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Kerkini is shallow and is enormously productive, producing enough fish to feed a summer population of many thousands of Great Cormorants, along with hundreds of Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans, plus numerous other fish-eating birds. Both species of pelicans breed on the lake, with the Dalmatians the more numerous.
Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. We also observed nests of Pygmy Cormorants , Dalmatian Pelicans , Little Egrets , Cattle Egret (with a chick), Squacco Heron , and Spoonbills. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.
This shaggy, slaty, storklike creature possesses a proboscis preposterous enough to put it in league with pelicans, toucans, and curlews. That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Having finally seen this iconic species, I can assure you that the experience wildly exceeds expectations.
So on January 1st, or as close to it as I can get, I always head a half hour north to the one site of mine that offers more species than any other: Lago de Cuitzeo (Cuitzeo Lake). This lake is always good for some 50-60 species, even during the three months or so of summer when no migratory species can be expected.
The next one, the lagoon of Vatatsa (at the eastern side of the Valtos Bay), offered a lot more egrets, one Squacco Heron , two distant Dalmatian Pelicans and quite a few little things chirping from their hiding places in the tamarisk bushes by the road. Yet, beside a few Little and one Great Egret , a raft of Eurasian Coots , no birds.
Part of its attraction lies in it being a monotypic bird in the family Hypocoliidae – there are no other bird species in its genus and family. In the headlights circle in front of us, an Indian Nightjar takes flight, our first bird of the day and species 137 of this trip. Or because it is endangered – it isn’t. Castor oil plant.
Cattle fields surrounded the small town, the cows forming dark silhouettes against the rapidly graying skies. We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me. Add another species to the daily list!
There was a large raft of hundreds of American Coot , an American White Pelican and lots of duck species. We then checked the Presa El Nogalito for one bird species in particular. And foraging they did, about 200 specimens of the species we were after: Sandhill Cranes. The birds warmed us too.
The road was lined with scrub and short trees, and I spotted not one but two new sparrow species. They perched atop electric poles, on fences, and even on roofs of nearby farm buildings (Point Reyes allows cattle farming), and I soon lost count of how many large raptors we had seen. A line of Surf Scoters near the beach.
The warm, sunny climate beckons a wide variety of passerines, raptors, and shorebirds to spend the winter, inflating the species diversity to the extent that Miami-Dade can go toe-to-toe with counties in Texas and Arizona during this season. Can we hit 200 ABA-countable species in four days next year? American White Pelican: 19.
They belong to the same species like those found back in Europe, Sus scrofa – which inhabits a belt stretching from northern Africa and Europe all the way to Indonesia, but a different subspecies, S.s. The next two species are the Southern Grey Shrike and the Tawny Pipit , also characteristic for this habitat type. ceylonensis.
This endearing and very familiar species grabbed the attention of all present, including the official event photographer from the THA! Our little group managed a final tally of 56 species! A pair of Yellow Warblers hunted insects in the canopy, and a Northern Waterthrush did the same just over the surface of the water.
The prospect of identifying a certain number of species in a given amount of time pushes us to pay more attention to birds no matter what the circumstances (although I suggest keeping the exclamations about species identifications to yourself during such solemn situations as funerals, graduations, and watching episodes of The Sopranos).
We saw sparrows–a total of 14 species–and we saw many other great prairie birds, and we often saw them perched on posts. I don’t know much about prairies, but I have discovered that there is more to them than just grass, and that they are home to hundreds of butterfly and bee species and thousands of moth species.
Between them, they found 389 species in 5 countries. Insects were held back by weird spring weather, but now the warmth returns and the birds are feasting on the late stirring bugs. June saw 8 beats get their birding boots on and share 90 checklists for your pleasure.
They birded 7 countries during August and recorded 542 species. The year list remains sluggish at 1489 , but the life list received a boost from the eBird taxonomy reshuffle and now includes 4076 species. Stay vigilant and safe. 10 of the beats have submitted 124 checklists which are collated below for your perusal.
Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries. Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries. Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries.
11 beats have been out this month and have submitted 136 checklists from 7 countries ticking 634 species. 251 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 371 American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. 449 Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. 251 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.
The 83 checklists submitted during July contained 459 species. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. In case you were worried, Our Man in Shanghai is still flying the flag. He is currently safe and well and watching, with his cats, from the window. The year list now stands at 1613.
9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species. The year list to date is 1015 species and 7 have been added to the life list ( 4059 ) from Costa Rica, China and Trinidad and Tobago. 191 Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis.
The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.
To surpass a challenging number of species, the planning, the conniving for major birding should have begun back in the past, in 2018. Every day counts and to seriously maximize the species total, a birder needs to maximize time in the field at the most productive places during the most productive times and then some.
They accounted for 562 species at this sluggish time of year. American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. The year list has moved forward to 1962 and the life list has leapt forward to 3759. These are the numbers. 03 Jul 2019.
9 beats submitted 172 checklists from 7 countries (UK, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Serbia, China and Trinidad and Tobago) for 640 species. The list for the year has reached 1276 and the life list has been stretched to 4066 with red ticks from China, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, thanks to Kai, Claire and Grant and Faraaz respectively.
“Birding Over Time” compares the number of species recorded over a month with that month from previous years. American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Management ?) Common Ground Dove – Columbina passerina.
They submitted 124 checklists for 671 species of bird. In particular 272 species were noted from 14 checklists submitted on October 17th, eBird’s October Big Day. 95 American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. 198 Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. 646 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.
In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. A few Lesser Kestrels by the dyke wall, then a Black-eared Wheatear at some cattle fencing. This year, we had about 65 dead pelicans. What is killing them? European Honey Buzzard.
The first 25 kilometres of the Gibb River Road from the east is good bitumen, enabling those without four-wheel drives to visit some of the gorges, but there is a warning straight away that it is unfenced cattle country and everything roams free. The start of the Gibb River Road from the east. Juvenile and adult Gouldian Finch.
Munkajarra Wetlands is always a good location for the various duck species and you can expect to observe Plumed Whistling-Ducks , Wandering Whistling-Ducks , Pacific Black Ducks , Hardheads , Grey Teal and sometimes Radjah Shelducks and Pink-eared Ducks. Dragonflies photobombing on the right as we approach. Purple Swamphens.
You first encounter the Magpie Geese with Cattle Egret along Fiddlers Lane in the mango orchards and they are taking advantage of the shade and the fallen mangos. There are Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Intermediate Egre ts around the lagoon and the Intermediate Egrets came rather close to me as they fed. Magpie Geese.
9 beats submitted 140 checklists from 7 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, Serbia, Australia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago) during October to account for 585 species. 174 American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. 175 Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. 184 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.
In the time we spent on Culebra I saw 49 species of birds, not bad for an island outside of the wintering grounds for most neotropical migrants and only measuring eleven miles square. I spotted eight species in my time on Culebra. Of herons and egrets I only saw two species.
My birding list for November totals 15 species. Thank goodness that the rest of the beats have been busily birding,that’s what they like to do… 9 of them submitted 114 checklists via eBird and amassed 525 species from 7 (China, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, UK, Serbia and USA) countries during November.
Here we will actually stop for a full day, as there is a 10,000 acre wetland refuge, which should hold several species of gulls, White-fronted Geese and Black Brant, just to name a few. As far as my year’s list, this last weekend netted me 6 more species, putting me at 127 species.
Our brave beats have been putting themselves at risk for your vicarious listing pleasure and 10 of them submitted 151 checklists for 692 species, 2 of which made it onto the life list. Please be careful, Corvid is still out there. Marsh Grassbird and Rufous-faced Warbler come to you all the way from China and bring the life list to 4061.
They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Thus 100 species were missed by the time he woke up and noticed that eBird had reset the counters at midnight(do you guys have nothing better to do?). American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. They came home exhausted.
I pulled over, as this was only the third time I have seen this species, and found a few Australian White Ibis among them, along with Purple Swamphens. The only other time I have seen this species before was in Victoria, at the same site that I first saw Straw-necked Ibis at as it happens. After that? Another time.
This shows the top birders, by species or checklists submitted. American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis. Australian Pelican – Pelecanus conspicillatus. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Cattle Tyrant – Machetornis rixosa.
In publishing the most current thinking, eBird have become the month’s biggest contributor to the life list, expanding it by 7 brand new species and pushing it to 3774. 7 species were added to the life list in the time-honoured fashion of actually identifying the birds in the field. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis.
Due to the fact that we have recorded up to eighty species on any visit in recent weeks I will break them down into the larger species and then the smaller species next week. There are no trails as such, but you can follow in the cattle tracks along the edge of the river or the gravel tracks used by vehicles.
A visit to the nearby Camooweal Caves National Park was along a gravel road, but of fairly good quality and offered most of the same bird species and a few other species that we had not observed on the edge of the lakes. Black-winged Stilt. Nourangie Waterhole. Spotted Bowerbird.
The engaged and generous beats ( 10 of them) have shared 188 checklists during January and have accounted for 859 species from 8 countries (USA, Australia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, UK, New Zealand and Serbia. American White Pelican – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis.
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