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2018 Big Year
Topic Started: Dec 27 2017, 08:05 PM (7,788 Views)
Anton
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King of Cotingas

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If there's one thing that brings all of the TRT members together, it's the love of animals. For most members this probably means an interest in zoos and animals in captivity in general, but there are a lot of members interested in observing wild animals as well.

Those that do are probably familiar with the "big year" concept: keeping track of all animals you see within a single calendar year. This can be done within a certain region (which is how the idea and name came to existence, after birders aimed to see as many species within the USA in one single year), but because we have members from all over the world we decided world listing would be more interesting.

Basically, the idea is as follows; from the 1st of January until the 31st of December, everyone who participates keeps track of the animals they see and identify, and lists them all in the order of seeing them. Every time you see a new species, you add onto that list by posting a new post in this topic. At the end of the year you can then easily compile a total list of the animals you saw that year, and keep the memories of seeing those species forever!
Of course, we'll add a little extra competition by bringing pointies into the mix. You'll be rewarded in pointies for every few animals you see, and at the end of each month the person with the most new species will be given a silhouette!

Rules:
  • Number your lists. This way it's always easy to check how many species you've seen.
  • We keep track of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. If you choose to only list the groups that interest you most, that's fine! A lot of people generally don't bother counting invertebrates.
  • Keep different lists for different classes (except with fish and invertebrates, list all different fish classes together and all different invertebrate classes together for those). Separate the lists for birds, mammals, reptiles etc. from each other.
  • Highlight the species you see for the first time ("lifers") in bold. This makes for a more interesting overview, and makes the listing of species more rewarding as you can draw more attention to the species that are more special to you!
  • We only list species, not subspecies, to prevent taxonomical debates. However, if you see a different subspecies worth mentioning, it's always interesting to include that in your post (without numbering it and putting it on the list). Hybrid animals don't count either.
  • We only list species we've seen directly, not species we've only heard. Similarly to different subspecies, it's always interesting to add the heard-only species to your post without listing them!
  • We only list actual wild species, escaped exotic species don't count unless they've become self-established (like feral pigeons everywhere, ring-necked parakeets in Europe and common starlings in North America).
  • List common names and binominal names of all species you see. Common names differ immensely per bird checklist (Clements, IOC, etc.), so to keep things clear we ask this as a requirement.
  • You are welcome to join in after January, but people starting in another month will not be counted for the first month they enter. For example, if you join in March and immediately have a list of 50+ species when most of these were seen in January and February, it'd be unfair to others that already saw the majority of their species in January, when the competition for "new" species was a lot higher.
  • You do not have to provide photographic evidence, your word is your bond. We trust our members won't lie about seeing things they didn't just to get a higher score.

Prizes:
  • On the first day of every month starting February 1st, I will be giving an overview of how many species of each category people have seen in total. I will also calculate how many species everyone gained compared to the previous month.
  • For every species you gained compared to the previous month, you will receive 5 pointies for use in the pointies store.
  • The person with the most species gained that month will receive a pointies animal.

Extra:
  • The double-posting rule will be less strict here than it is in other areas of the forum (as it's possible that you see something new before someone else has), but keep it sensible. Try not to post list updates twice in the same day if you see or identify another species later, it's easier to just edit your previous post.
  • Have fun!
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Anton
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King of Cotingas

And yet another "garden lifer!"

BIRDS:
73) Eurasian tree sparrow, Passer montanus

Probably my last addition of the month, unless other birds show up in my backyard... Stuck at home or at university until the first of February, unfortunately.

Total
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Danny
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I figured I'd post some photos of the mammals I've seen in the last few days, seeing as I won't spot any new animals today!

Firstly is this little ringtail I found at my university at 2:30 PM in the day. It was 42oC that day so the poor thing was completely dehydrated and searching for water. You would otherwise never see a possum out in the middle of the day. It was pacing between two drains and poking its snout in as it could smell the water. I went and got a water bottle to give it a drink, and found it was very approachable and so dehydrated that it didn't even move as I got close. I was even able to pour water over its fur and pat it to cool it down, as well as pick it up and move it further into the shade where I left it with a cup full of water.

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Over the last couple of days I also saw a lot of kangaroos and rabbits, as well as what might have been an Eastern Pygmy Possum (couldn't confirm as it climbed away as soon as I saw it, but it would have been a lifer).

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A group of eastern greys bounding away.

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A big male...

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... and a female.

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And a European rabbit, extremely common in Australia unfortunately.
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Posted Image Xenephos
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ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴏʙsᴇssᴇᴅ

January 23rd

Inverts:
2. Common Fruit Fly (Drosophilia melanogaster)
3. Garden Centipede (Lithobius forficatus)

Nothing fun today. Just copious amounts of annoying, tiny fruit flies. Something was smelling something fierce at work today... Not good for food service >.>
Plus it's been too cold/snowy/foggy to see anything. :C Just my centipede "friends" since they're all indoors.


All Species Seen
Edited by Xenephos, Jan 23 2018, 10:29 PM.
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Danny
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January 24, 2018

BIRDS
80 - Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
81 - Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

MAMMALS
8 - Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)


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Total
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Posted Image Xenephos
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ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴏʙsᴇssᴇᴅ

January 24th*
*It's early so I might end up editing this
Spotted a lifer on my walk up to school this morning! :D One of the few Wisconsin non-owl birds of prey I haven't seen lol

BIRDS:
15. Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

All Species Seen
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Zoo Tycooner FR
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#Lithopédion

Zoo Tycooner FR
Jan 18 2018, 01:54 PM
Aaaand I was wrong:

12 - White wagtail, Motacilla alba subpersonata
Still no birding for me but new urban additions at least :P :

13 - Laughing dove, Spilopelia senegalensis
14 - Barn swallow, Hirundo rustica
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Danny
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January 25, 2018

BIRDS
82 - Bassian Thrush (Zoothera lunulata)
83 - Satin Flycatcher (Myiagra cyanoleuca)
84 - Red-Browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops)
85 - Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)

REPTILES
4 - Spencer's Skink (Pseudemoia spenceri)

I was birding in an area near my house but picked a different walking track to what I'd normally take, and was rewarded with some new species, including the stunning rufous fantail which is common but has been evading me despite visiting areas it should be around. Also saw an echidna again, two rodent-sized mammals moving in the undergrowth that I couldn't photograph or see clearly enough to identify and a skink which I photographed but am still trying to identify. (EDIT: now been identified)

EDIT: One of the mammals I saw may have been a southern brown bandicoot, as I do know they are found in the area although quite rare. It appeared to have a bit of a nest there, so if I am right, I may be able to find it again at night some time.
Edited by Danny, Jan 25 2018, 09:53 AM.
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Orca Freak
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Killer Whales rule the World

I didn't go anywhere special, just home and work. So not much new, although I'm quite surprised it took me nearly a month to see my first feral pigeon.
I also saw a muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) but I won't count it. I only saw it after my dog caught it, so it didn't survive long :3

January 15th - 25th:

Birds:
42. Yellow-legged gull - Larus michahellis
43. Feral pigeon - Columba livia domestica

Total list

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magpiealamode
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No good hero is a one-trick phony.

Time to update my derelict list...

Birds

16. Feral rock pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
17. Canada goose (Branta canadensis)
18. Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
19. American coot (Fulica americana) (don't know how I am just now seeing one of these, they're not common in my area I guess)
20. House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
21. Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
22. Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
23. Hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
24. Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus)
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cassynatorium
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I completly forgot to do this.

~20 january~

My first early morning walk of the year.

3- roe deer (capreolus capreolus)

34- great spottend woodpecker (dendrocopos major)
35- feral pigeon (columba livia domestica)

~21 january~

36- eurasian nuthatch (sitta europaea)
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Anton
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King of Cotingas

Spent some time photographing some of the garden birds this morning!

First some tits:
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Great tit, Parus major

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Blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus

Then some finches:
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Common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs (male)

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Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla (female)

And then a blackbird:
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Common blackbird, Turdus merula (female)

:D
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Keniafan
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This week a black-throated thrush has been seen in the Netherlands, a good reason to travel for 1 hour and go see it! Exactly what I dit.

87 - Black-throated thrush (Turdus atrogularis)
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Anton
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King of Cotingas

BIRDS:
74) Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla

The amount of passerines I've seen in my garden for the first time ever this year is steadily growing and getting more and more interesting!

Total
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Danny
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On later revision of photos from my trip last weekend, I realised that among a large "flock of welcome swallows", there were also two other swallow species!

BIRDS
75 - Fairy Martin (Petrochelidon ariel)
76 - Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans)

That brings my total to 87 birds but I moved these two to the correct position.

Also, some extra photos:

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Brown Thornbill (probably my best shot of this species ever)

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Crimson Rosellas (two separate locations)

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Little Pied Cormorant

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Little Raven

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Musk Lorikeet

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Pied Currawong

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Rainbow Lorikeet

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Short-Beaked Echidna

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Spencer's Skink

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Superb Fairy-Wren (male)

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Tawny Frogmouths (same location as before, but all three in the same shot)

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White-Eared Honeyeater

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Yellow-Faced Honeyeater

Total
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Keniafan
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It seems there are no more new species to discover besides these two.

88 - Common reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
89 - White stork (Ciconia ciconia)
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