AlexC's Life List of Life (1 Viewer)

[AlexC]

Don't know where I left off here, but I had some heavy updates throughout. Some leftover Ecuador/Galapagos birds, and a few local lifers from my year list efforts. Other Galapagos additions: fish from snorkeling, octopus (unknown/don't remember... sigh), lava lizard, marine iguana, tortoises, sea turtle, native plants. Israel mammal additions: Nubian Ibex, Rock Hyrax

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

 

[AlexC]

10 birds, 2 plants; ABA adjustments

I've been really pushing my bird year list to get a good number for January. On Thursday I decided I wanted to try putting a couple weekday mornings in birding, before work. After stumbling upon a lifer, then another on Friday, it occurred to me to keep the streak going! Well, I ended up with TWO lifers on Saturday, and THREE lifers today!! Don't know if I can keep it up, but the best I can do is put myself in the way of the birds. Sittin' pretty at 128 for 2014 - and all in LA county!

As I've been approaching 500 total species in the ABA count area, it occurred to me how special a marker 500 domestic U.S. birds is, so I made a hard decision. I had to strip my ABA list of a few sightings. These were all legit birds, in what I myself consider legit circumstances, but by ABA rules the south Texas Aplomado Falcon population isn't yet "established" (despite my bird being at LEAST 2nd generation AND actively nesting when viewed). And there were 6 species on my list which I collected during the time I worked as a bird bander (and banded sightings remain my only sightings of those birds). So I separated out my "USA" list (still includes Aplomado, 'banded only' birds, and added Orange Bishop sighting from CA) and my "ABA" list. That way, with 499 USA, I will reach 500 very soon and feel great about it, but I will also have a very distinctive and pleasureful 500 marker of strict ABA rules.

Lifers since last update: Golden-crowned Sparrow, Glaucous-winged Gull, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Hammond's Flycatcher (self-found local rarity for this time of year), Townsend's Warbler, and Virginia's Warbler

Added a couple plant species from bumping into a biology teacher when I was out birding as well.

LIST HERE: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

 

[AlexC]

Through a combination of playing catchup with some lists from recent trips (Ecuador, Israel) and really committing to my year list in the (relatively) new state of California, over the past month I've hit 2 big milestones in my listing: 500 ABA and 600 Worldwide birds. Last two lifers (Ferruginous Hawk, Mountain Bluebird) came on a Big Day with some friends on Sunday. We hit a group total of 123 (122 for LA county), with subpar weather (for LA anyway...), and some hotspot/location closings due to the crazy flooding from the "storm of the century" here. Year list sits at 188 (185 ABA + Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, and Mute Swan in CA).

Check out updates here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OGxXhQ7K7zrcFe8NYLyz-N21KVCry2f8YWBbQQcRjKY/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Mars4096]

4 1/2 years later

Four and half years later, I am over 800 species now in the Ontario area. The biggest gains have been in botany having added nearly 200 new species. My favorites areas, birds, dragonflies and butterflies are deep into diminishing returns area, as I have about 75% of what I can expect in those areas.

Considering I had a good year for life birds -- three. These are Snowy Owl, Willow Flycatcher and Ross' Goose. In dragonflies my only lifer was a Subarctic Bluet. The biting bugs were so bad at this location that I put a tear in my chest waders trying to get through the habitat faster. In butterflies I finally got my first hairstreak -- a large family without a new species seen in it, until now.

Second biggest growth was in insect, including non dragonflies and butterflies. 67 new species are insects.

I did not add any new mammals or herps in four and a half years. I missed Flying Squirrel three times this year -- once at my grandparents-in-law cottage in Restoule and twice at my inlaws in North Bay.

The MISC category includes lichens, mushrooms, slime molds (just one), mosses and atmospheric optics.

It is a bit strange to include atmospheric optics which is just ice halos (of which of have just nine types), however most of these are uncommon or rare.

One of these days I will get my list fully updated -- as I have a bunch of photos pending ids and thus easily have another 30 to 50 species to add to the list. Plus a few from memory.

This year I have taken a half-hearted stab (just four species) at mosses because I got the first decent field guide put out in North America (Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians). Definitely not as appealing as other areas, but hey why not?


Birds 241
Dragonflies 84
Butterflies 60
Bugs 113
Mammals 27
Herps 18
Fish 2
Trees 35
Shrubs 26
Wildflowers 151
Ferns 8
MISC 58
Total 823
Species Only 785