Here’s the bird species I’ve seen so far in Essex County in 2018:
- House Sparrow
- House Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Downy Woodpecker
- Blue Jay
- European Starling
- American Tree Sparrow
- American Goldfinch
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Horned Lark
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Northern Cardinal
- Canada Goose
- Mute Swan
- Tundra Swan
- Mallard
- Canvasback
- Redhead
- Greater Scaup
- Bufflehead
- Common Goldeneye
- Hooded Merganser
- Common Merganser
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Bald Eagle
- Herring Gull
- Rock Pigeon
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Snow Goose
- Mourning Dove
- American Crow
- Lapland Longspur (lifer)
- Snow Bunting
- Common Grackle
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Snowy Owl
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Black-capped Chickadee
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Song Sparrow
- Eastern Towhee
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Pine Siskin (first in Essex County)
- Wild Turkey
- Belted Kingfisher
- Tufted Titmouse
- Brown Creeper
- Cedar Waxwing
- White-throated Sparrow
- Ring-billed Gull
- Wood Duck
- American Black Duck
- Great Blue Heron
- American Kestrel
- Hairy Woodpecker
- American Robin
- Fox Sparrow
- Northern Flicker
- Gadwall
- American Wigeon
- Northern Pintail
- Trumpeter Swan
- Lesser Scaup
This is a pretty good start, probably 20 or species ahead of where I was last year this time.
There are, however, some birds that are stubbornly eluding me, most notably: Northern Harrier, Carolina Wren, Northern Shrike, Rough-legged Hawk, Short-eared Owl, Ring-necked Pheasant, Eastern Screech Owl, Ross’s Goose, Cackling Goose, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Bluebird, and Red-winged Blackbird.
