In the early 90s, I started looking at birds (I prefer this expression, used by the late Claudia Wilds, to alternatives like “birdwatching”). I am still developing my ID skills, and I travel maybe once a year, so my list isn’t that long.
These are some of my life birds from the ABA Area:
- #178, Common Raven (Corvus corax), Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia
- #169, Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), Deception Pass State Park, Washington
- #185, Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), Bonneville Dam Visitor’s Center, Oregon
- #227, American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), Eldorado National Forest, California
- #327, Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus), Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, California
- #279, White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado
- #376, Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas), Anzalduas Park, Hidalgo County, Texas
- #342, Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), Atchafalaya Basin, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
- #401, Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus), Sax-Zim Bog, St. Louis County, Minnesota
- #404, Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca), Richard I. Bong Airport, Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin
- #433, Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), Crawford County, Michigan
- #166, Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), Muscatatuck NWR, Indiana
- #411, Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera), Oak Openings Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio
- #415, Razorbill (Alca torda), Machias Seal Island
- #418, Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum), Moosehorn NWR, Edmunds Unit, Washington County, Maine
- #363, Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), Sachuest Point NWR, Rhode Island
- #331, Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla), Adirondack Park, Paul Smiths, New York
- #414, Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris), Turkey Point, Glades Wildlife Refuge, Cumberland County, New Jersey
- #131, Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Waggoner’s Gap, Pennsylvania
- #232, Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus), Bombay Hook NWR, Delaware
- #360, Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Piney Point, St. Mary’s County, Maryland
- #157, Red-Necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena), Washington Channel, District of Columbia
- #231, Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia
- #338, Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), Oregon Inlet, North Carolina
- #106, Black-Throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens), Great Smoky Mountains NP, Tennessee
- #423, Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis), T. M. Goodwin WMA, Brevard County, Florida
- #243, Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), “Ding” Darling NWR, Florida
I remember locations of lifers sometimes better than the birds themselves. I have identified new birds that were flying across my path while I drove the back roads of Maryland, feeding in a parking lot of a power station, loafing in a downpour, hunkering down against a bitter January wind off the ocean.
I’ve just started listing lifers seen from outside the ABA Area.
- August 2019: Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), Djúpivogur, Iceland
Last updated: Thursday, 18 July 2024 15:34