Great spot on the Golden-crowned Emerald! Gorgeous bird.

I finally knocked another curse warbler off my list this weekend - Cape May Warbler.



Not a good photo, but a great bird. Feels good to get that baby checked off!

I'm down to three US warblers still to find, one of which is extinct (Bachman's). The other two (Connecticut, Kirtlands) will require some travel.
Of course, I'm cheating on a few of them since I haven't seen them in the US.

Chris

Chris, a Connecticut Warbler is one of 2 eastern warblers I am missing (the other being a Swainson's).

Anyways, a recent trip to SoCal afforded me 26 lifers and a 102 total trip birds. Not bad considering this was a trip with my parents to visit my sister and brother-in-law.

California Quail (Callipepla californica)
Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii)
Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)
Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae)
Calliope Hummingbird (Stellula calliope)
Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin)
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica)
Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum)
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
California Towhee (Pipilo crissalis)
Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis)
Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
Scott’s Oriole (Icterus parisorum)

Andy

Gotta love trips like that Andy! I picked up another one the other day. Also went back and took some better shots of the hummer...

Varied Bunting, shot out the window of the truck while still rolling. I thought I had seen this before but after seeing this one I think the other was probably a mistaken identity.


Another shot or two of the Golden-Crowned Emerald, just 'cause

Lifer 27 for 2011 was a Sedge Wren in Ohio. Only 1 more wren to finish off the US wrens.

Andy

Yes, but are you including the recently split Pacific and (Eastern) Winter Wrens?

I had them all until that split.

And of course, now that someone has documented Sinaloa Wren in the US ( http://www.azfo.org/gallery/Sinaloa_Wre ... 80825.html ), it gets even uglier.
And Spot-breasted Wren is due any year now in South Texas, it is just a matter of time.

Just when you think you've knocked off a group....they move the bar.

four weeks backpacking in turkey gave me 37 lifers I am going to do a herp post sometime next week.

Yelkouan Shearwater
European Shag
Squacco Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Bittern
Purple Heron
Long-legged Buzzard
Egyptian Vulture
Eurasian Stone-curlew
White-winged Tern
Laughing Dove
Eurasian Scops Owl
Little Owl
Alpine Swift
European Roller
Syrian Woodpecker
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
Blue Rock Thrush
Cetti's Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Barred Warbler
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Common Nightingale
Collared Flycatcher
Isabelline Wheatear
Sombre Tit
Krüper's Nuthatch
Western Rock Nuthatch
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Lesser Grey Shrike
Masked Shrike
Spanish Sparrow
Rock Petronia
Common Rosefinch
Ortolan Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting
Black-headed Bunting

Oh man, I wasn't aware of the Winter Wren split. Darnit. I am missing Canyon too.

As for those border hoppers, I really only include those birds which are breeders or more or less present yearly, not those handful of times accidentials. If I did I would probably go crazy, with me living on about 20 miles from the Canadian border and all. I also don't care about introduced species.

I did finish off the native/breeding Orioles this year!

Andy

Canyon is easy, just learn its call. And the best thing about Canyon Wrens is they live near cool herps.

I was herping in SoCal in March and I heard a Canyon Wren calling. I called back (it is a really easy call to mimic) and it flew right over to me. It landed so close, I had to back up to get my camera to focus. It was pissed!





I always like finishing a group of birds. I used to joke with a birder friend that I could tear that page out of my field guide.
It is even more fun if you can get them all in a given day/week/year.

I came very close to finishing all 7 north american grebes in two days a few years back. I had been in West Texas and seen Pied-billed, Eared, Horned, Clark's, and Western one morning. When I got home to Central Texas that night, I heard about a Red-necked Grebe in Austin so I sprinted over to get that the next day. Then I realized it would be a relatively short drive to get Least that afternoon, but I didn't have time. Maybe next time and since Red-necked Grebes only show up in TX every 4-5 years next time might be a while.

Actually, that same week someone found a Yellow-billed Loon off of South Padre island. I had just seen Red-necked and Common in West TX, Pacific is predictable in certain places around here, so I could have got all 7 grebes and the 4 loons in less than 36 hours (ignoring Arctic Loon)!

Chris,

That is awesome. I am a Red-necked Grebe away from ripping that page out of my field guide (they even occur in Ohio). Went birding today, my dad and I finally took my mother to the Ohio warbler spot. No lifers, but despite the temperatures being unseasonably cold (low 40's) and wet, we still nailed 19 warbler species (should have been able to add 3-4 more) and 30+ other species. Not bad for 3 hours of birding. I think my dad and I have made a new birder.

Andy

Awesome Canyon Wren shot, Chris!

Andy--Good job on the Sedge Wren. I finished up wrens a few years back, until the Pacific Wren became a unique species. Kirtland's Warbler was my last eastern warbler (no surprise!), with Connecticut being second-last, and Swainson's third-last. There was a Swainson's present next door at HBSP a few years ago...stayed a few days.

Good job on the orioles; I'm still missing Hooded, Altamira, and Audubon's. But my fleeting glimpse of a Scott's Oriole in se AZ makes me almost want to scratch that one off the life list! And I'm missing two grebes, Clark's and Least. Here's a Red-necked I got in the only sizable lake in the CVNP a few years back:

A passerby.
Knew right away this was a different bird. Glad to see them. What is it? Yellow Rumped?
Thing was constantly moving, and always putting branches between itself and I. Anyways, it's my last lifer. So what is it?

Ames,

It is a Yellow-rumped Warbler.

I just found out what the Pacific Wren was from this thread. That is an armchair tick for me. I got a Pacific Wren in CA a few years back.

Last lifer was an Orchard Oriole. I have no idea why that took so long. I also saw a Bobolink for the first time I recorded it, but I think I saw it as a kid. I birded hard this migration and added many things to my Michigan/Lost Nations list. Biggest miss of a would be lifer was hearing a Worm-eating Warbler but not getting it. I think it's breeding there, so I'll go back when I have time.

I met up with Jason Folt early this week to herp and do a bit of birding. The first night, before he got there, I found this lifer.

Upland Sandpiper


The next day as we were pulling off the river, Jason spotted an Evening Grosbeak, second lifer of the trip. We headed to a young field of Jack Pines near Grayling and quickly added this. Pretty cool, although not a lifer.


We camped for the night and then headed a bit south. I saw/heard a Clay-colored Sparrow while driving between sites. We also turned up a pair of Trumpeter Swans while driving.


Lifers,
Upland Sandpiper
Evening Grosbeak
Clay-colored Sparrow

Other nice birds
Vesper Sparrow
Hairy Woodpecker
Kirtland's Warbler
American Redstart
Nashville Warbler
Common Loon
Trumpeter Swan
Night Hawk
-heard Whipoorwill

My newest lifer, as of yesterday:

Blue grosbeak


In flight:

did you get the blue grosbeak on the cape? there are two pairs breeding down the road from me in north falmouth. no phragmites there. wondering if there are more nearby.

Nope! not to the cape for a couple more weeks. It was found in Orange county, California. It would be great to see one on the cape though!

My last lifers were:
1. Thicket Tinamou (Crypturellus cinnamomeus)
2. Great Curassow (Crax rubra)
3. Gray-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps)
4. Crested Guan (Penelope Purpurascens)
5. Crested Bobwhite (Colinus cristatus)
6. Bare-throated Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanus)
7. Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)
8. Pearl Kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii)
9. Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens)
10. White Hawk (Leucopternis albicollis)
11. Roadside Hawk (Buteo magnirostris)
12. Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans)
13. Gray-necked Wood Rail (Aramides cajanea)
14. Double-striped Thick-Knee (Burhinus bistriatus)
15. Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris)
16. Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia)
17. Pale-vented Pigeon (Patagioenas cayennensis)
18. Red-billed Pigeon (Patagioenas flavirostris)
19. Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti)
20. Plain-breasted Ground Dove (Columbina minuta)
21. Crimson-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga finschi)
22. Orange-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga canicularis)
23. Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis)
24. White-fronted Parrot (Amazona albifrons)
25. Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana)
26. Pacific Screech Owl (Megascops cooperi)
27. Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)
28. Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy)
29. Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis)
30. Band-tailed Barbthroat (Threnetes ruckeri)
31. Blue-throated Goldentail (Hylocharis eliciae)
32. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
33. Plain-capped Starthroat (Heliomaster constantii)
34. Black-headed Trogon (Trogon melanocephalus)
35. Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota)
36. Keel-billed Momot (Electron carinatum)
37. Broad-billed Motmot (Electron platyrhynchum)
38. Rufous Motmot (Baryphthengus martii)
39. Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomata superciliosa)
40. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii)
41. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
42. Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus)
43. Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani)
44. Hoffmann’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii)
45. Northern Barred Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae)
46. Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorhynchus spirurus)
47. Streak-headed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes souleyetii)
48. Spotted Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides)
49. Piratic Flycatcher (Legatus leucophaius)
50. Common Tody Flycatcher (Todirostrum ccinereum)
51. Rufous Mourner (Rhytipterna holerythra)
52. Tropical Pewee (Contopus cinereus)
53. Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus)
54. Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis)
55. White-ringed Flycatcher (Conopias albovittatus)
56. Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)
57. White-collared Manakin (Manacus candei)
58. Yellow-green Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis)
59. White-throated Magpie Jay (Calocitta formosa)
60. Blue-and-white Swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca)
61. Southern Tough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx rufficollis)
62. Gray-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea)
63. White-lored Gnatcatcher (Polioptila albiloris)
64. Band-backed Wren (Campylorhynchus zonatus)
65. Black-throated Wren (Thryothorus atrogularis)
66. Black-headed Nightingale Thrush (Catharus mexicanus)
67. Buff-rumped Warbler (Phaeothlypis fulvicauda)
68. Rufous-capped Warbler (Basileuterus rufifrons)
69. Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
70. Crimson-collared Tanager (Ramphocelus sanguinolentus)
71. Passerini’s Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii)
72. Golden-hooded Tanager (Tanagara larvata)
73. Silver-throated Tanager (Tanagara icterocephala)
74. Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
75. Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum)
76. Scarlet-thighed Dacnis (Dacni venusta)
77. Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)
78. White-collared Seedeater (Sporophila torqueola)
79. Thick-billed Seed-Finch (Oryzoborus funereus)
80. Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivaceus)
81. Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina)
82. Orange-billed Sparrow (Arremon aurantiirostris)
83. Stripe-headed Sparrow (Aimophila ruficauda)
84. Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
85. Grayish Saltator (Saltator coerulescens)
86. Buff-throated Saltator (Saltator maximus)
87. Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus)
88. Black-cowled Oriole (Icterus prosthemelas)
89. Streak-backed Oriole (Icterus pustulatus)
90. Yellow-billed Cacique (Amblycercus holosericeus)
91. Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma)
92. Tawny-capped Euphonia (Euphonia anneae)
93. Yellow-throated Euphonia (Euphonia hirundinacea)

Gotta love a trip out of country where you have never been before! Saw an additional 37 species in Costa Rica that I have seen in the US too.

Andy

ps. Sorry Jared, I don't have a lens for decent bird shots and all mine came out bad.

lesser sand plover in orange county ,CA
monday

- nightdriver

Ames,

Your Yellow-rumped Warbler is a Myrtle Warbler.....well, not yet maybe, but it might be soon. There is a move afoot to resplit the Yellow-rumped back into 4 species.

Curtis,

That's a cool shot of the Kirtland's. I hate those little warblers that don't cooperate by flying to the Texas coast during migration. Guess I have to go the Michigan someday?
Upland Sandpiper is one of my favorite birds - great lifer. They are just weird.

Andy,

I love those trips where everything is new. That sounds like you had a great trip.
I went to Panama a few years back, setting the goal of getting 100 new birds in 2 weeks. We got 77 new birds before before 10am on our first day of birding.
BTW - 61. Southern Tough-winged Swallow? That sounds like a bad-ass bird.

Night Driver

Lesser Sand Plover in North America is a damn cool bird.



I just read an online discussion that someone photographed what might be a juvenile Double-toothed Kite on the Texas coast a few months back and just wrote it off as a strange Cooper's Hawk.
Then I saw the photos of a breeding plumage Red-necked Stint photographed last week a few hours east of me....and I have a long weekend......screw it, I'm going herping.

Chris

I don't care if they're bad shots....blurry, out of focus, whatever. Me wanna see!

Cool indeed. Before that was Black-tailed gull, Brown Shrike, Cook's Petral.....in california. I can't even remember the last new NA breeder I saw.... Stellar's Eider in Alaska maybe???? In between looking for herps....

Mexican Hermit

He seems to be hanging around here so better photos later I hope.

I finally made my first trip to Pt. Mouillee State Game Area, on Lake Erie on Wednesday. I didn't see as much as others had that week, as I didn't have a scope, but I did pick up a Short-billed Dowitcher and a Least Sandpiper, which were both lifers. I also had a couple ABA firsts, as well as several Michigan firsts.

Northern Potoo (WOW!!)


Ivory-Billed Woodcreeper

The Potoo is cool, but I'm a big fan of the Woodcreepers. They can be tough to ID sometimes, but they are such cool birds. Noisy, but cool, particularly the bigger ones like Ivory-billed.

That's a page I would like to fill up in my Mexico guide....only a few more to go.

This one couldn't be missed for sure. He was tearing up the top of that tree and singing in between. I have seen a few different ones around here but usually just glimpses so no positive ID's. The ivory billed was huge compared to the others.

The potoo was pure luck, it happened to move a bit while my wife was looking up or we would have never seen it.

Dickcissel, 8/4 Washtenaw County MI. I heard it singing and then saw it in a field. It's amazing how easy it is to see new birds in your area when you start using the internet.

Here's a couple from yesterday:
Western Grebe


2 at once! Elegant Tern (?) and Long-Billed Curlew (?) If anyone could make sure those are right I would be quite grateful.


Not exactly a lifer, but weird anyway. Lusistic (?) mallard.

The Curlew is Long-billed (assuming North America), but that's a Caspian Tern. Elegant has a more slender bill that is lighter orange/yellow.

Thanks!

I had some lifters the last 5 weeks.

Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta) It have only been seen 3 times before in Sweden.
Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) Nr 11 in Sweden.
Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
Träsksångare (Locustella lanceolata) Nr 12 in Sweden.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t3/F ... sngare.jpg [/img]

So I´m happy

Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Central IL today.

Least Tern in Norfolk VA, on Aug 6th. Another trip to Pt. Mouillee on the 11th added Bank Swallow, Least Bittern, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and White-rumped Sandpiper.

herp - boadheaded skink
mammal - pine marten
butterfly - mayhursts scallopwing
bird - grey partridge

I've been in South Texas for the past few days. I picked up a Least Grebe at Benston Rio Grande SP and a Buff-bellied Hummingbird in a friend's yard. On Saturday I went on a Pelagic trip out of South Padre Island. Lifers were Masked Booby, Bridled Tern, Sooty Tern, Audubon's Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, and an Olive-sided Flycatcher that was several miles out to sea. On the way back in we saw Piping Plovers on the beach. There was a fly by of a jaeger, which was probably a Parasitic that would have been a lifer, but no one was sure on the ID. The real highlights for me were not birds. For the first time in the groups' 16 year history, we spotted several of Rough-toothed Dolphins.


Not a lifer, but as an added bonus this guy decided to scratch his back on the boat.

Curtis,

You are killin' me! I really wanted to go on that pelagic and almost pulled the trigger but by the time I had made up my mind, it was past the deadline (Aug 11th).
I saw the reports on Texbirds.....ouch. The primary reason I would have gone was to see the Audubon's Shearwater. But to get a Whale Shark would have been unreal.

Glad you are scoring some lifers while you are down in SoTex. Sorry we couldn't muster up any rain for you though.

Chris

That would have been great to meet you. I was pretty surprised at how good the trip was. It actually rained a lot my first day in Texas, enough I had to stop and take cover in a small town.


Since the pelagic trip I've added White-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Kite, and Western Sandpiper.



Curtis Hart

Curve-billed Thrasher


Josh

Four of us took a trip to Quebec (got a lifer Mink Frog and Blue-spotted Salamander) but had long discussions on the ethics of shooting a lifer?

In the end we saw a few that we weren't able to shoot but I did lifer a bunch of Spruce Grouse. Missed out on a few other species that I should have seen but didn't.

Andy

Just today. Spotted Sandpiper:

And I finally found the one that was on the top of my to-find list! American kestrel (sorry about picture quality, not great conditions)

So far this season has produced quite a few `sibs` in the Copenhagen area with invasion like occurrences of Pallid harriers and Two-barred Crossbills. I still cant seem to find a pallid harrier, but I did get 3 great lifers:

Yellow-browed Warbler
Two-barred Crossbill
Red-throated Pipit

Now the question is whether or not it is worth driving six hours to se a Wilson's Phalarope...

Nah, at least not for me ...only 15 minutes away. Red-throated Pipit is a hit or miss vagrant here in Southern California. The other two are like "nope" ...but just maybe some day, Hey, it could happen.

Let's see, my last bird lifer was on 27 Sept 2011.
Ruddy-capped Nightingale Thrush
The day before that I picked up Magnificent Hummingbird and Spot-crowned Woodcreeper for the first time.
~2000m

Don

My last lifer bird was a Red-headed Woodpecker in Dorchester County, Maryland. I don't have a picture but it was awesome to finally see one!

Red-necked Grebe. So I have now finished off all the North American Grebes! Time to pull that page of the field guide out.

Andy

Walter C. Best Preserve?

Get out of my head!

What a great autumn!

Two weeks ago I drove four hours to see a Red-eyed Vireo (first for Denmark) where I also saw my first ever Little Bunting, and today I ran into a Pygmy owl.

Last week I got a Red Phalarope and today a Sabine's Gull. Lake Erie winter birding is rampin' up!

Andy