• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Man, oh man, I've got some work to do... (1 Viewer)

Congrats on your progress. I'm about at the same level as you. Although you have seen birds from more families that me. I'm enjoying IDing all these new birds, but I'm worried about when I'll get to the point were I won't be able to see lifers all the time anymore. No fun. :(

I don't count birds I'm not absolutely positive about. I also don't birds only heard. And if some one IDs a bird for me I don't count it unless I saw it well enough that I could have IDed it myself.
 
There's still a lot of fun of never getting life birds! :cool: Actually, I've gotten 4 this year, but two of those were rarities which I chased. It's still a lot of fun.
 
The birds make it worth it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like that "lifer-rush," but seeing a beautiful bird you've already seen is still stunning.

Got some great birds this past weekend:

Gray Catbird ('06er)
Northern Waterthrush (lifer)
Warbling Vireo (lifer)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler (lifer)
Black-and-white Warbler (lifer)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (lifer)
House Wren (lifer)
Yellow Warbler (lifer)
Hermit Thrush (CT '06er)
Brown Thrasher (lifer)
Black Vulture
Great Crested Flycatcher (lifer)

Those I was birding with also heard a Wood Thrush, a Black-throated Green Warbler, a Nashville Warbler and an Orchard Oriole, but we never saw them, and I can't go by calls I've never heard.

I'll be adding more pictures soon - I have a LOT more.
 
Yeah, I didn't mean literally "no fun". I was just being silly. I love watching the behavior of birds. For example, even though I've seen brown thrashers since I was a kid, I still love watching them thrash the leaves around like crazy. It's so cute!
 
Had a great full day of birding on Sunday - East Rock Park, CT then Jamaica Bay, NY then Milford Point, CT - 81 species! (lifers underlined and bold, year birds just bold):

Brant, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Glossy Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow
 
Had an amazing trip to Arizona, 139 lifers!!! Then went on a minor league pelagic in Maine, getting 8 or so more lifers. It's been an amazing summer. My ABA (no longer world life) list is feelin' fine with 322 species! And to think that one year ago exactly I knew NOTHING.

P.S. Took Townsend's Solitaire off the list. It's been bugging me - my sighting wasn't good enough.
 
Last edited:
I've recently run into some new friends in the marshes of Madison - Marsh Wren and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, bringing my ABA list to 324.

Also starting a new list - well, more of a NON-list, but it's "Need-A-Better-View Birds." And here they are: Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, Red-throated Loon, Horned Grebe, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, American Woodcock, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Snowy Owl, Buff-collared Nightjar, Costa's Hummingbird, Marsh Wren, Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Waterthrush, and Rusty Blackbird
 
Got Least Bittern today! Also my first NY Marsh Wren. College is great - got here a little more than a week ago and love it. ABA = 327 (I miscalculated before).
 
Well, I've finally reached that point. Ya know? The one where it's a LOT less common to see lifers? But you know what? I'm absolutely fine with it, I'm thrilled to see anything. Plus, there's always my year, state, county, and month lists! :-D

Fun sightings recently have been Common Merg, Winter Wren, Black Vultures, Brown Creeper, and Merlin. Photos of Black Vultures and Merlin'll be up soon enough...
 
Warning! This thread is more than 17 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top