#BigYear2016 in review

Happy New Year!!! 2017, can you believe it? Wow has the time gone by fast.  This post is a recap of the year that was #BigYear2016, all the fun stuff, places visited, good times and future plans. Below are some of the highlights.

#Bramblon

Madera Canyon at dusk

#Branblon

• 12 lifers--Wow!! Not a bad year, but last year was 13 new and in 2014 I had 29 lifers, but this year was good. I traveled to new places like the King Ranch in Texas and SE Arizona, which produced new birds. I am still thankful of the trips taken, birds seen, and friends I've been with making memories and good blog posts! Thank you all and God Bless. That puts me at #586 Life Birds so far. That's 79 new birds in less than 5 years.                                                                                                                  
• My ABA Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 3 Ferruginous Pygmy Owl in King Ranch, Texas. I choose this bird because of the trip. It's not every day or even year that someone gets to go to the King Ranch for birding. Plus, I felt the FEPO was part of my Retracing the Steps I needed to do. My grandparents would see/hear the owls at Bensten SP in the valley all those years.      
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  Ferrug. Pygmy Owl

Curlew Sandpiper

• My Ohio Bird of the Year, was the Curlew Sandpiper, an Eurasian rarity migrant that popped up in Lucas county May 12th. Oddly enough, this was during spring migration and I was at The Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh boardwalk, when we got the tweet. Myself and about 200 birders rushed about an hour west to a flooded farmers field, where we all saw the bird.

• 5 states visited--Ohio, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Washington

• 360 species--Finishing it strong!! I finished with 360 for the year, that's my personal best and all because I birded more in Ohio.  I ticked many Ohio common birds this year. This puts me at a 345 species per year average over 4 years. STATS.  In 2013--338 & 2014--359 & in 2015--322

Ross(left), Snow(right)

 On the last day of the year, I drove down to Fayette county, SR41 exit off I-71. There is a campground there with a pond, and hundreds of geese where there.


#357 Ross Goose & #358 Snow Goose(bluemorph)

#359 Lapland Longspur OSU farmland Kenny Rd.

#360 Virginia Rail 11/12 Mentor Marsh(heard only) I decided to count  my heard only VA rail. I swore I heard the VA rail twice this year, once at Big Island and the other at Mentor Marsh. The second time was only three days after it was reported on 11/13, and I went to the marsh and heard the screech coming from the cattail reeds. So with that, and since I've seen VA rails every year in Vegas, I decided I would count it.

**heard only 2016**
Eastern Screech Owl, Mexican Whippoorwill, Rose-breated Grosebeak, Summer Tanager, Hooded Warbler, Virginia Rail

Blue Bunting #WOW

•  Rarities seen in 2016--

             Code 4 Blue Bunting, male
             Code 3 Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Tropical Parula, Clay-colored Thrush,  Brambling,        Curlew Sandpiper

• Misses--Not as many of them, especially Ohio species. I  birded OHIO more. Getting out every Sunday since May helped me see/hear them, so I'm thankful. So in 2017, my goal will be to get them early and keep trying.  Misses included: 

        Canada & Blackpoll warblers, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Least empidx., Forsters, Common, and Black Terns, Franklins Gull, Godwits, American Golden Plover, Least Bittern, Brown-Pelican, Red-necked Grebe, Snow Bunting, Long-tailed duck, White-winged Scooter, Upland Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-breasted sp., Long-eared Owl, Snowy owl, Northern SawWhet owl, & Dickcissel

• 2017 trips--So far three planned trips, but likely some to follow. 

           1. Late February--Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas--lifers needed Mountain Plover and other Mexican rarities
           2. April--Seattle, Washington--6 years in a row out there, still could use a Northwest Crow, Red breasted Sapsucker. Maybe Spring migration will be different than my fall trips
           3. Ohio-- I still need Iceland Gull & Thayers Gull!!  I need cold snowy ice weather.  Biggest week in American Birding--you know where to find us in May
           4. July/Aug--California--Debbie Shearwater west coast pelagic trip!!! The quest for #600 ABA birds is finally here. Really looking forward to the trip and getting #600 in Cally, just like I got #500 in Cally in 1991. There is a chance for around 15-20 new life birds I can get.
           5. Chase a rarity. Can this be the year of a Code 5 chase??


Next up: Let's star off #BigYear2017 with a . . . .??