ZooChat Big Year 2018

Several Seen from the highway to and from Arkansas:

Birds:
7. White Pelican- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
8. Great Blue Heron- Ardea herodias
9. Red Tailed Hawk- Buteo jamaicensis
10. Turkey Vulture- Cathartes aura
11. Common Grackle- Quiscalus quiscula
12. Canada Goose- Branta canadensis
13. Great Tailed Grackle- Quiscalus mexicanus
14. European Starling- Sturnus vulgaris

And several seen on zoo grounds of little rock zoo:

Mammals:
1. Eastern Gray Squirrel- Sciurus carolinensis

Birds:
15. White Throated Sparrow- Zonotrichia albicollis
16. Dark Eyed Junco- Junco hyemalis
17. Northern Shoveler (Fly by)- Anas clypeata
18. House Sparrow- Passer domesticus
19. Mourning Dove- Zenaida macroura

I have yet to go birding this year and it's a shame my birding trip to Corpus Christi ended on New Year's Eve because I would have more exciting additions to this list than I have now.

 

A rather slow but high quality start this year, though I expect to be in front by the end of the month, by visiting 3 continents in 3 weeks...

So far for the mammals
1. European hare
2. Southern huemul
3. Guanaco

 

6/1/2018
80. spiny cheeked honeyeater
81. common bronzewing
82. blue bonnet

 

A few new additions:

BIRDS:
55) European greenfinch, Chloris chloris
56) Little egret, Egretta garzetta
57) Common kingfisher, Alcedo atthis
58) Barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis
59) Greater white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons
60) Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla
61) European goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis
62) Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus
63) Pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta
64) Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
65) Yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis

 

I finally saw a bird I have wanted to see in the wild for a long time now.

Birds
13. Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus (VU)

 

Here we go again!

All the below were seen on January 1, except the mammals which were seen later in the week.
Last year I saw 332 species of fish, so for this year in one day I saw 40% of last years total.

Birds
1. Christmas Island Frigatebird
2. Great Frigatebird
3. Red-footed Booby
4. Brown Booby
5. White-tailed Tropicbird
6. Nankeen Kestrel
7. Christmas Island Swiftlet
8. Christmas Island Imperial Pigeon
9. Christmas Island White-eye
10. Island Thrush
11. Intermediate Egret
12. White-breasted Waterhen
13. Abbott's Booby
14. Malaysian Night Heron
15. Common Noddy


Mammals
1. Black Rat
2. Christmas Island Flying Fox


Fish
1. Masked Moray
2. Whitemouth Moray
3. Ribbon Eel
4. Variegated Lizardfish
5. Whitetailed Squirrelfish
6. Sabre Squirrelfish
7. Bigscale Soldierfish
8. Whitetip Soldierfish
9. Yellowspotted Scorpionfish
10. Peacock Rockcod
11. Coral Rockcod
12. Flagtail Rockcod
13. Foursaddle Grouper
14. Thinspine Grouper
15. Sixlined Soapfish
16. Yellowedge Coronation Trout
17. Whitley's Basslet
18. Fairy Basslet
19. Goldback Basslet
20. Princess Basslet
21. Bluefin Trevally
22. Smalltooth Jobfish
23. Red Bass
24. Blue Fusilier
25. Bigeye Emperor
26. Oriental Sweetlips
27. Manybar Goatfish
28. Indian Doublebar Goatfish
29 . Copper Sweeper
30. Threadfin Butterflyfish
31. Spotted Butterflyfish
32. Raccoon Butterflyfish
33. Meyer's Butterflyfish
34. Ornate Butterflyfish
35. Chevron Butterflyfish
36. Teardrop Butterflyfish
37. Vagabond Butterflyfish
38. Longnose Butterflyfish
39. Horned Bannerfisdh
40. Threespot Angelfish
41. Eibl's Angelfish
42. Lemonpeel Angelfish
43. Cocos Angelfish
44. Bicolor Angelfish
45. Emperor Angelfish
46. Regal Angelfish
47. Spotted Hawkfish
48. Arc-eye Hawkfish
49. Freckled Hawkfish
50. Halfspotted Hawkfish
51. Golden Damsel
52. Ambon Chromis
53. Clarke's Anemonefish
54. Dusky Chromis
55. Scaly Chromis
56. Whitetail Chromis
57. Yellowtail Chromis
58. Doublebar Chromis
59. Swallowtail Chromis
60. Weber's Chromis
61. Variable Chromis
62. Threespot Dascyllus
63. Dick's Damsel
64. Brighteye Damsel
65. Johnston's Damsel
66. Jewel Damsel
67. Goldbelly Damsel
68. Neon Damsel
69. Island Gregory
70. Speckled Wrasse
71. Yellowbreasted Wrasse
72. Diana's Pigfish
73. Birdnose Wrasse
74. Golden Wrasse
75. Yellowtail Coris
76. Checkerboard Wrasse
77. Weedy Surge Wrasse
78. Earmuff Wrasse
79. Claudia's Wrasse
80. Banded Thicklips
81. Blue Cleaner Wrasse
82. Bicolor Cleaner Wrasse
83. Breastspot Cleaner Wrasse
84. Yellowback Tubelip
85 . Leopard Wrasse
86. Rockmover Wrasse
87. Eightline Wrasse
88. Chiseltooth Wrasse
89. Blueheaded Wrasse
90. Sixbar Wrasse
91 . Jansen's Wrasse
92. Sunset Wrasse
93. Redribbon Wrasse
94. Whitespot Parrotfish
95. Sixband Parrotfish
96. Swarthy Parrotfish
97. Ember Parrotfish
98. Spothead Grubfish
99. Bicolor Combtooth Blenny
100. Midas Combtooth Blenny
101. Blueband Glider Goby
102. Red Firegoby
103. Tailspot Dartfish
104. Black Dartfish
105. Moorish Idol
106. Lined Surgeonfish
107. Spotface Surgeonfish
108. Whitecheek Surgeonfish
109. Brown Surgeonfish
110. Orangeblotch Surgeonfish
111. Mimic Surgeonfish
112. Night Surgeonfish
113. Striped Bristletooth
114. Goldspot Bristletooth
115. Sleek Unicornfish
116. Orangespine Unicornfish
117. Brushtail Tang
118. Orangestriped Triggerfish
119. Titan Triggerfish
120. Black Triggerfish
121. Pinktail Triggerfish
122. Yellowmargined Triggerfish
123. Scythe Triggerfish
124. Eyestripe Triggerfish
125. Barred Filefish
126. Black Boxfish
127. Guineafowl Puffer
128. Blackspotted Puffer
129. Lunar Wrasse
130. Broadstripe Cardinalfish
131. Pastel Slender Wrasse
132. Spotbanded Butterflyfish
133. Decorated Sandgoby

Inverts
1. Christmas Island Red Crab
2. Christmas Island Blue Crab
3. Common Grapsus Crab
4. Ambon Cleaner Shrimp
5. Pineapple Sea Cucumber
6. Redspotted Guard Crab
7. Robber Crab



Hix

 

My second real birding trip this year was all about marine birds. I’m not really a seabird person, and I’ve never been “seabirding” in the middle of winter before. It was therefore no surprise that I saw lots of birds that I had very rarely or even never seen before. Most spectacular were the grebes (I completed the Dutch set on my life list), divers (all 3 more or less regular Dutch species) and marine ducks. The gulls and waders also gave my year list a nice boost. A few seals were the first mammals this year. In Goedereede we found a meadow with thousands of geese in several species, and to conclude we went after a group of flamingos in the Grevenlingenmeer. The last few additions are from a short trip to my local patch.

Birds
50. European herring gull [Larus argentatus]
51. Whooper swan [Cygnus cygnus]
52. Brant [Branta bernicla]
53. Eurasian oystercatcher [Haematopus ostralegus]
54. Red-breasted merganser [Mergus serrator]
55. Common gull [Larus canus]
56. Grey plover [Pluvialis squatarola]
57. Ruddy turnstone [Arenaria interpres]
58. Great black-backed gull [Larus marinus]
59. Black-throated diver [Gavia arctica]
60. Common greenshank [Tringa nebularia]
61. Eurasian curlew [Numenius arquata]
62. Sanderling [Calidris alba]
63. Slavonian grebe [Podiceps auritus]
64. Red-throated diver [Gavia stellata]
65. Eurasian rock pipit [Anthus petrosus]
66. Common eider [Somateria mollissima]
67. Red-necked grebe [Podiceps grisegena]
68. Purple sandpiper [Calidris maritima]
69. Common scoter [Melanitta nigra]
70. Sandwich tern [Thalasseus sandvicensis]
71. Red knot [Calidris canutus]
72. Long-tailed duck [Clangula hyemalis]
73. Northern lapwing [Vanellus vanellus]
74. Greater white-fronted goose [Anser albifrons]
75. Pale-bellied brant [Branta hrota]*
76. Black brant [Branta nigricans]*
77. Greater flamingo [Phoenicopterus roseus]**
78. Fieldfare [Turdus pilaris]
79. Eurasian nuthatch [Sitta europaea]
80. Willow tit [Poecile montanus]
81. Common kestrel [Falco tinnunculus]
82. Tundra bean goose [Anser serrirostris]
83. Eurasian bullfinch [Pyrrhula pyrrhula]

Mammals
1. Grey seal [Halichoerus grypus]

Funny, we saw a red knot but is was not red.

* All three brant taxa are considered full species on the list I use. I don’t know what to think about the split myself, but I’ll be consistent with the list I use unless someone objects. Any opinions?

** It was a mixed group of Greater and Chilean flamingos (it was the colony from Zwillbrocker Venn). The Chileans are not considered countable but the Greaters are. There were also several young flamingos in the group.

 

I would say that any Chilean Flamingos at this location count.

 

Seems like you've been spending your time wisely, @Hix!
Went out birding for a short time at a local spot again today. I also found a hibernating butterfly in the barn the other day and decided I should do an attempt at keeping track of my inverts this year as well. Most likely won't be listing every common species I come across, but will try to keep track of the ones that I manage to identify or personally find interesting.

BIRDS
48. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
49. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
50. Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
51. Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
52. Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
53. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

MAMMALS
2. European Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)

INVERTS
1. European Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)

 

Another batch of birds today; the first is from a morning at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, the remainder from the afternoon at RSPB Old Moor. Another Peregrine today as well - excellent raptor day!

Birds:
72. Song Thrush - Turdus philomelus
73. Greater Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos major
74. Western Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus
75. Stock Dove - Columba oenas
76. Common Linnet - Linaria cannabina
77. Green Sandpiper - Tringa ochropus
78. Eurasian Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus

 

Birds:
1) Common Raven

Mammals:
*Wolverine (track trail only)
1) Arctic Fox
2) Red Fox

 

25. Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus

 

7/1/2018
83. silver gull

 

I hadn't heard of this split into full species before so I looked it up. I suppose you use the Avibase list? Do they have their own checklist?

 

Final little outing of my post-Christmas break this morning to Linacre Reservoirs - added a few new ones:

Birds:
79. Eurasian Treecreeper - Certhia familiaris
80. European Goldcrest - Regulus regulus
81. Mandarin Duck - Aix galericulata

 

A few hours in some woodlands about 20 minutes walk from my house were quite productive:

20) Fieldfare
21) Coal Tit
22) Marsh Tit
23) Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
24) Middle Spotted Woodpecker
25) Greater Spotted Woodpecker
26) European Goldcrest
27) Great Cormorant
28) Eurasian Nuthatch
29) Eurasian Blackbird
30) Grey Heron
31) Common Moorhen (an unusual wintering bird - normally only a summer visitor)
32) Common Raven
33) Common Kingfisher

Also loads of signs of recent beaver activity and yes, I really did see the three 'spotted' woodpecker species in reverse order of size and commonness and all in the space of about 20 minutes.

 

Birds
16. Eastern Reef Heron

Mammals
3. Spinner Dolphin

Fish
134. Grey Reef Shark
135. Blackfin Rockcod
136. Banded Flagtail
137. Blotched Bigeye
138. Black Trevally
139. Rainbow Runner
140. Bluestriped Snapper
141. Ovalspot Butterflyfish
142. Pyramid Butterflyfish
143. Singular Bannerfish
144. Pearlscale Angelfish
145. Blue Angelfish
146. Banded Sergeant
147. Indo-Pacific Sergeant
148. Pink Anemonefish
149. Coral Pigfish
150. Zigzag Wrasse
151. Ringtail Wrasse
152. Sixline Wrasse
153. Roundhead Parrotfish
154. Eyespot Surgeonfish
155. Powderblue Surgeonfish
156. Convict Surgeonfish
157. Spotted Unicornfish
158. Elegant Unicornfish
159. Bignose Unicornfish
160. Indian Sailfin Tang
161. Gilded Triggerfish
162. Broom Filefish
163. Whitespotted Surgeonfish
164. Surge Wrasse
165. Eyestripe Surgeonfish
166. Ocular Combtooth Blenny
167. Yellowspeckled Chromis
168. Shoulderbar Goby
169. Red-shouldered Wrasse

I've now seen more than 50% of the fish species I saw in 2017. And, very disappointingly, on today's dive while I was concentrating on photographing Gobies, I missed seeing a green turtle, a great barracuda, a blue marlin and a whale shark.



Hix

 

Went after a rare Little bunting that had been seen about only fifteen minutes away, but sadly I dipped. I did however manage to add another three birds to my year list, and I realized I had forgotten to add Eurasian jay which I had seen earlier this week.
54. Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
55. Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
56. Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
57. White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

 

Just went to go see a group of red-crested pochards that have been seen at my local pond. First lifer of the year!

BIRDS:
66) Song thrush, Turdus philomelos
67) Red-crested pochard, Netta rufina
68) Common redpoll, Acanthis flammea