WE EACH WATCH FOR BIRDS IN OUR YARD OR PATCHES — HOWEVER, AND HOW MANY, YOU WISH TO DEFINE THAT TO BE — AND KEEP A LIST OF THEM TO SHARE EACH MONTH IN THE BIRD RACE DIARY IN SOME WAY. WE WILL EACH BE KEEPING TRACK OF OUR OWN BIRD LISTS. EBIRD IS A VERY EASY WAY TO DO THAT. OR YOU CAN WRITE THEM DOWN IN A NOTEBOOK.
OR YOU CAN TAKE PICTURES AND ADD THEM TO A FOLDER ON YOUR COMPUTER.
|
There are no “rules” for the Bird Race beyond what you set for yourself. Some ideas for information that you might share here as part of the conversation, any combinations of:
- A total list or count of birds you have seen: monthly, year to date, life
- New birds you have seen, since the last tally
- Interesting behavior you have seen
- Any patterns or changes in patterns
- General location in the country
- Type of habitat
- Bird ID sites or articles you have found helpful, general or bird family specific
- Equipment you use, how you use it, why you got it, where you got it, how to maintain and care for it
- Photo processing tips and storage/display sites
If you move or travel during the year, it would be very interesting to compare the backyard birds you see in different settings!
|
Terminology
- Patch — A favorite area to bird usually not your immediate backyard
- Observation — Seeing or hearing a bird that you can positively ID
|
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns spinning around us.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
|
My Yard is the area around my apartment complex. My Patch is my yard plus a nearby park with ponds. My other groupings are County, State, US and above.
January had good weather most days that I was able to get out and I had good luck in finding lots of species. I received a nice surprise for my County and State life lists when an immature “Olympic Gull” seen early in the year was found to be within the expected range for a Western Gull in its age range. It was the 10th Western Gull certified by the Nevada Bird Records Committee. This increased my State life total to 287 and my County total to 276 species.
January provided me with 20 species for my yard:
YARD january New Birds
Common Name |
American Crow |
American Robin |
California Gull |
California Scrub-Jay |
Canada Goose |
Cooper's Hawk |
Dark-eyed Junco |
Eurasian Collared-Dove |
European Starling |
House Finch |
House Sparrow |
Lesser Goldfinch |
Mallard |
Mountain Chickadee |
Mourning Dove |
Northern Flicker |
Ring-billed Gull |
Rock Pigeon |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
29 species for my patch:
PATCH JANUARY NEW BIRDS
Common Name |
American Coot |
American Crow |
American Robin |
Black-crowned Night-Heron |
Brewer's Blackbird |
California Gull |
California Scrub-Jay |
Canada Goose |
Common Merganser |
Cooper's Hawk |
Dark-eyed Junco |
Eurasian Collared-Dove |
European Starling |
Gadwall |
Graylag Goose |
Great-tailed Grackle |
Hooded Merganser |
House Finch |
House Sparrow |
Lesser Goldfinch |
Mallard |
Mountain Chickadee |
Mourning Dove |
Northern Flicker |
Pied-billed Grebe |
Ring-billed Gull |
Rock Pigeon |
Swan Goose |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
and 108 species for County, State and Country:
county, State and country JANUARY NEW BIRDS
Common Name |
American Coot |
American Crow |
American Goldfinch |
American Kestrel |
American Pipit |
American Robin |
American White Pelican |
American Wigeon |
Bald Eagle |
Barrow's Goldeneye |
Belted Kingfisher |
Bewick's Wren |
Black Phoebe |
Black-billed Magpie |
Black-crowned Night-Heron |
Brewer's Blackbird |
Brown Creeper |
Brown-headed Cowbird |
Bufflehead |
Cackling Goose |
California Gull |
California Quail |
California Scrub-Jay |
Canada Goose |
Canvasback |
Cassin's Finch |
Cedar Waxwing |
Cinnamon Teal |
Common Goldeneye |
Common Merganser |
Common Raven |
Cooper's Hawk |
Dark-eyed Junco |
Double-crested Cormorant |
Downy Woodpecker |
Dunlin |
Eared Grebe |
Eurasian Collared-Dove |
Eurasian Wigeon |
European Starling |
Ferruginous Hawk |
Gadwall |
Glaucous-winged Gull |
Golden Eagle |
Golden-crowned Kinglet |
Golden-crowned Sparrow |
Greylag Goose |
Great Blue Heron |
Great Egret |
Greater Yellowlegs |
Great-tailed Grackle |
Green-winged Teal |
Hairy Woodpecker |
Hermit Thrush |
Herring Gull |
Hooded Merganser |
Horned Lark |
House Finch |
House Sparrow |
Iceland Gull |
Killdeer |
Least Sandpiper |
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Lesser Goldfinch |
Lesser Scaup |
Loggerhead Shrike |
Mallard |
Marsh Wren |
Merlin |
Mountain Bluebird |
Mountain Chickadee |
Mourning Dove |
Northern Flicker |
Northern Harrier |
Northern Pintail |
Northern Shoveler |
Peregrine Falcon |
Pied-billed Grebe |
Purple Finch |
Pygmy Nuthatch |
Redhead |
Red-tailed Hawk |
Red-throated Loon |
Red-winged Blackbird |
Ring-billed Gull |
Ring-necked Duck |
Rock Pigeon |
Ross's Goose |
Rough-legged Hawk |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
Ruddy Duck |
Savannah Sparrow |
Sharp-shinned Hawk |
Short-billed Gull |
Snow Goose |
Song Sparrow |
Spotted Towhee |
Steller's Jay |
Swan Goose |
Townsend's Solitaire |
Tundra Swan |
Western Grebe |
Western Meadowlark |
White-breasted Nuthatch |
White-crowned Sparrow |
White-headed Woodpecker |
Wood Duck |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Now it is your turn.
What observations did you have in January?
Next Bird Race report day is March 16, 2024.