ZooChat Big Year 2017

5/9/2017
215. Whiskered tern

 

6/9/2017
216. red tailed black cockatoo

 

Got a new pair of binoculars, and immediately had to go check them out. Got me a very nice lifer, as well!

BIRDS:
154) Ruddy shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea

 

BIRDS
207 Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
208 White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis
209 Olive-sided Flycatcher - Contopus cooperi
210 Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina
211 Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula
212 Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus
213 Greater Roadrunner - Geococcyx californianus

REPTILES
23 Western Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis proximus
24 Slender Glass Lizard - Ophisaurus attenuates
25 Western Massasauga - Sistrurus tergeminus
26 Chihuahuan Night Snake - Hypsiglena jani
27 Plain-bellied Water Snake - Nerodia erythrogaster

AMPHIBIANS
9 American Bullfrog - Lithobates catesbeina
10 Woodhouse's Toad - Anaxyurus woodhousii
11 Plains Leopard Frog - Lithobates blairi

 

108) Red-legged partridge

 

7/9/2017
217. Eastern barn owl

 

A trip out to both Abberton Reservoir and RSPB Old Hall this morning got me four new birds for the year (plus a rather unusual carcass - a Manx shearwater on a grassy bank along the seawall at Old Hall), thus bringing me equal to my entire bird total for last year:

154. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
155. Willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
156. Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo
157. Pectoral sandpiper Calidris melanotos

 

16/9/2017
218. white browed woodswallow

 

A few additions from a week in Lisbon:

396. Spotless starling
397. Spanish sparrow
398. Zitting cisticola
399. Blue-crowned parakeet

 

The herp update

3. Leopard tortoise
4. Brown house snake
5. Flap-necked chameleon
6. Common house gecko
7. Slender chameleon
8. Sharp-snouted rock lizard
9. Geniez's wall lizard
10. Moorish gecko
11. Common wall lizard
12. Alpine newt
13. Common newt
14. Sand lizard
15. Balkan green lizard
16. Common frog

 

First round of invertebrates:
1. Common yellow swallowtail
2. Large white
3. Small white
4. Green-veined white
5. Orange-tip
6. Pale clouded yellow
7. Dark clouded yellow
8. Common brimstone
9. Wood white
10. Sooty copper
11. Holly blue
12. Brown argus
13. Adonis blue
14. Icarus blue
15. African monarch
16. Southern white admiral
17. Eurasian white admiral
18. Camberwell beauty
19. European peacock
20. Small tortoiseshell
21. Large tortoiseshell
22. Red admiral
23. Map
24. Painted lady
25. Queen of spain fritillary
26. Comma
27. Silver-washed fritillary
28. High-brown fritillary
29. Lesser marbled fritillary
30. Glanville fritillary
31. Marbled white
32. Grayling
33. Great-banded grayling
34. Arran brown
35. Meadow brown
36. Ringlet
37. Gatekeeper
38. Small heath
39. Speckled wood
40. Wall brown
41. Large wall brown
42. Grizzled skipper
43. Mallow skipper
44. Dingy skipper
45. Small skipper
46. Large skipper
47. Large red damselfly
48. Azure damselfly
49. Banded demoiselle
50. Golden-ringed dragonfly
51. Great green bush-cricket
52. Tettigonia cantans
53. Sphingonotus caeruleans
54. Field cricket
55. Nemobius sylvestris

 

Fish:
14. Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)
15. Platy (Xiphophorus variatus)
16. Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)
17. Molly (Poecilia sphenops)
18. Cowtail Ray (Pastinachus sephen)
19. Glassfish (Ambassis agassizi)
20. Empire Gudgeon ( Hypseleotris compressa)

Invertebrates:
10. Mudcrab (Scylla serrata)
11. Yabby (Cherax destructor)

Reptiles:
9. Brisbane Short-Necked Turtle (Emydura signata)

Ambhibians:
2. Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii)

 

Had an excellent morning at the Maasvlakte last Sunday. Due to the mild weather conditions most of the birds stayed out on open sea, but thankfully got some good views of the species listed below!

141. Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
142. Great Skua (Stercorarius skua)
143. Dulin (Calidris alpina)
144. Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)
145. Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus)
146. Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
147. Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
148. Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

MAMMALS
11. Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
12. Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

 

Two wonderful weeks in Canada and the United States got me a bunch more exciting species for this year! With almost 90 new bird lifers in 2 weeks' time, I'd say the trip was quite successful!

The trip went from the Niagara Falls to Toronto, Algonquin Provincial Park, Montreal, and then just under a week in New York City. Most birds listed were seen 'passively' (while visiting cities/zoos/parks and from cars/trains/ferries), but I did also get a couple good birding sessions on the Toronto Islands, in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Montreal and in Central Park.

Part 1: Niagara Falls and surroundings
BIRDS:
155) Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
156) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis
157) American goldfinch, Spinus tristis
158) Bonaparte's gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia
159) Double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus
160) American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
161) Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura
162) Blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata
163) House finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
164) Turkey vulture, Cathartes aura
165) Warbling vireo, Vireo gilvus
166) Common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula
167) Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
168) Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis
169) American robin, Turdus migratorius
170) Downy woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens

MAMMALS:
18) Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis
19) Eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus

Part 2: Toronto and surroundings
BIRDS:
171) Western osprey, Pandion haliaetus
172) American black duck, Anas rubripes
173) Grey catbird, Dumetella carolinensis
174) Green heron, Butorides virescens
175) Chipping sparrow, Spizella passerina
176) Black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus
177) Eastern phoebe, Sayornis phoebe
178) Trumpeter swan, Cygnus buccinator
179) Wood duck, Aix sponsa
180) Belted kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
181) Red-eyed vireo, Vireo olivaceus
182) Greater scaup, Aythya marila
183) Brown thrasher, Toxostoma rufum
184) White-breasted nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
185) Hermit thrush, Catharus guttatus
186) Least flycatcher, Empidonax minimus
187) American tree sparrow, Spizelloides arborea
188) Blue-grey gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea
189) Northern waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis
190) Great blue heron, Ardea herodias

REPTILES:
2) Painted turtle, Chrysemys picta

Part 3: Algonquin Provincial Park & Fitzroy Provincial Park
BIRDS:
191) American herring gull, Larus smithsonianus
192) Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypterus
193) Golden-crowned kinglet, Regulus satrapa
194) Buff-bellied pipit, Anthus rubescens
195) Boreal chickadee, Poecile hudsonicus
196) Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius
197) Myrtle warbler, Setophaga coronata
198) Swainson's thrush, Catharus ustulatus
199) Grey jay, Perisoreus canadensis
200) Northern flicker, Colaptes auratus
201) White-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis
202) American kestrel, Falco sparverius
203) Palm warbler, Setophaga palmarum
204) Magnolia warbler, Setophaga magnolia
205) Winter wren, Troglodytes hiemalis
206) Hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus
207) Indigo bunting, Passerina cyanea
208) Wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo
209) Rose-breasted grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus
210) Pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus
211) Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapilla
212) Hairy woodpecker, Leuconotopicus villosus
213) Mourning warbler, Geothlypis philadelphia
214) Sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus
215) Scarlet tanager, Piranga olivacea

MAMMALS:
20) Least chipmunk, Tamias minimus
21) American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
22) American moose, Alces alces
23) Deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus

AMPHIBIANS:
4) American toad, Anaxyrus americanus
5) Northern green frog, Rana clamitans

A very notable species that I only heard here and couldn't manage to see was Eastern wolf, Canis lycaon. Quite a few of them were howling at night, making for a very eery yet amazing experience.

Part 4: Montreal & Adirondack train to New York.
BIRDS:
216) Song sparrow, Melospiza melodia
217) Swamp sparrow, Melospiza georgiana
218) Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator
219) Ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilochus colubris
220) Pine warbler, Setophaga pinus
221) Horned lark, Eremophila alpestris
222) Pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
223) Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
224) American coot, Fulica americana
225) Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus

MAMMALS:
24) White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus

Part 5: Jersey City & New York (Central Park, Prospect Park, The Bronx & Upper Bay)
BIRDS:
226) Nashville warbler, Leiothlypis ruficapilla
227) Dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis
228) Common yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas
229) Grey-cheeked thrush, Catharus minimus
230) Ruby-crowned kinglet, Regulus calendula
231) Northern parula, Setophaga americana
232) Chestnut-sided warbler, Setophaga pensylvanica
233) Boat-tailed grackle, Quiscalus major
234) American redstart, Setophaga ruticilla
235) Veery, Catharus fuscescens
236) Tennessee warbler, Leiothlypis peregrina
237) Chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica
238) Black-and-white warbler, Mniotilta varia
239) Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus
240) Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii
241) Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla
242) Forsten's tern, Sterna forsteni
243) Red-bellied woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus
244) Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus

MAMMALS:
25) Northern raccoon, Procyon lotor
26) Eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus

REPTILES:
3) Pond slider, Trachemys scripta

Part 6: Reykjavik airport (layover on the way home)
BIRDS:
245) Rock ptarmigan, Lagopus muta

 

Fish
294. Three-ribbon Wrasse
295. Manta Ray
296. Headband Humbug
297. Banded Lizardfish
298. Golden Wrasse
299. Blue Trevally
300. Speckled Damsel

Inverts
49. Yellow Locust
50. Pineapple Sea Cucumber




Hix

 

I spent two weeks on Iceland without finding these stupid chickens and you see them on the airport .....

 

I got lucky indeed! @KevinVar tipped me about there being a population on the airport so I scanned well (with binoculars, which I'm sure must have looked odd for the other people on the plane ) on all 4 flights, and eventually found them on the last flight. A group of 8 or so were walking in the fields not very far of the runway.

 

Firstly, one quick addition from a Zoohistorica trip to Poland and the Czech Republic:

Birds:
203. Black-crowned Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax

And then, on to the increasingly-traditional September weekend in Bridlington and environs. Saturday was spent in north-east Lincolnshire, Sunday on a boat from Brid and at Bempton and Flamborough.

Birds:
204. Little Stint - Calidris minuta
205. Red-necked Phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus
206. Bar-tailed Godwit - Limosa lapponica
207. Long-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus scolopaceus
208. Arctic Skua - Stercorarius parasiticus
209. Red-throated Diver - Gavia stellata
210. Purple Sandpiper - Calidris maritima
211. Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio

Invertebrates:
120. Small Copper - Lycaena phlaeas

Also added UK sightings of Great Skua and Yellow-legged Gull, bringing my UK-only list to 196 - in reach of 200 for the second year running if I can add just over a bird a month for the rest of the year! - and saw seals and porpoises, which is always fun.

 

23/9/2017
219. shining bronze cuckoo

 

175. Glossy Ibis
176. Plume-toed Swiftlet (recently split from Glossy Swiftlet)
177. Lesser Frigatebird



Hix