#2021 Big Year in Review

 Happy New Year!!! 2022, can you believe it? Wow has the time gone by fast.  This post is a recap of the year that was #BigYear2021🐦🐦, all the fun stuff, places visited, good times and future plans. Below are some of the highlights.

                                                            

Walden pond, Colorado sunset

Coalmont, CO for Sage Grouse dawn

• 3 lifers--Wow!! I my lowest year for life birds since starting this thing;  2020--5,              2019--10, 2018--7, 2017--18, 2016--12, 2015--13 new and in 2014 I had 29 lifers. I traveled to Colorado +2 in April,  and Ohio produced +1 new lifer!! 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 #629 Life Birds.                                                                                                                    

My ABA Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 2 Greater Sage Grouse 

                                                                

Lifer #628

                        

   Back to Colorado!!! The last guy trip there was 2014 and was my first time, thus I got 12 lifers!!  Since we saw the harder to get Gunnison Sage-Grouse, I wanted to go northern Colorado for the Greater.  So with that the main target, I planned a late April weekend flying into Denver, and staying in Walden, CO for the night, 145 miles north.

                                

Moonlight on Walden

Lifer Moose?? Saw two running

• My Ohio Bird of the Year is . . . .the code 2 Smith's Longspur 

                                                                    

Last life bird of 2021 . . #629 

 I only saw 1 life birds in Ohio in 2021. Fresh back from Colorado, that Sunday night in April. Then working that week at 11am, I had a plan.  These Longspurs are now migratory in Ohio in April. Due to all the old corn fields, the birds love to make stops in Madison county, about 45 southwest for me. So I woke up early and follow previous reports to this road, that's between to corn fields, and  sure enough . . Boom Smiths Longspurs. Cant' wait to see them in 2022.  

Some more great Ohio birds I saw.  Code 3 Little Gull at Hoover & , Dickcissel, and a Black-legged Kittiwake at Alum Creek, Sanderlings at Buck Creek Lake. During our North Carolina beach trip, saw/heard, Pine & Prairie Warbler, American Oyster Catcher, Semi Palm Plover, Common Eider duck, Brown headed Nuthatch, Least Terns

 

 

BLKW

Dickcissel near Battelle 

Long eared Owl, Walnut Woods

Black Turn, OBX NC

Bodie Island light house, NC

Shearwater house, 1985 til 2001, South Nags Head

• 3 states visited--Ohio(+229 foys) Colorado(+ 33 birds), North Carolina (+17 foys)

• 279 total species--Wow, the least amount of species I have seen in a year. No Texas trip, no other state trips, and 50 hour workweeks really hampered my birding in 2021.  I did keep track of my "Ohio only" birds this year and got 229!   This puts me at a 338.7 species per year average over 9 years.  

                                     

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

            

Long Tailed Duck, male 

Evening Grosebeaks, rare migrants

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 2021.

#270 Purple Finch                                             

#271 Cattle Egret 
#272 Eurasian Collared Dove--Ohio lifer
#273 Fish Crow--Ohio lifer
#274 Black-legged Kittiwake
#275 Snow Goose
#276 Little Gull
#277 LBBG
#278 Eared Grebe
#279 Allens Hummingbird--Ohio Lifer, second ever Ohio record, in Cinncy, its a far west AZ bird

Allens, banded female

Allens, still there Jan.22'

**heard only 2021**
 Ringed Neck Pheasant, Sora rail, Eastern Screech Owl(2), Hooded Warbler

Rarities seen in 2021--only saw one Code 3 or higher birds this year, only 1
          

             Code 3  Little Gull--Hoover Reservoir, Ohio 
             

• Misses--not many of them, especially Ohio species. I  birded OHIO strong in January, getting 93 species in the first month!! So in 2022, my goal will be to get them early and keep trying. All the rain Ohio gets now. The shorebird habitat was almost non existent in 2021.  Hoover never really drained, Teal Trail never lowered, Pick Ponds was high. It was very bad.  Misses included: 

       Cackling Goose, Least Bittern, White-winged & Black Scoter, King Rail, VA Rail, Red-throated Loon, Black bellied & American Golden & Semi-Palm Plovers, Spotted Sandpiper, Black-billed Cuckoo,  Yellow-bellied & Olive-sided empidx.,  Barn & Northern Sawwhet Owl, Philly Vireo, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Blue-winged, Orange-crowned, Pine, Prairie, Blackpoll. N. Watherthrush, Kentucky, Mourning, UConn, Kirtland & Golden-winged warblers, Black & Foresters Terns, Vespar, Grasshopper, Henslow sparrows, Rusty BB, Pine Sisken, Common Raven.

• 2022 trips--So far no planned trips, but likely to change. 

          
           1. Ohio--Biggest week in American Birding--skipped/closed last 2 years due to COVID, straight line winds in August 2021 tore down a lot of trees, habit has changed.
         
           2. Chase a rarity. Can this be the year of a Code 4 or 5 chase?? Steller Sea Eagle, Northern Lapwing, all LRGV rarities, Bat Falco, Social Flycatcher, Golden-Crown Warbler. 

           3. Pacific NW in Spring 2022?? Arizona later in summer fall??

            4.  Marco Island, Florida May 2022   vacation, but birding, could get new ABAs Tri-colored Munia and Miltred Parakeet introduced now countables. 

#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

Lucky 777s 🎰 LeContes' Sparrow #626

 

OK, so the scenes been set.  Birding in 2020 was tough. I had only two life birds, from out of state for the year. Then the Booby showed up in Ohio, which was crazy --- then a Parasitic Jaeger at an inland reservoir, so I'm up to +4 life birds now, when what do you know . . . eleven days later during fall sparrow migration . . .

What's that??

Wait for movement . .  shh

White Medium Crown stripe, 

Distinctively orange-buff all over, particularly on the head and upper breast. It has black streaks on the back and wings and a grayish-purple spot on the back of the neck. The belly is white. The bill is gray.

Walks or hops on the ground, often among dense grasses. Does not flush readily, and prefers to escape from disturbances on foot. When they do fly, their flights are short, with quick, weak wingbeats before disappearing back into the vegetation

Open habitat, especially marshy or boggy meadows with a dense cover of grasses or sedges.

LeContes Sparrow . . . #626

The LeConte's sparrow was discovered by John James Audubon, and it was thought that he named this bird after a friend, Doctor LeConte. It is generally believed that he meant John Lawrence LeConte, although some feel that he was referring to another John LeConte, also a doctor, and John Lawrence's cousin.

The LeConte's is becoming more of a regular fall migrate here in Ohio.  All these years ago, both Nelson and LeContes didn't come this far east. The Nelsons was more east coast, and the LeContes was more Illinois in the fall and Minnesota in the summer. Then within the last 10 years, both species have become way more frequent each year. In Ohio, for the LeContes, you would have to go up to Mentor county, off the lake, on Wake Robin trail/marsh, and only for 1-3 days, when the sparrows would move in off the lake, rest, eat, and boom move on farther south. 

So in the last 9 years, I'm happy to finally see both LeContes and Nelsons sparrows here in Ohio

Video History

Gambill Family history:

Buddy--April 1980 Aranasas, Texas coast

Red&Louise--seen not sure when. Notes Nelson sparrow split w Seaside Sparrow in 1996.

COVID-19 Life Birding!!

ducks, lots of ducks

Ohio Strikes again!! Parasitic Jaeger #625

 

Fresh off my buzz from the first ever Brown Booby in Ohio, I was down in South Carolina visiting my aunt. We spent the weekend birding and I got to see/hear my second chance lifer Red-cockaded Woodpecker!!  Well, the FB Birding Ohio page, showed a picture from a local birder, who saw a Jaeger at an inland reservoir in southern Ohio.  Now this was quite unique, because again here was another ocean/coastal bird stuck in Ohio and not on Lake Erie.  At first it was ID'd as a Pomarine Jaeger, which made sense.  Last year, October 2019, a full size Pomarine showed up in Mansfield, so what the heck? Anything is possible??  But after further pictures and better identification from birders . . . it turns out to be a  . . . .

Parasitic Jaeger

Lifer #625

Not my pictures

Parasitic Jaegers, known as arctic skuas in Europe, are fast-flying relatives of gulls with a piratical lifestyle. They breed on the Arctic tundra, where they prey mainly on birds and their eggs. They spend the rest of the year on the open ocean, harrying other seabirds and sometimes attacking in groups, until they give up their catch

Harveysburg Rd.

      Typically shows white shafts on 4–6 outermost wing feathers, more than Long-tailed, but fewer than Pomarine.

       

Jaeger range

Wow!! Can you believe it!! I was just saying how 2020 Covid-19 year was hard to get life birds. I only had 2 new birds for the year, when BOOM, Ohio comes calling with Brown Booby and Parasitic Jaeger!!  I have now seen all 3 Jaeger species in Ohio.  Long-tailed lifer in 2017, Pomarine in 2019 and Parasitic lifer in 2020.

Gambill family history:

Buddy saw all 3 Jaegers in 1980!!! Attu Island and Nome, Alaska

Brown Booby in Ohio!! #624

 I will never forget when I got that text, "Brown Booby in Summit county"  Wait? What?  That doesn't make sense, and the recent hurricanes have not swept thru Ohio, so it's not a storm bird pushed up here.  

Never been here

BOOM!! In flight when I arrived

Brown Booby, juvenile 

Lifer #624 & no boat trip!

Found in tropical oceans around the world, the Brown Booby is a dashing seabird—both in plumage, a natty brown-and-white (with bright yellow feet) and in flight style, which involves swift aerial maneuvers and deft dives. Brown Boobies do not nest on the United States mainland but often visit waters off Florida or California. They occasionally stray as far north as Canada, and sometimes well inland. Like most seabirds that nest on islands, Brown Boobies are very vulnerable to introduced predators such as rats, mice, and cats.

Way out of range

Amish Homeboys 

Family History w Brown Booby

Buddy: May 1, 1982  Rebloca Shoals, FL  on way to Dry Tortugas, FL also saw Masked Booby & Brown Noddy

Red & Louise: 1983 & 2001  no location noted, probably Dry Tortugas also 

Sad ending, 10 days later, R.I.P Brown Booby, probably Great Horned Owl ate it to death

Next up:  Another OHIO Lifer?!?!

2020 plus 2 Life Birds

How about it?? A new year, a new bird(s)?  That's right. Two months into the year, and two new life birds.  How did that happen you ask??  Let me share with you.

At the end of January 2020, my friend Donny was moving from Orange county, CA back to Seattle, WA. I flew out to help, and on the last day in California, while he worked, I got to BIRD.  Lucky, at the same Caspers Wilderness Park at birded in Feb. 2019.  Since it was late winter, sometimes mountain birds from the Rockies migrate down to the coast.  I was checking the local ABA listserv for Orange county CA, and looky what showed up.

Lewis Woodpecker ABA #622

The Lewis's Woodpecker might have woodpecker in its name, but it forages like a flycatcher and flies like a crow. It has a color palette all its own, with a pink belly, gray collar, and dark green back unlike any other member of its family. From bare branches and posts, it grabs insects in midair, flying with slow and deep wingbeats. 

The Lewis's Woodpecker was described by Alexander Wilson in 1811 and named after Meriwether Lewis who first saw the bird in 1805 while on his famous westward journey with William Clark.

Now time for our annual trip to the LRGV for winter birding. I haven't got a life bird in the valley since 2016. I'm long over due.

Common Black Hawk ABA #623

An aptly-named entirely black hawk with broad wings and short tail with a distinct white band. Flight feathers are slightly paler and it has long yellow legs and yellow on the base of the bill.  Typically found in woodlands near water where it hunts; shows an affinity for cottonwood trees at the northern end of its range.

Bird Gang 2020

Undisputed Era Birding

This was my second to last easy accipitridae hawk species to get. I've seen all the hawks, including a first ever ABA sighting of a Code 5 Crane Hawk in 1988.  At Santa Anna NWR, of course.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S17309659
Very luck this Black Hawk wintered at this reseca. What a rush!!  Now only Northern Goshawk(1) & Roadside Hawk(4) are left to see.


Next up: COVID-19 & Quarantine