ZooChat Big Year 2017

I think they are almost certainly pinioned to keep them in situ.

They have been on the river/stream at Dawlish for many years and feature on postcards from the 1950's etc. A few years go they were down to two males(cobs) though and a couple of females(pens) were donated by someone to re-pair the two single males. Since then there has definately been more breeding as it was reported on the local news a year or so back when three small cygnets were washed away by the current downstream into a storm drain. They were all rescued safely though and a safety net installed to prevent a recurrence. I think they have probably bred again since then.

'Feral' Black Swans frequently turn up in other places such as park boating lakes etc if they are not wing-clipped. I once saw a group of four flying over the sea, then landing on the water. Strange sight.

 

6/8/2017
211. tree martin

 

Time to sort out the remaining Tanzanian sightings and then I am ready to start with the rest of the year since January 16th The full story is off course in the Tanzania forum

Birds
168. Silvery-cheeked hornbill
169. African palm swift
170. Brown-hooded kingfisher
171. Trumpeter hornbill
172. Pin-tailed whydah
173. Orange-breasted waxbill
174. Speckled mousebird
175. Common waxbill
176. Brown mannikin
177. Tambourine dove
178. Striated heron
179. Striped kingfisher
180. Southern citril
181. Retz's helmetshrike
182. Fan-tailed widowbird
183. Crowned eagle
184. House crow
185. Marabou stork
186. Collared sunbird

Mammals
36. Udzungwa red colobus
37. Checkered sengi
38. Sykes's monkey
39. Zanj sun squirrel
40. Sanje mangabey
41. Zanzibar dwarf galago
42. Southern tree hyrax
... Crawshay's zebra
43. Straw-colored fruit bat

 

And now the rest of the mammals of this year, this includes 2 short work trips to Kenya and 1 to Ethiopia (where I am now) and includes European sightings from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Czechia and Croatia:

44. European hare
45. European rabbit
46. Bank vole
47. Common shrew
48. European red squirrel
49. Edible dormouse
50. Common pipistrelle
51. Serotine
52. European hedgehog
53. European roe deer
54. Fallow deer
55. Wild boar
56. European chamois
57. House mouse
58. Brown rat
59. Black rat
60. Red fox
61. Southern white rhino
62. Savannah hare
63. Thomson's gazelle
64. Gunther's dikdik
65. Baringo giraffe
66. Olive baboon
67. Black-necked rock hyrax
68. Unstriped ground squirrel
69. Heart-faced bat
70. Hamadryas baboon
71. African grass rat

Birds will follow, but I am currently in Ethiopia, so I don't have the relevant books and notes with me

 

More birds from Paris :

140 - Eurasian magpie (Note : I'm splitting Maghreb magpie which I've also seen), Pica pica pica
141 - Carrion crow, Corvus corone - Pictured
142 - Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus - Pictured (weirdly still in winter plumage)
143 - European herring gull, Larus argentatus

I've also seen European rabbits, domestic mouse and a lot (and I really mean it) of wood pigeons which are great species but I've already seen them before.

 

89. Brandt's Cormorant
90. Pigeon Guillemont

22. California Sea Lion

 

Heart-faced bat is indeed C. cor

And Angolan black-and-white colobus is indeed missing so:

72. Angolan black-and-white colobus
73. Abyssinian rock hyrax

 

An assortment of fun things from a weekend in East Anglia - spent most of Saturday at Colchester zooing, then most of Sunday at RSPB Minsmere (and Dunwich Heath) with a few other stops around and in between. Really enjoyed the burrowing wasps at Minsmere, who have their own attendants to point them out and make sure they aren't harmed as they are in the habit of nesting on the path edge. Still a bit miffed not to see a Pantaloon Bee - but can hardly complain!

Birds:
195. Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus
196. Sandwich Tern - Thalasseus sandvicensis
197. Great Bittern - Botaurus stellaris
198. Dartford Warbler - Sylvia undata
199. Little Gull - Hydrocoloeus minutus

Mammals:
26. European Otter - Lutra lutra
27. Chinese Water Deer - Hydropotes inermis

Reptiles:
4. European Grass Snake - Natrix natrix (not new-fangled helvetica!)

Fishes:
9. Common Minnow - Phoxinus phoxinus

Invertebrates:
110. Ruddy Darter - Sympetrum sanguineum
111. Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum
112. Bee-wolf - Philanthus triangulum
113. Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp - Cerceris rybyensis
114. Ruby-tailed Wasp - Hedychrum niemelai
115. Common Grayling - Hipparchia semele
116. Green Shore Crab - Carcinus maenas
117. European Hornet - Vespa crabro

 

One more!

144 - Common starling, Sturnus vulgaris - Pictured

I can also add to that some good pictures of Common moorhen (which I've seen before) and European herring gull (my first pictures of them this year); plus the usual bits such as Carrion crow and Wood pigeon.

 

23. California Ground Squirrel

 

7/8/2017
212. black falcon

 

Bird-watching around Paris area, once again :

145 - Canada goose, Branta canadensis
146 - Mute swan, Cygnus olor
147 - Dunnock, Prunella modularis
148 - European goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis

And I'm now in Berlin!

149 - Hooded crow, Corvus cornix

 

Birding trip today:

480) Red-breasted Flycatcher

Also a great view of a European Crested Tit, probably the best view I've ever had.

 

Couple of new birds from Frampton Marsh today:

Birds:
200. Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
201. Wood Sandpiper - Tringa glareola

(UK-only total = 185)

 

From Tierpark Friedrichsfelde today!

150 - Coal tit, Periparus ater
151 - European robin, Erithacus rubecula

 

A welcome addition from the UK
105) European goldfinch

 

Over the past couple of days, I have added another mammal, another fish and two more dragon and damselflies to my year list:

24. Leisler's bat Nyctalus leisleri

9. European eel Anguilla anguilla (Cr)

16. Migrant hawker dragonfly Aeshna mixta
17. Small red-eyed damselfly Erythromma viridulum

 

Wasn't planning on heading out today but reports of a potential lifer sat in a field about 45min away proved impossible to resist. Fortunately not a wasted journey!

Birds:
202. Eurasian Dotterel - Charadrius morinellus