiple times.

374. Paradise shelduck Tadorna variegata
375. Turkey Meleagris gallopavo (introduced)
376. New Zealand pigeon Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae
 
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Chlidonias said:
I have recently been in East Timor for two weeks, which was mostly not very dedicated birding. I have been to West Timor before (the Indonesian side of the island) so that’s why only a few of the birds below are lifers in bold. I saw 78 species there, of which just over 40 were year-birds.

There is a thread starting here: Chlidonias Goes To Asia, part eight: East Timor 2025

Some photos here: East Timor (Timor-Leste) - ZooChat



BIRDS:


647) Drab Swiftlet Collocalia neglecta
648) White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
649) White-shouldered Triller Lalage sueurii
650) Barred Dove Geopelia maugei
651) Streak-breasted Honeyeater Meliphaga reticulata
652) Timor (White-bellied) Chat Saxicola gutturalis
653) Timor Friarbird Philemon inornatus
654) Indonesian Honeyeater Lichmera limbata (lumped with Brown Honeyeater on eBird)
655) Pied Chat Saxicola caprata
656) Red-chested Flowerpecker Dicaeum maugei
657) Timor Oriole Oriolus melanotis
658) Fawn-breasted Whistler Pachycephala orpheus
659) Black-chested Myzomela Myzomela vulnerata
660) Marigold Lorikeet Trichoglossus capistratus
661) Yellow-eared Honeyeater Lichmera flavicans
662) Olive-headed Lorikeet Trichoglossus euteles
663) Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides
663) Pacific Emerald Dove Chalcophaps longirostris
664) Spectacled Monarch Monarcha trivirgatus
665) Wallacean Drongo Dicrurus densus
666) Ashy-bellied White-eye Zosterops citrinella
667) Supertramp Fantail Rhipidura semicollaris
668) Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris
669) Plain Gerygone Gerygone inornata
670) Timor Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata
671) Wallacean Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina personata
672) Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis
673) Flame-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris solaris
674) Singing Bushlark Mirafra javanica
675) Tricoloured Parrotfinch Erythrura tricolor
676) Black-backed Fruit Dove Ptilinopus cinctus
677) Rose-crowned Fruit Dove Ptilinopus regina
678) Timor Blue Flycatcher Cyornis hyacinthinus
679) Sunda Bush-Warbler Cettia vulcania (lumped with Aberrant Bush-Warbler on eBird)
680) Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni
681) Sunda Cuckoo Cuculus lepidus
682) Timor Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus jonquillaceus
683) Little Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites minutillus
684) Iris Lorikeet Trichoglossus iris
685) Tenggara Whistler Pachycephala calliope
686) Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
687) Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata
688) Timor Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus presbytes
689) Tawny Grassbird Cincloramphus timorensis
690) Orange-sided Thrush Geokichla peronii
***) undescribed Gunung Mutis Parrotfinch Erythrura sp.
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Chlidonias said:
I just realised I missed out a bird from Alice Springs here: White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor should be in at number 569. So all my birds since then are one out. And then when I was re-numbering my list I discovered I had used 663 twice in the East Timor list (below) which made me two birds out. My current total as per below should be 692.
Click to expand...

The next set of birds and mammals from my Australia trip, these ones from Darwin and a revisit to Pine Creek in the Northern Territory, and Mt Isa in Queensland. Details can be found in my trip thread here: Chlidonias presents: Bustralia


BIRDS:

DARWIN:
693) Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata
694) Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
695) Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto
696) Black Butcherbird Melloria quoyi
697) Bush Stone-Curlew Burhinus grallarius
698) Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis
699) Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax
700) Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster
701) Pied Heron Egretta picata
702) Pacific Koel Eudynamys orientalis
703) Grey Whistler Pachycephala simplex
704) Green-backed Gerygone Gerygone chloronota
705) Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata
706) Beach Thick-knee Esacus neglectus
707) Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris
708) Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris
709) Torresian Kingfisher Todiramphus sordidus
710) Sahul Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus
711) Plumed Whistling Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
712) Australian Hobby Falco longipennis
713) Rufous Owl Ninox rufa
714) Mangrove Robin Melanodryas pulverulenta
715) Arafura Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla megarhyncha

PINE CREEK:
716) Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris
717) Varied Lorikeet Psitteuteles versicolor

MT ISA:
718) Spinifexbird Poodytes carteri
719) Painted Firetail Emblema pictum
720) Spinifex Pigeon Geophaps plumifera
721) Little Woodswallow Artamus minor
722) Grey-headed Honeyeater Ptilotula keartlandi
723) Kalkadoon Grasswren Amytornis ballarae
724) Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi
725) Spotted Bowerbird Chlamydera maculata
726) Black-tailed Treecreeper Climacteris melanurus
727) Carpentarian Grasswren Amytornis dorotheae
728) Grey-fronted Honeyeater Ptilotula plumula
729) Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans


MAMMALS:

DARWIN:
63) Little Red Flying Fox Pteropus scapulatus
64) Northern Brush-tailed Possum Trichosurus arnhemensis

MT ISA:
65) Purple-necked Rock Wallaby Petrogale purpureicollis
 
Chlidonias said:
You'll love Tiritiri. Remember to look out for Giant Weta as well.



The one in New Zealand is the southern novaehollandiae, so whether splitting the Masked Lapwing or not you already have this one, as below:
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Thanks, I did wonder about that, but I was following the field guide I have with me. Have now edited my post to reflect this.
 
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