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Martin's 2021 Year List (Sandefjord NO / Chevy Chase MD US) (1 Viewer)

martinboer

Well-known member
It's been a strange two years for everyone and we relocated the family to Sandefjord NO for the academic year in August 2020 given the COVID-19 cases were escalating in the Washington DC area, and schools closed in March 2020 (and are still closed in April 2021)...

It has been lovely here living on a fjord in Norway - and it has also opened up some opportunities for some great birding.

3 January

Asnes Badestrand, Sandefjord
1. Mute Swan
2. Common Goldeneye
3. Red-breasted Merganser
4. Common Wood-Pigeon
5. Herring Gull
6. Great Black-backed Gull
7. Great Cormorant
8. Gray Heron
9. Great Spotted Woodpecker
10. Eurasian Magpie
11. Hooded Crow
12. Eurasian Blue Tit
13. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
14. Yellowhammer
15. Great Tit
16. Velvet Scoter

Latest lifer: #815. Eurasian Bullfinch @ Asnes Badestrand, Sandefjord, Norway
 
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January in Norway on a fjord has been pretty cold and dark, but beautiful nonetheless.

Managed to pick up a few more well-known birds in January...

7-29 January

Birding in Granholmen, Kjerringvik, and Sandefjord
17. European Greenfinch
18. Mallard
19. Eurasian Nuthatch
20. European Robin
21. Rock Pigeon
22. Fieldfare
23. House Sparrow
24. Eurasian Siskin
25. Common Eider
26. Eurasian Wren

Latest lifer: #815. Eurasian Bullfinch @ Asnes Badestrand, Sandefjord, Norway
 
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Went back to the Washington DC area in February for two months for work and commitments - including getting two vaccine shots ! - before heading back to Norway in mid-April.

Saw a lot of the easy, common birds right away.

27-28 February

Chevy Chase, MD, USA
27. Mourning Dove
28. Turkey Vulture
29. Blue Jay
30. American Crow
31. European Starling
32. American Robin
33. House Finch
34. Northern Cardinal
35. Dark-eyed Junco
36. White-throated Sparrow
37. Song Sparrow
38. Common Grackle

Latest lifer: #815. Eurasian Bullfinch @ Asnes Badestrand, Sandefjord, Norway
 
More cleaning up the year list in March with regular, local birds - but also some of the first Spring visitors!

3 March - 3 April

Chevy Chase, MD, and Washington, DC USA
39. Canada Goose
40. Winter Wren
41. Northern Mockingbird
42. Ring-billed Gull
43. Double-crested Cormorant
44. American Goldfinch
45. Bufflehead
46. Tufted Titmouse
47. Gray Catbird
48. Swamp Sparrow
49. Red-bellied Woodpecker
50. Carolina Chickadee
51. Wild Turkey
52. Cedar Waxwing

Latest lifer: #815. Eurasian Bullfinch @ Asnes Badestrand, Sandefjord, Norway
 
My last weekend before heading back to Norway and being reunited with my family after 7 weeks. So, I drove up to Cape May, NJ - one of the very best (if not the very best) -birding spots in the U.S. - to see many great spring migrants.

An amazing experience, will have to go back when I can. [Lifers in bold.]

9-11 April

Cape May, Cape Island, Belleplain and Stone Harbor, NJ, USA
53. Blue-winged Teal
54. Gadwall
55. American Black Duck
56. Green-winged Teal
57. Surf Scoter
58. American Oystercatcher
59. Killdeer
60. Wilson's Snipe
61. Greater Yellowlegs
62. Lesser Yellowlegs
63. Laughing Gull
64. Northern Gannet
65. Great Egret
66. Snowy Egret
67. Osprey
68. Sharp-shinned Hawk
69. Red-tailed Hawk
70. Fish Crow
71. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
72. Purple Martin
73. Tree Swallow
74. Barn Swallow
75. Chipping Sparrow
76. Red-winged Blackbird
77. American Kestrel
78. Eastern Phoebe
79. Horned Lark
80. Brown Thrasher
81. Eastern Bluebird
82. Eastern Meadowlark
83. Pine Warbler
84. Yellow-throated Warbler
85. Red-throated Loon
86. Black Scoter
87. American Coot
88. Sanderling
89. Forster's Tern
90. Great Blue Heron
91. Cooper's Hawk
92. Downy Woodpecker
93. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
94. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
95. Field Sparrow
96. Brown-headed Cowbird
97. Yellow-rumped Warbler
98. Black Vulture
99. Carolina Wren
100. Savannah Sparrow
101. Brant
102. Piping Plover
103. Ruddy Turnstone
104. Dunlin
105. Purple Sandpiper
106. Lesser Black-backed Gull
107. Boat-tailed Grackle

Latest lifer: #824. Purple Sandpiper @ Stone Harbor Point, NJ, USA
 
So, on my way back from Cape May (where it was raining buckets) I caught wind that a Glossy Ibis had been sighted in Montgomery County, where I live. I've enjoyed seeing it both in Doha and in Delaware (US) but never in Maryland.

So quickly headed down for the chase and happy to see lots of birders there who had done the same.

11 April

Hughes Hollow - McKee Beshers, MD
108. Red-breasted Nuthatch
109. Pied-billed Grebe
110. Green Heron
111. Glossy Ibis <- And what a beauty!!

Latest lifer: #824. Purple Sandpiper @ Stone Harbor Point, NJ, USA
 
Back in beautiful Norway now and have picked up a few more year birds...

15 April

Sandefjord, Norway
112. Eurasian Oystercatcher
113. Black-headed Gull
114. Eurasian Jackdaw
115. Eurasian Blackbird
116. Northern Wheatear
117. White Wagtail

Latest lifer: #824. Purple Sandpiper @ Stone Harbor Point, NJ, USA
 
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Met some local birders today and saw some of their favorite spots - including 4 Cranes, for a new lifer!

21 April

Sandefjord, Norway
118. Tufted Duck
119. Eurasian Coot
120. Common Crane
121. Northern Lapwing
122. Common Raven
123. Common Chiffchaff
124. Common Chaffinch
125. Carrion Crow
126. Graylag Goose
127. Mew Gull


Latest lifer: #825. Common Crane @ Gjennestadvannet, Vestfold, NO

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Saw some more great birds today.

23 April

Fornebu, Akershus, Norway
128. Barnacle Goose

Linnesstranda, Buskerud, Norway
129. Common Shelduck
130. Little Ringed Plover
131. Whimbrel

Latest lifer: #826. Little Ringed Plover @ Linnesstranda, Buskerud, NO
 
Went birding on beautiful Mølen today in Norway and saw some excellent birds - including a few new lifers!

27 April

Gjennestadvannet, Vestfold, Norway
132. Common Redshank
133. European Shag
134. Mistle Thrush
135. Rock Pipit
136. Reed Bunting

Latest lifer: #829. Reed Bunting @ Gjennestadvannet, Vestfold, NO
 
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Saw some more great birds out on Mølen today.

30 April

Mølen, Vestfold, Norway
137. Common Scoter
138. Common Ringed Plover
139. Eurasian Blackcap
140. Dunnock
141. Eurasian Linnet
142. Common House-Martin
143. Song Thrush
144. Tree Pipit
145. European Goldfinch

Latest lifer: #830. Eurasian Linnet @ Mølen, Vestfold, NO
 
Back in the U.S. now and flew out to majestic Portland, Oregon for a long time coming family reunion.

June 3-4

Portland, OR, USA
146. Rufous Hummingbird
147. California Scrub-Jay
148. Purple Finch
149. Band-tailed Pigeon
150. Northern Flicker
151. Willow Flycatcher

Latest lifer: #832. Willow Flycatcher @ Portland, OR, USA
 
We headed out to central Oregon for a first family reunion in almost two years and enjoyed some great hikes - including Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman and majestic Smith Rock - that provided me some excellent birding opportunities. Great to be on the west coast again, and awesome to have seen 56 species, inlcluding 15 lifers.

June 4-7

Deschutes County, Oregon, USA

@North Santian State Park
152. Violet-green Swallow
153. Cliff Swallow
154. White-crowned Sparrow

@Black Butte Ranch
155. Vaux's Swift
156. Western Wood-Pewee
157. Evening Grosbeak
158. Brewer's Blackbird
159. Townsend's Warbler

@camp Sherman
160. White-headed Woodpecker
161. Olive-sided Flycatcher
162. Steller's Jay
163. Mountain Chickadee
164. Pygmy Nuthatch
165. House Wren
166. Pine Siskin
167. Yellow Warbler
168. Western Tanager
169. Black-headed Grosbeak

@Smith Rock SP
170. Common Merganser
171. California Quail
172. White-throated Swift
173. Golden Eagle
174. Black-billed Magpie
175. Rock Wren
176. Canyon Wren
177. Cassin's Finch
178. Lesser Goldfinch

Latest lifer: #844. Canyon Wren @ Smith Rock State Park, OR, USA
 
Got out early this morning to join a group of local birders for a rare spotting of a pair of Dickcissels. Got some great scope sightings, and also took in two more lifers. Very succesful and managed to get home in time for my 09:00 conference call!

June 10

Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
179. Chimney Swift
180. Blue Grosbeak
181. Indigo Bunting (had previoulsy only seen in Mexico)
182. Dickcissel

Latest lifer: #847. Dicksissel @ Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
 
Had a lovely time birding the Rocky Gorge Reservoir with the local Montgomery Birding Club, led by Cheryl Hogue. Enjoyed a few more lifers again!

June 12

Rocky Gorge Reservoir, Silver Spring MD, USA
183. Baltimore Oriole
184. Belted Kingfisher
185. Eastern Wood-Pewee
186. Acadian Flycatcher
187. Eastern Kingbird
188. Yellow-throated Vireo
189. Red-eyed Vireo
190. Ovenbird
191. Northern Parula

Latest lifer: #852. Northern Parula @ Rocky Gorge Reservoir, Silver Spring, MD, USA
 
Drove up past Baltimore to Marshy Point on Sunday morning for a three hour bird walk and it was well worth the drive. Lots of great birding. And chalked up a few more lifers!

June 13

Marshy Point Nature Center, Baltimore County, MD, USA
192. Least Tern
193. Bald Eagle
194. Wood Thrush
195. Yellow-breasted Chat
196. Orchard Oriole
197. Common Yellowthroat

Latest lifer: #855. Common Yellowthroat @ Marshy Point Nature Center, Baltimore County, MD, USA
 
Headed out to Rockville yesterday and today to see a lovely pair of Mississippi Kites that had been spotted in a large tree overlooking an Elementary School. Very uncommon for the area and a pleasure to behold.

June 16

Stakeout Mississippi Kite, Rockville, MD, USA
198. Mississippi Kite

Latest lifer: #856. Mississippi Kite @ Rockville, MD, USA
 
Drove out Druid Hill Park in Baltimore for a relaxed birding walk and saw 33 species, including my first Great Crested Flycatcher!

June 19

Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD, USA
199. White-breasted Nuthatch
200. Great Crested Flycatcher

Latest lifer: #857. Great Crested Flycatcher @ Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD, USA
 
Drove out to Dulles Airport today to pick up my daughter (returning from Norway) and realized I had more than an hour to kill. Found a great park nearby via the eBird app and had a great time seeing 18 species, including a lifer that had been eluding me the past few weeks!

July 5

Claude Moore Park, Sterling, VA, USA
201. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
202. Eastern Towhee

Latest lifer: #858. Yellow-billed Cuckoo @ Claude Moore Park, Sterling, VA, USA
 
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Another trip to Oregon to see family in August. I was searching for the Canada Jay and happy to find a few. (Incidentally, I seem to have "lost" two lifers on eBird due to taxonomy updates. Will have to figure out which ones.)

August 12

Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
203. Black-capped Chickadee
204. Wood Duck

August 15

Mirror Lake, Mount Hood, OR, USA
205. Canada Jay

August 25


Mount Tabor Park, Portland, OR, USA
206. Anna's Hummingbird

Latest lifer: #857. Canada Jay @ Mount Hood, OR, USA
 
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