2BY13: A Summation

Clearly, after September, I somehow gave up on the big year concept. I didn’t add a single species after that.

In 2012, after September, I added only five species, two of which I didn’t even see this year (evening grosbeak, black vulture [Probably a black vulture or two passed my way, but I was never in a position to positively ID it, so it’s turkey until proven black.]).

Still, 2013 was a much bigger year than 2012, thanks to Arizona. I listed 172 species compared with 115. Sadly, it seems like I need at least two trips to vastly different geographic areas within one year to reach 200. That, or I really have to get serious. (Could I have seen 28 more species right around here if I’d devoted my life to it? I’m guessing the answer is yes.)

But here it is, January 1, so if I do this again, I’m back at zero until I check out the bird feeder. Here’s my cut-and-paste-from-previous-posts 2013 list: tufted titmouse, American goldfinch, dark-eyed junco, mourning dove, common redpoll, black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, American tree sparrow, northern cardinal, red-tailed hawk, American crow, blue jay, European starling, rock dove, American kestrel, snow bunting, rough-legged hawk, common raven, mallard, American black duck, common merganser, common goldeneye, ring-billed gull, bald eagle, American robin, eastern meadowlark, horned lark, wild turkey, Carolina wren, hairy woodpecker, barred owl, black-backed gull, Canada goose, red-bellied woodpecker, mute swan, pileated woodpecker, lesser scaup, eastern bluebird, house sparrow, northern mockingbird, common eider, common loon, red-breasted merganser, fish crow, long-tailed duck (oldsquaw), house finch, white-winged scoter, red-winged blackbird, killdeer, turkey vulture, great blue heron, song sparrow, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, eastern phoebe, purple finch, white-throated sparrow, great-tailed grackle, white-winged dove, black-chinned hummingbird, broad-billed hummingbird, rufous hummingbird, brown-crested flycatcher, Wilson’s warbler, yellow warbler, vermilion flycatcher, lark sparrow, common yellowthroat, gila woodpecker, Abert’s towhee, gray hawk, Cassin’s kingbird, barn swallow, black-headed grosbeak, dusky-capped flycatcher, Lucy’s warbler, zone-tailed hawk, Bullock’s oriole, red-tailed hawk (Fuertes), Botteri’s sparrow, ladderback woodpecker, osprey, hooded oriole, Cassin’s vireo, plumbeous vireo, summer tanager, bridled titmouse, ruby-crowned kinglet, northern beardless tyrannulet, Bell’s vireo, yellow-breasted chat, green-tailed towhee, American coot, Mexican jay, canyon wren, yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon), Eurasian collared dove, pie-billed grebe, sora, Bewick’s wren, Cassin’s sparrow, lazuli bunting, Gambel’s quail, acorn woodpecker, cedar waxwing, violet-crowned hummingbird, curve-billed thrasher, white-crowned sparrow, lesser goldfinch, pyrrhuloxia, pine siskin, indigo bunting, chipping sparrow, greater roadrunner, common poor-will, ash-throated flycatcher, black-necked stilt, northern shoveler, cinnamon teal, American avocet, white-faced ibis, American widgeon, blue-winged teal, ruddy duck, cactus wren, black-throated sparrow, lesser nighthawk, black-tailed gnatcatcher, verdin, Western kingbird, rufous-sided towhee, rose-breasted grosbeak, chimney swift, tree swallow, warbling vireo, wood duck, belted kingfisher, ovenbird, house wren, Baltimore oriole, American redstart, yellow-bellied sapsucker, northern flicker, gray catbird, ruby-throated hummingbird, chestnut-sided warbler, blue-winged warbler, black-and-white warbler, golden-winged warbler, veery, great-crested flycatcher, ruffed grouse, hermit thrush, spotted sandpiper, bobolink, eastern kingbird, eastern wood-pewee, red-eyed vireo, northern waterthrush, red-breasted nuthatch, scarlet tanager, black-throated green warbler, broad-winged hawk, great egret, northern harrier, snowy egret, great-horned owl, Acadian flycatcher, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, yellow-billed cuckoo.

May your new bird year be big.