In a quest to see it all – or, well, a quest to see more of it - I have set an ambitious goal for myself this year. I want to see 31 (more) life birds for the year. More - because I already have 7 life birds for the year. With 31, I would have a life list of 200. Right now, I stand at 169.
The seven new life birds this year aren’t just any ordinary birds, either. The Eastern Meadowlark, a bird I have been after for two years now. While trespassing through a farmer’s field we spotted the splash of yellow of the Meadowlark. I also saw my first Northern Pintail and Harlequin Duck – two of the loveliest ducks around. I took part in the Snowy Owl invasion this winter and saw my first snowy on a sea rock on a beautiful March day in Rhode Island. And lastly, I saw my first Pileated Woodpecker, my white whale, just two weeks ago. It would be a satisfying year if it stopped there – but it won’t. I’m on the quest for 200!
How do I plan on getting there? I hope to start in two weeks as I go up to Mt. Auburn, a birding hotspot in Cambridge, Mass., with the Bird Club. It will be the real start of the spring migration for the area, and a great time to see warblers and the like. The week after I will be taking part in a 24-hour bird-a-thon with MassAudubon. I not only hope to see many birds, but to meet other birders in the area. In the summer I will be taking a trip with the family to Michigan. Although we’ll miss the famous Kirtland’s Warbler, we should be around to see other warblers and other birds starting their fall migration back to warmer weather. Lastly, in the fall I hope to finish up the year with some great bird walks on the quest for 200.
For now I am at 169.
The seven new life birds this year aren’t just any ordinary birds, either. The Eastern Meadowlark, a bird I have been after for two years now. While trespassing through a farmer’s field we spotted the splash of yellow of the Meadowlark. I also saw my first Northern Pintail and Harlequin Duck – two of the loveliest ducks around. I took part in the Snowy Owl invasion this winter and saw my first snowy on a sea rock on a beautiful March day in Rhode Island. And lastly, I saw my first Pileated Woodpecker, my white whale, just two weeks ago. It would be a satisfying year if it stopped there – but it won’t. I’m on the quest for 200!
How do I plan on getting there? I hope to start in two weeks as I go up to Mt. Auburn, a birding hotspot in Cambridge, Mass., with the Bird Club. It will be the real start of the spring migration for the area, and a great time to see warblers and the like. The week after I will be taking part in a 24-hour bird-a-thon with MassAudubon. I not only hope to see many birds, but to meet other birders in the area. In the summer I will be taking a trip with the family to Michigan. Although we’ll miss the famous Kirtland’s Warbler, we should be around to see other warblers and other birds starting their fall migration back to warmer weather. Lastly, in the fall I hope to finish up the year with some great bird walks on the quest for 200.
For now I am at 169.
