ZooChat Big Year 2019

I heard a Northern Saw-Whet Owl in my backyard last night. It would of been a lifer, had I seen it. Sadly, I didn't.

 

Saw quite a few of yesterday's addition during a very unique wildlife encounter today, plus a species for the year! A Barn Owl startled out of a large bunch of bushes in the midafternoon and proceeded to perch and preen on a large branch for a good half an hour. Then a Red-tailed Hawk came in across the pond, and presently took up a attempted attack on the owl. I missed the initial attack, but was alerted by the owl screeching rather crazily, along with the magpies, scrub-jays, and blackbirds squawking in alarm. After a moments searching, I spotted the two in standoff on the ground with the owl still screeching harshly. Momentarily the two broke, the owl first with the hawk in pursuit. It escaped uninjured as far as I know. I was lucky enough to have gone back for my camera after discovering the owl, and got a few so-so shots of the standoff. I can upload them if anyone's interested, just know they aren't spectacular or anything!

Birds:
86. Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
87. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
88. Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

 

Some updates from here and there.

58. Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
59. Water rail (Rallus aquaticus)
60. Great bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
61. Red-crested pochard (Netta rufina)
62. Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)
63. Little owl (Athene noctua)
64. Common reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

For some mysterious reason still no Song thrush though...

Mammals

5. Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa)

 

Mammals:
3 White-tailed Deer - Odocoileus virginianus

Birds:
63 Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
64 Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos
65 American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
66 Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator
67 Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis
68 Snow Goose - Anser caerulescens
69 Glaucous Gull - Larus hyperboreus

 

I've got the same problem! They all seem to have vanished.

I did have a rather nice morning of birding this weekend. The species were not overly exciting but I saw a couple that I do not see very often. Highlights were an unusual cormorant and a flock of swans containing no less than four species!

BIRDS
000. Atlantic Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo carbo*
109. Tundra Bean Goose, Anser serrirostris
110. Common Pochard, Aythya ferina
111. Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix
112. Whooper Swan, Cygnus cygnus
113. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
114. Grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea
115. Eurasian tree sparrow, Passer montanus

INVERTEBRATES
002. Silver fish, Lepisma saccharina
003. Rough woodlouse, Porcellio scaber

* New on the subspecies level. I had only seen P c. sinensis before.

 

Some more local birding allowed me to 'twitch' a rarity I discovered with a friend back in December and also got me my first Dutch little owls!
BIRDS
88. European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
89. Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)
90. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
91. Little Owl (Athene noctua)

MAMMALS
3. European Hare (Lepus europaeus)

 

And then there is a Song thrush in the garden when it is snowing the next day

65. Song thrush (Turdus philomelos)

 

Birds
26. Brown Creeper Certhia americana

 

22/1/2019
128. brown goshawk

 

BIRDS
121 - Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)
122 - Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis)

 

Birds
8) Ring-Billed Gull Larus delawarensis
9) Dark-Eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

~Thylo

 

BIRDS:
74) Common linnet, Linaria cannabina
75) Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
76) Green sandpiper, Tringa ochropus

 

MAMMALS
17 - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

BIRDS
123 - White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)

 

How easy are these to find in the wild?

 

Depends where you are. I've seen them in three states (Queensland being the state I haven't seen them in, but probably the state they're easiest to see) but only on a few occasions. They are the sort of species that isn't super common but is very reliable in the right area. Luckily, I know an excellent spot in Melbourne for platypuses and would say there's probably at least a solid 90% chance to see them on any given evening there.

 

Since my last update, I have seen eight new birds and a new mammal for my year list. Half of the birds are ones I first saw within the grounds of Colchester Zoo on my visits last Friday and today: the wagtail in the stream in the lemur walkthrough, the gulls in the car park, the redwing in the blue crane paddock and the water rail on the nature reserve section viewable from the bush dog walkway. Apart from the green woodpecker, all the remaining birds and the mammal were seen while travelling to and from the zoo - the egret represents a national lifer (although I have seen the species previously in Spain and Costa Rica):

62. European green woodpecker Picus viridis
63. Grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea
64. Eurasian buzzard Buteo buteo
65. Common gull Larus canus
66. Redwing Turdus iliacus (Near Threatened)
67. Water rail Rallus aquaticus
68. Red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa
69. Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis

3. European brown hare Lepus europaeus

 

9 brown rat Rattus norvegicus

 

BIRDS
124 - Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis/coromandus)
125 - Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)

INVERTEBRATES
24 - Plague Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus lugubris)

 

23/1/2019
129. restless flycatcher

 

From last Sunday:

41) Greylag Goose
42) Common Teal
43) Lesser Black-back Gull
44) European Wigeon
44) Greater Black-back Gull
45) Common Gull
46) Northern Lapwing
47) Common Buzzard
48) Merlin
49) Brambling
50) Long-tailed Tit