#2020 BigYear in Review .1

 Happy New Year!!! 2021, can you believe it? Wow has the time gone by fast.  This post is a recap of the year that was #BigYear2020🐦🐦, all the fun stuff, places visited, good times and future plans. Below are some of the highlights.

some Black Hawk action, lifer for 3 of us

Undisputed Era Birding

• 5 lifers--Wow!! I had the worse year for life birds since starting this thing;  2019--10, 2018--7, 2017--18, 2016--12, 2015--13 new and in 2014 I had 29 lifers. I traveled to California +1 in January,  and Texas LRGV +1 in late February, and Ohio produced +3 new lifers!! 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 #626 Life Birds.                                                                                                                    

My ABA Bird of the Year are . . . .the code 2 Brown Booby 

little Brown Booby

   What a great summer Ohio life bird. Just when I was complaining about only 2 life birds in 2020, and travel restrictions, along comes Brown Booby. It was so fun driving to a new place, seeing a new bird, and all the other birders "they" attract. Crazy times. Then the booby died, eaten by falcon or owl.

• My Ohio Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 1 LeConte's Sparrow 

Wow, what an experience

Ohio was very good to me!!! I saw 3 life birds in Ohio in 2020, more then any other state. It was hard to pick from the other two birds below, but the LeContes was special. He's been on my list for 6 years, and have tried and missed several times on him. Mostly at Wake Robin in Mentor. So this one who lived at Funk Bottoms for almost a month made Ohio bird of year.  See video below. 

Some more great Ohio birds I saw.  Ohio lifer #3 Parasitic Jaeger & first lifer of 2020, a Lewis Woodpecker , the Common Black Hawk, and a Snowy Owl at Alum Creek

 

Parasitic Jaeger, #626

 

Lewis Woodpecker, Orange cty CA

Mr. Snowy, still there 2021

Common Black Hawk

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

• 6 states visited--California(+19 foys), Oregon(+ 2 birds), Washington (+10 foy), Texas(+140 foys), South Carolina(+15),  Ohio(+154 foys)

• 340 total species--Finishing it strong!!  I ticked many Ohio common & new birds this year. This puts me at a 346.2 species per year average over 8 years.  

                                     

• STATS  In 2013--338; 2014--359; 2015--322; 2016--360; 2017--377; 2018--353; 2019--321; 2020--340

Western Sandpipers, Oregon 

Barrows Goldeneye, Seattle

Below is a list of some of the new first of year birds(FOYs) I saw in Ohio, during the last 45 days of birding in 2020.

#327 Brown Creeper
#328 Snow Bunting
#329 Black Chinned Hmbrd
#330 Ross Goose
#331 Evening Grosbeak                                              

#332 Snowy Owl
#333 Eared Grebe
#334 Short Earred Owl
#335 Cackling Goose
#336 Northern Shrike
#337 Golden Eagle
#338 Rough Legged Hawk
#339 Greater White Fronted Goose
#340 Greater Scaup

**heard only 2020**
 Ringed Neck Pheasant, Barred Owl, Upland Sandpiper, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Northern Waterthrush

Rarities seen in 2020--only saw one Code 3 or higher birds this year
          

             Code 3  Alpamado Falcon--LRGV, TX  
             

• Misses--not many of them, especially Ohio species. I  birded OHIO, but missed some easy ones. Getting out every Sunday since May helped me see/hear them, so I'm thankful. So in 2020, my goal will be to get them early and keep trying.  Misses included: 

        Common Goldeneye, Long-tailed duck, White-winged Scoter, King Rail, American Woodcock, Franklins Gull, RTL,  Yellow-bellied & Olive-sided empidx., Baird's sandpiper, White-rumped sp.,  Barn, E. Screech & Long-eared Owls, Cape May, Kirtland & Golden-winged warblers, Yellow Throated Vireo, Broad-winged Hawk, Black Tern, Common Raven.

• 2021 trips--So far many planned trips, but likely to change. 

           1. November early--LRGV birding festival, going to to Texas, sun & birds. Need Tamaulipas Crow, Golden-crowned Warbler, Mountain Plover, rarities
           2. May 1--Colorado, Greater Sage Grouse, all Grouse, all Rosy Finches, Chickens, Mountain Plover
           3. Ohio--Biggest week in American Birding--you know where to find us in May
           4. July--Maine again, Red-billed TropicBird, Razorbill, Dovkie, Roseate Tern, Bicknell Thrush
           5. Chase a rarity. Can this be the year of a Code 4 or 5 chase??

Next up: Let's start off #BigYear2021 with a cold Ohio birding

Cheers 2020!! Bird on