#2023 Big Year in Review

   Happy New Year!!! 2024, can you believe it? Wow has the time gone by fast.  This post is a recap of the year that was #BigYear2023🐦🐦, all the fun stuff, places visited, good times and future plans. Below are some of the highlights.

    

Happy 2024 Birding!!

• 0 lifers--Wow!! Second time in a row, no life birds. SMH. My lowest year for life birds since starting this thing; 2023--0, 2022--0, 2021--3, 2020--5, 2019--10, 2018--7, 2017--18, 2016--12, 2015--13 new and in 2014 I had 29 lifers. I traveled to Washington, California, and Nevada  this year for vacation and work trips. On Thursdays and Sundays I birded around Ohio, but no 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 STILL at #629 Life Birds.                                                                                                                    

My ABA Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 1 California Quail 

California Quail #600 in 2017

Since I did not get a life bird this year, nor really do a birding only trip, I was limited to BOY.  I went to Seattle in May to see friends again, and while birding at Redman Beach SP, I heard the saw this California Quail!!!  I new state bird for me in WA. I also heard this bird in CA when I was there for work training, it was calling in the vineyards. So with that and the fact it was my 600th bird  back in 2017, I choose it for Bird of the Year!! 

• My Ohio Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 1 Pacific Loon 

State Lifer, Pacific Loon

So, it is New Years Day, 2023!!! The year just started on a Sunday. I check FB Ohio rare bird alert, and Boom, Pacific Loon at Hoover Reservoir in Franklin county, just 8 miles from my house!  I drive over around 3pm on a mild day, at Walnut St. ramp. Several birders are there, and 2 Common Loons with this Pacific Loon. This was a state of Ohio life bird for new and FOY for shore!!

• 4 states visited--Ohio (+153 foys)   Washington (+ 19 birds)                                         California (+10 birds)   Nevada (+34 birds)

• 216 total species--Wow, I got 10 more species then 2022, and that's because Nevada with 34 birds was huge!! And we missed the mountain birds!!  No Texas trip, 2 birdish state trips, and 48 hour work weeks/ 210 hours per month. I did keep track of my "Ohio only" birds this year and got 153!     This puts me at a 315.5 species per year average over 11 years.                        

• STATS  In 2013--338; 2014--359; 2015--322; 2016--360; 2017--377; 2018--353; 2019--321; 2020--340; 2021--279; 2022-206; 2023--216

Spotted Towhee, WA

Band-tailed Pigeons, WA

Red-headed Woodpecker, OH

Blue-Winged Warbler, OH 

Olympic Mountain Range

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 2023.

#143 Dunlin            at wetlands, Nov 2nd off work!!
#144 Green-winged Teal                                            

#145 Glossy Ibis    at Battelle wetlands, Nov 2nd
#146 Sharp-shinned Hawk  freeway flyover
#147 Red-Throated Loo  off South Hoover, Thanksgiving Day bird streak alive!
#148 Ruddy Duck   off Hoover, winter duck missed early
#149 Red-Breasted Merganser  off Hoover Resi north, dec 7th
#150 Northern Harrier   off Harrier trail, looking for shrike
#151 Northern Shrike  12/31/23 off Harrier trail, burnt area. Franklin cty lifer!
#152 Northern Pintail  group flying off Harrier trail, back pond
#153 Hermit Thrush    fly by on Hawthorn trail, Battelle

**heard only 2023**
 Ringed Neck Pheasant, Sora rail, White-Eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Sedge Wren, Veery, Blackburnian, Prothonotory, and Hooded Warblers, Yellow-Breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, Henslow Sparrow, 

Rarities seen in 2023- Code 3 or higher birds this year
          

            None
             

• Misses--a lot of them, especially Ohio species. I  birded OHIO on my days off. I really like my May trip to Clear Creek for warblers.  But since I started working overtime every week, birding for causal fun was just not in the plans for 2023. Lets see how 2024 goes!! 

Summer Tanager, OH

Northern Shrike, OH

• 2024 trips--So far planned trips, but likely to change. 

            1.  Lower Rio Grand Valley, Texas in March.  We are spreading the ashes of my aunt Kathy Miller and Red & Louise Gambill.  Sun, birds and friends, hopefully a lifer shows up?
           

            2. Ohio--Biggest week in American Birding- we will try a Sunday or Thursday to go up to Magee and Howard Marsh, missed it in 2023.
         
           3. Chase a rarity. Can this be the year of a Code 4 or 5 chase?? 

           4. Pacific NW in May 2024?? Need Hammonds Flycatcher & MacGillverys warbler still, going back a week later then 2023

           5.  Bird in England or Italy??? If I am lucky, and still employed at MAG, maybe I can do brand training for Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lotus, Maserati or Lamborghini and get to travel. Then on my off day or extended time, I can bird some local parks??

            

Thank you to all my friends, family and birders for supporting me these last 11 years. What a ride. Could not of predicted it myself where I would be in the end of2023.  So here is to the future and more time to get back to Retracing the Steps with the Gambill Birding Dynasty.

Cheers

Brad