Zoochat Big Year 2022

I must have typed in Atlantic by mistake.It should have only said Eurasian ruffe.

 

In the UK for work, but have managed to do some birding along the south coast.

Birds

306. Eurasian widgeon Anas penelope
307, Brant goose Branta branta
308. Northern shoveler Spatula clypeata
309. Red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa
310. Ringneck pheasant Phasianus colchicus
311. Great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus
312. Stock pigeon Columba oenas
313. European shag Gulosos aristotelis
314. Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
315. Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata
316. Common greenshank Tringa nebularia
317. European herring gull Larus argentatus
318. Great black-backed gull Larus marinus
319. Rose-ringed parrot Psittacula krameri (first bird seen driving into London on arrival)
320. Carrion crow Corvus corone

 

Were there any cetecan watching opportunities?

 

Birds:
70. Aythya ferina
71. Larus marinus
72. Branta bernicla
73. Aythya fuligula
74. Corvus frugeligus
Mammals:
10. Halichoerus gryphus
11. Sciurus carolinensis

 

Unfortunately no Fleeting visit combined with other obligations.

 

Three more birds from a trip to Newcastle to see the pied wheatear on Saturday. Sadly looking unlikely that I will get to 200 birds for the UK by the end of the year (173 so far) but a trip to Edinburgh and Musselburgh Lagoons in mid-December should hopefully be productive.

269. Twite
270. Pied wheatear
271. Red-throated diver

 

Birds

121. Northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis 14/11/22

 

Birds
289. Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri

 

Finally got a bit of birding done this week! Good sightings include two middle spotted woodpeckers, a jack snipe that showed unexpectedly well, and finally the first teal drakes in full breeding plumage. The main highlight however was a seabird trip on the North Sea.

A majority of the birds that regularly occur in the Netherlands that I still miss are seabirds. Notably, by my own reckoning black-legged kittiwake should be the easiest Dutch species I was still missing. So when a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join on a seabird trip in November, I became hopeful that I would finally see my first wild kittiwakes. We set out before dawn from Neeltje Jans and headed west onto the North Sea. I took the peregrine we saw in the harbour as a sign of good fortune.

The first highlight was a completely unexpected short-eared owl flying high over the sea. It was soon followed by a brief sighting of my very first wild cetacean - a harbour porpoise. Soon the chumming started and a cloud of gulls started to follow the boat. Razorbills started to appear and soon there were also guillemots. And they were out of force! At one moment there were at least 50 alcids within binocular view on one side of the boat. Gannets visited us every now and then and the cloud of gulls started attracting more exciting species like Caspian gull and little gull. It did not take long for the first kittiwake to appear. They are gorgeous little things, very much unlike any other gull I have seen before, and they showed extremely well. We saw both adults and first-winter birds and the plumages are delightfully different but both beautiful. A fly-over by at least two flocks of pink-footed geese (which I seldom see) and a jeager checking out the gull cloud were the final major highlights.

The sun was already dipping beneath the horizon when we arrived back in the harbour. But the day of birding was not completely done yet, because in another section of the harbour we managed to see two more rarities: a shag and, most excitingly, my very first wild puffin. Unfortunately both sightings were rather poor, but not every bird can be as cooperative as the kittiwakes we saw earlier!

Birds
272. Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus
273. Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
274. Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus
275. Pink-footed Goose, Anser brachyrhynchus
276. Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica

Mammals
21. Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocoena

 

First a recent IOC split from back in Peru:
1467) Gould's inca, Coeligena inca

And then I've been more than a bit busy, with a few really good birds.

1468) Yellow-browed bunting, Emberiza chrysophrys
1469) European serin, Serinus serinus
1470) Black scoter, Melanitta americana
1471) Horned lark, Eremophila alpestris
1472) Bearded reedling, Panurus biarmicus
1473) Pink-footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus
1474) Booted warbler, Iduna caligata
1475) Pallid swift, Apus pallidus
1476) Eurasian penduline tit, Remiz pendulinus
1477) Isabelline wheatear, Oenanthe isabellina
1478) Red-rumped swallow, Cecropis daurica
1479) Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis (not a lifer, but one of my best WP birds)
1480) Bonaparte's gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia
1481) Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris
1482) White-headed duck, Oxyura leucocephala
1483) Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica
1484) European shag, Gulosus aristotelis
1485) Black-throated loon, Gavia arctica

 

I'm starting off pretty late into the year but I'll post every species I know I 100% saw earlier in the year & the species I see in next few weeks when I visit the Top End & Scenic Rim.
Bold = lifer (new species)

Mammals
1. Agile Wallaby
2. Black Flying-Fox
3. Bush Rat
4. Eastern Grey-Kangaroo
5. European Hare
6. European Rabbit
7. Grey-Headed Flying-Fox
8. House Mouse
9. Red Fox
10. Red-Legged Pademelon
11. Red-Necked Pademelon
12. Red-Necked Wallaby
13. Swamp Wallaby
14. Whiptail Wallaby

Reptiles
1. Asian House-Gecko
2. Common Blue-Tongue Skink
3. Delicate Skink
4. Eastern Bearded-Dragon
5. Eastern Water-Dragon
6. Eastern Water-Skink
7. Fence Skink
8. Garden Skink
9. Lace Monitor
10. Murray River-Turtle
11. Northern Bar-Sided Skink
12. Red-Bellied Black-Snake
13. Sand Goanna
14. Saw-Shelled Turtle
15. Scute-Nosed Calyptotis

Amphibians
1. Cane Toad
2. Eastern Dwarf Tree-Frog
3. Green Tree-Frog
4. Stony Creek Frog

I'll post the birds in a seperate post

 

I forgot to update again!

Birds
70. Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
71. Common guillemot Uria aalge
72. Razorbill Alca torda
73. Linnet Linaria cannabina
74. Common tern Sterna Hirundo
75. Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea
76. Sandwich tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
77. Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator
78. Little egret Egretta garzetta
79. Common raven Corvus corax
80. Lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus
81. Northern gannet Morus bassanus
82. Sand martin Riparia riparia
83. Goldcrest Regulus regulus
84. Eurasian wigeon Mareca Penelope
85. Northern shoveler Spatula clypeata
86. Ruff Calidris pugnax
87. Common sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
88. Green sandpiper Tringa ochropus
89. Common kingfisher Alcedo atthis
90. Pink-footed goose Anser brachyrhynchus
91. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
92. European stonechat Saxicola rubicola
93. Tree sparrow Passer montanus
94. Green woodpecker Picus viridis
95. Whooper swan Cygnus cygnus
96. Western marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus
97. Common pochard Aythya farina
98. Dunlin Calidris alpina
99. Common shelduck Tadorna tadorna
100. Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis
101. Northern pintail Anas acuta
102. Gadwall Mareca strepera
103. Brent goose Branta bernicla
104. European golden plover Pluvialis apricaria
105. Knot Calidris canutus
106. Pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
107. Great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus
108. Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres
109. Black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa
110. Grey plover Pluvialis squatarola
111. Great white egret Ardea alba

Mammals
8. Red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris
9. Grey seal Halichoerus grypus
10. Noctule Nyctalus noctule
11. Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus
12. Red fox Vulpes vulpes
13. Reeves’s muntjac Muntiacus reevesi
14. Roe deer Capreolus capreolus
15. Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii
16. Soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus
17. Fallow deer Dama dama

 

Birds

• Moreton Bay

1. Australasian Gannet
2. Australian Magpie
3. Australian Pelican
4. Australian Pied-Oystercatcher
5. Australian White-Ibis
6. Bar-Tailed Godwit
7. Black-Winged Stilt
8. Caspian Tern
9. Cattle Egret
10. Eastern Curlew
11. Galah
12. Grey-Tailed Tattler
13. Gull-Billed Tern
14. Little Corella
15. Little Wattlebird
16. Mangrove Gerygone
17. Mistletoebird
18. Noisy Miner
19. Pacific Black-Duck
20. Pacific Golden-Plover
21. Pied Cormorant
22. Silver Gull
23. Striated Heron
24. Whimbrel
25. White-Faced Heron

• Gold Coast

26. Australasian Darter
27. Bush Stone-Curlew
28. Chestnut Teal
29. Great Egret
30. Indian Mynah
31. Little Lorikeet
32. Long-Billed Corella
33. Nutmeg Mannikin
34. Pacific Emerald-Dove
35. Rainbow Lorikeet
36. Royal Spoonbill
37. Torresian Crow

• Brisbane

38. Black-Necked Stork
39. Collared Kingfisher
40. Feral Pigeon
41. Peregrine Falcon
42. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
43. Willie Wagtail

• Warrego Highway

44. Australasian Figbird
45. Australian Hobby
46. Australian Wood-Duck
47. Black-Faced Cuckoo-Shrike
48. Black Falcon
49. Blue-Faced Honeyeater
50. Brown Goshawk
51. Crested Pigeon
52. Little Pied Cormorant
53. Magpie-Lark
54. Masked Lapwing
55. Noisy Friarbird
56. Pied Currawong
57. Plumed Whistling-Kite
58. Red-Browed Finch
59. Sacred Kingfisher
60. Scaly-Breasted Lorikeet
61. Spotted Turtle-Dove
62. Tree Martin

• Toowoomba

63. Australian Raven
64. Black Kite
65. Black-Shouldered Kite
66. Brown Honeyeater
67. Brown Songlark
68. Cockatiel
69. European Starling
70. Grey Butcherbird
71. Horsfield's Bushlark
72. House Sparrow
73. Laughing Kookaburra
74. Nankeen Kestrel
75. Pale-Headed Rosella
76. Pied Butcherbird
77. Red-Rumped Parrot

• Dunmore Road (Western Creek SF)

78. Apostlebird
79. Diamond Dove
80. Fuscous Honeyeater
81. Grey-Crowned Babbler
82. Grey Fantail
83. Jacky Winter
84. Rainbow Bee-Eater
85. Rufous Whistler
86. Spiny-Cheeked Honeyeater
87. Striped Honeyeater
88. Superb Fairywren
89. Weebill
90. White-Throated Treecreeper

• Lake Coolmunda

91. Black Swan
92. Double-Barred Finch
93. Great Cormorant
94. Grey Teal
95. Little Black Cormorant
96. Yellow Thornbill

• Mosquito Creek Road

97. Blue Bonnet
98. Brown-Headed Honeyeater
99. Common Bronzewing
100. Emu
101. Ground Cuckoo-Shrike
102. Peaceful Dove
103. Plum-Headed Finch
104. Purple-Backed Fairywren
105. Red-Winged Parrot
106. Squatter Pigeon
107. White-Necked Heron
108. White-Throated Needletail
109. White-Winged Chough
110. Yellow-Throated Miner

• Yelarbon

111. Chestnut-Rumped Thornbill
112. Fairy Martin
113. Little Friarbird
114. White-Breasted Woodswallow
115. White-Plumed Honeyeater
116. Yellow-Rumped Thornbill

• Underground Creek (Girraween NP)

117. Australian King-Parrot
118. Eastern Spinebill
119. Eastern Yellow-Robin
120. White-Browed Scrubwren
121. White-Throated Honeyeater
122. Yellow-Tailed Black-Cockatoo

• Stanthorpe

123. Australasian Grebe
124. Dollarbird
125. Dusky Moorhen
126. Eastern Rosella
127. Wedge-Tailed Eagle

• Junction Track (Girraween NP)

128. Crimson Rosella
129. Dusky Woodswallow
130. Golden Whistler
131. Grey Shrike-Thrush
132. Painted Button-Quail
133. Red Wattlebird
134. Turquoise Parrot
135. Varied Sittella
136. White-Cheeked Honeyeater
137. Yellow-Tufted Honeyeater

• Main Range NP

138. Bell Miner
139. Green Catbird
140. Lewin's Honeyeater
141. Russet-Tailed Thrush
142. Satin Bowerbird
143. Yellow-Throated Scrubwren

• Rainbow Beach (Great Sandy NP)

144. Australasian Pipit
145. Australian Brush-Turkey
146. Bar-Shouldered Dove
147. Collared Sparrowhawk

• Inskip Point (Great Sandy NP)

148. Common Tern
149. Crested Tern
150. Eastern Whipbird
151. Lesser Crested Tern
152. Little Tern
153. Scarlet Honeyeater
154. Varied Triller
155. Variegated Fairywren
156. White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

• Cooloola Way (Great Sandy NP)

157. Australian Reed-Warbler
158. Brown Quail
159. Eastern Ground-Parrot
160. Spangled Drongo

• Gympie

161. Restless Flycatcher

• Geoff Skinner Reserve

162. Curlew Sandpiper
163. Great Knot
164. Red-Capped Plover
165. Red-Necked Stint
166. Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper
167. Yellow-Faced Honeyeater

• Coombabah Lakelands CA

168. Comb-Crested Jacana
169. Intermediate Egret
170. Magpie Goose
171. Purple Swamphen

• Toohey Forest

172. Red-Backed Fairywren
173. Square-Tailed Kite

• Finland Road

174. Buff-Banded Rail
175. Eurasian Coot
176. Golden-Headed Cisticola
177. Shining Bronze-Cuckoo

• Sunshine Coast

178. Dusky Honeyeater
179. Whistling Kite

• Noosa Botanic Gardens

180. Forest Kingfisher
181. Rufous Shrike-Thrush
182. White-Headed Pigeon
183. Wompoo Fruit-Dove

• Eagleby Wetlands

184. Leaden Flycatcher
185. Rufous Fantail
186. Silvereye
187. Striated Pardalote

• Tamborine NP

188. Fan-Tailed Cuckoo
189. Large-Billed Scrubwren
190. Pale-Yellow Robin

• Sydney

191. New Holland Honeyeater
192. Red-Whiskered Bulbul

• Dubbo

193. Brown Falcon
194. Common Blackbird
195. Little Raven
196. Red-Capped Robin
197. Spotted Harrier
198. Straw-Necked Ibis

• Lake Clarendon

199. Black-Fronted Dotterel
200. Great Crested Grebe
201. Hardhead
202. Hoary-Headed Grebe
203. Olive-Backed Oriole

• Lake Galletly

204. Australasian Shoveler
205. Blue-Billed Duck
206. Pink-Eared Duck
207. Tawny Grassbird

• Cairns Esplanade

208. Nankeen Night-Heron
209. Varied Honeyeater

• Cairns

210. Australian Swiftlet
211. Brown Booby
212. Great Bowerbird
213. Hornbill Friarbird
214. Metallic Starling
215. Pacific Baza
216. Silver-Crowned Friarbird
217. White-Bellied Cuckoo-Shrike

• Mossman Gorge

218. Black Butcherbird
219. Cryptic Honeyeater
220. Orange-Footed Scrubfowl
221. Yellow-Bellied Sunbird

• Port Douglas

222. Azure Kingfisher
223. Brahminy Kite
224. Eastern Osprey
225. Little Egret
226. Radjah Shelduck

• Kuranda

227. Double-Eyed Fig-Parrot
228. Topknot Pigeon

 

Also forgot this one

• Mosquito Creek Road

229. White-Winged Fairywren

 

11/19/22


89. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
90. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)


Total:

Mammals: 9
Birds: 90
Reptiles: 6
Amphibians: 4
Fish: 25
Invertebrates: 55

 

Birded on Saturday these last two weeks, witnessing what makes the English coast so special birding wise!

Started last Saturday (the 12th), I payed a visit to a few waxwings that had been lingering in Eastfield (near Seamer) for nearly a week then. Unfortunately, like I knew was very much possible as there was only one waxwing left the day before, they had already left the rowan trees they like. Still, a nice trip that rewarded me with four lifers (including two seen while on the train)!

Today, however, was much more fruitful. I've been wanting to go to the coast again (after my fantastic visit to Spurn) and seeing that a Dusky warbler had been lingering in Filey for a couple days now was the perfect excuse to do so. So, I took the train this morning, planning on birding the full day (or so in Filey). Not only did the Dusky warbler show up almost instantly (and gave nice views overall) but there were plenty of other interesting species to me, including some that are very rare in Morocco:

BIRDS:
12/11/2022 (Flaxton, North Yorkshire [#200], Old Malton, North Yorkshire [#201], Eastfield, North Yorkshire [#202])
200 - Rook, Corvus frugilegus
201 - Red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa
202 - Eurasian bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula
---
19/11/2022 (Filey, North Yorkshire [#203-210])
203 - Coal tit, Periparus ater
204 - Dusky warbler, Phylloscopus fuscatus
205 - Goldcrest, Regulus regulus
206 - Little auk, Alle alle
207 - European rock pipit, Anthus petrosus
208 - Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima
209 - Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea
210 - Mistle thrush, Turdus viscivorus

MAMMALS:
12/11/2022 (Ganton, North Yorkshire [#11])
11 - European hare, Lepus europaeus

Apart from the Dusky warbler, the Little auk was also very nice to see at Filey. This weekend has been impressive for sightings of that species, with hundreds all over the Yorkshire coast. While everyone was focused on trying to get good pictures of the Dusky warbler, I slipped away for a little and found a confiding Arctic tern not far away. A very late one at that as it should already be in its wintering grounds in Africa! It is only my second time seeing the species.

 

Picked up a new species for the year list last week. Usually I would save it until I had more to add, but it might just as well take another month before something new can be added (if I'll be able to add anything at all!), so here it is.

Birds
277. Red-crested Pochard, Netta rufina

 

Currently in Cairns for a few days and had the opportunity to poke around a couple of sites.

Mammals

33. Spectacled flying fox Pteropus conspicillatus

Birds

321. Orange-footed scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt
322. Torresian imperial pigeon Ducula spilorrhoa
323. Eastern cattle egret Bubulcus coromandus
324. Masked lapwing Vanellus miles
325. Bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica
326. Eastern curlew Numenius madagascariensis
327. Eurasian whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
328. Grey-tailed tattler Tringa brevipes
329. Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspia
330. Azure kingfisher Ceyx azureus
331. Torresian kingfisher Todiramphus sordidus
332. Hornbill friarbird Philemon yorki
333. Broad-billed flycatcher Myiagra ruficollis
334. Olive-backed sunbird Cinnyris jugularis
335. Metallic starling Aplonis metallica

Reptiles

9. Closed litter rainbow skink Carlia longipes

Fish

10. Buffon's river garfish Zenarchopterus buffonis
11. Sevenspot archerfish Toxotes chatareus (new Order and Family)

Invertebrates

71. Green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina
72. Mud crab Scylla serrata (new Family)
73. Mud creeper Cerithidea obtusa (new Order and Family)

 

Was that pelagic a one time thing or is it happening regularly? How do you get on it if so?

 

here's small update...
Mammals

• Gold Coast

15. Common Brushtail-Possum
16. Little Red Flying-Fox

• Cairns

17. Spectacled Flying-Fox