Big Zigzag bird species count: 634 (+2 this week) Big Zigzag bird families count: 93 (+1 this week) Big Zigzag Lifers: 168 (+0 this week) Campsite Lifers 30 (+0 this week) Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 225 (+1 this week), AU list now 654. eBird days of checklist streak: 593. Week’s special milestones: new Order for Australia! (Phaethontiformes). All Australian
Bird(s) of the Week
New bird family for my Australian life list! (Naturealy new for Big Zigzag). Actually new order as Phaethontidae is a monotype family in Phaethontiformes. Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda) photograped during Yamba (NSW) pelagic, and seen only once before, 10 years ago in Nosy Ve, Madagascar. The 2 other family (order) members, seen only once each: Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) from Eilat, Israel north beach 20 years ago (5/2006), and White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) in Dominican Republic, 4/2017.
Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel) photographed for the first time during Yamba Pelagic. Seen in the past a few times in Tropical North Quuensland as a BZZ lifer on 8-9/2024.
Spotted Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma punctatum) added as last of the 7 Aussie Cinclosomatidae (Jewel-babblers and Quail-thrushes) this week to Big Zigzag count. Photo from 2018, Brisbane Ranges National Park, VIC.
Non-bird image(s)
Risso’s Dolphin
Clive State Forest, Spotted Quail-thrush site.
Week's Key location(s)
Yamba Pelagic
Clive State Forest – Spotted Quail-thrush site
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 78700 km (this week 500 km)