First birding experience: While not true birding, I remember when I was a little kid and my parents showing me American Flamingos in the Pedraplen Causeway of Cayo Coco. But the first real experience was when I was in Matanzas with my mom and brother coming back from a trip to Havana and we stopped at a city park, I vividly remember noticing and being very happy to see a Cuban Green Woodpecker, especially since at that time I had only seen birds like those in books. Didn't start birding seriously until my last year of high school in 2014 though.
Best birding day: Very subjective, I could point out my day in El Valle on my weekend trip to Panama or maybe one April fallout in the Dry Tortugas which is honestly a spectacle that reminds me why that's my favorite hotspot in Florida, though I haven't been able to visit in a while. Favorite spot nearby belongs to a good day around the Flamingo Area of Everglades National Park, in a good day you can get anything from 60-80 species in the region including many of the Everglades specialties.
Worst birding day: This one is not as hard as others, because even though it did not affect me directly and we were able to salvage it, during my 2019 trip to Oregon, the room of the guide was ransacked during breakfast by what looked to be hotel staff. They were never caught, but the trip was nearly cancelled because of it and the local guide almost had to consider retiring from this career because of how much he lost (camera, laptop, bins, and all of the credit cards), the other guide lost too (but thankfully it was only his camera and passport). The day ended well but because of the events, no chance of seeing Common Poorwill and Flammulated Owl was given.
Best trip: Despite the horrible experience listed above, the Oregon trip is still by best birding trip because it is so far my only trip that was 100% about the birds, and being able to see my first (Tufted) Puffins, Trumpeter Swans, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Golden Eagle, and Wrentit alongside a few 80-90+ lifers made it a great experience.
Worst trip: Georgia, while the vacation itself was good and seeing some cool places with my family like the Georgia Aquarium and the Coca Cola Museum. The birding left much to be desired even though we were in prime birding habitat in the mountains. Knowing my only lifer of the trip was a quick glimpse while moving on a raft and the other was heard only around the cabin only makes the experience more frustrating since I haven't had a chance to connect with either species since!
Where would you most like to return: From the ones I've visited, it would be Panama, one weekend does not do justice to this beautiful country that is full of specialties from both Central and South America.
Next trip: Well, my trip to Ecuador had to be cancelled due to changes once again to air travel in the US and my summer trip to Montana met the same fate but due to the lack of accommodations that were willing to give the money back in case of Covid cancellations. So right now, I can only hope my plans to visit Arizona in August go through as that is the last place in the US that I can imagine getting more than 50 lifers in one trip.
3 favourite reserves: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (breeding swans, ducks and phalaropes, alongside thousands of songbirds and shorebirds, plus the visitor center is home to a breeding Great Horned Owls and a great migrant trap), and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (wintering waterfowl, seawatching and Florida Scrub-Jays), and Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area (Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch and other pineland specialties, Northern Bobwhite and King Rail)