Category: Goals

May Report

May is a special time of year for birders. Spring migration season is exciting and fast paced in a way which Fall migration is not.

This time around, there were some disappointing misses. I was never at Pelee during a true warbler “fallout”. I missed the two Cuckoo species and a number of warbler species I was hoping to find. My shorebird counts were dismal. The Essex lagoons were lacking mudflats, and consequently the shorebird turnout there was very sparse. These gripes notwithstanding, this was a fantastic May. I saw 137 species this month (last May it was 97) and 9 lifers. Now my Essex County year total is at 181, only 19 species away from my goal!

Two Snowy Owls in the town of Essex were still showing at the beginning of the month. Imagine that! May Snowy Owl sightings within five minutes of my house!!! A year ago, I would have never guessed! I hope to add one to my June list, but who knows?

I had some fantastic warbler hauls at various “lesser” migration hotspots such as Sadler’s Pond and Malden Park. As usual during Spring migration, on a good day these smaller hotspots were superb in warbler diversity.

I ended up getting out to Point Pelee twice. The first time was an active day a little too early in the season. The second day was a slow day a little too late in the season. Neither day lived up to Point Pelee’s potential. However, a slow day in May at Pelee, is quite active! A major highlight was getting to bird with some excellent local birders including Jeremy Bensette, Tim Arthur, Jeremy Hatt, and Rick Mayos. You learn so much by birding with these fine folks!

My lifers this month were:

  • Grey-cheeked Thrush (May 2–Point Pelee)
  • Prothonotary Warbler (May 2–Point Pelee)
  • Marbled Godwit (May 2–Hillman Marsh)
  • Sora (May 7–Spring Garden)
  • Cape May Warbler (May 10–Sadler’s Pond)
  • Black Scoter (May 19–Point Pelee)
  • Acadian Flycatcher (May 19–Point Pelee)
  • Willow Flycatcher (May 19–Point Pelee)
  • Cattle Egret (May 22–Point Pelee)

I’m a bit sad that May migration is already over, but it was fun while it lasted. Now we march on to Fall migration! 🙂

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Progress on Goals

Completed Goals

  1. Reach 200 species on my Essex County life-list. This was completed on January 31, with a Great Horned Owl. I’m currently at 210 life birds for Essex County.
  2. See a Lapland Longspur.
  3. See a Prothonotary warbler
  4. See a Rough-legged Hawk
  5. See a Siskin in Essex County
  6. Make a day outing to Point Pelee during May (migration)

Goals Not Completed (Yet)

  1. See an American Pipit
  2. See a Yellow-headed Blackbird
  3. See a Northern Shrike
  4. See a Snowy Owl in Michigan
  5. Reach 150 species on my U.S.A. life-list (Currently at 120)
  6. See the remaining Scoter species (just one left–Black Scoter)
  7. Reach 200 species for the year in Essex County (I’m at 148 species–74% of the way there. See the note at the end of this post).
  8. See the remaining realistic heron/egret species in Ontario (No progress to report)
  9. Reach 250 species on my life-list. (Currently at 239, so only 11 more to go!)

200 Year Species in Essex — Update

Today is May the 4th and I’m currently at 148 species for the year in Essex County.

I had a great outing at Point Pelee and Hillman Marsh recently, with 65 species in total (over 20 FOY and 3 lifers). This morning, I was able to get a couple more FOY birds at Sadler’s Pond in Essex (Warbling Vireo and Chestnut-sided Warbler).

I have 52 species left to reach 200 for the year in Essex County (74% of the way there!). The goal seems much more attainable now. Here are 52 species I’m going to try to get in the remainder of the year (in order of eBird frequency). The ones which are lifers are marked with a (*).

  1. Orchard Oriole
  2. American Redstart
  3. Magnolia Warbler
  4. Red-eyed Vireo
  5. Indigo Bunting
  6. Least Flycatcher
  7. Black-throated Blue Warbler
  8. Eastern Wood-Pewee
  9. Scarlet Tanager
  10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  11. Veery
  12. Chimney Swift
  13. Great Crested Flycatcher
  14. Common Tern
  15. Ovenbird
  16. Tennesse Warbler
  17. Red-breasted Nuthatch
  18. Cape May Warbler (*)
  19. Bay Breasted Warbler
  20. Bank Swallow
  21. Northern Waterthrush (*)
  22. Wilson’s Warbler
  23. Lincoln’s Sparrow
  24. Blackpol Warbler
  25. Black Tern
  26. Canada Warbler
  27. Cliff Swallow
  28. Blue-winged Warbler (*)
  29. Semipalmated Plover
  30. Philadelphia Vireo (*)
  31. Ruddy Turnstone (*)
  32. Green Heron
  33. Short-billed Dowitcher
  34. Marsh Wren
  35. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (*)
  36. Eastern Screech Owl
  37. Yellow-throated Vireo (*)
  38. White-eyed Vireo (*)
  39. Black-crowned Night Heron
  40. Bobolink
  41. Solitary Sandpiper
  42. Semipalmated Sandpiper
  43. Broad-winged Hawk
  44. Hooded Warbler (*)
  45. Orange crowned Warbler (*)
  46. Willow Flycatcher (*)
  47. Black-billed Cuckoo (*)
  48. American Pipit (*)
  49. Sandhill Crane
  50. Common Nighthawk
  51. Yellow-breasted Chat (*)
  52. Mourning Warbler (*)
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The 100 Species Mark

This year I have passed the 100 species mark yesterday (April 13th), which is one day ahead of last year’s time.

Here are the species (I am now at 103):

  1. House Sparrow
  2. House Finch
  3. Red-tailed Hawk
  4. Downy Woodpecker
  5. Blue Jay
  6. European Starling
  7. American Tree Sparrow
  8. American Goldfinch
  9. Cooper’s Hawk
  10. Horned Lark
  11. Dark-eyed Junco
  12. Northern Cardinal
  13. Canada Goose
  14. Mute Swan
  15. Tundra Swan
  16. Mallard
  17. Canvasback
  18. Redhead
  19. Greater Scaup
  20. Bufflehead
  21. Common Goldeneye
  22. Hooded Merganser
  23. Common Merganser
  24. Red-breasted Merganser
  25. Bald Eagle
  26. Herring Gull
  27. Rock Pigeon
  28. Great Black-backed Gull
  29. Snow Goose
  30. Mourning Dove
  31. American Crow
  32. Lapland Longspur
  33. Snow Bunting
  34. Common Grackle
  35. White-crowned Sparrow
  36. Snowy Owl
  37. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  38. Black-capped Chickadee
  39. White-breasted Nuthatch
  40. Song Sparrow
  41. Eastern Towhee
  42. Brown-headed Cowbird
  43. Pine Siskin
  44. Wild Turkey
  45. Belted Kingfisher
  46. Tufted Titmouse
  47. Brown Creeper
  48. Cedar Waxwing
  49. White-throated Sparrow
  50. Ring-billed Gull
  51. Wood Duck
  52. American Black Duck
  53. Great Blue Heron
  54. American Kestrel
  55. Hairy Woodpecker
  56. American Robin
  57. Fox Sparrow
  58. Northern Flicker
  59. Gadwall
  60. American Wigeon
  61. Northern Pintail
  62. Trumpeter Swan
  63. Lesser Scaup
  64. Ring-necked Duck
  65. Eastern Bluebird
  66. Northern Harrier
  67. Peregrine Falcon
  68. Pied-billed Grebe
  69. Greater White-fronted Goose
  70. Carolina Wren
  71. Great Horned Owl
  72. Merlin
  73. Townsend’s Solitaire
  74. Red-winged Blackbird
  75. Rough-legged Hawk
  76. Killdeer
  77. Ross’s Goose
  78. Northern Shoveler
  79. American Coot
  80. Green-winged Teal
  81. Sharp-shinned Hawk
  82. American Woodcock
  83. Turkey Vulture
  84. King Eider
  85. Surf Scoter
  86. White-winged Scoter
  87. Great Egret
  88. Rusty Blackbird
  89. Eastern Meadowlark
  90. Bonaparte’s Gull
  91. Ruddy Duck
  92. Blue-winged Teal
  93. Horned Grebe
  94. Double-crested Cormorant
  95. Eastern Phoebe
  96. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  97. Common Loon
  98. Forster’s Tern
  99. Tree Swallow
  100. Hermit Thrush
  101. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  102. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  103. Savannah Sparrow
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February Report

February started off more slowly than I had anticipated. To be clear, I did enjoy some excellent observations of species I had already seen in January, but year firsts were slow in coming. We’ve been dealing with a great deal of illness in the family and I’m not quite feeling 100% yet either.

It was 2 weeks until I could add a new species to my year list (February 14th I saw a Merlin). Then on the 17th I went out to see the amazing vagrant Townsend’s Solitare (a lifer) that was hanging out at Point Pelee. On that same trip I also was able to check off Rough-legged hawk (also a lifer) and a Red-winged blackbird. On the 25th I got to see a single Ross’s Goose at Jack Miner’s and dropped by at the Essex West lagoons to see a male Northern Shoveler. On the 27th I added an American Coot I found at Lakeview Marina. On the 28th, while it was still dark outside, I was treated to the early morning song of a House Wren. I hope they start using my new nesting boxes!

That brought my February species count to 65 (18 more than last February) and my year count to 80.

Out of the “easier” February targets, I saw 2 out of 5: Red-winged Blackbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Kildeer, and Eastern Screech Owl.

Out of the “harder” February targets, I saw 2 out of 7: Short-eared Owl, Ross’s Goose, Rough-legged Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, and the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Species such as Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cackling Goose, Long-tailed, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Sharp-shinned Hawk have been coming up somewhat frequently in eBird reports lately and for the most part my inability to get them was just merely a result of not being able to get out at the right places/times. Essentially, most of them were there for the easy finding.

In March I hope to find a Cackling Goose. I will also continue to look for Sharp-shinned Hawks, Long-tailed Ducks, and Eastern Screech Owls.

Some easy targets I will be looking for include Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Bonaparte’s Gull.

I need 20 more species to get half way to my year goal (100 of 200) before April.

I looking forward to March birding (Spring is coming!) It is exciting to see some early migrants like ducks, kildeer, and Red-winged Blackbirds moving in. I hope you have a good March!

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January Recap and February Targets

The January Questions

Birders working on a “year list” undoubtedly grapple with two related questions in January: 1. How much time and energy do I spend finding birds which will much easier to find in a few months? 2. How much time and energy do I spend finding birds that may show up again in December?

There are many angles to tackle these questions. Neither question is likely to be settled by a simple either-or equation. On the continuum, my posture this year leans towards “find them now while you can”.
I may indeed be wasting some energy (and warmth!) on birds just as easily (or more easily) found in another part of the year. On the flip side, though, we don’t know the future. Who knows what weather will be like or what bird movements will be like? Who knows how busy I will be later in the year? Who knows what life holds in store?
 Regarding question #1, there’s something to be said for the satisfaction of finding a bird when it is less commonly seen. Regarding question #2, for some species December may not be a safe bet. There is certain satisfaction and safety in checking it off now.
A Recap of January
January was a descent start to this “birding year”, totaling 71 species in Essex county–19 ahead of last year. This total includes two lifers (Lapland Longspur and Great Horned Owl) and one first for Essex County (Pine Siskin). The Pine Siskin was my lifetime Essex County bird #199 and the Great Horned Owl was #200!
The most fruitful birding venues have been the Little River Area (east Windsor), which added 24 species to my year list, and the Ojibway Prairie Complex, which added 17 species to my year list.

From the perspective of reaching 200 Essex County species in 2018, I think I can afford to slow down slightly in February. I hope to reach 100 species in Essex County in March and so my main hope for February is to continue to push toward that number with a small handful of FOY (“First of Year”) species.

Some February Targets
In February I’ll focus mostly on some somewhat common birds which have eluded me in January (none of which are lifers), such as the Red-winged Blackbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Kildeer, and Eastern Screech Owl.
 A few less common birds will also be on my radar. They’ve also eluded me in January and include the Short-eared Owl, Ross’s Goose, Rough-legged Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Great Horned Owl, and the Sharp-shinned Hawk.
With some focused effort and determination, I believe knocking off half of these in February is possible.
I hope February treats you well. Spring migration is near!!
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63 Essex County Species So Far in 2018!

Here’s the bird species I’ve seen so far in Essex County in 2018:

  1. House Sparrow
  2. House Finch
  3. Red-tailed Hawk
  4. Downy Woodpecker
  5. Blue Jay
  6. European Starling
  7. American Tree Sparrow
  8. American Goldfinch
  9. Cooper’s Hawk
  10. Horned Lark
  11. Dark-eyed Junco
  12. Northern Cardinal
  13. Canada Goose
  14. Mute Swan
  15. Tundra Swan
  16. Mallard
  17. Canvasback
  18. Redhead
  19. Greater Scaup
  20. Bufflehead
  21. Common Goldeneye
  22. Hooded Merganser
  23. Common Merganser
  24. Red-breasted Merganser
  25. Bald Eagle
  26. Herring Gull
  27. Rock Pigeon
  28. Great Black-backed Gull
  29. Snow Goose
  30. Mourning Dove
  31. American Crow
  32. Lapland Longspur (lifer)
  33. Snow Bunting
  34. Common Grackle
  35. White-crowned Sparrow
  36. Snowy Owl
  37. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  38. Black-capped Chickadee
  39. White-breasted Nuthatch
  40. Song Sparrow
  41. Eastern Towhee
  42. Brown-headed Cowbird
  43. Pine Siskin (first in Essex County)
  44. Wild Turkey
  45. Belted Kingfisher
  46. Tufted Titmouse
  47. Brown Creeper
  48. Cedar Waxwing
  49. White-throated Sparrow
  50. Ring-billed Gull
  51. Wood Duck
  52. American Black Duck
  53. Great Blue Heron
  54. American Kestrel
  55. Hairy Woodpecker
  56. American Robin
  57. Fox Sparrow
  58. Northern Flicker
  59. Gadwall
  60. American Wigeon
  61. Northern Pintail
  62. Trumpeter Swan
  63. 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.

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2018 Goals – Progress Report

I’m happy to report that 2018 is off with a bang and I’ve made some progress toward my 2018 birding goals. I set 15 goals in total, and these three are already crossed off:

    • Reach 200 species on my Essex County life-list (currently 198)
    • See a Lapland Longspur (lifer)
    • See a Pine Siskin in Essex County

Species 200 for my Essex County life-list was a Pine Siskin which decided to show up at Ojibway Park’s feeders.

  • I’ve also also made some solid progress on my numeric goals:
    • Life List: 229/250 (started 2018 off at 228)
    • Essex County 2018 list: 54/200
    • U.S.A. Life-list: 114/150 (started 2018 off at 103)

I’ve seen just over 61% of the species that have been reported this year.It turns out that I’m 6th in list of those people on eBird with the most species recorded in Essex County in 2018. We’ll see how long that lasts!

A couple of the birds which I’ve added to my 2018 goals list have showed up recently, including Rough-legged Hawks and a White-winged Scoter.

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2018 Is Before Us

Happy New Year! I hope 2018 is a wonderful year for you!

Throughout December, I’ve given some thought as to my goals for the new year. Here are my birding-related goals for 2018.

Given the pace of 2017 (and projecting some modest increase in skill/knowledge/efficiency), I think these goals are fairly relaxed and attainable.

  • See 200 species in Essex County in 2018
  • Reach 250 species on my life-list (currently 228)
  • Reach 200 species on my Essex County life-list (currently 198)
  • Reach 150 species on my U.S.A. life-list (currently 103)
  • See the remaining realistic heron/egret species in Ontario (Cattle Egret and Little Blue Heron-both lifers).
  • See the remaining scoter species (Black Scoter and White-winged Scoter-both lifers).
  • See a Lapland Longspur (lifer)
  • See an American Pipit (lifer)
  • See a Yellow-headed Blackbird (lifer)
  • See a Prothonotary Warbler (lifer)
  • See a Rough-legged Hawk (missed in 2017)
  • See a Northern Shrike (missed in 2017)
  • See a Pine Siskin in Essex County
  • See a Snowy Owl in Michigan (planning to head out there early in January)
  • Make a day outing to Point Pelee during May (migration)

What birding goals do you have for 2018?

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