Martin's 2023 Bird List (Chevy Chase, MD, USA) (1 Viewer)

[martinboer]

Happy New Year everyone. Looking forward to another year of seeing great birds.

Walking around my neighborhood the past two days has already scared up a few local beauties.

January 1-2

Chevy Chase, MD

1. Rock Pigeon
2. Mourning Dove
3. Red-shouldered Hawk
4. Belted Kingfisher
5. Red-bellied Woodpecker
6. Downy Woodpecker
7. Hairy Woodpecker
8. Blue Jay
9. American Crow
10. Fish Crow
11. Carolina Chickadee
12. Tufted Titmouse
13. White-breasted Nuthatch
14. Carolina Wren
15. European Starling
16. Northern Mockingbird
17. American Robin
18. House Sparrow
19. House Finch
20. Field Sparrow
21. Dark-eyed Junco
22. White-throated Sparrow
23. Song Sparrow
24. Brown-headed Cowbird
25. Northern Cardinal

Latest lifer: #908 - Steppe Eagle (Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

 

[martinboer]

Picked up a few more on my bike ride into work...

January 3

Washington, DC

26. Canada Goose
27. Ring-billed Gull
28. Double-crested Cormorant
29. Great Blue Heron

Latest lifer: #908 - Steppe Eagle (Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

 

[martinboer]

And a few more new ticks on the way home...

January 3

Constitution Gardens and Reflecting Pool, Washington, DC

30. Northern Shoveler
31. American Wigeon
32. Mallard
33. Ring-necked Duck
34. Lesser Scaup
35. Herring Gull

Latest lifer: #908 - Steppe Eagle (Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

 

[martinboer]

Picked up a few more today...

January 7

Rock Creek Park, Chevy Chase, MD

36. Barred Owl
37. Winter Wren (+)
38. Brown Creeper

Latest lifer: #908 - Steppe Eagle (Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

 

[martinboer]

Saw two of these beauties overhead on Sunday...

January 8

Vinton Park, Somerset, MD

39. Cooper's Hawk

Latest lifer: #908 - Steppe Eagle (Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

 

[martinboer]

Went for a great birding trip with the Montgomery Bird Club, led by the incomparable Mark England, looking for Northern Harriers and Sparrows. Ended up with a nice tally of 23 species, of which 11 year birds, including a brilliant lifer for me - the Northern Harrier - that we saw about four times with great looks. Great afternoon out!

January 21

Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD

40. Green-winged Teal
41. Bufflehead
42. Black Vulture
43. Turkey Vulture
44. Northern Harrier
45. Sharp-shinned Hawk
46. Pileated Woodpecker
47. Northern Flicker
48. Swamp Sparrow
49. Eastern Towhee (+)
50. Red-winged Blackbird

Latest lifer: #909 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Nice visit to Hughes Hollow today, adding a few more year birds to the list... including a lovely Wilson's Snipe, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Hermit Thrush.

Due to a new formula on ebird that excludes escapees, my life list has unfortunately dropped by two... (I hope to see the Black Swan and Sandhill Crane somewhere else in future...) That said, with about 4,000 Sandhill Cranes in Florida, I'm surprised to hear it's considered an escapee.

February 5

Hughes Hollow, McKee Beshers, Poolesville, MD

51. Common Merganser
52. Hooded Merganser
53. Wilson's Snipe (+)
54. Red-headed Woodpecker
55. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
56. Golden-crowned Kinglet
57. Hermit Thrush (+)
58. Wood Duck

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Work trip to Basel and then a visit to Amsterdam this weekend. Seeing some nice European birds.

February 7

Karlsruhe, Germany

58. Great Egret - Trainspotting en route

Basel City, Switzerland

59. Mute Swan
60. Black-headed Gull
61. Great Cormorant
62. Carrion Crow
63. Eurasian Blue Tit
64. House Sparrow

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Spent a nice morning birding in Amsterdam, and seeing some of my local favorites...

February 10

Frankendael, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

65. Egyptian Goose
66. Common Wood-Pigeon
67. Eurasian Moorhen
68. Eurasian Coot
69. White Stork
70. Gray Heron
71. Rose-ringed Parakeet
72. Eurasian Jay
73. Eurasian Magpie
74. Eurasian Jackdaw
75. Great Tit
76. Eurasian Nuthatch
77. Short-toed Treecreeper
78. Eurasian Wren
79. Song Thrush
80. Eurasian Blackbird
81. European Robin
82. Common Chaffinch

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Two more...

February 10

Nieuwe Ooster, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

83. Graylag Goose
84. Great Spotted Woodpecker

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Had a good morning out, seeing 34 species today.

February 18

Wheaton Branch Stormwater Ponds, MD, USA

85. Cackling Goose
86. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
87. American Goldfinch

Lake Churchill, MD, USA

88. Eastern Bluebird

Black HIll Regional Park, MD, USA

89. American Coot

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

February 21

Chevy Chase, MD, USA

90. Common Grackle

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

March 5

North Branch and Kengla Trails, MD, USA

91. Killdeer
92. Common Raven (+)
93. Fox Sparrow
94. Eastern Meadowlark (+)

Black Hill Regional Park, MD, USA

95. Red-tailed Hawk

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Nice weekend out to the shore...

March 18

Easton, MD, USA

96. Osprey
97. Bald Eagle
98. Cedar Waxwing
99. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Latest lifer: #907 - Northern Harrier (Oaks Landfill, Gaithersburg, MD, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Visiting beautiful San Francisco, first leg of a family vacation in California, and already saw 43 species, including four lifers!

April 1-2

San Francisco, CA, USA

99. Ruddy Duck (+)
100. Pied-billed Grebe
101. Anna's Hummingbird
102. Allen's Hummingbird (+)
103. Western Gull
104. Brandt's Cormorant (+)
105. Pelagic Cormorant
106. Brown Pelican (+)
107. Black Phoebe (+)
108. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
109. Tree Swallow
110. Pacific Wren
111. House Finch
112. Pine Siskin
113. White-crowned Sparrow (+)
114. Brewer's Blackbird (+)
115. Common Yellowthroat
116. Townsend's Warbler (+)
117. Wilson's Warbler
118. Red-masked Parakeet
119. Western Grebe (+)
120. Pigeon Guillemot
121. Caspian Tern

Latest lifer: #911 - Pigeon Guillemot (San Francisco, CA, USA)

 

[martinboer]

A few more in San Francisco, before driving down the majestic 1 highway, and picking up a few more great ones in Santa Cruz and Monterey.

So far, 9 lifers and 63 species seen this trip...

April 3

San Francisco, CA, USA

122. Lesser Goldfinch
123. Hooded Oriole
124. Steller's Jay

April 3-4

Santa Cruz, CA, USA

125. Snowy Egret (+)
126. American Avocet
127. California Gull
128. Glaucous-winged Gull
129. Common Loon (+)
130. Bewick's Wren (+)
131. Western Bluebird

April 3-4

Monterrey, CA, USA

132. Black Oystercatcher
133. Black Turnstone
134. Red-breasted Merganser (+)
135. Red-necked Grebe (+)

Latest lifer: #916 - Black Turnstone (Monterrey, CA, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Ending our family California trip with 82 species, and 11 lifers... great to see so many excellent birds across such a diversity of majestic land- and seascapes.

April 6

Santa Barbara, CA, USA

136. Rufous Hummingbird (+)
137. Whimbrel
138. Willet (+)
139. Royal Tern (+)
140. Black-crowned Night-Heron (+)
141. Great Horned Owl
142. Cassin's Kingbird
143. Orange-crowned Warbler
144. Snow Goose
145. Gadwall
146. Bushtit
147. Scaly-breasted Munia
148. Great-tailed Grackle (+)

April 7

Malibu, CA, USA
149. Heermann's Gull (+)
150. Forster's Tern (+)

April 8

Santa Monica, CA, USA
151. Spotted Towhee

Latest lifer: #918 - Scaly-breasted Munia (Santa Barbara, CA, USA)

 

[martinboer]

Have been enjoying being back in majestic Iceland for a long weekend with some (non-birding) good friends. Still managed to so far peep 33 species, including 5 lifers, as we have criss-crossed the country over the past three days.

Tomorrow, on our last day, we are going boating in search of the Atlantic Puffin, which over the years has continued to elude me. But chances tomorrow are very good.

April 28-30

Iceland
150. European Golden-Plover
151. Iceland Gull
152. White Wagtail
153. Eurasian Oystercatcher
154. European Starling
155. Goldcrest (+)
156. Redwing
157. Meadow Pipit (+)
158. Barnacle Goose
159. Whooper Swan (+)
160. Pink-footed Goose (+)
161. Eurasian Wigeon (+)
162. Tufted Duck
163. Greater Scaup (+)
164. Rock Pigeon
165. Lesser Black-backed Gull
166. Arctic Tern
167. Red-throated Loon (+)
168. Common Eider (+)
169. Common Murre
170. Black Guillemot
171. Black-legged Kittiwake (+)
172. Northern Fulmar
173. Black-tailed Godwit
174. Common Snipe

Latest lifer: #923 - Northern Fulmar (Iceland)

 

[martinboer]

Enjoyed a fantastic two hours out on a RIB boat today, seeing lots of whales, porpoises, and tons of birds - including two new lifers for me: hundreds of Atlantic Puffins and several Razorbills. Had a great four days in Iceland, and spotted 39 species, including many lifers.

May 1

Iceland
175. Brant (+)
176. Razorbill
177. Atlantic Puffin
178. Great Black-backed Gull
179. European Shag

Latest lifer: #925 - Atlantic Puffin (Iceland)

 

[Owene]

Congratulations on the lifers. Which whales did you see?