What is the latest bird you added to your life list?

[semillama]

(Ps, this is my 200th post!)

For me, it was the Barred Owl on the last xmas bird count. Before that, I added four in one trip: Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, Greater Black-backed Gull, and Snow Bunting.

[amazona]

1. I think it's Red Crossbill probably NOT rare to more northerly dwellers

Since I understand that Red Crossbill is going to be split into six (6!) different species this might make things rather interesting...

Scoters are seen in Lake Ponchartrain but I don't know which species and I have never seen them, so I envy you. Snow Bunting too would be a life bird for me. I added Greater Black-Backed Gull only last autumn, what a magnificent bird. I saw one in New Jersey catch a fish that must have been 10 or 12 inches long.

Congratulations on your Barred Owl. That is a wonderful bird with lots of personal meaning for me. I think of the Barred Owl as a classic southern bird but of course this was never really true and certainly isn't true today.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Freebird12004]

13. we have Red Crossbills a plenty in New York

[primavera]

2. Common Paraque

On a birding trip down along the Texas/Mexican border. Actually got a lot of life birds on that trip, including green kingfisher and green jay - God, what a spectacular bird!

[Maestro]

110. Green Jays are very pretty

but unfortunately, I only know this by photos. I was down in the area recently and did not see one! But at least I saw the Plain Chachalaca.

[blindpig]

3. Fernadina's Flicker

Also an endemic trogon, tody, solitare, bullfinch and others. Guess where I've been.

[amazona]

4. wow sounds like a great trip!

Was it difficult to arrange?

A friend of mine received a trip to Cuba as compensation when her trip to China was cut short by SARS. However, it was not a birding trip so she had trouble getting as many birds as she wanted.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Goldeneye]

5. I got a long tailed duck...

way back in November. I haven't been birding much since the election.

There was a snowy owl sighting today, and we went out looking for it...no success...dang it! I'd love to see a snowy owl.

[Freebird12004]

14. 3 or 4 Swowy Owls winter here

in the Hudson Valley area of New York State.

[semillama]

6. Cackling Goose

Nailed this one yesterday, about 4-6 individuals in amongst about 300 Canada Geese, couple hundred mallards and black ducks and a lone Redhead, at a local metro park.

These guys are hard to pick out in a crowd, especially when it's snowing and the geese are all constantly moving around in a small area of open water. I looked at the group for about 25 minutes until I picked them out. I saw some geese that didn't seem quite as big as the others. I compared them to some mallards they were swimming with, they were bigger. Then I looked at some Canadas that had mallards next to them, and they were two-three times bigger. That's how I identified them.

There's supposed to be an Audubon trip up to Killdeer Plains WA on sunday, where I am hoping to see some owls not on my list; however, we are supposed to get up to 6 inches of snow tomorrow. :-(

[Goldeneye]

7. During the hunting season

my dad and I caught a cackling goose that had been shot through the wing. Its mate was with it still, but she/he ran off as we approached. I felt so bad for both of them. There such pretty little birds I can't even imagine wanting to shoot one of them (It was probably a mistake, seeing that its hard to judge their size from a distance). We got the little guy to an wildlife rehab center and the lady there cleaned him up, but obviously his wing wasn't going to work anymore. From what I've heard she has other small geese and he's doing ok now.

[Minimus]

8. Northern Flicker yellow shafted male

[LuLu550]

9. I was lucky to see a number

of Europpean birds on my trip to Italy a couple of years ago. Haven't really added anything lately from North American. My personal "Holy Grail" is a puffin...one of these days I'll take a boat trip out there and see me one!

[semillama]

10. Rough-legged hawk and Short-Eared Owl

saw these at The Wilds, a wildlife conservation park in eastern Ohio. Pretty awesome place.

We were aiming for the rarities there, a Golden Eagle and a Prairie Falcon (which would have also been a life bird). They didn't show, but I did see 45 Rough-legged hawks, 15 Red-Tailed Hawks, 10 kestrels, 7 harriers, 4 tundra swans and about 400 canada geese, plus assorted songbirds.

The short-eared owls were the highlight. got GREAT views of a group of five getting ready to roost for the day. They were flying and perching in some stubby pines right next to the road. One of the best birding experiences I've had in a while.

[OnionPatch]

11. Gambil's Quail

The California quail, which looks very similar and the mountain quail live near our house so we see them a lot, but I hadn't seen a Gambil's quail until we made a trip to Arizona a few months back. I also added a Curve-billed thrasher to my list on that trip.

I don't get to get out birding as much as I used to. I have a toddler and we're remodeling our house--ourselves, no contractors! (Maybe I should scoot over to the home-improvement forum!)I'm planning a trip to a local preserve (Big Morongo) soon, though. It's supposed to have great potential during migration.

[Freebird12004]

12. Happy 200th

A "white" phase Gyrfalcon

[semillama]

15. Where'd you see it? EOM

[Freebird12004]

16. just west of Catskill, New York

[oldcoot]

17. Wood Stork at Sebastian Inlet State Park

I saw my first Wood Stork at Sebastian Inlet State Park in Florida last Thanksgiving. I also saw a Parasitic Jaeger at Lake Mead (Nevada) last Fall.

[semillama]

18. Two this weekend that had been eluding me for a while

I spotted a solitary snow goose in with a few hundred Canada Geese at kildeer plains WA in north-central Ohio on Saturday, and then yesterday I finally got a Great Horned Owl, my birding nemesis, sitting on a nest right alongside a busy road in Columbus.

[XemaSab]

19. Got a major nemesis

2 weeks ago: Great Gray Owl. I spent almost every weekend last summer owling in vain. (There was one reported consistently about 15 miles up the road, and one HIT BY A CAR about 10 miles up the road from my house).

Late last month I went to Texas for the first time and added 39 more to my life list, which makes a smug 40 for the last 30 days... incredible, considering I had a mere 25 lifers since June of 2002 (gleaned on trips to Southern California, the East Coast, and Arizona).

[semillama]

20. Congrats!

Going somewhere new and seeing lots of life birds is always a great experience.

I've been looking ahead to the two trips out of state this summer and checking to see what birding opportunities there are - St. Louis and northeast Massachussetts. I was just out in Massachussetts but unfortunately did not have the time to do more than feeder watch.

I expect I'll be posting later this year for any suggestions on birding spots in those areas...

[XemaSab]

27. You have to check out

the Tree Sparrows in Missouri.

Introduced birds, but they're a Missouri endemic.

http://levee.wustl.edu/~rlk/wgnss/ets/

[dbackjon]

62. Not quite just a Missouri endemic :)

Parents have them coming to their feeders in Central Illinois - they will be reaching Peoria soon (getting within 25 miles now).

[vireo]

25. Great Gray Owl

I'm not much of a chaser, but was tempted when I heard the reports of the GGO invasion up north. I decided to wait, however, and eventually the mountain came to Mohammed, with several owls appearing in my part of the state earlier this month. Sadly, one collided with a car, but is being rehabilitated.

The one I observed has been banded and named ("Wilson") by the kids at the farm where it has taken up residency. "Paddy" might have been a more appropriate name, as it was banded on Mar. 17. Perhaps it was named in honor of Alexander Wilson (doubtful).

[Blue in a Red State]

21. Golden-Cheeked Warbler

Both male and female in our backyard (we live on wooded acreage with lots of Cedar trees) last summer over the course of a few weeks. What a treat!


Alyssa, my Balinese princess from the shelter

[vajraroshana]

22. I'm a beginner and just added cedar waxwing

I only started watching a couple of years ago and I've been wanting to see these guys.

Well last Friday and Saturday a flock of about 40 came to my backyard and feasted on cherry laurel berries.

They were really beautiful! I was able to sit just a few feet away.

[vireo]

24. There might be no such thing as a solitary Cedar Wawing

[DemBones DemBones]

26. So true! I remember when we lived in north Florida that

clouds of cedar waxwings would descend on a large cherry laurel on the northern side of our house.

[semillama]

23. Varied Thrush

it's been visiting a feeder in Carrolton, Ohio for the last few weeks. The woman who's been feeding has been awesome in letting birders visit her farm to see this rarity to Ohio. Kudos to her!

What a Varied Thrush is doing in Ohio, I don't know, but I thank it for coming here, saving me a trip out to the Pacific Northwest to try for it!

[semillama]

28. Eared Grebe

On a small pond in one of our metroparks (same pond also gave me my life King Rail and Black Tern last year!)

[alfredo]

29. Black and White Warbler

But my best was the Ruby Crowned Kinglet. They are real small and very shy.

[jpak]

30. Emperor Penguin :)

n/t

[semillama]

31. been away for a bit, but here's my latest

I've been out on a field project for the last couple of months, which is why I haven't posted in a while.

So, I thought I would list my productive May list of life birds to get back into it:

Summer Tanager
Common Moorhen
Wood Thrush (a nemesis bird until this spring, and now they're everywhere)
Palm Warbler
Lincoln's Sparrow
Warbling Vireo
Whippoorwhil (absurdedly great views at Magee Marsh in Ohio)
Northern Parula
Blue-Winged Warbler
Orchard Oriole
Forster's Tern
Common Tern
Semipalmated Plover
Golden Plover
Kentucky Warbler
Black-Bellied Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow (another nemesis)
Northern Waterthrush
Acadian Flycatcher

May was really good. I added 64 species to my year list. and made my first trip to Magee Marsh and Metzger Marsh up on the Lake Erie shore, and nailed 12 life birds in one day and had my first over 80 species day.

[XemaSab]

32. Cali Gnat and Gray Vireo

bombed down to san diego last weekend... started with zero for the county, walked away yesterday with 105 and two liferz.

*not too shabby*

[Goldeneye]

33. Summer Tanager about a week ago.

[semillama]

34. Willow Flycatcher

ok, I have probably seen it before, but this was the first time I saw one that was also singing to confirm it.

Also saw my first Great Crested Flycatcher of the year as well yesterday.

[semillama]

35. five new ones from a couple weeks ago

Went to Clear Creek Metro Park south of Lancaster, Ohio. First time there. Pretty neat place, in the western foothills of the Appalachians. There are microclimates in the hollows there that are more typical of Canada than southern Ohio, so we get some breeding birds there that should be all up north, such as Hermit Thrush.

My lifers on that trip were:
Louisiana Waterthrush
Cerulean Warbler (a nemesis!)
Worm-Eating Warbler
White-Eyed Vireo
Canada Warbler

[kestrel91316]

36. Nuttall's Woodpecker in my suburban fig tree a couple

of weeks ago...........we are a mile or so from oak/chapparal scrub.


My favorites are my Black Phoebes and my Scrub jays (such intelligent birds).

[semillama]

37. Blue Grosbeak and Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

The Blue Grosbeak was one I was aiming for, travelled an hour out of town to get.

The cuckoo, which has been a nemisis bird for the last couple of years, I got by accident. I was scoping shorebirds at a local resevoir and heard this rush of wings in front of me, and looked up to see a medium-sized brown bird with a long tail fly up into a nearby tree. First I thought "brown thrasher" but realized immediately the color was wrong, and I excitedly brought up my binoculars and there was the cuckoo - a great view!

I have another avids trip this saturday for early migrants along Lake Erie. I tend to grab at least one life bird per avid trip it seems. That trip should also put me over 200 species seen for the year (at 198 now).

[semillama]

38. just added three:

Hudsonian Godwit, Piping Plover, and Baird's Sandpiper.

[semillama]

39. Spotted Towhee

One showed up at the feeder of a local Audubon Club member in my home town, just in time for my holiday visit. Since my home town is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that was pretty astounding! It also capped my year list at number 246.

[XemaSab]

40. For 2005???

That's not a shabby year list total at all!

You should come out west! I think our group had about 40 of them yesterday for the CBC. I've got them in the yard. :P

[semillama]

41. I dream about coming out west, but it probably will have to wait

until after I get married or there's a conference out there I can go to.

meanwhile, Puerto Rico is coming up for me...

The UP has had some weird birds this year. Besides the towhee, a Short-Tailed Hawk was photographed at Whitefish Point, basically on the exact opposite side of the continent from where it should be.

Locally, someone just observed a Tree Swallow, tieing the late record for the species. now there's a lost bird!

[greendog]

42. Snowy Owl

I saw three of them this morning.

[Reciprocity]

43. These little birds were just passing through my woods..

in deep East Texas last month.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets


Ruby-crowned Kinglets are one of our smallest birds, measuring only 4.25 inches and weighing about one-quarter of an ounce. For their size, they lay one of the largest clutches of eggs of any North American songbird, averaging nearly 8 eggs per clutch, with as many as 12 eggs recorded in a single nest.

[alfredo]

224. Good catch. I've seen one.

BTW, your images didn't come through.

[semillama]

44. Snowy Owl and Iceland Gull

today in Cleveland.

I froze my ass off to get them, but it was worth it. The owl was at the lakefront airport, and the gull (a Kumlien's subtype) was with a mass of bonaparte's, ring-bells, herring, great and lesser black backed, and a single Glaucous at the power plant at E. 72 street.

[XemaSab]

45. Congratulations!!!

I had my second ever tufted duck day.

:toast:

[semillama]

46. Eurasian Widgeon!

Number 289.

Also got my year list up over 100 today.

[greendog]

47. Tundra Swan, Snow Geese, Pintail Duck

I went over to Freezeout Lake (by Choteau) for the spring migration. The geese are running late this year so I saw tens of thousand rather than the hundreds of thousands that will be there this weekend.

Unfortunately, I cant afford to make the trip twice this month. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back there in early May for the shorebird migration.

[OnionPatch]

48. Well, it was the Gambel's quail, but now

it's the black-shouldered kite. My husband and I saw one hovering around our place last week several times. Very pretty bird. So maybe I'm cheating for posting twice on this thread, but this post is living a long life! :)

[mtnester]

49. Green Heron and Wood ducks

Green Heron eating tadpoles by the mouthful 3 days ago. It was not shy AT ALL. I was delighted for more than hour! And very close too.

Male and female pair of Wood ducks floating nearby.

Also spotted a female belted kingfisher later that day. Have seen many males over the years, but this was a first on the female for me.

(In central Ohio FYI)

[XemaSab]

50. Skylark!

:bounce:

[blindpig]

51. Northern Parula Warbler

Had a few hanging around the house this week.

Jesus, 52 years old and I finally get a Northern Parula! Better late than never.

[wildflowergardener]

52. Yellow Rumped Warbler

Though I have never been good at keeping a list though I've started it several times - that's one I know I've never seen. I have been doing project feederwatch the last three years and it's usually the same birds - but it's exciting to see new ones.

Previous new ones that I rarely see are Brown Creeper, Baltimore Orioles, Cedar Waxwings (a whole flock of them migrating one day that I never saw again) Indigo Buntings while biking.

I put in a pond several years ago so I get to see some interesting birds that I think would never come to a feeder.

Meg

[semillama]

53. Good to put in the pond

Do you have running water? one thing to do is to build a little rock-lined channel leading to the pond, with a water tap at the head. the running water will attract even more types of birds. And if you haven't already, put in as much native plant species in your yard as you can and create different levels of cover - you'll get a big jump in bird variety.

my latest life birds (not counting Puerto Rico - see my other thread for that): Blue-headed Vireo and Black-billed Cuckoo.

Anyone else have this happen? You keep missing a certain bird, such as the Blue-headed Vireo, but you finally see it, and then you see it everywhere? I got my first blue-headed vireo on saturday, and the two places I birded sunday both had them as well, out in the open and obvious.

[wildflowergardener]

54. yes I do

Yes I do have a stream/waterfall going to the pond. Also sometimes the birds sit on the frog spitter sitting on the pond and drink out of it like a drinking fountain.

Meg

[blindpig]

55. You find the search pattern.

I've had that happen many times, with both birds and herps. Once you've seen it you know what to look for and where to look. I think this is what Simon Barnes, in his How to be a (Bad) Birdwatcher referred to as "jizz". I'm certainly a bad birdwatcher.

Congrats on your Puerto Rican trip. Ain't that fun?

[Theres-a]

56. Rufous sided Towhee

Looked it up in my book,to be sure.It was pretty friendly,too.i don't know what it might like to eat,it seemed to just be checking out the ground and wouldn't come to the feeders.

[greendog]

57. Peregrine Falcon

~

[XemaSab]

58. Flammulated Owl!

For 584 :bounce:

I'm at 395 for the state, too :bounce: :bounce:

[semillama]

59. Nice one!

I haven't added any lately, been focused on atlasing and the year list.

I'm at 327 for my life list, and around 225 for the year. Pretty good year so far, but I have a few "gimmes" that I've managed to completely miss - Green-winged Teal stands way out! How'd I miss that? But that's what fall migration is for.

[XemaSab]

60. I can't wait for shorebird migration

For the first time in 2 years I am living somewhere with good migrant traps, and boy oh boy, am I gonna chase some rarities (and find some rarities) this fall and winter. I want to get to 600 this year, and I should add about 5 on my trip to Arizona this August, but that leaves 11 more to "get".

I'm really not sure where they're going to come from. :shrug:

[semillama]

61. Chase rarities!

If you only have 11, that's the solution.

For example, if you lived in Ohio, you'd be dropping everything to go scan the Akron-area reservoirs for the Anhinga that was spotted...

[dbackjon]

63. California Quail

Right outside my sister's back porch in Olympia Washington in June.

Also saw the "Western" Warbling Vireo at Nisqually NWR - saving that one for the future split.....

[XemaSab]

64. Not a life bird,

but today I had Reddish Egret for my state list (which now stands at 396).

[TaleWgnDg]

65. Whadda ya know . . . early this morning . . .

I had cranked open one of the Pella windows in the shower area of my Massachusetts home north of Boston along the ocean, and wouldn't you know it?!! I heard some rustling sounds, soft rustling sounds, then saw a flash of bright yellow and soft orangey color flash around the Rose of Sharon tree outside the bathroom shower window. Without my glasses, I'd guess it was a female yellow warbler or a female Prothonotary Warbler.





Prothonotary Warbler, female


What birder would have guessed that eyeglasses are necessary in the shower to correctly ID birds? Eh.

.

[XemaSab]

66. Given the range, probably a yellow

(Unless you've seen PROW before around your house).

[TaleWgnDg]

67. I agree re a Yellow Warbler. And, it's since been confirmed. n/t

[semillama]

68. Olive-Sided Flycatcher

last week in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Thought it was a Great Crested at first from the view I had - sort of backlit - but I slowly rolled the car past it's perch and got a much better look. Pretty cool-been a while since my last lifer in Michigan!

[dbackjon]

71. Finally got my life Olive-sided Flycatcher

Two weeks ago in Nashville. Kept missing them!

[semillama]

69. Buff-breasted sandpiper

Saw three on Saturday at a little wetland tucked back out of the way in one of Columbus' metroparks. Apparently, a RUFF appeared the day after - curses!!!

Also a bunch of Common Moorhens - they bred there this summer. pretty good shorebird spot.

[semillama]

70. Sparrows!

Thanks to the help of a great Amish birder, I added Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow AND Leconte's Sparrow to my life list on saturday. I also got Barn Owl, thanks to a different Amish man.

The sparrows were in a wet fallow field, and we got FANTASTIC looks at them. Several great looks at the Sharp-tailed Sparrows - one even perched up ona fence post for all to see. I stood in ankle deep water and soaked my feet to see the Leconte's, but it was worth it. I was within ten feet of the bird and got great looks, saw all the field marks. Our group delivered a big box of pastries to the Amish farmer who owned the land as thanks (and incentive to preserve the habitat!). The Leconte's was probably a record for the county.

The Barn Owls were at a different farm. The Amish farmer kindly shoveled a path through the manure in his barn and put down sawdust for us. The owls were perched up in his silo - you had to stick your head in and twist around to look straight up at the pair, who were looking straight down at us. Glad one of them didn't decide to expell a pellet at that time! The Amish farmer was really proud of his owls - he put up a box for them about 15 years ago and has had owls for the last 12 years. Our group was talking afterwards, and one guy said that the Amish farmers get really proud about the birds on their farms, bragging about the brood size of their owls and the numbers of swallow nests in their barns.

All in all, a GREAT day of birding!

[semillama]

72. I forgot to mention who else I was birding with

Greg Miller, of The Big Year. The sharp-tailed and the leconte's were Ohio state birds for him. It was really exciting.

[XemaSab]

73. Fulvous Whistling Duck

591 baby.... 591.

[greendog]

74. Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon, Pied-billed Grebe

[semillama]

75. Gorgeous birds, eh?

Warblers are great, but sometimes I think you just can't beat a male duck in full breeding plumage for avian beuaty.

I'm up to 333 species now on my life list.

[greendog]

76. Yeah...

...these guys were in a little group that included buffleheads and and pintails.

Just a couple weeks ago this reservoir was dominated by American White Pelicans and Western Grebes. Now, they're gone and new birds are moving through. I love the changing seasons.

Congrats on the 333. Sometime I'll have to sit down and figure out how many birds are on "my list". I'm sure it's nowhere near 333. I've only started paying attention to birds since moving to Montana 4 years ago. I'm doing pretty well with the raptors and waterfowl but I need to spend more time looking for some of the others.

[XemaSab]

77. Hooded Mergansers are MIND BENDING

:bounce:

[Theres-a]

93. I saw my first one!

2 days ago.WOW.

[XemaSab]

78. Ross' Gull

[XemaSab]

79. Oops... premature post here! Chestnut Collared Longspur about

an hour later 2 miles from my house. :D

[semillama]

80. Parasitic Jaeger!

At Headlands Beach State Park, Ohio, on Saturday.

[dpbrown]

81. You're above 1000 posts now!

Nice work!

[semillama]

82. Lapland Longspur

Finally! I've been trying at this bird in the one spot that is supposed to be the hot spot here in Ohio for the last couple years, and last sunday was the day - had a mixed flock of Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs in a low wet (frozen) spot in a plowed field. Got some pretty decent looks.

[semillama]

83. King Eider in Ohio

Had a 1st-year male King Eider in with a flock of White-Winged and Surf Scoters up east of Cleveland on Saturday. Also got my state Purple Sandpiper and Western Tanager this weekend.

[semillama]

84. Red-Necked Grebe and Common Eider

At Parker River Wildlife Refuge outside of Newburyport, Mass. Huge flocks of Common Eiders - spectacular birds!

[eleny]

85. First time - we saw a Spotted Towhee feeding in our yard yesterday

Pics of two Towhees are here about mid page. http://www.dereila.ca/dereilaimages/Birds1.html

We're just west of Denver.

[semillama]

86. Thayer's Gull

Had a great day for waterfowl at Lake Erie on Saturday. Lots of ice so birds were concentrated at the power plants with hot water discharges. Had a juvenile Thayer's Gull at Avon Lake Power Plant, along with hundreds of ducks, including Common Goldeneye, Common and Red-Breasted Mergansers, Buffleheads, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Canvasback, Redhead, White-winged Scoter and Surf Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Mallard, and Black Duck. We also had Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Herring, Ring-billed and Greater Black-Backed Gulls, Pied-billed and Horned Grebe, American Coot, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon. That was all at the same spot!

[XemaSab]

87. I will honestly say

I have seen Thayer's about mmmm... 6 times, and I wouldn't know a Thayer's from a hole in the ground. :P

[semillama]

88. I got some seriously good views of it

plus we had a copy of Gulls of North America, Europe and Asia for reference. As well as very experienced birders who could tell you exactly what made it a Thayer's Gull vs. Iceland and why, and point out the marks so everyone could see them. It was pretty cool.

I'm going to try for Long-eared Owl this weekend.

[XemaSab]

89. I need Iceland in a bad way

I hate to brag, but I only need a few more gulls. Iceland, Slaty-backed, Ivory and Yellow-legged are the only regularly occuring gulls I haven't had. Yes, I've had Red-legged Kittiwake and Ross', and no, I haven't been to Alaska. :D

[semillama]

90. I need four for Ohio

Black-legged Kittiwake, Little Gull (a true nemesis, I've been on TWO trips where one was seen by everyone but me), Franklin's Gull, and Sabine's Gull. All but the last one I should be able to get this year if I try.

[XemaSab]

91. Looking at the California checklist, I am realizing to my shock

That I am doing really well for the state, as far as gulls go.

Laughing Gull Larus atricilla
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan
Little Gull Larus minutus - *
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus - *P
Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia
Heermann's Gull Larus heermanni
Belcher’s Gull Larus belcheri - *PV
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris - *
Mew Gull Larus canus
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
California Gull Larus californicus
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri
Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides - *P
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus - *PV
Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus - *P
Yellow-footed Gull Larus livens
Western Gull Larus occidentalis
Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
Sabine's Gull Xema sabini
Swallow-tailed Gull Creagrus furcatus - *P
Ross' Gull Rhodostethia rosea
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
Red-legged Kittiwake Rissa brevirostris - *
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea - *P

Bold faced birds are birds I haven't seen in the state (or on my life list, for that matter), and obviously most of the birds I haven't seen are total freakish rarities. Good times.

[semillama]

92. Got it! #341-Long-Eared Owl

I tromped across icy and wet fields, managed to brachiate across a stream without getting my feet wet, and headed to what is known as "the other owl grove" at Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area in NW Ohio. voila! A group of five Long Eared Owls staring at me. I had to wonder if part of their reputation for being disturbed by humans is due to how cross they look.

[XemaSab]

94. Congratulations!

:D

[semillama]

95. #342, Harris's Sparrow

Got this guy hanging out with a flock of White-Crowned Sparrows at an Amish farm in Holmes County, Ohio. I was visitor #391 to see the bird.

[vireo]

96. Anyone going to try for this one?

Bird watchers are flocking to a state park in the southeastern United States to view a species discovered for the first time on U.S. soil. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports that experts believe the Loggerhead Kingbird may have arrived from Cuba.

<snip>

At the Fort Zachary Taylor state park, the sighting has increased visitor activity, drawing bird watchers from more than 20 U.S. states. Park manager Mark Knapke says most can only speculate at how it arrived in Florida.

"We're only 90 miles from Cuba," said Mark Knapke. "Some of the birders have told me it's kind of a tenacious little bird, a blue jay attitude. And it may have just been sitting along the shore of Cuba and said, 'hey, I wonder what's over there,' and headed across the seas."

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-03-14-voa90.cfm

[semillama]

97. I know a guy who did.

He's one of those guys who lpulled off a 700+ big year.

I've already seen it in Puerto Rico, and although I'd love to go to Florida to bird, There are some many places I can go and rack up dozens of life birds.

[semillama]

98. #343 -Fish Crow!

This lifer came literally out of the blue for me, a serendipitous life bird. I got it this weekend while at the dog park at Piedmont Park in Atlanta - I heard a weird call and looked up to see four crows flying overhead, nasally calling out "ca-cah! ca-cah! ca-cah!" It took me a second to realize what I was hearing, but there you have it. Sometimes you have to go out of your way to add to your life list, sometimes they come to you!

I also added to my year list at Piedmont Park: Gray catbird, great crested flycatcher, broad-winged hawk, and pine warbler.

[semillama]

99. Numbers 344 and 345

Black-Necked Stilt and Tricolored Heron! I went with some friends to see the stilt, which just showed up at a state park north of Cincinnati, and while we were waiting for it to show up, another birder told us he thought he had a Tricolored Heron, and sure enough, there it was! I also added a bunch of birds to the year list on Saturday as well - Savannah Sparrow, Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Yellow-Throated Warbler, Barred Owl, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Sora, Virginia Rail, and probably a couple others I'm forgetting. All in all, a great day birding with great looks at great birds.

[semillama]

100. #346-Yellow-Throated Vireo

Had a great day birding down in southern Ohio, added over 30 birds to the year list and personally saw or heard 18 species of warblers, and 71 species total. Our group had 23 species of warbler total - two people got to see a Golden-winged Warbler (not me!).

Other highlights of that trip include: American Bittern, Purple Martin, Cerulean Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Golden-winged Warbler, Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Broad-winged Hawk.

[semillama]

101. Numbers 348, 349, 350!

Went out for International Migratory Bird Day, and hit the birding hotspot of the Midwest, the Lake Erie Marshes (Magee Marsh, Metzger Marsh, Ottawa NWR). I had a great day birding, nailed three lifers and a new bird for Ohio, as well as having my first "century day" (over 100 species observed) and knocked my year list over 200. I'm also at 273 for Ohio birds.

The highlights of the day were the life birds: #348- Mourning Warbler, #349-Glossy Ibis, #350-Sedge Wren; plus the new state bird with Yellow-Headed Blackbird. I had astoundingly good looks at the Sedge Wren, as well as many other species.

I had 21 species of warblers: Hooded, Ovenbird, Mourning, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, Black-and-white, Magnolia, Palm, Cape May, Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Canada, Wilson's, and American Redstart. Other highlights included Sora, Virginia Rail, Snowy Egret, Laughing Gull, Black Tern, Philadelphia Vireo, American Golden-plover, Black-bellied Plover, and Semipalmated Plover.

All in all, a very good day!

[AllegroRondo]

102. #51 Eurasian Tree Sparrow

thanks for the help in IDing him!

[XemaSab]

103. Horned Puffin

:D

[AllegroRondo]

104. Red bellied woodpecker

:woohoo:

[AllegroRondo]

105. Great Egret

thought it was a Blue Heron (pretty common around here) until I got closer and saw it was pure white. Its amazing to see something that big fly.

[semillama]

106. Here's the latest for me:

353: Black Guillemot
354: Atlantic Puffin
355: Razorbill
356: Common Murre
357: Arctic Tern
358: Greater Shearwater
359: Northern Fulmar
360: Sooty Shearwater
361: Wilson's Storm-petrel

[semillama]

107. #362-Mississippi Kite n/t

[Maestro]

108. White Faced Ibis and

Little Blue Heron.

[Maestro]

109. Ahinga

both male and female.

[semillama]

111. #363-Lark Sparrow

At the south end of Columbus, Ohio, in a weedy vacant lot - pretty rare find! I can't take credit for the first spot, though. Still, saved me a trip up to the Oak Openings region to get the bird.

[AllegroRondo]

112. Green Heron

:woohoo:

[kestrel91316]

113. Orange Bishop. An African weaver bird found in the Caribbean.

Somehow we have them occasionally at the Sepulveda Basin along the LA River.........rumor is, there is a small breeding population along the Santa Ana River.......

Also Pied-billed Grebe.

I don't get out birding much, but that will change. I need to start making a bigger dent in the LA County list.......

[kestrel91316]

114. This weekend: Black-crowned Night Heron (juv.) and N. Rough-backed Swallow.

I broke 75 on my life list! LOL I am pretty new at listing. I have seen and NOT definitevely identified MANY MANY more birds in my years hiking and camping and traveling, but those don't count. I DO count the Bald Eagle my dad pointed out to me when we were camping in UT in 1971.

[ironflange]

115. I'm not much of a birder, but. . .

I'm always on the lookout for something new and/or interesting. This past afternoon, I spotted a little yellow bird hopping around in our Evans cherry tree, and looked it up. A Wilson's warbler, who was actually a little out of his range. Cute little guy, hung around the yard for the rest of the day. I live in a newer area, and we've made a real effort to landscape the place to make the birds and bugs feel welcome. I guess this shows it's working, we have plenty of birds come to visit, and swarms of dragonflies this year (so no mosquitoes).

edit: Yeah, not a big birder, but I have seen a whooping crane, at Xmas time in Texas.

[tigereye]

116. orange crowned warbler, pelagic cormorant, glaucous gull and Western gull

on our recent trip to California.

Also California Gull, ringed billed gull and what seemed to be Herrmann's gull.

[semillama]

117. #364 - Red Phalarope

I bagged number 364 yesterday morning at the local shorebird hotspot, Hoover Reservoir in Delaware County, Ohio. At first, I thought it was an immature Red-necked Phalarope, like the one I had seen a week or so ago at the same location. But after going home and looking through photos of both species, and then hearing that other birders had identified a Red Phalarope in the exact same location that day, I came to the conclusion that it was in face a Red Phalarope I saw! What I find sort of funny is that I haven't seen the most common phalarope for Ohio yet this year - Wilson's.

[XemaSab]

118. Arctic Warbler

And just to rub it in, I also had California Condor (#8) today.

Yes, it WAS that good. :D

[XemaSab]

119. Yellow Wagtail

:)

[XemaSab]

120. Buff-breasted Sandpiper

#619.

Oh yeah. B-)

[semillama]

121. Did you get all of these in one spot!??

I didn't even get a warbler yesterday, and the most interesting of the twelve shorebirds I saw were the five semipalmated plovers!

[XemaSab]

122. One spot = North America

:D

I've been chasing lately, as you can no doubt tell. :)

[vireo]

123. Green-breasted Mango

I don't often chase rarities, but this one is just 12 miles from my workplace and was too good to resist. There was some speculation as to exact species but is most likely a Green-breasted.

Awesome hummer!

http://bwfov.typepad.com/birders_world_field_of_vi/2007/09/green-breasted-.html

[XemaSab]

124. SUWEEEEEEET!!!!!

I saw the report on that bird!

Good for you for going to get it! :woohoo:

[vireo]

125. Come on and check it out!

The weather looks uneventful through the weekend, so hopefully the bird will stick around.

[XemaSab]

126. It's a little out of the way for me...

I'm in Southern California. :)

[vireo]

128. Mango has been captured!

MILWAUKEE — A Mexican hummingbird wandering far from home has been saved from a Wisconsin winter.

The green-breasted mango was caught Monday and delivered to the Wisconsin Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Milwaukee. It will be sent to a perching bird house in the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago.

http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2007/11/08/wi/01wi1108.txt

[vireo]

129. More

http://bwfov.typepad.com/birders_world_field_of_vi/2007/11/mango-up-close.html

[semillama]

127. #365-Orange-crowned Warbler

At last, a nemesis bird no longer! I got this guy on my birding excursion to the Lake Erie shore on Saturday. Other birds of note included Sedge Wren and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

I also spotted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that landed on a radio antenna tower and apparently was foraging. For what, I have no clue.

[Theres-a]

130. Stellar Jay

While on vacation in Northwestern Montana.Gorgeous, large bird with a lot of blue. The local told me they're loud and a bit of a nuisance at the feeders.I thought they were gorgeous.

We also saw an osprey nest with 2 in it.

And while I have seen them a million times,seeing a hummingbird feed on some red paintbrush wildflowers in Glacier Park is a memory I will cherish as long as I live.

[AllegroRondo]

131. Barred Owl

spotted him sitting on a fencepost on the way to work this morning, and I had to stop the car and get a good look at him. Good thing I keep binoculars in the car.

[vireo]

132. A pair was calling near my house Sunday afternoon

I don't hear them very often anymore, especially during the daytime.

[AllegroRondo]

133. Dark-eyed Junco

Showed up at the backyard feeder yesterday.

[AllegroRondo]

134. White-throated Sparrow

I refilled the feeders on Thanksgiving morning, and he showed up.

[semillama]

135. #366: Ash-throated Flycatcher

Even better than adding this bird to my life-list, was adding it in MASSACHUSETTS.

I'll post some pics later when I get them uploaded. Another bonus was that it was only 15 miles away from my in-laws' house.

[XemaSab]

136. Late in the year for that one...

Cool beans. :)

[semillama]

137. but right on time for an out of range migrant! n/t

[semillama]

138. A correction and an addition

First the correction:

I recently realized that the Trumpeter Swan on my life list is not considered countable in Ohio, as it is an introduced species that has not had enough time to be considered an established species. So, I had to take it off the list, although it should be easy enough to get back on with a summer trip to Seney NWR in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where they breed as an established population and are countable.

But I did happen to add a life bird on Saturday, so (once again) number 366: Black-legged Kittiwake!

Since I just joined ABA, it also happens to be my ABA list number 323. It was also number 253 for my Ohio Year list, and 285 on my state list.

I also managed to photograph it, which is always fun with life birds:

[AllegroRondo]

139. I spotted some Trumpter Swans in Michigan this summer

near Petoski, which is just east of Traverse City.

[semillama]

140. #367: Gyrfalcon!

I was lucky to see this one. A gyrfalcon had been reported hanging out in Marquette, Michigan. It just so happened that the wife and I would be going to Marquette to see some friends and stay overnight before heading back to Ohio after christmas. I pleaded with her to let me stop and try for the bird - she almost didn't let me, but relented since I told her it was on the way (actually a little out of the way, but what's a little fib when you're after a Gyrfalcon...).

So, I scanned the harbor walls when we got to the spot but didn't see it, and the light was failing. Then I noticed something sitting out on the dock in front of me. From where I was standing, there was a flagpole partially obscuring the bird, but it looked like a falcon. So I stomped through the foot of snow until I had a better vantage point, and there it was. a dark phase bird, sitting on a picnic table on the dock. I'm very glad it was, because it allowed me to get a good sense of how big it was. I figured it was a good 24 inches in length. And I got a look at the face and saw all-dark cheeks. The tail also extended well out beyond the tips of the wings. That's a Gyrfalcon!

[XemaSab]

141. Suweet!

Congratulations! :D

[Maestro]

142. Now that is cool!

Compared to yours my American Goldfinch and black crested titmouse as lifers really pale. Hey, but I am happy with them. I would love to see and especially photograph a gryfalcon one day.

[semillama]

143. Color me embarrased and strike this one off the list

Ok, I guess I was a little excited to add this one. I do suppose it takes number one in my list of misidentified birds.

I just got an email from a local birder who had seen a falcon in the same location, and was suspicious that it wasn't moving. They returned in broad daylight and saw it in the same exact location, and had a scope with them. This revealed the falcon to be a FREAKING DECOY -intended to scare off pigeons.

In my paltry defense, I was looking for a falcon and a stationary bird right before nightfall didn't set off any alarms - I figured it was roosting. I only had five minutes and no scope, so I suppose if I could have stayed longer, I may have become suspicious as well. I was also expecting to see a falcon where one had been reported with regularity, and there was one - just wasn't a real bird. Lesson learned, I guess, but I'd still like to have a few choice words with the dock owner...

[Maestro]

144. Tufted titmouse from the Texas Hill Country

:woohoo:

[semillama]

145. 10 birds to the list, plus an ABA addition, from Albuquerque area

I spent the last week at a conference in Albuquerque. Got to do a limited amount of birding, and added the following species:

Chihuahuan Raven (A big surprise, I wasn't expecting to ID this species while out there at all - but I saw a slightly smaller raven being chased by 3 Commons, after the food the smaller bird was carrying. While dodging the other ravens, the wind blew up the neck feathers, revealing the white bases. Score!)
Juniper Titmouse
Mountain Chickadee
Red-naped Sapsucker
Stellar's Jay
Cassin's Finch
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch
Black Rosy-finch
Brown-capped Rosy-finch
Pygmy Nuthatch

The ABA bird was Canyon Towhee (my lifer was from Mexico).

There were huge flocks of White-Crowned Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos about too, and I saw the black-lored race of White-Crowned Sparrow and the pink-sided, oregon, and gray-headed races of juncos.

[AllegroRondo]

146. Ruby Crowned Kinglet

spotted him yesterday morning. I was just watching the usual gang of birds on the backyard feeders, when this little guy flew up on the gas grill next to the window. the cat tried to jump through the glass at him, and scared him off.

[semillama]

147. Sharp-tailed Grouse, Gray Jay, and Boreal Chickadee

I added these three birds on the group expedition to the Sault Ste. Marie area this past weekend.

Here they are:

#377/ABA 335


#378/ABA 336


#379/ABA 337

[semillama]

148. Little Gull, Niagara Falls

Finally ticked this one off. Little Gull has been for me one of those birds I've just always barely missed. Now I expect I'll see them all the time - that seems to be the way it happens for me.

[semillama]

149. Hoary Redpoll!!!!

I added Hoary Redpoll to the list on Saturday. It's number 381 on the world life list, 339 on my ABA list, and 286 for Ohio.



Check out the details at http://semipalmatedllama.blogspot.com

[Inchworm]

150. Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

At first I thought it was a Hairy Woodpecker then I got to looking and its colors were screwy. The red was under his chin. We had a bunch of trees felled behind my house, and I guess it was just passing through.

:hi:

[vireo]

151. I thought I was hearing a Sapsucker yesterday

But it turned out to be a Red-Shouldered Hawk--new for my yard list, which doesn't happen very often anymore.

[AllegroRondo]

152. Eastern Towhee

yes, fairly common, but new for me!

[semillama]

153. #382: Least Flycatcher!

This was one of my two big Ohio target birds for this year -the other is Marsh Wren, which is now the only commonly seen Ohio Bird not on my state list (or life list for that matter).

Here's my blog post about it:

http://semipalmatedllama.blogspot.com/2008/05/382-least-flycatcher-one-nemesis-bird.html

[semillama]

154. Number 420: Black Rail !!!!!

So, there's been at least one Black Rail that's been hanging around a wetland about an hour south of me for the last week. Third times the charm, I went out last night and heard it call once in the two hours I spent listening. Two hours well spent! This is also my 291st Ohio bird, and ABA bird number 388!

Life bird #419 was a Chuck-will's-widow I heard on Saturday night.

[Maestro]

155. Just added green jays, kiskadees and

a long billed thrasher at Laguna Atascosa NWR here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. I am still looking for a groove billed ani though.

[XemaSab]

156. I had my GB Ani at Santa Ana

I asked one of the little old ladies in the visitor center, and she took me straight to one, 20 feet outside the back door. :D

[Maestro]

157. I got my Groove billed ani, three in fact

At the Martin Refuge, private land set aside by the owners as a protected area for natural scrub, huisache, catcus, live oaks, mesquite, honey locust and anything else that was there in the Lower Rio Grande Valley before industrialization and agriculture. I got some good pics too!

[Maestro]

159. Santa Ana is a beautiful area so I here.

I have never been there but I have been near it several times.

[Maestro]

158. Besides the Groove Billed Ani

I got to see and photograph an olive sparrow and hooded oriole too.

[Maestro]

160. Just added Altamira Orioles and buff bellied hummingbirds

And what a beautiful birds!

I went back to Laguna Atascosa NWR to try to get some better pics of the green jays and while there a buff bellied hummingbird showed up. When I went into the visitor to have the hummer identified for me, the guy at the front desk told me about an altamira oriole nest. The only thing was that it was in a restricted area to visitors. He told me how to get there. It was basically at the NWR's maintenance area. In fact, the tree that had the orioles was right over the tanks of gasoline that the park uses to fill its vehicles. I watched them go in and out of the nest several times. The nest was incredible too. It was like a weaved basket hanging from the limbs.

[Maestro]

161. Prothonotary Warbler and Pileated Woodpecker

I found both on the banks of the San Jacinto River in Huffman, Texas.

[semillama]

162. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, among others

I went out to Colorado for a family reunion last week. Due to the cost of flying to Denver, my wife and I instead flew into Kansas City and met up with my dad and brother, and then drove across Kansas into Colorado. Lots of great birds on the trip, although my opportunities for serious birding was very limited. I managed to pick up 6 life birds, including the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher as the last one. The others include: Upland Sandpiper (Kansas), Sage Thrasher (Colorado), Swainson's Hawk (Kansas), Band-tailed Pigeon (Colorado), Violet-green Swallow (Colorado) and Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Colorado). I really want to go back to Colorado for just birding sometime, it's such a great state.

[semillama]

163. Just ticked off my personal nemesis - Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren, a fairly common bird, has been one bird that I have missed everytime I've gone after it. Finally got it on Saturday, making it my 296th Ohio bird, 397th ABA bird, and 428 for my overall life list. I can't believe I've managed to see 427 other birds before this one.

[XemaSab]

164. Bout damn time!

:D

Sedge Wren was my last wren. You completed the set?

[semillama]

165. I still need Rock, Canyon and Bewick's

I might be going to Tuscon in the fall, though, so maybe I'll luck out. I was hoping to pick them up in Colorado but dipped on all wrens.

[XemaSab]

166. Dude.... I got Bewick's in my yard

You could easily pick those three up on a trip to California or Arizona.

Hopefully Bewick's will be your last. There's something amusing about having the commoner species after all the rare jobbers. ;)

[semillama]

167. Marbled Godwit

ABA #398, Ohio #297, Life #429.

[semillama]

168. Franklin's Gull

Finally had one this morning. #458 ABA area, #299 Ohio!

[XemaSab]

169. Congratulations!

That is a bird I have only seen once, at the Salton Sea.

How are you doing on the gulls now? :shrug:

[semillama]

170. I still need all the western US gulls

like Heerman's, Western, California, Glaucous-winged. Also Sabine's, Slaty-backed, Black-tailed...

I still need Little Gull for Ohio, but that will be the last annually-occurring "state" gull I need.

[XemaSab]

171. You should totally come to California

A nice trip up the coast culminating in a pelagic will hook you up with all but two of those.

I still need slaty-backed, and black-tailed? Fugghettaboutit...

[semillama]

172. I know, I know.

I'm still kicking my self for actually being in San Diego, on the water, but before I got the birding spark back. It was actually that trip back in 2002 that got me back into birding, after talking with an enthusiastic birder at a conference I was attending.

[XemaSab]

173. Red-billed Tropicbird

:bounce:

620. :)

[dbackjon]

174. Awesome!! Where at?

[XemaSab]

175. About 110 miles outside San Diego

:P

[NatureAli]

176. Clapper Rail

My last life bird was a pair of Clapper Rails during the San Francisco Bay shorebird survey on November 15, 2008.

[livetohike]

177. A Pine Siskin visited our feeder on Dec. 18th

We haven't added a new bird to our life list in years. I can't remember the last time we added a bird. The funny thing is, one minute before I saw the Pine Siskin I was looking at the bird I.D. guide and I said to my husband, "I wonder when we'll see a Pine Siskin?"! Now if it only worked that easily I could wonder about the White Winged Crossbill :-).

[dbackjon]

178. Eurasian Wigeon

Two of them, actually!

[livetohike]

179. A Northern Three Toed Woodpecker (female)

at my sister's suet feeder in Poland, Ohio. My sister hasn't seen the male, but the female has been coming around for about two weeks now.

[semillama]

180. A three-toed woodpecker - Are you sure?

That would very out of range, not to mention a first state record! Three-toed Woodpeckers rarely show up south of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and cause a stir in the UP when they show up there!

Has she ruled out Hairy Woodpecker or Downy?

Here's a 3-toed:


and here's a Hairy:



The really noticeable differences are the bold white eyebrow on the Hairy, lacking on 3-toed; and the bold white spots on the folded wings of the Hairy, which are more subtle and restricted on the 3-toed -note how there are none on the upper wing feathers.


Show her these photos or have her Google the two species, and if she is certain it's a 3-toed, you should have her take photos and post them to rarebird.org, which is a birding website that covers northern Ohio. This would be huge news if it's actually that species.

[livetohike]

181. Thanks for the tips

Four of us saw the bird on Super Bowl Sunday and armed with our binoculars and field guides, we agreed that was what we saw. The bird was as large as a Hairy and had barring on its sides. Since it wasn't a male, there was no crown patch. My field guides show the 3 Toed wandering down in the winter as far south as WV. My sister belongs to the local Audobon Society. I'll e-mail her and tell her to contact them. I don't think my sister has a camera that can take a good close up of the bird.

While we were there we saw a Hairy, Red-Bellied, Downy and Pileated Woodpecker all within 1/2 hour!

[wildflowergardener]

182. Ruby Crowned Kinglet

I saw him come to my Suet feeder yesterday, but wasn't able to positively ID him until today, when he came back several times - I saw the read on his head today.

Meg in St. Louis

[carpetbagger]

183. Ruff

The first after-work lifer I've gotten in five years. I think it's 641.

[tigereye]

184. great horned owl (in captivity), ruby and golden crowned kinglets

courtesy of the earth day bird walk we were on today. Also many varieties of woodpeckers.


Last week tufted titmouse ( not common around my nabe for some reason)

[semillama]

185. #459-Smith's Longspur

Had a flock of about 80 in western Ohio near the Indiana border - first time they've been seen in such numbers in the state for about 35 years or so! The same day, our group had a Eurasian Collared-Dove carrying nest material, the best evidence to date for breeding of the species in the state.

[XemaSab]

186. My last longspur...

Congratulations! :D

[tigereye]

187. ruby crowned kinglet and golden crowned kinglet

courtesy of a great bird walk on Early Day.

[semillama]

188. Golden-winged Warbler!

ABA#460, Ohio #303:

[carpetbagger]

189. Greater Sand-plover

This is my first Very Good Bird since moving back to Florida. No, I didn't find it myself, the only Very Good Bird I've ever found on my own is a Slate-throated Redstart (and those pesky birders since found five more in Texas, making it a Merely Good Bird). This one is in the newsapaper below, but a Very Good Twitch anyway.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-05-14/story/from_asia_by_air_rare_bird_visits_huguenot

And, if you ever need to bet on a fight between a Wilson's Plover and a Greater Sand-plover, go with the sand-plover.

[XemaSab]

193. How did I miss this?

I had the Marin sandplover, and it kicked @$$. :D

[carpetbagger]

194. It was only there for 12 days.

It probably wasn't within weekend road trip range from the West Coast, so I'd assume it never got to the listservs out there. Besides being a Very Good Bird, it was cool to watch, not like skulking woodland birds. The thing held court on the mudflats the whole morning.

[tigereye]

190. scarlet tanager in a tree next to Lake Michigan north of Chicago

[tigereye]

191. and then a Carolina chickadee right near the house

I had heard them before, but couldn't spot one until now with my new binoculars!

[greendog]

192. White-tailed Ptarmigan

Almost stepped on it.

I hiked up to Grinnell Glacier today (awesome hike!). The Ptarmigan was hanging out (and blending in) on the rocks next to Upper Grinnell Lake.

[semillama]

195. Northern Wheatear!

at some Amish farmer's place. Foraging in plain sunlight on a dirt pile. Probably a first-fall male, since it's so lost.

ABA bird number 462, Ohio bird number 305. Besides this bird, other life birds I've had courtesy of the Amish include Barn Owl, Hoary Redpoll, and Harris's Sparrow.

[semillama]

196. Harlequin Duck and Dovekie

Saw a bunch of Harlequin Ducks in Rockport, MA, plus a fly-by Dovekie. The description of the Dovekie as a football with wings is really, really accurate, I have to say.

[WhiteTara]

197. Bald Eagles and

American coots.

[semillama]

198. Ruff - ABA 465, Ohio 307!

Got great looks at a gorgeous male Ruff (black morph) at Big Island Wildlife Area in Marion County, Ohio, on Sunday. He even did some displaying for us!

[semillama]

199. Here's a link to a photo of the bird

Which is still hanging around for an unprecedented fourth day!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keeneone/4553530528/sizes/l/in/photostream/

[semillama]

200. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

I was in St. Louis on business and just happened to book my hotel right next to a known breeding location (ahem).

[XemaSab]

202. Nice!

:D

[tigereye]

201. Eastern Phoebe, Eastern bluebird, cowbird, Summer tanager

Turkey vulture, purple martins and house wren

And I suppose I have some Ohio birds now - with those plus red winged blackbird, tree swallows, Blue heron, grackles, carolina wren, house wren, red-tailed hawk.

[TZ]

203. Gambel's Quail when I went to Arizona

Those cute little guys were all over the place. Adorable!

[greendog]

204. Northern Hawk Owl

1 adult and 2 fledglings. Glacier National Park.

[tigereye]

205. I believe it was a female red-breasted grosbeak

that's what it looked like, anyway.

[semillama]

206. Added two in the last couple of weeks

Pacific Loon and Golden-Crowned Sparrow. And no, I wasn't out west when I did so! I'm at 469 for my ABA list now, and 315 for Ohio.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

207. A mundane bird to the locals

but I found myself fascinated by magpies during a visit to Montana. Smaller than the crows here in the Pacific Northwest, but more intelligent and deliberate in their actions, which says a lot because the crows in my back yard are just thumbs away from being tool users.

[XemaSab]

208. Black and Brown-capped Rosy-finches

at Sandia Crest. :D

[Vanje]

209. Grasshopper sparrow

[XemaSab]

210. Bare-faced Tiger Heron

:D

[semillama]

211. In the US, or in Mexico? n/t

[XemaSab]

213. Mexico

:D

[tigereye]

220. wow! Haven't been here in a while and just seeing this!

[semillama]

212. Garganey!

Saw my 470th ABA area bird (Ohio 318) at Fernald Nature Preserve north of Cincinnati on Saturday - a gorgeous male Garganey!

[Canuckistanian]

214. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I decided to extend my suet feeder by a few months (I usually stop it in March). All of a sudden in April, I'm noticing all kinds of sparrows, Cardinals and assorted crows.

But I saw two birds one day that I didn't recognize. A quick trip to the bird book told me what they were - a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a male and female.

It's amazing how different the males and females are. Almost like different species.

[eleny]

215. Clark's Nutcracker

Woke up 6:30 this morning and peeked out a back window here in Lakewood, Colorado to see one of these at the safflower seed feeder. It flew off quickly but the black and white colors were clearly visible as it flew away.

I read that it lives on pine cone seeds at higher altitudes but can come down to lower elevations if the cone crop fails. Hopefully that's not the case with this morning's bird. But there is a lot of tree loss up in the mountains due to the pine cone beetle infestation.

[eleny]

216. Black-headed Grosbeak

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/73/_/Black-headed_Grosbeak.aspx

Another new bird since I started putting out the homemade suet with the unmendicated chick starter. After all these years it's exciting seeing different birds dropping in for a visit.

[semillama]

217. I envy your backyard

The pine beetle invasion, not so much. The mountains are going to burn like crazy in the not-so-distant future, I'm afraid.

[eleny]

218. Those beetles are a scourge

I've seen so many trees that look like rust. Down here in the burbs it's still okay.

[tigereye]

221. funny how it looks so much like a Baltimore Oriole!

[tigereye]

219. belted kingfisher! 2 females diving for food off our pier!

:woohoo:

[tigereye]

222. this summer at the suet feeder, red headed woodpecker

had never seen one before- had seen downies and red breasted? before.

[alfredo]

223. Today (08-31-2011) I ID'd an American Bittern.

Here's a picture I took of it. It was a long way away and all I had was a 270 mm (135mm X2).

[tigereye]

225. wow, lovely picture!

[XemaSab]

226. Falcated Duck

:woohoo: