ZooChat Challenge UK 2015

[TeaLovingDave]

But if I stay in the top three come the end of the challenge I will remain satisfied with how I have done

Barring any massive last-minute surprises it looks like my wish will be granted; at the present moment, with the potential for any additional taxa to be picked up being extremely low, the rankings are as follows:

Hevden: 120
Zoogiraffe: 113
TeaLovingDave: 111

As my nearest rival is devilfish with 88 taxa, I think my third place ranking is safe.

Now might be a good time to start wondering:

a) what the next challenge will be
b) whether we should ban Hevden from competing

 

[Swampy]

Well done to Hevden for winning the contest again, they must really be eagle-eyed to have seen so many species. It really takes a lot of dedication to visit so many collections for the saker of a contest, they must have really pulled out all the scops. Well done to everyone else who competed, especially Zoogiraffe and TLD. Owl admit, I ended up seeing 11 species, but that was without making any journeys specifically to see birds of prey.
It is getting Kite Hawkward to come of with any more raptor puns, so i'll stop there.

 

[devilfish]

As my nearest rival is devilfish with 88 taxa, I think my third place ranking is safe.

To add some drama - devilfish was on 88 taxa in March.
I think you're still safe, but I'll try and count up the other new birds I've seen. I'd be surprised if I went over 100.

 

[Hevden]

b) whether we should ban Hevden from competing

No need to ban us, as I said before we won't be actively competing next year(although we might keep a list just so we know how we would have done)
It doesn't usually take as many collections as you would think, last year was 16. I'm not sure about this year but I would be surprised if it's many more there's just alot of distance between them.

Good luck to whoever competes next year and I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as we have, I just hope it's not a one horse race, you need three or four actively competing to keep it going along with a good challenge that nobody is likely to actually finish before the end of the year. This year we would've needed to do the Scottish owl centre and a revisit to Newent to get every available species.

 

[devilfish]

From what I can work out, I've only been able to add two species in the last 9 months - here's my final list, unless I remember anything else:

Hagley Falconry Centre 31/1/15

1. Red-tailed hawk
2. Snowy owl
3. African spotted eagle owl
4. Brown wood owl
5. Ruppell’s griffon vulture
6. Barn owl
7. Burrowing owl
8. Northern hawk-owl
9. Northern goshawk
10. African fish eagle
11. Southern crested caracara
12. Himalayan griffon vulture
13. Turkey vulture
14. Eurasian eagle-owl
15. Golden eagle
16. White-headed vulture
17. Chaco owl
18. Long-eared owl
19. Bengal eagle owl
20. Striated caracara
21. Common Buzzard


Dudley Zoo 10/2/15

22. Great grey owl


Cotswold Falconry 17/2/15

23. African pygmy falcon
24. Ferruginous pygmy owl
25. Bateleur eagle
26. Bald eagle
27. Tawny eagle
28. Lanner falcon
29. Black-chested buzzard eagle
30. Aplomado falcon
31. Great horned owl
32. Common kestrel
33. Saker falcon
34. White-backed vulture
35. Hooded vulture
36. Red-footed falcon
37. Ferruginous hawk
38. Swainson’s hawk
39. Yellow-headed caracara
40. Chimango caracara
41. Boobook owl
42. Common scops owl
43. Indian scops owl
44. Woodford’s owl
45. Western screech owl
46. Southern white-faced scops owl
47. Ashy-faced owl
48. Barred owl
49. Vermiculated owl
50. Verraux’s eagle-owl
51. Oriental bay owl
52. Ural owl
53. Mottled owl
54. White-eyed kestrel
55. Mountain caracara
56. Secretary bird
57. American black vulture
58. Gymnogene
59. Yellow-billed kite
60. Palm nut vulture


Cotswold Wildlife Park 17/2/15

61. Northern white-faced scops owl


Raptor foundation 19/2/15

62. Northern hobby
63. Tawny owl
64. Short-eared owl
65. Crested serpent eagle
66. Brahminy kite
67. Marsh harrier
68. Magellan horned owl
69. Little owl
70. American kestrel


British Wildlife Centre 22/2/15:

71. Peregrine Falcon


Huxley’s Bird of Prey Experience 22/2/15:

72. Northern crested caracara
73. Spectacled owl
74. Honey buzzard
75. Steppe eagle
76. Gyrfalcon
77. Red kite
78. Laggar falcon


Eagle heights 22/2/15:

79. Griffon vulture
80. Steller’s sea eagle
81. Martial eagle


World Owl Trust 10/3/15

82. Brown fish owl
83. Tengmalm’s owl
84. Desert eagle owl
85. Forest eagle owl
86. Sunda scops owl
87. Tropical screech owl
88. Cape eagle owl


South Lakes Safari Zoo 10/3/15

89. King vulture


Lotherton Hall 26/7/15

90. Andean Condor


Chester Zoo 11/11/15

91. Luzon Lowland scops owl