2013 Yearlists

Question does the Blue Macaw that lives next door count? or do all birds need to be in the wild?

thought so, even still the only way I will ever see certain birds is because they are wrongly in pet stores, are pets or in the zoo.

23) Laughing gull
24) Osprey
25) Canadian Goose
26) Mallard Duck

Been forgetting to update!

196 Rose-ringed Parakeet 18 June

197 Long-eared Owl 29 June

198 BRIDLED TERN 2 July - first one I've ever seen, a spectacular mega-rarity up here! 24th UK record ever.

Resin

Edit - forgot a semi-plastic parakeet! (feral)

This message was edited Jul 4, 2013 6:11 PM

Congrats Resin! A lifer for you is a mega-rarity!

I added one today that's a rare bird here -- only the 11th one seen in Texas.

363 - Gray Kingbird

semi-plastic. does that mean it is made of resin, Resin?
ahahhahaha

haha. I KNEW you'd groan.

question what is a year bird and a lifer?

Wow. Big congrats Resin and Elphaba!

Joeyk210,

A year bird is the first time you see one that year, and a lifer (or life bird) is one you see the first time in your life. Some people follow strict rules, others not so much, but commonly it is wild birds (not zoo, nor kept by rehabilitators), though I know one person who will count zoo birds since she actually has seen them.

For my list, I count subspecies such as with Juncos. Slate-colored and Oregon, for example, rather than just one Dark-eyed Junco. I tried being "official" for this thread, but got too confused trying to differentiate what birds can be on this thread and what my count is for our main list, so stopped.

Not all birders are listers, but for me personally, I find it keeps birding a little more exciting especially as our family doesn't travel large distances for birding. Most of our birding stays in Iowa.

This message was edited Jul 5, 2013 2:23 PM

For me the main thing is my yard. I have a yard list for the year and life. I love it when a new bird comes to the yard. I like to see how many species I had in a year. This calls for some good record keeping if I have seen a bird for the first time one year in a different location than home. I know birders though that keep county and state records. That's all too confusing for me.

61 Pacific Heron

Thank you for that very clear and helpful answer. I believe I understand. The cow bird and the Oriole I have never seen before so that would be life birds and the rest of my list I see every year so they are year birds correct? I have never listed the birds I see before, never thought to until I saw this thread. I have to use a book to identify some of the birds still but I am enjoying it. I use my yard mostly but I go for walks in the area and when we travel looking for birds is always on our list.
27) Bald Eagle

You won't be able to stop looking for new birds now! It's like a little treasure hunt.

199 Osprey

Resin

200 European Nightjar

Resin

146 - Sedge Wren

Gorgeous picture of that wren! Love it! I liked your description of a treasure hunt too -- perfectly put.

Nice additions Resin.

364 - Horned Lark - no pic - he was far away. Glad my friend had a scope and a good eye.

201 - Curlew Sandpiper

Crappy pic (it was fairly distant!)

Resin

Nice one Resin. That's a bird I've wanted to see.

147 - American Avocet.

202 - Spotted Sandpiper - another good rarity over here

Resin

Just spotted a Spotted Sandpiper myself although not a rarity here.

Avocets are so pretty. Nice bird.

I went on my first pelagic trip, but made a few stops before and after for sparrows and orioles. Also got Aplomado Falcon.

365 - Botteri's Sparrow (pic 2)
366 - Hooded Oriole
367 - Altamira Oriole (pic 3)
368 - Cassin's Sparrow
269 - Masked Booby (pic 1 - because it's the coolest!)
370 - Cory's Shearwater
371 - Band-rumped Storm Petrel
372 - Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

373- Stilt Sandpiper
374- Semipalmated Sandpiper

203 Quail (heard only) 01 Aug
204 Ruff 02 Aug
205 Hobby 02 Aug
206 Spotted Crake 02 Aug

Cory's Shearwater must be a good record for Texas waters! How far offshore did you go?

Resin

Great birds Resin. I'm really mad at myself for not going for a Ruff that was in Anuhuac earlier this year. As for the Cory's Shearwater, I think we were 60 miles offshore. Takes a while to get to the deep water. A friend got a pretty good picture of it. I got a pretty good blur of it.

Had another surprise off the end of the jetty at Port Aransas for:
375 - Sooty Tern

Also added:
376 - Olive-sided Flycatcher
377 - Buff-breasted Sandpiper

58 (I think) Australasian Grebe

Forgetting to update again!

207 White-winged Tern 10 Aug
208 Sooty Shearwater 23 Aug
209 Booted Warbler 24 Aug
210 Little Stint 24 Aug
211 Spotted Redshank 24 Aug

Resin

Autumn migration stepping up a gear

212 Red-necked Grebe
213 Black Tern
214 Greenish Warbler

Resin

Ha. "greenish, yellowish, I really couldn't tell!"

215 White-rumped Sandpiper - another transatlantic vagrant

Resin

216 Balearic Shearwater

Resin

217 Black-throated Diver

Resin

Nice ones Resin.

Added 3 more:

378 - Dusky Flycatcher
379 - Bank Swallow
380 - Red Knot (there were 9 of them! and 6 Piping Plovers!)

Wow! are you going to try for 400?

148 - Pine Warbler. I was surprised to see that I did not have this one on the spring migration.

Yep! 400 is the goal. I missed some warblers in spring migration that I'm trying to get now too. It's much harder this time of year.