#BIGYEAR2014 in review

Happy New Year!!! 2015, can you believe it? Wow has the time gone by fast.  This post is a recap of the year that was #BigYear2014, all the fun stuff, places visited, good times and future plans. Below are some of the highlights.

• 29 lifers--Wow!! What a year, in 2013 I only had 16 lifers, but this year was tremendous. Because of so many life birds, I had a tie for my ABA Bird of the Year. Both are rare & hard species to see. The code 3 LaSagra's Flycatcher in Miami, FL was the highest code bird I saw, but I also wanted to add in the Code 2 Gunnison's Sage-Grouse. The grouse population is getting very thin, with less that 5000 birds left. I probably will not see another Gunnison's again. My Ohio Bird of the Year, was the Northern Wheatear, an arctic rarity that was only the 4th state record in Ohio, what a great bird, and I didn't have to travel to Alaska like most to see it. 

• 7 states--Ohio, Delaware, Florida, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, Washington

• 359 species--Holy Cow!! I finished with 359 for the year, that's great, my goal was 350 since last year in 2013 I only got 338 for the year. Also, many species I missed in 2013 I saw and photographed in 2014. In 2013 I visited 7 states, including California(Palm Springs area)

• Misses--Yeah there was a few of them, espically Ohio species, that I've actually missed the last two years. So in 2015, my goal will be to get them early and keep trying.  Misses included: 

         Cackling Goose, Broad-winged Hawk, Virginia Rail, American Golden-Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Red Knot, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-breasted sp., Long-eared Owl, Bell's Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Golden-winged, Blue-winged, Canada, & Connecticut Warblers, Vesper Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Dickcissel, and Crossbill's.

• 2015 trips--So far, only one planned scheduled trip, but more to likely follow. 

           1. Late Feb/early March--Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas--lifers need include
              Tropical Parula, Alpamado Falcon and Red-Crowned Parrot
           2. Las Vegas/Henderson BP--if not summer, definitely Labor Day weekend again
           3. Seattle, Washington--maybe? 3 years in a row out there, still could use some lifers
           4. Maine--maybe?  Atlantic Puffin, Black Guillmont
           5. Ohio--Biggest week in American Birding--you know where to find us May 12th

• show ideas/"B2B"-- So what did everyone think of the new online Youtube show "Between 2 Birds"? I started with an interview with grandma Louise. Next I need to find another birder and film show #2.  Any other ideas you suggest? Please let me know in the comments section below.

LaSagra's Flycatcher Code 3

ABA Bird of the Year--tie

Gunnison Sage-Grouse ABA Bird of Year--tie

Grouse #'s at Wanita Lek

Northern Wheatear--code 2

Ohio Bird of the Year

Next up: Let's start of #2015BigYear with a . . . ?