Ed Forum birdwatching 2008

[Elizabeth I]

Yay! I saw a different bird today! (finally)

Scissortail flycatcher, Tyrannus forficatus, Bulverde, Texas, June 29, 2008.

 

[mummymonkey]

This has been bugging me for days now. Way too cryptic for me.

What the?

Sorry,
I'm asking if brambling is normal at this time of year in Croatia? I associate them with winter.

 

[EHocking]

Sorry,
I'm asking if brambling is normal at this time of year in Croatia? I associate them with winter.

I can assure you, it took me some to decide what the odd looking "Chaffinch" was, 'cos the plumage seemed to be between winter and summer plumage.

But according to this site's distribution map there is a small year round population in the north east of Italy, spilling into the north of Croatia. It shouldn't be listed in Dubrovnik in my list, but Veradzin. In fact, I don't have a location listed under it on my "field" list.

Which really helped ease my disquiet, because I was *not* comfortable with a winter bird where it probably should not have been.

Similarly with Mute Swan, oddly. But there are 2 patches on the coast where there are populations, so I wasn't going mad (photos of them), but in the central/eastern national park I fleetingly saw white swans (driving) and should have pulled over to check, because wintering Whooper's should only have been there. I've had to wave them off as white domestic geese, just to ease my mind over a possible missed sighting!

ETA: Your first post had me scouring the web pages and the spreadsheets for errors I might have made in compiling. Didn't think it had anything to do with my Croatia list 'cos it was further down this page in the thread.

 

[mummymonkey]

I can assure you, it took me some to decide what the odd looking "Chaffinch" was, 'cos the plumage seemed to be between winter and summer plumage.

But according to this site's distribution map there is a small year round population in the north east of Italy, spilling into the north of Croatia. It shouldn't be listed in Dubrovnik in my list, but Veradzin. In fact, I don't have a location listed under it on my "field" list.​

Which really helped ease my disquiet, because I was *not* comfortable with a winter bird where it probably should not have been.​

Thanks. I'm not familiar with the movements of the small alpine population. (Breeds in "forests in the Alps in Switzerland and northern Italy"). My only decent book on finches (Clement, Harris and Davis) is a little out of date and so doesn't list Croatia.​

 

[EHocking]

Thanks. I'm not familiar with the movements of the small alpine population. (Breeds in "forests in the Alps in Switzerland and northern Italy"). My only decent book on finches (Clement, Harris and Davis) is a little out of date and so doesn't list Croatia.​

Hey - you had me double checking distributions, too, so don't apologise about lack of knowledge of movements of birds. My Larousse field guide certainly has Bramblings as winter "only" birds in mid/south Eurasia and it was only after I was *very* sure of the ID that I put Brambling in. I never saw a male in full summer plumage, so distinguishing from female Chaffinches took quite a bit of flicking back and forth looking for ID characteristics.

It was a bit like the black-winged Stilt I saw in Cyprus. Shouldn't have been there according to my Larrouse. Fortunately *that* one is difficult to MISidentify. It was purely coincidental that I took a photo of it.

 

[Hokulele]

Two new seabirds spotted at the beach this afternoon (4 July 2008):

White-tailed Tropicbird - Phaethon lepturus dorotheae
Great Frigatebird - Fregata minor palmerstoni

 

[Madalch]

I haven't been participating in this thread, since I'm not really a birder, but today I saw a heron, some bald eagles (it was either the same pair twice, or four different ones), and a large flock of Canada geese with a swan in the middle of the flock.

And a few airplanes.

 

[BillyJoe]

Evidence.

 

[BillyJoe]

Is this one on the list yet?

[Arboretum in Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia. 7th Jul 2008]

...and what is it's name?

 

[sphenisc]

Is this one on the list yet?


[qimg]http://i31.tinypic.com/2lcphjk.jpg[/qimg]
[Arboretum in Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia. 7th Jul 2008]

...and what is it's name?

White's Thrush Zoothera dauma

 

[EHocking]

Last night (late) I had something fly through the shrubbery. Larger than a blackbird and dark. No chance of a body type, I'm afraid, but it's call was reminiscent of a lapwing. If you listen to this http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/lapwing/index.asp . It sounded like the very first sound in that that call recording. Slightly shorter than that of the recording and only sounded twice. There was a pause (1sec?) between each sounding. It then flew around the back of another block of flats (or there was two of them) and repeated the same 2 sound call. ANy ideas?

 

[EHocking]

Nice photo.

Most of us have not seen that bird.

The Australian Magpie^WP Gymnorhina tibicen is a different species from the European Magpie^WP Pica pica or the Black-billed Magpie^WP Pica hudsonia found in North America.

Just catching up on the list here, I might need Kotatsu's ruling on this, but I'm going to be listing this one as the race, G. hypoleuca, White-backed Magpie. I know that there's contention between G.h and G.t (Black-backed), but as a fellow Victorian, I tend to note the difference, even though they hybridise. There is a similar argument on lumping/splitting Rosellas.

ETA - subspecies. G.t.hypoleuca

 

[EHocking]

I'll work on getting the new map and country lists up as well as a couple of "stolen" photos, here's the count as at the weekend:

Order Total :19
Family Total :90
Species Total :487
Species Total :490(inc. Subspecies)
Carrion/Hooded, Rock/Domestic Pigeon, Short-Eared/Hawaian Owl

Total Sightings:1272

 

[BillyJoe]

White's Thrush Zoothera dauma

So it is:

Thanks.

 

[Kotatsu]

I'm back from the North now, with --- I believe --- eleven new species for the list, including Long-tailed Skua, Golden Eagle, and some other goodies, many of which I have on pictures (including an adoring one-week-old Merlin). I haven't had time to organise my stuff yet, but will do so tomorrow. I've just stepped out of the shower after a 22 hour train ride, so I am a bit tired...

 

[EHocking]

I'm back from the North now, with --- I believe --- eleven new species for the list, including Long-tailed Skua, Golden Eagle, and some other goodies, many of which I have on pictures (including an adoring one-week-old Merlin). I haven't had time to organise my stuff yet, but will do so tomorrow. I've just stepped out of the shower after a 22 hour train ride, so I am a bit tired...

Ah, blink and you miss it.

I afraid that sphenisc beat you to all of them while you were away.

I've been keeping track of the posts here so the list is up to date for July. Will add yours when we all see them and try to get around to updating the web pages like I promised to do over the weekend.

ETA - due to a misspelling by me in the spreadsheet, the species count is only 486 at the moment, not 487 as previously posted

 

[Kotatsu]

Ah, blink and you miss it.

I afraid that sphenisc beat you to all of them while you were away.

I've been keeping track of the posts here so the list is up to date for July. Will add yours when we all see them and try to get around to updating the web pages like I promised to do over the weekend.

ETA - due to a misspelling by me in the spreadsheet, the species count is only 486 at the moment, not 487 as previously posted

Ah. I pressed the "View Last Post", and for some reason, that skipped to the last page, two posts from the bottom. I actually assumed there had been no activity at all. Bleh. Ah well, I haven't looked at sphenisc's list yet (though I knew about the trip before), but hope that I will have been able to add something, at least... Either way, I'll go to Germany on Monday, so I will do my best to do some birdwatching when my girlfriend isn't looking^^.

I will make a comprehensive list tomorrow.

 

[Kotatsu]

Last night (late) I had something fly through the shrubbery. Larger than a blackbird and dark. No chance of a body type, I'm afraid, but it's call was reminiscent of a lapwing. If you listen to this http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/lapwing/index.asp . It sounded like the very first sound in that that call recording. Slightly shorter than that of the recording and only sounded twice. There was a pause (1sec?) between each sounding. It then flew around the back of another block of flats (or there was two of them) and repeated the same 2 sound call. ANy ideas?

Doesn't either Barn Owl or Tawny Owl females have a sound like that? I am grasping in the dark here, but it seems to ring a bell. If so, would that make sense?

Just catching up on the list here, I might need Kotatsu's ruling on this, but I'm going to be listing this one as the race, G. hypoleuca, White-backed Magpie. I know that there's contention between G.h and G.t (Black-backed), but as a fellow Victorian, I tend to note the difference, even though they hybridise. There is a similar argument on lumping/splitting Rosellas.

ETA - subspecies. G.t.hypoleuca

I will check in Clements tomorrow at work.

 

[EHocking]

Doesn't either Barn Owl or Tawny Owl females have a sound like that? I am grasping in the dark here, but it seems to ring a bell. If so, would that make sense?

An owl was my first thought, then Nightjar. I wasn't able to readily find a nocturnal bird call recording that matched the call I heard. There is certainly Barn Owls here - had one fly out of the treetops, straight at my face (we're on the 2nd floor) screeching like a tortured soul. That put the wind up me, I can tell you.

I will check in Clements tomorrow at work.

My follow up was based on the Avibase breakdown (think it's Clements).

I'll shoot you the updated spreadsheet when you've posted your trip list.
Oh, and sorry I missed you last night - had the sound down on the PC so missed the call.

 

[EHocking]

41 year old Razorbill.

Noticed this in the news during this morning's commute.
I was aware that Albatrosses have a pretty long lifespan (avg 40yrs), but it seems that the BTO haven't snagged one yet.

Britain's oldest Razorbill recovered.
This Razorbill is at least 41 years old and has been spending his summers in Britain since he was first ringed as a chick in 1967....

Mark Grantham, a population biologist with the BTO said: "If we had a league table of oldest birds he would be in the runner-up spot because in the Spring a Manx Shearwater was caught who we know is at least 51 years old...

Other record breakers apart from the Shearwater and the Razorbill include:
Curlew FS408787, 31 years
Black-headed Gull EH42857, 27 years
Canada Goose 5084137, 27 years
Knot CE25745, 27 years
Turnstone XS56243, 20 years
Little Tern NV41214, 17 years
Mediterranean Gull EN84043, 15 years
Carrion Crow FR82480, 15 years
Common Sandpiper NV54164, 14 years
Barn Owl GH72337, 13 years