ZooChat Challenge (Global) 2017

Visited today one of the "Top 10" Dutch zoos - Dierenpark Amersfoort and here also it became clear how few passerines have been left now. 1 ( ! ) single species of passerine is kept at this zoo and this one already is on my 2017-list : the Madagascar fody !

 

It hasn't been put on-show but you can see it from a public area. It is spoke about on page 23 of this thread: Chester Zoo - Chester Zoo 2017 #1

 

I finally got down to completing the list of on-show species I saw at ZOO PLzeň on the 6th-8th of February, so that will make this a whole lot easier on myself!

ZOO Plzeň:
47) Great kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus
48) African golden weaver, Ploceus subaureus
49) Sudan golden sparrow, Passer luteus
50) Southern masked weaver, Ploceus velatus
51) Black-winged red bishop, Euplectes hordeaceus
52) Asian glossy starling, Aplonis panayensis
53) Coleto, Sarcops calvus
54) Short-tailed starling, Aplonis minor
55) Blue-faced honeyeater, Entomyzon cyanotis
56) Emerald starling, Lamprotornis iris
57) White wagtail, Motacilla alba
58) European siskin, Carduelis spinus
59) European linnet, Carduelis cannabina cannabina
60) Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella
61) Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes coccothraustes
62) Red crossbill, Loxia curvirostra curvirostra
63) Black-breasted thrush, Turdus dissimilis
64) Mistle thrush, Turdus viscivorus
65) Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
66) White-spectacled bulbul, Pycnonotus xanthopygos
67) House bunting, Emberiza sahari
68) Bank myna, Acridotheres ginginianus
69) Crested myna, Acridotheres cristatellus
70) Brahminy starling, Sturnia pagodarum
71) Black-headed bunting, Emberiza melanocephala
72) Red-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer
73) Eurasian golden oriole, Oriolus oriolus
74) Oriental magpie-robin, Copsychus saularis
75) Black-throated laughingthrush, Dryonastes chinensis
76) Lesser blue-eared starling, Lamprotornis chloropterus
77) White-crowned robin-chat, Cossypha albicapillus
78) Grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea
79) Long-tailed rosefinch, Uragus sibiricus sibiricus
80) Bearded reedling, Panurus biarmicus
81) White-winged redstart, Phoenicurus erythrogastrus
82) Yellow-billed grosbeak, Eophona migratoria
83) Azure tit, Cyanistes cyanus
84) Siberian rubythroat, Luscinia calliope
85) Grey-backed thrush, Turdus hortulorum
86) Himalayan bulbul, Pycnonotus leucogenys
87) Pale-bellied myna, Acridotheres cinereus
88) Ruby-throated bulbul, Pycnonotus dispar
89) Sumatran laughingthrush, Garrulax bicolor
90) Chestnut-capped laughingthrush, Garrulax mitratus
91) Scaly laughingthrush, Trochalopteron subunicolor
92) Oriental greenfinch, Carduelis sinica
93) Iberian azure-winged magpie, Cyanopica cooki
94) Spotless starling, Sturnus unicolor
95) Coal tit, Periparus ater
96) Common redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus
97) White-eared bulbul, Pycnonotus leucotis
98) Chestnut-winged laughingthrush, Dryonastes berthemyi
99) Spotted nutcracker, Nucifraga caryocatactes
100) Dark grey tit, Periparus rufonuchalis
101) Greenfinch, Chloris chloris
102) European bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula
103) Red-backed shrike, Lanius collurio
104) White-shouldered starling, Sturnia sinensis
105) White-crested laughingthrush, Garrulax leucolophus
106) Black-collared starling, Gracupica nigricollis
107) Purple-backed starling, Agropsar sturninus
108) White-headed black bulbul, Hypsipetes leucocephalus
109) Moustached laughingthrush, Ianthocincla cineracea

Some more long lists should follow soon, as I visited Prague zoo as well, and will visit Weltvogelpark Walsrode in a week!

 

Vision is basically doing what my travel plans were for the year before my finances took a hit, except in complete reverse! I was to do Walsrode, Prague, and Plzen at the end of the summer originally but unfortunately I cannot make that. I think he's even going as far as to make a journey to my neck of the woods to ensure his win as well

~Thylo

 

I agree that the green magpie sounds like a bit of a sketchy inclusion, but having visited the zoo there are a few off-show enclosures for birds and otherwise that can be seen from public areas. Perhaps we shall just have to wait and see if anyone else spots the birds.

~Thylo

 

I thought I was a chance of a European/Worldwide quinella, but I'm clearly going to have to settle for one, if that.

 

It'd definitely be great to win, but we can never be too sure! I thought I had it in the bag last year as well.

Either way, I don't want to wait to be able to post this list until after I've done the entire Prague trip report (because by the time I finish that I'll already have been to Walsrode and the list of things I'd have to post all at once would be so big that I'd never get down to doing it), so I'll just do it now. Here's prague!

Here, more than in Plzen, there were a lot of no-shows, because where in Plzen you can look into most indoor exhibits for the birds, in Prague everything is shut off entirely.

Prague Zoo:
110) Spotted laughingthrush, Ianthocincla ocellata
111) Common raven, Corvus corax
112) Spotted morning thrush, Cichladusa guttata
113) Saffron finch, Sicalis flaveola
114) Mount Omei liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis
115) Black-headed greenfinch, Carduelis ambigua
116) Black-headed bulbul, Pycnonotus atriceps
117) Orange-headed thrush, Zoothera citrina
118) Hooded pitta, Pitta sordida*
119) Silver-eared mesia, Mesia argentauris*
120) Common starling, Sturnus vulgaris
121) European blackbird, Turdus merula
122) Eurasian song thrush, Turdus philomelos

*technically off-show, but visible from inside the Sichuan house. Very glad I saw both of these species, certainly because I've never seen the mesia before!

ZOO Antwerpen:
123) Vieillot's black weaver, Ploceus nigerrimus
124) Amethyst starling, Cinnyricinclus leucogaster

 

Vision is certainly the favourite now but CGSwans, one assumes, will also be visiting Plzen, Walsrode and Berlin, to name but three. So it's not over yet!

My own chances will now hinge on whether I can sneak to Jurong this year or not.

We should probably take a minute to appreciate Plzen, and the collection they maintain in the face of prevailing convention.

 

Their collection in birds is absolutely amazing indeed, with random small aviaries scattered throughout the entire park. I've never seen a better collection of European and Eurasian birds in my life, and would probably be able to add Tropical Asian to that category had I not visited Jurong.

Funny, however, is that they honestly have potential to almost double their passerine collection, if they moved everything they have off-show to on-show aviaries! There's a lot of hidden gems that I saw there as well, but of course they don't count for this challenge.

Regarding the challenge I did not realize CGSwans would also be visiting Plzen and Walsrode! I think his odds are probably better than mine because he'll be visiting when it's less cold out, so more birds will probably be outdoors. I can't wait to see his list!
As Thylo hinted at however, I will also be going to the regions of New York and Toronto, so I should hopefully be able to pick some species up there!
I know I'll also make an effort to visit some of the Ruhr area's zoos (mainly want to go to Duisburg for a chance at a picture of a certain very unique cetacean, but Cologne is also sparking my interest as I heard a certain tamarin species has popped up on-show), so I might get a good few species there as well.

Also, is sneaking off to Jurong not always a good idea, regardless of challenges?

 

Can we just all agree to repeat the passerine challenge next year when I should be at DWA, San Diego, Bronx, Walsrode, Prague, and Plzen?

~Thylo

 

Visited two zoos the other day. I still have one or two identifications to make for the first zoo, as their main aviary had no signage.

Rosamond Gifford Zoo
36) Venezuelan Troupial Icterus icterus
37) White-Necked Raven Corvus albicollis
38) African Pied Crow Corvus albus
39) Chinese Hwamei Garrulax canorus
40) Pin-Tailed Whydah Vidua macroura
41) White-Rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus
42) Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata
43) Lavender Waxbill Estrilda caerulescens
44) Orange-Breasted Waxbill Amandava subflava clarkei
45) Western Bluebill Finch Spermophaga haematina

Utica Zoo
46) Common Raven Corvus corax

I'm hoping to at least reach 100 species this year as I did last year, though with my Eastern Europe trip postponed until summer 2018 and my Southwest US trip postponed until January 2018 I'm not sure I'll be able to, forget winning

~Thylo

 

I've heard that the Javan Green Magpies are indeed visible at Chester so it's countable, and earns you a Lucky Bastard Award at that

~Thylo