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ZooChat Big Year 2021

Discussion in 'Wildlife & Nature Conservation' started by Chlidonias, 31 Dec 2020.

  1. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    New Zealand
    The basic rules as always:

    1. Make sure to number your lists.
    2. Keep separate numbered lists for whichever animals you are listing (birds, mammals, herptiles, fish, invertebrates)
    3. Species must be part of an established wild population or be a natural migrant/vagrant/straggler. Exotics don't count unless they are part of an established breeding population in the country.
    4. Animals must be wild.
    5. Subspecies do not count towards your total, only full species.
    6. Don't bother counting Human on your mammal list - everyone is going to see at least one.
    7. Have fun and go out looking for animals.

    *It is helpful if you include scientific names (especially for the mammals because I keep track of them to post a full list at the end of the year).


    Links to the previous years can be found here: ZooChat Big Year - Index
     
  2. Luca Bronzi

    Luca Bronzi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Italy
    This year will hopefully be much better for wildlife-watching (at least for me). Unfortunately, I won't be able to go to Africa as I hoped, but there are still some places in Europe (and maybe America) I'd like to visit where I could do some interesting sightings.
    In particular, I want to achieve 50 species of birds, 10 of mammals and herptiles and 50 of fishes (a difficult one!).
     
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  3. Fallax

    Fallax Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Wales
    And the thread is open, this will be my first year participating in the challenge and I am looking forward to it. May the best ZooChatter win ;)
     
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  4. Hix

    Hix Wildlife Enthusiast and Lover of Islands 15+ year member Premium Member

    Joined:
    20 Oct 2008
    Posts:
    4,549
    Location:
    Sydney
    And a Happy New Year to everyone.

    Birds
    1. Pacific Black Duck
    2. Australian Wood Duck
    3. Feral Pigeon
    4. Crested Pigeon
    5. Dusky Moorhen
    6. Eurasian Coot
    7. Galah
    8. Red-rumped Parrot
    9. Rainbow Lorikeet
    10. Australian King Parrot
    11. Noisy Miner
    12. Grey Butcherbird
    13. Australian Magpie
    14. Magpie-lark
    15. Indian (or Common) Mynah
    16. European Blackbird


    :p

    Hix
     
  5. carl the birder

    carl the birder Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    sweden
    1 europaean blackbird sean at 0.02
    gola this year is 250 if i am abal to leve europe 200 if not
     
  6. WhistlingKite24

    WhistlingKite24 Well-Known Member 10+ year member Premium Member

    Joined:
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    Posts:
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    Location:
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
    Happy New Year everyone! On my brief stop to Nudgee Beach Wetlands Boardwalk this morning I actually saw a proper Mangrove Honeyeater which is a nice lifer to start 2021 with! Inverts have been a bit slow today but I am sure they will pick up in numbers soon.

    Birds
    1. Torresian Crow Corvus orru
    2. Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus
    3. Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
    4. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
    5. Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
    6. Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
    7. Feral Pigeon Columba livia
    8. Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
    9. Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti
    10. Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
    11. White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus
    12. Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis
    13. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
    14. Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
    15. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
    16. Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
    17. Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
    18. Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis
    19. Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
    20. Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus
    21. Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
    22. Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis
    23. Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
    24. Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea
    25. Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
    26. Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami
    27. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
    28. Torresian Kingfisher Todiramphus sordidus
    29. Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
    30. Eastern Osprey Pandion cristatus
    31. Eastern Great Egret Ardea (alba) modesta
    32. Chestnut Teal Anas castanea
    33. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
    34. Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
    35. Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster
    36. Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
    37. Mangrove Honeyeater Lichenostomus fasciogularis
    38. White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
    39. Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa

    Herptiles
    1. Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus

    Invertebrates
    1. Celtis Leaf Beetle Menippus cynicus
    2. European Honeybee Apis mellifera
    3. Housefly Musca domestica
    4. Humped Golden Orb-weaving Spider Nephila plumipes

     
    Last edited: 1 Jan 2021
  7. amur leopard

    amur leopard Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    London
    Looked out of the window and saw a pair of Carrion crows at 00:10, so that’s my first species of 2021. A shame, some foxes skulked around until 11 then decided to leave so can’t count them as my first.

    Setting a rather modest but realistic target: 70 bird species. I probably won’t even get there but we’ll see :)

    Birds:

    1. Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
     
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  8. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Melbourne
    A Happy New Year to all. A quick walk around the Sanctuary this morning produced some of the usual suspects. Lots of butterflies but will have to get back to them.

    Birds

    1. Chestnut teal Anas castanea
    2. Grey teal Anas gracilis
    3. Pacific black duck Anas superciliosa
    4. Cape Barren goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae
    5. Maned duck Chenonetta jubata
    6. Australasian grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
    7. Crested pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
    8. Spotted turtle-dove Spilopelia chinensis
    9. Eurasian coot Fulica atra
    10. Dusky moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
    11. Australasian swamphen Porphyrio melanotus
    12. Yellow-billed spoonbill Platalea flavipes
    13. Eastern rosella Platycercus eximius
    14. Noisy miner Manorina melanocephala
    15. Striated thornbill Acanthiza lineata
    16. Grey fantail Rhipidura albiscapa
    17. Common mynah Acridotheres tristis
    18. European starling Sturnus vulgaris
     
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  9. WalkingAgnatha

    WalkingAgnatha Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4 May 2020
    Posts:
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    Location:
    New Zealand
    A walk along Eastern Beach provided what will probably be the majority of my list for the rest of this year.

    Setting a low target of 20 bird species but I doubt I'll even reach it unless I go overseas or something.

    Birds

    1. Australasian Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus
    2.
    Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen
    3. Mallard Anas platyrynchos
    4. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
    5. Blackbird Turdus merula
    6. Rock Dove Columba livia
    7. Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
    8. Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis
    9. House Sparrow Passer domesticus
    10. Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
    11. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
    12. Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
    13. Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae


    Invertebrates
    1. German Cockroach Blattella germanica
    2. Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus
     
  10. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Come on, cheer up, you can do better than 20. Even @Chlidonias can get to 60! I know there are not a lot of species in New Zealand but 20...
     
  11. WalkingAgnatha

    WalkingAgnatha Well-Known Member

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    Well guess I'll try and aim for 60 too. :]
     
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  12. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Yes, Auckland is one of the best cities to live in if you want to look for birds. Just going to Tiritiri Matangi and the old waterworks at Mangere will get you much more your target of 20 birds.
     
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  13. WalkingAgnatha

    WalkingAgnatha Well-Known Member

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    As a question where is that?
     
  14. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    By Ambury Park. If you have a car there is a parking area at Creamery Road, or otherwise there are buses that go past quite close to Creamery Road (you'd need to check the Auckland bus site - I can't remember the routes now, but I know one of the airport buses does).

    From Creamery Road, you've got the Lagoon just above it (there's a track around it but it's not very interesting) and also a track which runs along the shoreline past the shellbanks (which is where you're likely to see Wrybills, NZ Dotterels, etc) and then Ambury Park has open-field birds. In the other direction is the canal which has NZ Dabchicks etc.

    It's easier if you find Creamery Road on Google Maps and see the layout.

    You need to get the tides right as well - at low tide all the shorebirds will be far away, whereas at high tide they will be roosting up near the tracks.
     
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  15. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Have a look here as well for Auckland sites (on the regional council website): Bird watching
     
  16. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    I know where I'm going next time I pass through Brisbane!
     
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  17. WhistlingKite24

    WhistlingKite24 Well-Known Member 10+ year member Premium Member

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    Location:
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    It's a nice little spot with well-established mangroves and a good amount of birdlife. The 306 bus from Brisbane city apparently stops in that area and it's a short walk to the boardwalk so it seems pretty accessible via public transport as well.
     
  18. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    I know I can get to Boondall Wetlands by bus (I went there on my first time in Brisbane whenever that was - 2008 or something - but not last time) and I gather it is connected to that. Boondall is also a good spotlighting site for gliders apparently.

    You should go to Oxley Creek Common one early morning. I was extremely impressed with the number of bird species there. I went two mornings in a row, and saw 45 species on the first visit and 60 species on the second.
     
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  19. BerdNerd

    BerdNerd Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    North Carolina
    Can I put animals on my list for this year that were also on my list last year? For example, I saw a European Starling last year, so if I see another one today, can I put it on my list?
     
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  20. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Yes you can. You start with a clean slate. Many people highlight animals they have not seen before with bold type.