USA ’08 trip: Bird list
Hi All
am back in Cape Town and slowly getting my head into what I need to do next.
So as to bore you all backwards, here’s my bird list from my nearly 3-month trip to the US. I did not spend that much time seriously birding as I had work to do and people to see, but nonetheless managed a fairly respectable total of 281 species (free-flying wild species positively identified by sight, including 4 introduced species). In addition, I unambiguously heard but did not see (or did not see well enough to see well enough to confirm field marks) another 4 species (Ruffed Grouse, Wood Thrush, Clapper Rail, Warbling Vireo) and saw in the hand (mist-netted) 2 species which I did not see free-flying in the wild (Yellow-breasted Chat and Swainson’s Thrush).
I haven’t gone through all my notes, so I may have missed a species or two, but will edit the list appropriately if I find extras. There’s at least one Phalarope I still have to ID from some poor photos, and I have a sneaky feeling about one or two more shorebirds buried in the notes. With the species I saw during my shorter trip last year, and when I lived in Alaska in 1991, I have well over 300 species on my US list now, but probably not yet 400. I’ll work out my total USA list sometime (perhaps never) and post it.
I birded in California, Alaska, Texas, Michigan, New York, Connecticut and a tiny bit in New Jersey. Big dips (birds I wanted to see, looked for, but missed) include Greater Roadrunner, American Woodcock, Upland Sandpiper, Blackburnian and Cerulean Warblers. Next time!
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Eared Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark’s Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Least Grebe
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Anhinga
Brandt’s Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great (White) Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
White-faced Ibis
White Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Mute Swan (introduced)
Trumpeter Swan
Gtr. White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Brant (Goose)
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Wood Duck
Mallard
American Black Duck (poss hybrid w Mallard – many seen, none absolutely sure 100% Black)
Mottled Duck
Northern Pintail
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Long-tailed Duck
White-winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
California Condor
Mississippi Kite
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Harrier
Harris’s Hawk
Red-shouldred Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Plain Chachalaca
Wild Turkey
California Quail
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Willet
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit
Black Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe
Black-legged Kittiwake
Bonaparte’s Gull
Laughing Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Western Gull
Heermann’s Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Tern
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Arctic Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrulet
Feral Pigeon (introduced)
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground Dove
White-tipped Dove
Red-crowned Parrot
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Groove-billed Ani
Eastern Screech-Owl
Barred Owl
Lesser Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk
Common Paraque
Chimney Swift
Vaux’s Swift
White-throated Swift
Anna’s Hummingbd
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Eastern Wood-Peewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Black Phoebe
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Couch’s Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue Jay
Steller’s Jay
Green Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Gray Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Northwestern Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
Purple Martin
Oak Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
Black-crested Titmouse
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Carolina Chickadee
Black-capped Chikadee
Brown Creeper
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
Bewick’s Wren
House Wren
Carolina Wren
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Varied Thrush
American Robin
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
California Thrasher
Long-billed Thrasher
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling (introduced)
Orange-crowned Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-Throated Gray Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Kirtland’s Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Ovenbird
Western Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Dickissel
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
Eastern Towhee
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Olive Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
Baltimore Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bronzed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Finch
Purple Finch
Common Redpoll
House Sparrow (introduced)
Photos will be posted as I get around to going through them.
Cheers!
Adam
California bird list: 16 to 26 April ’08
Hello All (Birders)
herewith my Cali birds since arriving until yesterday. Birding has been done in a rather seriously unserious fashion, as you’ll see by the patchy list & low total, but there are some fun ones in there. Bold species name indicates that I’ve snapped a photo of the sp. and ‘ph?’ means I can’t remember if I did. Names are according to Sibley’s latest field guides to E and W North America. My Excel list formatting did not come through; info is a) number (my total) b) species name c) state abbreviation d) date 1st seen in state e) place 1st seen in state f) random notes.
I’d doubtless have a few tens more spp. if I’d actually managed to hook up w a local birder – so far it’s been just me in relax mode, my ropey New World knowledge and the increasingly frustrating Sibley guides (they appear at first glance to be super-complete, but actually leave a lot of vital info & drawings out).
Random record photos, mostly crap quality, will follow as soon as I’ve figured out how to optimise them for the blog.
- Red-throated Loon CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove Intermediate plumage
- Pacific Loon CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Common Loon CA 19-Apr-08 Brighton Bch, Santa Cruz
- Eared Grebe CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Pied-billed Grebe ph? CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lagoon, Santa Cruz
- Western Grebe CA 19-Apr-08 Brighton Bch, Santa Cruz ID: Extent of white on face, bill colour
- Clark’s Grebe CA 19-Apr-08 Brighton Bch, Santa Cruz ID: Extent of white on face, bill colour
- Brown Pelican CA 17-Apr-08 Pleasure Pt, Santa Cruz
- Brandt’s Cormorant CA 17-Apr-08 Pleasure Pt, Santa Cruz White filaments not shown Sibley
- Pelagic Cormorant CA 19-Apr-08 Santa Cruz NB: Red face while breeding!
- Great Egret ph? CA 16-Apr-08 San Francisco
- Green Heron ph? CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lagoon Catching fish
- Canada Goose CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Mallard ph? CA 16-Apr-08 near San Francisco
- Surf Scoter CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Common Merganser CA 26-Apr-08 Andrew Molera St Pk
- Red-breasted Merganser CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Turkey Vulture CA 24-Apr-08 Big Sur area
- Cooper’s Hawk CA 20-Apr-08 Pogonip, Santa Cruz
- Red-shouldered Hawk CA 22-Apr-08 Asilomar
- Red-tailed Hawk ph? CA 26-Apr-08 Big Sur area Typical adult
- California Quail CA 26-Apr-08 Andrew Molera St Pk
- American Coot ph? CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Black-bell. Plover CA 19-Apr-08 Brighton Bch, Santa Cruz Juv & Adt Br
- Killdeer CA 23-Apr-08 Asilomar
- (American) Black Oystercatcher CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Spott. Sandpiper ph? CA 17-Apr-08 Pleasure Pt, Santa Cruz
- Whimbrel CA 21-Apr-08 Asilomar
- Marbled Godwit CA 21-Apr-08 Asilomar
- Black Turnstone CA 21-Apr-08 Asilomar
- Sanderling CA 19-Apr-08 Brighton Bch, Santa Cruz
- Least Sandpiper CA 26-Apr-08 Andrew Molera St Pk
- mystery Phalarope CA 20-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Western Gull CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Caspian Tern CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Pigeon Guillemot CA 20-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Feral Pigeon CA 16-Apr-08 San Francisco
- Mourning Dove CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- White-throated Swift CA 20-Apr-08 Pogonip, Santa Cruz
- Anna’s Hummingbird CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lag., Santa Cruz
- Allen’s Hummingbird CA 26-Apr-08 Andrew Molera St Pk Orange-rumped adt male
- Acorn Woodpecker CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Hairy Woodpecker CA 22-Apr-08 Asilomar
- Pacific-slope Flycatcher CA 26-Apr-08 Andrew Molera St Pk
- Black Phoebe CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Steller’s Jay CA 18-Apr-08 Soquel
- West. Scrub-Jay ph? CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- American Crow CA 16-Apr-08 San Francisco
- Tree Swallow CA 21-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Violet-green Swallow CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- N. Rough-w. Swallow CA 22-Apr-08 Pacific Grove
- Barn Swallow CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Cliff Swallow CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lag., Santa Cruz
- Purple Martin CA 21-Apr-08 Asilomar
- Oak Titmouse CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz CA central-coast form
- Bushtit CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Marsh Wren CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lag., Santa Cruz
- Bewick’s Wren CA 20-Apr-08 Pogonip, Santa Cruz
- House Wren CA 24-Apr-08 Esalen
- American Robin CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz w nesting material
- N. Mockingbird CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lag., Santa Cruz
- Cedar Waxwing CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- European Starling CA 16-Apr-08 San Francisco
- Black-Throated Gray Warbler CA 17-Apr-08 Neary Lagoon, Santa Cruz
- Wilson’s Warbler CA 20-Apr-08 Pogonip, Santa Cruz
- Black-hd. Grosbeak CA 18-Apr-08 Soquel
- California Towhee CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Spotted Towhee CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Song Sparrow CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz CA coastal form
- Dark-eyed Junco CA 18-Apr-08 Soquel Oregon form
- White-crowned Sparrow CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Golden-crowned Sparrow CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- Red-wing Blackbird CA 18-Apr-08 Soquel bicoloured form
- Brewer’s Blackbird CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz
- House Finch CA 16-Apr-08 San Jose yellow form also seen later
- Purple Finch CA 26-Apr-08 Andrew Molera St Pk
- Lsr. Goldfinch CA 18-Apr-08 Soquel
- House Sparrow CA 17-Apr-08 Santa Cruz much bigger than S African birds
Cheers!
Adam
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