Your Most Recent "Life" Bird (3 Viewers)

[avesjohn]

Haven't posted here in a while (my computer's been out of commission and I've been relying on my iPad), but since the end of May I've been living in Estes Park, Colorado, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. (I'm working at the Trail Ridge Store within the park and will return home in October when the season ends.) Since I don't have a vehicle and have no local birding contacts with whom to go on outings further afield, my options have been rather limited, but nevertheless I've managed to add 3 life birds since my arrival in Colorado.

#503: American Three-toed Woodpecker at Bear Lake in RMNP, 5/22/2016
#504: Wild Turkey near Cascade Lakes in RMNP, 5/23/2016 (in the literal sense, not a "true" lifer, since I'd seen them in my home state of California several times beforehand, but turkeys aren't considered native there, so I waited to see them in a place where they are native before "officially" adding them to my list)
#505: Cordilleran Flycatcher on Clear Creek Trail in Golden, Colorado, 6/20/2016 (took a day trip with two of my co-workers to explore this area, and found this while they were touring the Coors Brewery)

Also, following the announced split by the AOU of the former Western Scrub-Jay this week, I've also added an "armchair lifer" in the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay; I've seen California Scrub-Jays countless times back home (where it was among my earliest lifers), but my first sighting of a Woodhouse's was 2 years ago on 8/9/2014 at the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico (moments after seeing my lifer Canyon Towhee in the parking lot). Thus, the numbers for each of the previous three species are bumped up a notch.

 

[Nutcracker]

Also, following the announced split by the AOU ...

By following the IOC list, I got my armchair Woodhouse's Scrub Jay a couple of years ago o

 

[Jacana]

Terek Sandpiper back in May at Västerstadsviken, Öland, Sweden. Took me to 1829

 

[dwallace]

Collared Pratincole at Ham Wall, Somerset.

Dave W

 

[timsg80]

Square-tailed Kite just to the southwest of Brisbane this morning.

 

[dave598]

Mine was the elusive Greater Roadrunner. And at the time I saw two of them together.

 

[Wompoo Dove]

New Life Bird

This could be a Life Bird but I can't Identify it. Filmed by a local person here in Marin County. I am thinking some sort of escaped finch here in northern California. Any guesses?

 

[Sangahyando]

This could be a Life Bird but I can't Identify it. Filmed by a local person here in Marin County. I am thinking some sort of escaped finch here in northern California. Any guesses?

Either that, or a leucistic House Sparrow. You'll probably get more helpful feedback if you post this in the ID section, though.

 

[timsg80]

This could be a Life Bird but I can't Identify it. Filmed by a local person here in Marin County. I am thinking some sort of escaped finch here in northern California. Any guesses?

Definitely looks like a weirdly pale House Sparrow to me

 

[JeroenVanheuverswyn]

Just got back from a 3 week trip to Alaska. My first birding visit to America, resulting in 91 lifers (following IOC). Last one added was Western Sandpiper.
This includes Canada Goose and Ruddy Duck which I refuse to count in Europe.
And I banked at least one future armchair ticks: Mew / Common Gull. Given what I saw there of a Whimbrell I don't understand why it's not split from the European Whimbrell...

Most enjoyable new species (Partially from a very European point of view):
Hudsonian Godwitt
Bald Eagle
Least Sandpiper
Pine Grosbeak
Pacific Loon (completing all 5 existing loon species)

Least satisfying tick would be Aleutian Tern. Seen once only, from great distance.

You can find some bird, mammal and landscape pictures on:
https://liesenjeroen.wordpress.com/

 

[Nutcracker]

And I banked at least one future armchair ticks: Mew / Common Gull. Given what I saw there of a Whimbrell I don't understand why it's not split from the European Whimbrell...

The Mew / Common Gull split is long overdue; genetic distance is apparently quite large.

BOU do split Hudsonian Whimbrel, but IOC don't, as the genetic difference is small, despite the geographical separation and distinct plumage.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Little Bittern at Ham Wall today:t:

Rich

 

[Surreybirder]

Just got back from a 3 week trip to Alaska. My first birding visit to America, resulting in 91 lifers (following IOC). Last one added was Western Sandpiper.
This includes Canada Goose and Ruddy Duck which I refuse to count in Europe.
And I banked at least one future armchair ticks: Mew / Common Gull. Given what I saw there of a Whimbrell I don't understand why it's not split from the European Whimbrell...

Most enjoyable new species (Partially from a very European point of view):
Hudsonian Godwitt
Bald Eagle
Least Sandpiper
Pine Grosbeak
Pacific Loon (completing all 5 existing loon species)

Least satisfying tick would be Aleutian Tern. Seen once only, from great distance.

You can find some bird, mammal and landscape pictures on:
https://liesenjeroen.wordpress.com/

Some lovely photos! I particularly like your great spotted cuckoo in flight.

 

[ovenbird43]

Tufted Puffin on a boat trip to Protection Island off the coast of Washington earlier this month - completing the puffin species trifecta for me!

 

[Warixenjalka]

I (and wife and kid) did a little road trip at June 12th - July 5th to Italy and back. My goal was 40 lifers, where I didn't reached. But I got 28 (+ one uncountable) - which was quite OK too, in the case, however, was primarily a family trip.

Lifers were at chronology order:

European Roller, Latvia (also seen at Italy)
Golden Oriole, Lithuania (also heard at Poland)
Collared Flycatcher, Poland
Lesser Spotted Eagle, Poland
European Turtle Dove, Austria (also seen at Croatia and Italy)
Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Austria
Common Quail, Austria (heard only, also at Germany)
European Bee-eater, Austria (also seen at Italy)
Black-tailed Godwit, Austria
Avocet, Austria (also seen at Slovenia)
Mediterranean Gull, Austria (also seen at Italy)
Common Nightingale, Austria (heard only, also at Italy)
(Pale-headed Rosella, Austria - escape bird, tought I - so not countable)
Black Crowned Night Heron, Croatia (also seen at Italy)
Black-eared Wheatear, Croatia
Subalpine Warbler, Croatia
European Shag, Croatia
Little Tern, Slovenia
Italian Sparrow, Italy
Pygmy Cormorant, Italy
Purple Heron, Italy
Little Owl, Italy
Black Kite, Italy
Grey Wagtail, Italy
Western Bonelli's Warbler, Italy
Snowfinch, Austria (also seen at Germany)
Water Pipit, Austria
Alpine Chough, Austria (also seen at Germany)
Alpine Accentor, Germany

And after I get home I went to see Lesser Grey Shrike at my neigtborhood.
And finally at last thursday I saw Dunlin at Teutjarvi, Kouvola.

So I'm still 10 after my this year goal...

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Latest Hartlaub's Marsh Widowbird, preceded by Yellow Longbill, Lemon-bellied Crombec and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher as the last 4 of 167 additions from Uganda.

 

[harrowwoman]

Bicester, oxfordshire Newby

I would like to photograph some of the very lovely birds in my area but have no idea where to start.
I can sometimes spot kite flying near my home, I am also a bit wary of wandering around in the woods with my camera just in case I come across something inappropriate!
If I could find somewhere safe to go then I would like to try photographing some of the birds, any ideas??

 

[Euan Buchan]

Saw my first male Hen Harrier in The Outer Hebrides last week, it was amazing to see.

 

[Tero]

Veery. I may have seen them before but these sang, in Minnesota.

 

[bernerjc]

First Pelagic (4 lifers) and no seasickness!

Finally braved seasickness and took my first ever pelagic trip (this one was out of Port Aransas, TX). Luckily the Prescription skin patch eliminated seasickness and I added 4 common Gulf of Mexico pelagic birds as lifers: Cory's Shearwater, Audubon's Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-petrel and Leach's Storm-petrel. Also had several other pelagic birds:masked booby, sooty tern, parasitic jaeger and magnificent frigatebird (but these last 4 weren't lifers). My ebird total is now 753 world, 612 ABA, and 539 Texas but that includes some uncountable exotics--don't know my precise ABA countable totals.

In Texas we have a local competition called "Century Club" to try to see 100 different species of birds in each of 100 different counties of Texas (Texas has 254 counties to pick from). I am now up to 53 counties with 100+.

Maybe You folks in the UK could try this?--maybe try to get 100 species in 10 different counties of England (or all 6 counties of Northern Ireland, or various other possibilities...)--would be a challenging but achievable goal--and would get you out to some less birded locations. Per Wikipedia there are 48 counties in England, 6 in N. Ireland, 33 in Scotland and 22 (counting boroughs in Wales) that makes 109 counties to pick targets from. Thoughts? Surely would cause you to learn more about many under-birded regions and make finding "ordinary" species special again. It does make for quite a bit of travel and more climate change though...