Rylirk's 2019 list (1 Viewer)

rylirk · Apr 15, 2019

April 14 - Lubbock, TX, USA

I'd planned to go up to Amarillo this weekend, but poor weather quashed that idea. Instead I went into work on Saturday, and hit up a couple of the usual sites today. First to McAllister Park, where I saw both new birds for the year list, then onto Clapp Park.

294. * Swainson's Hawk
295. * Vesper Sparrow

Aaand Vesper Sparrow becomes the 600th bird on my life list!

rylirk · Apr 21, 2019

April 20 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Another couple from up at the Lubbock Lake Landmark today. Was hoping for my first chimney swift, but not yet...

296. Western Kingbird
297. * Grasshopper Sparrow

rylirk · Apr 22, 2019

April 21 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Started off Easter Sunday birding Clapp Park, which yielded nothing of particular note; that's becoming quite a theme for Clapp Park for me... Then down to one of my more regular spots at the East end of Lake 6. Nothing of particular note there either, so I called an Uber and then, of course, a bird I've been wanting for quite some time showed up

298. * Bullock's Oriole

rylirk · Apr 27, 2019

April 26 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Well, didn't expect this one! Went in the B&B pool after dinner because it was a lovely evening, and then suddenly one of these flew over! Then another, and another, and I ran back inside to go get the camera... not every day you get a lifer from a swimming pool!

299. * Chimney Swift

rylirk · Apr 28, 2019

April 27 - Lubbock area, TX, USA

First a morning trip to Lubbock Lake to pick up another lifer and the 300th species of the year:

300. * Northern Rough-Winged Swallow

Then, continuing the theme of working out how far away I can get Uber to, onto the town of Buffalo Springs!

301. * Rufous-Crowned Sparrow
302. * Ash-Throated Flycatcher

Interestingly I had never even heard of this sparrow before, so that definitely wasn't an expected lifer!

rylirk · Apr 29, 2019

Had planned to stay local today to recover from the canyon hike in yesterday's sweltering heat. But there's nothing I love more than a phalarope, and I heard a flock had been reported...

28/4/2019 - Smyer, TX, USA

Today's birding took me to a nondescript flooded field about 3 mi. south of the tiny town of Smyer, about 20 or so miles west of Lubbock. As the Uber driver dropped me off she said 'good luck getting back!', and I didn't see another human soul until the next driver picked me up 4hr later...

Well, found the phalaropes pretty quickly... 100 of them, in fact! And a whole bunch of other good stuff to boot, including three lifers. Probably the best day's birding I've had since Corpus!

303. * Wilson's Phalarope
304. * White-Faced Ibis
305. * Baird's Sandpiper
306. Stilt Sandpiper
307. * Yellow-Headed Blackbird

Summary for April:

18 year ticks
13 lifers

rylirk · May 2, 2019

1/5/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

May's gotten off to a good start! Word got to me that there was a Great Northern Diver (one of my favourite birds) in Guy Park in the south of the city, so I snuck out of work a bit early to go look for it. Also picked up my first Clay-Colored Sparrows while I was there:

308. Common Loon
309. * Clay-Colored Sparrow

Then, after returning to work, I got another lifer flying over head as I walked home!

310. * Mississippi Kite

rylirk · May 5, 2019

4/5/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Went in search of more Wilson's phalaropes today at one of my local sites in Lubbock, but no such luck. Killdeer chicks had also been reported but I didn't find any of them either. Still, got another couple of ticks for the year list:

311. Spotted Sandpiper
312. Sand Martin

But the totally unexpected star of the day came on the walk back to the carpet shop where I start and end my McAlister loop. Walking through fairly long grass, a totally hidden bird leapt out of the grass in front of me and flew off; I had no idea what it was, so I watched where it flew to. Followed it to a clearing under a tree ~50m or so away and was rewarded with my first ever proper views of a nightjar; I have only ever seen nightjars in flight at night, and now I had one at point blank right in front of me! What a bird!

313. * Common Poorwill

rylirk · May 6, 2019

5/5/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

The good start to May continues with another few solid birds for the year list at Lake 6, including a Hermit Thrush which has been eluding me for a while. Day was somewhat hampered by my ailing camera finally deciding not to let me zoom at all...

314. * Hermit Thrush
315. * Orchard Oriole
316. American Yellow Warbler

rylirk · May 12, 2019

So, first things first, I discovered there was a bird I saw in February which I forgot to add to the list. Rather than go back and update all the numbers, I'm just going to add it here

I've updated the totals for February to include this one.

11/2/2019 - Doylestown, PA, USA

317. Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Now onto the birds I actually saw today...

11/5/2019 - Buffalo Springs, TX, USA

I was supposed to be trying for Canyon Wren and Woodhouse Scrub Jay at Big Spring today, but when I found out my bus was THREE HOURS delayed (!!!) I made other plans. Interestingly, the canyon towhee was actually one of my targets for Big Springs... overall, pretty good haul for a plan B!

318. * Canyon Towhee
319. * Painted Bunting
320. * Verdin
321. * Blue Grosbeak
322. * Olive-Sided Flycatcher
323. Green Heron

rylirk · May 13, 2019

12/5/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

At the usual haunt of Lake 6 again today, trying to track down that Hermit Thrush I had last week when my camera decided to die. No thrush but, considering I was only out maybe an hour and a half, pretty happy with my lifer!

324. * Bell's Vireo

rylirk · May 17, 2019

16/5/2019 - Big Spring, TX, USA

To celebrate submitting my first paper since moving to Texas, I took a day off to go look around Big Spring state park, with targets of Cactus Wren, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, Pyrrhuloxia and Scaled Quail. Only got 1 of those 4, but I did get 2 more lifers and a year tick I wasnt expecting. So I'm not really sure if the trip was a dip or a success?

325. * Woodhouse's Scrub Jay
326. American Bushtit
327. * Western Tanager
328. * Black-Throated Sparrow

rylirk · May 20, 2019

19/5/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Another day another flycatcher, in the distance off in a tree. But the real highlights of the day for me were a very showy olive-sided flycatcher (only my 3rd ever) and a pair of showy roadrunners (my 4th and 5th). Always good to finally get a good long view of a bird, especially ones that are supposedly common in your area!

329. * Western Wood Pewee

rylirk · May 23, 2019

Headed back to England for a week for a wedding, so hopefully should be getting some of the English summer birds in the next few days. But first, had a day's birding during a 13 hour flight layover... on my birthday, no less.

21/5/2019 - Denver, CO, USA

Quite a few new birds from Denver today! Target was the black-billed magpie and, as expected, it was quite easy to find. All birds are from City Park near the science museum; heavy snow dissuaded me from trying anywhere more wild... no photo of the hummingbird (which was a brief flyby), so I'm back up to 10 birds seen but not photographed.

330. * Violet-Green Swallow
331. California Gull
332. * Black-Billed Magpie
333. * Swainson's Thrush
334. Eastern Kingbird
335. * Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
336. * Black-Capped Chickadee

rylirk · May 23, 2019

23/5/2019 - Warnham, England, UK

Well, I wasn't expecting to get garden warbler on the list this year! Although it seems like its been a pretty good year for this somewhat difficult bird in the UK. Only my 3rd sighting ever.

337. Common Tern
338. Eurasian Reed Warbler
339. Garden Warbler
340. Common Swift
341. Eurasian Blackcap

Beat my previous year total best of 337 in 2018... and its only May...

rylirk · May 24, 2019

24/5/2019 - Elstead, England, UK

Off to go see a true celebrity of British birding today! Colin the cuckoo did not disappoint. Did dip hobbies, however.

342. Common Whitethroat
343. Woodlark
344. Common Cuckoo
345. Common Redstart

rylirk · May 28, 2019

27/5/2019 - Henfield, England, UK

One final day of British birding before heading back stateside. Didn't expect to get either turtle dove or nightingale on the list this year, so a nice couple of bonuses there:

346. Sedge Warbler
347. European Turtle Dove
348. Common Nightingale
349. Willow Warbler

Then one more enroute to a quick visit to the grandparents:

350. Common House Martin

Summary for May:

42 year ticks
17 lifers

rylirk · Jun 2, 2019

1/6/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Back in the US, and had a fairly quiet birding day down at the trails beyond Lake 6... until two of these beauties appeared! Frame-filling views

351. * American Barn Owl

rylirk · Jun 9, 2019

9/6/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

Very windy down the Yellow House canyon trails today; very few small birds around, except for this lifer!

352. * Lazuli Bunting

rylirk · Jun 16, 2019

16/6/2019 - Lubbock, TX, USA

It's turning out to be a pretty slow June! Still, got another couple of birds for the year list down Yellow House Canyon again today, haven't seen either of these birds since Junction, TX in 2016:

353. * Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
354. * Dickcissel

Summary for June:

4 year ticks
2 lifers (lowest number in a month since I started listing in December 2016)

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