How's your 2021 list going? (2 Viewers)

[Andy Hurley]

(Harry Harris County Park)
400. Gray-tailed Tattler (Lifer and ABA Mega seen just 90 minutes from my house!)

Congratulations on the mega and on reaching 400!

 

[lgonz1008]

Congratulations on the mega and on reaching 400!

Definitely a great bird to reach 400 for the year

 

[Tero]

I've gone to three lakes in three days and missed seeing the scoter and long tailed duck that everyone else saw. I spent 90 minutes looking for that duck. It is still there but we had to entertain guests today.
214 Northern Shrike

 

[Mysticete]

Attended the annual birding club trip to lake Michigan. Things were unfortunately pretty slow overall (and a bit disorganized given Covid precautions), and it felt like for every half hour of birding I ended up doing an hour of driving. My least favorite type of birding, the drive, park, and scope, repeat style. Still, Added two new state birds today, White-winged and Black Scoter, finally breaking my local scoter curse. Dipped on Long-tailed Duck and Surf Scoter, but still time to get a look at these locally hopefully.

 

[Jacana]

I've had a pretty birdless autumn due to work, but now I am in Madagascar for 5 weeks to do field work so I expect lots more birds before Christmas.

First ones have already come in. The first 5 were at Mauritius airport during a layover while the rest have been seen from my quarantine hotel in Antananarivo.

204. Common Myna
205. Red Fody
206. Red-whiskered Bulbul
207. Malagasy Turtle Dove
208. Common Waxbill
209. Mascarene Martin
210. Malagasy Kestrel
211. Malagasy Bulbul
212. Madagascar Stonechat
213. Malagasy Green Sunbird
214. Souimanga Sunbird
215. Madagascar Wagtail
216. Malagasy White-eye
217. Dimorphic Egret
218. Little Swift
219. Olive Bee-eater
220. Madagascar Nightjar
221. Yellow-billed Kite

 

[Andy Hurley]

First ones have already come in. The first 5 were at Mauritius airport during a layover while the rest have been seen from my quarantine hotel in Antananarivo.

Isn't it a great feeling to find so many new birds? I imagine you can't wait to get outside...

 

[Jacana]

Isn't it a great feeling to find so many new birds? I imagine you can't wait to get outside...

I have a balcony and I only have to quarantine for two days (until the PCR test result comes back) so I'm perfectly happy, especially with all these new species!

 

[Andy Hurley]

I have a balcony and I only have to quarantine for two days (until the PCR test result comes back) so I'm perfectly happy, especially with all these new species!

So the scope is set up and the bins and camera are to hand as you read up on what is to be found. Good birding!

 

[Jacana]

So the scope is set up and the bins and camera are to hand as you read up on what is to be found. Good birding!

Essentially, yes!

222. Madagascar Mannikin

 

[Jacana]

And a few more around Tana over the past couple of days:

223. Malagasy Brush Warbler
224. White-faced Whistling Duck
225. Red-billed Teal
226. Black Heron
227. Madagascar Hoopoe
228. Malagasy Coucal
229. Common Jery
230. Malagasy Kingfisher
231. Striated Heron
232. Madagascar Cuckoo

Heading south to Toliara tomorrow and then on to the field site

 

[Nightjar61]

Today I saw a new bird for the year, my first since the last addition to my Year List on October 5 in Washington State.

352. Black Scoter

Not much left to see around here now, but I’m hoping the colder weather brings in some rare ducks and geese.

Dave

 

[qwerty5]

Fernald Preserve:
153. Redhead
154. Bufflehead
155. American Coot (an Ohio lifer as well)

 

[qwerty5]

Today was somewhat annoying as I spent the first 2 1/2 hours of my afternoon mostly driving around a big lake and seeing almost no birds aside from my first stop. But then I headed to a different lake and got two lifers, so the day was saved (aside from the money wasted on gas):

Hueston Woods State Park:
156. Snow Goose
157. Horned Grebe

 

[Mysticete]

Yeah, the drive and stop mode of birding is my least favorite, but usually the only option that is productive for a big chunk of the year here in Wisconsin and I would guess probably Ohio as well.

 

[Andy Hurley]

Fernald Preserve:
153. Redhead
154. Bufflehead
155. American Coot (an Ohio lifer as well)

Hueston Woods State Park:
156. Snow Goose
157. Horned Grebe

Congrats on your Lifers, qwerty5. Whats the cost of a little gas compared to 4 lifers in three days? Its great to see that state parks are showing their worth in retaining biodiversity and offering a safe haven. Will they stay for winter or move south?

 

[lgonz1008]

Yeah, the drive and stop mode of birding is my least favorite, but usually the only option that is productive for a big chunk of the year here in Wisconsin and I would guess probably Ohio as well.

Drive and stop over agricultural fields during fall migration and seawatching during winter in Florida just make you reconsider is it worth being a birder. It's a lot of hours of nothing, followed by a lucky break if you get really lucky. Lucky usually means, the bird is far away and hard to see even if you have a scope, but at least someone could ID it and confirm it is there...

 

[qwerty5]

Congrats on your Lifers, qwerty5. Whats the cost of a little gas compared to 4 lifers in three days? Its great to see that state parks are showing their worth in retaining biodiversity and offering a safe haven. Will they stay for winter or move south?

Redhead, Bufflehead, and American Coot will probably overwinter, the others will likely move farther south (but I believe it varies from winter to winter).

 

[lgonz1008]

(Boynton Beach Inlet Park)
401. Surf Scoter

 

[HECUBUS]

Two new ones today from the back porch in a cold rain.
1) a young white throated sparrow
2) a towhee I didn’t get a good enough photo to be more specific

 

[Nightjar61]

A quick stop at a farm pond after work produced a new bird for the year.

353. Snow Bunting

A very rare bird for this area. Unfortunately it was a fly-over, so better views were definitely wanted.

Dave