ZooChat Big Year 2017

Not any. Fox Sparrow is still one species in Clemont's.

 

Not completely. There are a few splits that Clemont's recognizes, but the AOS does not.

 

That's suppose to read number 12... I blame the phone.

 

At this stage, I think my birding year is now over. I thought now was as good a time as any for a recap of my year.

- Broke last year's records for birds (165 species in 2017 against 157 in 2016), mammals (25 in 2017 and 22 in 2016), butterflies and moths (25 in 2017 and 20 in 2016), bees and wasps (10 in 2017 and 7 in 2016) and dragon and damselflies (17 in 2017 and 15 in 2016).

- Saw one Critically Endangered species, eight Vulnerable species and thirteen Near Threatened species from the IUCN Red List.

- I think the personal highlight for this year was my first ever sighting of Bohemian waxwing. A stunning bird made even better by being extremely confiding and easy to watch.

 

Just checked - I did only get 24.

 

Final update for the year:

234. Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
235. Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
236. Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
237. Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
238. Smew (Mergellus albellus)
239. American Wigeon (Mareca americana)

 

I haven't done too badly, considering I don't go out birdwatching very often.

Mammals:
1. Eastern Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
2. European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
3. Field Vole Microtus agrestis
4. Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus
5. Brown Hare Lepus europaeus
6. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
7. Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus
8. Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena
9. Least Weasel Mustela nivalis
10. European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus
11. Stoat Mustela erminea
12. Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus

I also saw a plenty of bats last year, I'm unable to identify any though!

Birds:
1. Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
2. Herring Gull Larus argentatus
3. Eurasian Magpie Pica pica
4. Carrion Crow Corvus corone
5. European Robin Erithacus rubecula
6. Common Blackbird Turdus merula
7. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
8. Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
9. House Sparrow Passer domesticus
10. Great Tit Parus major
11. Feral Pigeon Columba (livia) domestica
12. Rook Corvus frugilegus
13. Greater Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
14. Pied (White) Wagtail Motacilla alba
15. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
16. Jackdaw Corvus monedula
17. Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
18. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
19. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
20. Dunnock Prunella modularis
21. European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
22. Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
23. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
24. Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
25. Willow Tit Poecile montanus
26. Coal Tit Periparus ater
27. European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
28. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
29. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
30. Canada Goose Branta canadensis
31. Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
32. Northern Pintail Anas acuta
33. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
34. Mute Swan Cygnus olor
35. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
36. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
37. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
38. Greylag Goose Anser anser
39. Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata
40. Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
41. Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
42. Goldcrest Regulus regulus
43. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
44. Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea
45. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
46. Common Gull Larus canus
47. Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
48. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
49. Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
50. Ruff Philomachus pugnax
51. Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
52. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
53. Redwing Turdus iliacus
54. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
55. Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus
56. Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
57. Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
58. Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
59. Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
60. Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
61. Common Redshank Tringa totanus
62. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
63. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
64. Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus
65. European Greenfinch Chloris chloris
66. White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus
67. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
68. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
69. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
70. Common Eider Somateria mollissima
71. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
72. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
73. Great Northern Diver Gavia immer
74. European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
75. Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
76. Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
77. Common Guillemot Uria aalge
78. Razorbill Alca torda
79. Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
80. Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica
81. Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
82. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
83. Common Raven Corvus corax
84. Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus
85. Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
86. Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
87. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
88. Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
89. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
90. Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor
91. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
92. Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo
93. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
94. Gadwall Anas strepera
95. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
96. Sand Martin Riparia riparia
97. Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
98. Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
99. Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
100. House Martin Delichon urbicum
101. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
102. Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
103. Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
104. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus
105. Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus
106. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
107. Common Swift Apus apus
108. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
109. Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa
110. Woodlark Lullula arborea
111. Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
112. Little Owl Athene noctua
113. European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
114. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
115. Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
116. Stock Dove Columba oenas
117. Dunlin Calidris alpina
118. Hooded Crow Corvus cornix
119. Common Linnet Linaria cannabina
120. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata
121. Whinchat Saxicola rubetra
122. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
123. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
124. European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus
125. Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
126. Tawny Owl Strix aluco
127. Barn Owl Tyto alba
128. European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola
129. Red Kite Milvus milvus
130. Eurasian Coot Fulica atra

Reptiles:
1. European Adder Vipera berus

Amphibians:
1. Common Frog Rana temporaria
2. Common Toad Bufo bufo

 

I missed one out, 13 should be Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus).

 

Final 2017 sighting


246 Common Merganser - Mergus merganser

 

Fish
332. Fine-lined Surgeonfish
333. Blue-spotted Puffer

Both new records for Christmas Island.

I still have a few fish that are eluding identification, but I think that's it for the year.



Hix

 

I will add mine by the end of next week once I get home. I refuse to type 80-90 bird names on a smartphone.

 

Unfortunately, I have checked and decided that the Whiteblotch Razorfish was actually a Blue Razorfish, and the Clown Coris was really a Yellowtail Coris. I've already seen both species this year, so that brings my total back down to 331.

However, I am adding:
332. Elegant Sand-diver

Of the 332 fish seen this year, 43 of them were lifers (13%). By comparison, last year I saw 307 species, or which 81 were lifers (26%).



Hix

 

Mammals
92. South-American grey fox

Birds

The following are all from the Falkland Islands, where we cleaned up all breeding birds, except a few waterbirds (which we saw afterwards in Chile/Argentina) and some seabirds...

413. Southern caracara
414. Striated caracara
415. Blackish cinclodes (Tussacbird)
416. Rock cormorant
417. Imperial cormorant
418. Rufous-chested dotterel
419. Crested duck
420. Black-throated finch
421. Southern giant petrel
422. Kelp goose
423. Upland goose
424. Ruddy-headed goose
425. Silvery grebe
426. Dark-faced ground tyrant
427. Brown-hooded gull
428. Dolphin gull
429. Kelp gull (ssp. austrinus)
430. Variable hawk
431. Long-tailed meadowlark
432. Short eared owl
433. Blackish oystercatcher
434. Magellanic oystercatcher
435. Gentoo penguin
436. King penguin
437. Magellanic penguin
438. Macaroni penguin
439. Southern rockhopper penguin
440. Yellow-billed pintail
441. Correndera pipit
442. Two-banded plover
443. White-rumped sandpiper
444. Sooty shearwater
445. Snowy sheathbill
446. Black-chinned siskin
447. Brown skua ("Falkland skua")
448. Magellanic snipe
449. Falkland steamer duck
450. Silver teal
451. Speckled teal
452. South-American tern
453. Austral thrush
454. Turkey vulture
455. Chilean wigeon
456. Cobb's wren
457. Sedge wren
458. Short-eared owl (ssp. sanfordi)

Additionally the Falklands also had some new subspecies of species already seen this year (tuidara for Barn owl, cassini for Peregrine falcon, rubida for Sanderling and falklandicus for Black-crowned night heron).

The rarest bird species of the Falklands was a barn swallow (ssp. erythrogaster) though, which is a vagrant to the islands, whereas all other species are more regular species to these amazing islands.

then I spent almost 3 weeks in the extreme south of Chile (and a small detour into Argentina) with the following additional species in 2017:

459. Austral blackbird
460. Black-chested buzzard eagle
461. Cordilleran canastero
462. Chimango caracara
463. Dark-bellied cinclodes
464. Bar-winged cinclodes
465. Andean condor
466. Red-gartered coot
467. White-winged coot
468. Neotropic cormorant
469. Fire-eyed diucon
470. Tawny-throated dotterel
471. Eared dove
472. Spectacled duck
473. Torrent duck
474. Scale-throated earthcreeper
475. White-crested elaenia
476. Chilean flamingo
477. Chilean flicker
478. Great grebe
479. White-tufted grebe
480. Ochre-naped tyrant
481. Cinereous harrier
482. Black-faced ibis
483. American kestrel
484. Southern lapwing
485. Common miner
486. Austral negrito
487. Austral parakeet
488. Rufous-tailed plantcutter
489. Thorn-tailed rayadito
490. Darwin's rhea
491. Grey-hooded sierra finch
492. Chilean skua
493. Rufous-collared sparrow
494. Chilean swallow
495. Black-necked swan
496. Coscoroba swan
497. Tufted tit-tyrant
498. White-throated treerunner
499. Chocolate-vented tyrant
500. Magellanic woodpecker
501. Striped woodpecker
502. Southern house wren

 

Great list!

Short-eared owl at #432 and #458 a mistake?