ZooChat Big Year 2019

Been stuck indoors doing assignments yesterday, today and will be tomorrow and possibly Friday. I have still managed some sightings to start the year - birds 1-9 seen on the 1st January, birds 10-17 seen today. The sole mammal was seen on the 1st.

1. Black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
2. European robin Erithacus rubecula
3. Carrion crow Corvus corone
4. Common woodpigeon Columba palumbus
5. European blackbird Turdus merula
6. Collared dove Streptopelia decaocto
7. Eurasian blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus
8. Eurasian magpie Pica pica
9. Great tit Parus major
10. European starling Sturnus vulgaris
11. Feral pigeon Columba livia
12. Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
13. Pied wagtail Motacilla alba (yarrelli)
14. European herring gull Larus argentatus
15. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
16. Common rook Corvus frugilegus
17. House sparrow Passer domesticus

1. Eastern grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis

 

A local park today.

19) Mandarin Duck
20) Middle Spotted Woodpecker
21) Carolina Wood Duck
22) European Goldfinch
23) European Greenfinch
24) Eurasian Jay
25) Greater Spotted Woodpecker
26) Eurasian Nuthatch
27) Short-toed Treecreeper

2) Striped Field Mouse

 

Well after last year being my most successful year yet and my commitments to getting out and birding more, I decided to stop by a lake near my mother's house today first my first birding session of the new year! The lake is an excellent spot for wintering waterfowl and gulls, and hosts year-round populations of Bald Eagle and kingfisher. The area around it is very forested, which is great for finding songbirds and hawks. A neighboring farm makes for good turkey habitat and I've even spotted a wild Ring-Necked Pheasant here before. I went out today knowing I'd be getting a good head start on my year!

Birds
1) American Robin Turdus migratorius

That's it, that's all I saw. When I simply drove past it around Christmas I found Hooded and Common Merganser, swan, a group of Ring-Billed Gulls, multiple eagles, and even a couple bluebirds. But today, only a single robin that flew across the road in front of my car as I was approaching the lake.

I wasn't going to let that stop me, though. I drove home, sat down at my computer, and found the nearest good birding spot to me. There are surprisingly very few in central Connecticut, but I picked my spot and was determined to find some birds!

That is, until I remembered it's January in New England and it's already pitch black outside.

~Thylo

 

Have you tried the eBird hotspot map?

This time of year, your best bets for finding birds are bird feeders and the ocean (or a Great Lake). Just going to a forested area just doesn't cut it this time of year. An example of this is there is a spot near where I live that is well known across the state for being an amazing birding spot in the summer months and during migration. Yesterday I spent half an hour there and saw five birds of three species. And I mean the common as dirt species.

EDIT: Any body of water that doesn't freeze over completely is fine.

 

Yeah I check it out every once in a while. The lake I originally went to is a hotspot.

I plan to get down to the coast at least twice this winter and have a couple spots I plan to visit, but I need to have a whole day to do that when you include the driving time. With it being the beginning of the year, common as dirt species are still ones I need to pick up, and I was aiming for an Audubon Center which generally have feeders set up anyhow.

~Thylo

 

Birds:
15. Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)
16. Masked Plover (Vanellus miles)
17. Indian Mynah (Acridotheres tristis)
18. Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)
19. Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
20. Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
21. Figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti)
22. Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)

 

Today's update:

Birds

43. Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
44. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
45. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
46. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
47. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
48. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
49. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
50. Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Invertebrates

1. Bordered Plant Bug (Largus succinctus)

As well as a bunch of sowbugs I couldn't manage to ID to species so left out...

 

The first ever tufted duck reported in Australia led to a massive twitch-fest near Werribee today...

BIRDS
68 - Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
69 - Pied Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus)
70 - Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
71 - White-winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
72 - Striated Fieldwren (Calamanthus fuliginosus)
73 - Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis)
-- Little Grassbird (Megalurus gramineus) [heard]
74 - Pink-eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus)
75 - Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)
76 - Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
77 - Eastern Great Egret (Ardea alba/modesta)
78 - Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans)
79 - Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
80 - Blue-billed Duck (Oxyura australis)
81 - Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes)
82 - Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis)
83 - White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons)
84 - Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris)
85 - Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa)

INVERTEBRATES
9 - Australian Grapevine Moth (Phalaenoides glycinae)
10 - Common Brown (Heteronympha merope)

 

I saw that on facebook

 

From a European perspective twitching a Tufted duck sounds immensely silly

 

Not when the nearest record seems to be about 5,000km away - at least 100 birders went for it today I'd guess

 

Was it a drake or a female? Rather fun, smart little ducks, just very common in this part of the world!

 

Drake in full breeding plumage.

 

I know, the drakes are very pretty indeed, so I understand it from a birders perspective

 

Excellent!

 

Updates from around town the last two days, including a lunchtime walk around a more-productive-than-usual Holmebrook Valley Park:

Birds:
24. Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus
25. European Blue Tit - Cyanistes caeruleus
26. Rook - Corvus frugilegus
27. Long-tailed Tit - Aegithalos caudatus
28. Dunnock - Prunella modularis
29. Eurasian Wigeon - Mareca penelope
30. Common Gull - Larus canus
31. Eurasian Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula
32. Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Mammals:
1. Eastern Grey Squirrel - Sciurus carolinensis

 

BIRDS:
50 Hairy Woodpecker - Dryobates villosus
51 Winter Wren - Troglodytes hiemalis
52 Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus

 

Some "passive" birding near Segovia yielded more additions

03/01/2019 (Toledo & Segovia)
BIRDS:
4 - Eurasian magpie, Pica pica
5 - Common wood pigeon, Columba palumbus
6 - Little egret, Egretta garzetta
7 - Spotless starling, Sturnus unicolor
8 - Red kite, Milvus milvus
9 - Common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
10 - Black redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros
11 - Common raven, Corvus corax
12 - Eurasian crag-martin, Ptyonoprogne rupestris
13 - Red-billed chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
14 - European starling, Sturnus vulgaris

 

Only two for today... both seen crossing the road while driving!

Mammals:

2. Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus)
3. Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

 

BIRDS:
63) Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla
64) Great grey shrike, Lanius excubitor
65) Common reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus