Well, 2021 was quite a year for birds. I tend to average about three new species a year, but for the past two years, I've blown my average out of the air. In 2020, I added 20 birds, and that was because of my first visit to the tropics, thanks to a family cruise which we were incredibly lucky to have scheduled about two weeks before COVID hit.
Last year, I blew past even that record, thanks to the motorhome in the photo above, and added 26 new birds. A lot of them came from our first major trip--five weeks across the country in October. While we were on the other side of the Rockies, I felt like I was getting a lifer every day. It was so amazing.
2021 birds:
February--Red Crossbill
March--Greater White Fronted Goose, Cackling Goose
May--Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Cerulean Warbler
June--Dickcissel
Aug--Wilson's Phalarope
September--Brown Boobie, Stilt Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope
October-- Black-billed Magpie, Towsend's Solitaire, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Western Bluebird, Lesser Goldfinch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Violet-green Swallow, Prairie Falcon, Western Scrub Jay, Black-throated Sparrow, Western Grebe, Curve-billed Thrasher, Anna's Hummingbird.
December--Surf Scoter
This brings my life list up to 328!
But of course, as exciting as seeing a lifer is, the best parts of birding are always the long walks with my binoculars and soaking in the early morning songs of spring, seeing eagles and loons from my kayak, watching chickadees at my feeders, spotting an owl watching me, pointing out a new bird to my family, and taking day trips with Dennis and Clover to see what we might see. All of those things happened last year, too.
My binoculars are ready for whatever 2022 flies at me!
Happy Birding, everyone.
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