Western Swing (USA) (1 Viewer)

I've just returned from a 18 day, eight state trip to the American West. From the Great Plains, to the Rocky Mountains, to the desert Southwest and back again, a friend and I saw 192 species, including 10 lifers for me. Those are listed first. I won't bore you with all of the details of each sighting, but feel free to ask where specific birds were seen if I haven't mentioned them.

States birded: Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico

Major areas birded: Balcones Canyonlands NWR (TX), Pawnee National Grassland (CO), Grand Teton National Park (WY), Yellowstone National Park (WY, MT, ID), Harriman State Park (ID), Bear River NWR (UT), Dead Horse Point State Park (UT), San Juan River (NM), South Llano River State Park (TX).

Lifers:

Western Screech-Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Long-eared Owl
Green Violet-Ear
Three-toed Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Black Swift
Virginia's Warbler

Trip List:

GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
PELICANS
American White Pelican
CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant
HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
IBIS AND SPOONBILLS
White-faced Ibis
DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS
Trumpeter Swan
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
OSPREY
Osprey
HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES
Mississippi Kite
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
FALCONS AND CARACARAS
American Kestrel
Prairie Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
TURKEYS
Wild Turkey
NEW WORLD QUAIL
Northern Bobwhite
PHEASANTS AND PARTRIDGES
Ring-necked Pheasant
CRANES
Sandhill Crane
RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS
Wilson's Snipe
American Coot
AVOCETS AND STILTS
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS
Killdeer
SANDPIPERS
Long-billed Curlew
Spotted Sandpiper
Willet
Wilson's Phalarope
GULLS
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Franklin's Gull
TERNS
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Rock Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
CUCKOOS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
OWLS
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Burrowing Owl
Long-eared Owl
NIGHTJARS
Common Nighthawk
SWIFTS
Black Swift
Chimney Swift
White-throated Swift
HUMMINGBIRDS
Green Violet-ear
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher
WOODPECKERS
Williamson's Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Three-toed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Western Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
SWALLOWS
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
Barn Swallow
WAGTAILS AND PIPITS
American Pipit
KINGLETS
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
WAXWINGS
Cedar Waxwing
DIPPERS
American Dipper
WRENS
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
THRUSHES
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
GNATCATCHERS
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
LONG-TAILED TITS
Bushtit
CHICKADEES AND TITS
Black-crested Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Juniper Titmouse
NUTHATCHES
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
PENDULINE TITS
Verdin
SHRIKES
Loggerhead Shrike
CROWS AND JAYS
Gray Jay
Steller's Jay
Blue Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Clark's Nutcracker
American Crow
Common Raven
STARLINGS
European Starling
VIREOS AND ALLIES
White-eyed Vireo
Bell's Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Warbling Vireo
WOOD WARBLERS
Virginia's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
TANAGERS AND ALLIES
Hepatic Tanager
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
SPARROWS, TOWHEES, JUNCOS
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
SALTATORS, CARDINALS AND ALLIES
Northern Cardinal
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, GRACKLES, ETC.
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Bullock's Oriole
FINCHES, SISKINS, CROSSBILLS
Cassin's Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow

That must have been a fantastic trip, Steve. It took me YEARS to get all those birds! Congratulations! (And your typography is good, too.) Has the Eurasian Collared-Doove spread considerably from Florida now?

Brilliant Steve, thanks for taking the time out to share your trip list.

That must have been one fantastic trip!!!

According to the website

http://www.nctexasbirds.com/ecdobigmap.htm

Eurasian Collared-Dove has now occurred in 208 of Texas's 254 counties, and North American Birds reports new counties all over the country with each new issue. This bird is truly spreading out.

I'm off to Big Bend National Park next week, with some lifers in the offing. There's a Thick-billed Parrot in New Mexico that I might chase, then Arizona for a month. I can't wait to march up and down all of those canyons looking for those Arizona rarities.

The month should put my ABA list at well into the 500s. I'm at 497 right now and am looking forward to crossing that significant threshold. Wish me luck.

Steve in Houston, TX, USA

Good luck Steve, I'd just like to get out once, seems like forever since I did any birding, bl***y work!

GOOD LUCK :t: :t: :t:

Yep-- good luck on picking up the big 500. As they say here, 'Gambate kudasai'-- 'Exert all your effort'!

Good Luck Steve!

By the way....I found 4 Eurasian Collared- Doves in California(south of San Fran.) last September. They seem to be everywhere.

dennis

what a super list Steve, congrats on the lifebirds and thanks for sharing your trip report- should I be watching upcoming issues of ABA's 'Birding' closely for your milestone? Way to go. Good luck and good birding :t:

Cindy,

I think that I will send my 500th sighting to "Winging It," the newsletter of the ABA. Last year my TX 2002 list rated 19th place in the ABA List Report (346 species). This year it might just be higher, though I did not start the year with that goal.

During my trip to Big Bend, I might get over 500. There are several species there that I did not see during my last trip. I might surpass the mark by the time I cross the state line!

Steve in Houston

hi Steve. I mistakenly wrote 'Birding' but meant 'Winging It' (a case of receiving a few too many birding publications.. lol) I found you in the list report too, congrats! I've birded Texas in the past and would like to do so again, but not in the spring or summer.. between the bugs and the heat I was ready to cash it in, we're just not used to heat like that- good luck again.