25th May to 15th June 2013
This year's big trip away was to the southwestern States - what an amazing place! We started out in Vegas and did the classical 'Grand Tour' of southern Utah and northern Arizona, before heading west to California and ending in San Francisco. Although this was very much a family trip, plenty of birds were seen on the walks and drives through the national parks. Since I'd never been to the area before the majority of species were lifers too. Highlights for me were Abert's Towhee, a surprise Painted Whitestart at Zion NP, lots of New World Warblers and Woodpeckers, California Condor at a well-known release site, and a car-ticked Yellow-billed Magpie. The total list comes to 132 species (not counting heard only Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat and Pileated Woodpecker). I hope to do a full report elsewhere, but here's the list (lifers in bold):
123. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
124. Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps)
125. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
126. Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
127. Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)
128. Gadwall (Anas strepera)
129. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
130. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
131. American Coot (Fulica americana)
132. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
133. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
134. Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya)
135. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
136. Redhead (Aythya americana)
137. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
138. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
139. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
140. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
141. Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
142. Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
143. American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
144. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
145. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
146. Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
147. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
148. Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)
149. American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)
150. Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
151. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
152. Western Wood Pewee (Contopus sordidulus)
153. Abert's Towhee (Melozone aberti)
154. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura)
155. Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
156. Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
157. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
158. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
159. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
160. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
161. American crow (corvus brachyrhynchos)
162. Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
163. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
164. Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
165. Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
166. American Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri)
167. Painted Whitestart (Myioborus pictus)
168. Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
169. White-throated Swift (Aeronautes saxatilis)
170. Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
171. Black-throated Grey Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)
172. Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
173. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
174. Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
175. Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)
176. Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
177. American Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
178. Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)
179. Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)
180. Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)
181. Virginia's Warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae)
182. Grace's Warbler (Setophaga graciae)
183. Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeus)
184. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
185. Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)
186. Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli)
187. Audubon's Warbler (Setophaga auduboni)
188. Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
189. Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
190. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
191. Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
192. Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii)
193. Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
194. Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
195. Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
196. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
197. Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
198. Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar)
199. Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
200. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
201. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
202. Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata)
203. Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus)
204. Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)
205. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens)
206. Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi)
207. Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus)
208. American Grey Flycatcher (Empidonax wrightii)
209. Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
210. MacGillivray’s Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei)
211. Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii)
212. American Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
213. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoenicus)
214. Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
215. California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)
216. Williamson’s Sapsucker (Sphyrapicusthyroideus)
217. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)
218. White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
219. Inca Dove (Columbina inca)
220. Lucy’s Warbler (Leiothlypis luciae)
221. Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
222. Brown Creeper (Certhia Americana)
223. California Gull (Larus californicus)
224. Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber)
225. Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) *
226. Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus)
227. American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)
228. Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
229. Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
230. Hermit Warbler (Setophaga occidentalis)
231. Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
232. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
233. Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta Canadensis)
234. California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
235. Yellow-billed Magpie (Picanuttalli)
236. Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
237. Great Egret (Ardea alba)
238. Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
239. Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)
240. Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus Columba)
241. Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)
242. Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkia)
243. Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
244. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
15/06/2013:
Life: 766 species (IOC v3.3)
World: 244 species
UK: 117 species
Patch: 102 species
N
30/09/13 UPDATE: Western Osprey now seen on patch as well
10/12/13 UPDATE: Common Merganser now seen in the UK as well