Zoochat Big Year 2025

KiwiBirb said:
Decided to go to Lidl’s the other day. Not for food or anything, just for a rare Sparrow

Birds
273) Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni))

Progress:
Mammals- 20
Birds- 274
Herptiles- 11
Total- 306
Click to expand...
New birds are slowing as migration season ends. I was able to get a lifer Clay-Colored Sparrow in the Meadowlands, coming straight from missing out on another hawk watch. One weekend I took a ride to Spruce Run Recreation Area for the first time, picking up American Pipit but missing my main target, a Northern Shrike that was there the prior evening. Throughout the month I was able to see another Cackling Goose while Snow Buntings and Pine Siskin avoided me and I missed out on another hawk watch Ash-Throated Flycatcher. Then came Thanksgiving. Had some great success birding at my local patch, getting 6 threatened Rusty Blackbird, a rare Cackling Goose, and an American Mink that has been avoiding me thus far this year. On Thanksgiving day I refound the Ash-Throated Flycatcher I had previously gone looking for while on a Audubon Walk, this after it hadn’t been reported in a week! But the coolest thing I found doesn’t even count towards the list. While doing some routine birding I found a 1 in 30,000 Leucistic American Pipit, my coolest find out birding since I started, probably my coolest find ever in nature. For my first Leucistic bird to be a relatively uncommon Pipit that was just my 2nd of the year makes it even crazier.
Leucistic American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)

Leucistic American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)

Probably my coolest find ever out in nature, found at Parsons Pond Park in Franklin Lakes, NJ on...
Additionally I forgot to add a Wood Frog a found back in September.

Mammals
21) American Mink (Neogale vison)

Birds
275) Clay-Colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
276) American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)
277) Ash-Throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)

Herptiles
12) Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

Progress:
Mammals- 21
Birds- 277
Herptiles- 12
Total- 310
 
WalkingAgnatha said:
Leave for Manokwari tomorrow morning but just wanted to put in a quick update for my list I suppose so I don't get too bad of a backlog haha, work in progress eBird trip report here.


INDONESIA

Denpasar (2 hr layover)
496. Cave Swiftlet (Collocalia linchi)
497. Yellow-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
498. Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)
499. House Swift (Apus nipalensis)
500. Medium Egret (Ardea intermedia) 25/11/25

Jakarta (8hr layover, 2 birding)
501. Pacific Swallow (Hirundo javanica)
502. Sooty-Headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster)
503. Freckle-Breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos analis) [first woodpecker!]
504. Long-Tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
505. Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus)
506. Sunda Collared-Dove (Streptopelia bitorquata) 25/11/25

Sorong
507. Black Butcherbird (Melloria quoyi)
508. Pinon's Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula pinon)
509. Long Tailed Honey-Buzzard (Henicopernis longicauda)
510. Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides)
511. Black-Browed Triller (Lalage atrovirens)
512. Red-Flanked Lorikeet (Hypocharmosyna placentis)
513. Coconut Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)
514. Glossy Swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta)
515. Rufous-Bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud)
516. Sahul Sunbird (Cinnyris frenatus) 26/11/25
Klalik [first 2 technically on the drive in]
517. Papuan Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus) !
518. Papuan Eclectus (Eclectus polychloros)
519. Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) !
520. Uniform Swiftlet (Aerodramus vanikorensis)
521. Orange-Bellied Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus iozonus)
522. Yellow-Faced Myna (Mino dumontii)
523. Red-Cheeked Parrot (Geoffroyus geoffroyi)
524. Grey-Headed Cicadabird (Edolisoma schisticeps)
525. Zoe's Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula zoeae)
526. Black-Capped Lory (Lorius lory)
527. Papuan Dwarf-Kingfisher (Ceyx solitarius) 27/11/25
528. Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) !!
529. Black Lory (Chalcopsitta atra)
530. Western Crowned-Pigeon (Goura cristata) !!!!
531. Red Breasted Paradise-Kingfisher (Tanysiptera nympha) !!
532. Arafura Shrikethrush (Colluricincla megarhyncha)
533. Beautiful Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus)
534. PHEASANT PIGEON (Otidiphaps nobilis) !!!!
535. Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris)
536. Black Berrypecker (Melanocharis nigra)
537. Frilled Monarch (Arses telescopthalmus)
538. Tawny-Breasted Honeyeater (Xanthotis flaviventer)
539. Brown Oriole (Oriolus szalayi)
540. Black Sunbird (Leptocoma aspasia)
541. Boyer's Cuckooshrike (Coracina boyeri)
542. Pink-Spotted Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus perlatus)
543. Sultan's Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia doreya)
544. Coroneted Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus coronulatus)
545. Thick Billed Ground-Pigeon (Trugon terrestris) 28/11/25 !!!!
546. Twelve-Wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus) !!
547. Papuan Babbler (Garritornis isidorei) !
548. Yellow-Bellied Gerygone (Gerygone chrysogaster)
549. King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius) !!
550. Hooded Monarch (Symposiachrus manadensis)
551. Moluccan King-Parrot (Alisterus amboinensis) 29/11/25
552. Rufous Owl (Ninox rufa)
553. Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta macklotii) !!
554. Eastern Hooded-Pitta (Pitta novaeguineae) !!
555. Yellow-Bellied Longbill (Toxorhamphus novaeguineae)
556. Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto)
557. Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica)
558. Grey Crow (Corvus tristis) !
559. Great Cuckoo-Dove (Reinwardtoena reinwardti)
560. Yellow-Billed Kingfisher (Syma torotoro) 30/11/25
561. Blue-Black Kingfisher (Todiramphus nigrocyaneus) !
562. Purple Tailed Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula rufigaster)
563. Olive-Crowned Flowerpecker (Dicaeum pectorale)
564. Ruby-Throated Myzomela (Myzomela eques)
565. Emperor Fairywren (Malurus cyanocephalus) !! 1/12/25
Sorong
566. Cinnamon Bittern (Botaurus cinnamomeus)
567. Yellow Bittern (Botaurus sinensis) 1/12/25
568. Golden Monarch (Carterornis chrysomela) !
569. Lowland Peltops (Peltops blainvillii) !
570. Yellow Capped Pygmy-Parrot (Micropsitta keiensis) !
571. Glossy-Mantled Manucode (Manucodia ater)
572. Large-Billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris)
573. Brown-Backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus)
574. Orange-Fronted Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus aurantiifrons)
575. Rusty Pitohui (Pseudorectes ferrugineus) 2/12/25
Click to expand...
Is this a tour or are you doing it for yourself? And are you managing any photos of birds?

I'm going to need travel details at some stage so I can copy this.
 
Chlidonias said:
Is this a tour or are you doing it for yourself? And are you managing any photos of birds?

I'm going to need travel details at some stage so I can copy this.
Click to expand...
I think we all want to copy it.
 
Chlidonias said:
Is this a tour or are you doing it for yourself? And are you managing any photos of birds?

I'm going to need travel details at some stage so I can copy this.
Click to expand...
Some parts are guided but overall the entire trip is unguided : ) , currently I'm doing it with 4 people [till the 18th] the rest of the trip was meant to be 3 people but due to circumstances it's going to become a 2 person/solo trip, and I'll probably leave Indonesia a tad earlier than planned around mid Feb aswell as having significant shake ups in the itinerary (what will happen?? I shall see..), but Klalik and Arfaks where I go tomorrow were arranged online with guides and 4 nights at each place for 4 people have came to around 1.2k AUD per person [for each location, so I've paid 2.4k AUD], on the ground costs in Sorong and Manokwari have been not bad at all either staying at hostels and splitting Grabs/Maxim [latter being the rideshare app in Manokwari] between each other. (Probably around 30-40 AUD per day? Could probably go cheaper if you really tried), but it is all a bit early I suppose, I'll see if I'm able to keep to my budget for the rest of the trip haha.

Birds are decently photographable, I won't lie I've sorta been getting tired of photography (also lugging around a zoom lens is quite exhausting), ie pretty statisfied with just using the bins but still have been getting photos, certainly at the canopy tower in Sorong [must visit and only 100k IDR entry] and at the bird-hides, the birds here are shy but not impossible : )
 
CMP Travels Asia (Part 1?) - Page 3 - ZooChat
CMP said:
I never meant to leave this off for so long.

Taiwan, Jan 1-2

Mammals
1. Formosan Rock Macaque (Macaca cyclopis) (Lifer)
2. Pallas' Squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus)

Birds
2. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
3. Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
4. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
5. Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)
6. Pacific Swallow (Hirundo javanica)
7. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
8. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
9. Gray Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae)
10. Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
11. Taiwan Blue-magpie (Urocissa caerulea)
12. Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
13. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
14. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) (Lifer)
15. Pale Thrush (Turdus pallidus)
16. Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) (Lifer)
17. Crested Goshawk (Lophospiza trivirgata) (Lifer)
18. Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus) (Lifer)
19. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
20. White-eared Sibia (Heterophasia auricularis)
21. Brown-headed Thrush (Turdus chrysolaus)
22. Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge (Bambusicola sonorivox) (Lifer)
23. Morrison’s Fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia) (Lifer)
24. Taiwan Whistling-thrush (Myophonus insularis) (Lifer)
25. Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea) (Lifer)
26. Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus) (Lifer)
27. White-bellied Erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca) (Lifer)
28. Gray-chinned Minivet (Pericrocotus solaris) (Lifer)
29. Taiwan Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus musicus)
30. Taiwan Barbet (Psilopogon nuchalis)
31. Swinhoe’s Pheasant (Lophura swinhoii) (Lifer)
32. Eastern Cattle-egret (Ardea coromanda)
33. Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
34. Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)
35. Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) (Lifer)
36. Little Ringed Plover (Thinornis dubius) (Lifer)
37. White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
38. Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
39. Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
40. Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) (Lifer)
41. Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus)
42. Swinhoe’s White-eye (Zosterops simplex)
43. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
44. Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
45. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
46. Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus)
47. White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
48. Manchurian Bush-warbler (Horornis canturians)

I write a bit about the trip here: CMP Travels Asia (Part 1?) - Page 2 - ZooChat
Click to expand...
Would you look at the date- the year's almost gone! And I still haven't updated my first week of the year yet. I've finally gotten around to sorting through my yearlists, which I hope to update here in quick succession.

Hong Kong, Jan 2-6

Mammals
3. Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) (Lifer)


Birds
Hong Kong Island​
49. Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) (Lifer)
50. Red-billed Blue-magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha) (Lifer)
51. Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae) (Lifer)
52. Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) (Lifer)
53. Asian Tit (Parus cinereus) (Lifer)
54. Pallas’s Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) (Lifer)
55. Two-barred Warbler (Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus) (Lifer)
56. Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus) (Lifer)
57. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) (Lifer)
58. Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis)
59. Oriental Magpie (Pica serica)
60. Black-collared Starling (Gracupica nigricollis)

Tai Lam and Tai Po Kau​
61. Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) (Lifer)
62. Pygmy Cupwing (Pnoepyga pusilla) (Lifer)
63. Asian Stubtail (Urosphena squameiceps) (Lifer)
64. Chestnut Bulbul (Hemixos castanonotus) (Lifer)
65. Crested Serpent-eagle (Spilornis cheela) (Lifer)
66. Mountain Tailorbird (Phyllergates cucullatus) (Lifer)
67. White-rumped Munia (Lonchura striata)
68. Blue-winged Minla (Actinodura cyanouroptera) (Lifer)
69. Yellow-cheeked Tit (Machlolophus spilonotus) (Lifer)
70. Rufous-capped Babbler (Cyanoderma ruficeps) (Lifer)
71. Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) (Lifer)
72. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) (Lifer)
73. Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) (Lifer)
74. Black-winged Cuckooshrike (Lalage melaschistos) (Lifer)
75. Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis) (Lifer)
76. Eastern Crowned Warbler (Phylloscopus coronatus) (Lifer)
77. Mountain Bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii) (Lifer)
78. Rufous-tailed Robin (Larvivora sibilans) (Lifer)

Mai Po​
79. Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach) (Lifer)
80. Yellow Bittern (Botaurus sinensis) (Lifer)
81. Red-billed Starling (Spodiopsar sericeus) (Lifer)
82. Amur Stonechat (Saxicola stejnegeri) (Lifer)
83. Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris)
84. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
85. Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
86. Chinese Pond-heron (Ardeola bacchus)
87. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) (Lifer)
88. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
89. Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) (Lifer)
90. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) (Lifer)
91. Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) (Lifer)
92. Masked Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus perspicillatus) (Lifer)
93. Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) (Lifer)
94. Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) (Lifer)
95. Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana) (Lifer)
96. Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus)
97. Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis)
98. Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala)
99. Collared Crow (Corvus torquatus) (Lifer)
100. Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
101. Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata)
102. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
103. Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
104. Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
105. Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) (Lifer)
106. Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) (Lifer)
107. White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) (Lifer)
108. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
109. Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) (Lifer)
110. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
111. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
112. Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) (Lifer)
113. Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) (Lifer)
114. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) (Lifer)
115. Common Redshank (Tringa totanus) (Lifer)
116. Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
117. Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) (Lifer)
118. Mongolian Gull (Larus mongolicus) (Lifer)
119. Vega Gull (Larus vegae) (Lifer)
120. Pallas's Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus) (Lifer)
121. Saunders’s Gull (Saundersilarus saundersi) (Lifer)
122. Falcated Duck (Mareca falcata) (Lifer)
123. White-cheeked Starling (Spodiopsar cineraceus) (Lifer)
124. Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) (Lifer)
Lai Chi Kok​
125. Grey-backed Thrush (Turdus hortulorum) (Lifer)


Reptiles
1. Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta)
2. Chinese Cobra (Naja atra) (Lifer)


Reptiles
1. Redbelly Tilapia (Coptodon zillii) (Lifer)
2. Flat-headed Loach (Oreonectes platycephalus) (Lifer)
3. Predaceous Chub (Parazacco spilurus) (Lifer)
4. Chinese Barb (Barbodes semifasciolatus) (Lifer)
5. Shuttles Hoppfish (Periophthalmus modestus)
6. Great Blue-spotted Mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris) (Lifer)
7. Yellow-bellied Mudskipper (Periopthalmus walailakae) (Lifer)


I've been writing more in this thread: CMP Travels Asia (Part 1?) - Page 3 - ZooChat
 
oflory said:
A proper old-fashioned twitch on a nice sunny autumnal day. I just need lesser grey shrike now to complete the list of "possible English shrikes". Also takes the pressure off next February birding in Hong Kong, where I am told they are much scarcer in recent winters.

205. Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)
Click to expand...

I have a strong feeling that these two perky auks will be the last additions to 2025, unless something else magically turns up. A good wintery pair of birds to end on!

206. Common Guillemot (Uria aalge)
207. Black Guillemot (Cepphys grylle)
 
A quiet time for wildlife lately but picked up one more bird on my travels today. Next weekend I should be out and about a lot more so fingers crossed.

Birds:
200. Grey Partridge - Perdix perdix

(UK: 194)

:)
 
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