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| Magnolia Warbler |
A look back at 2017
As I also write every year, each year seems to have a theme. These themes almost always seem to happen organically and I really don't plan them out. One year a decade ago, DJ and I went to New Hampshire to smallmouth fish in the mornings and hike mountains in the afternoon. The following year I caught my first keeper striper. That was all it took for me to go to the Cape Cod Canal and Narragansett three or four nights a week after working as a baker until 1 am.
Last year, my theme was really daytrips and trying new things. I went to Polo for the first time. We also went to Waterfire in Providence, the RI Philharmonic, the Drive In, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.. For the first time in years I went to Roger Williams and Southwick Zoos. Of course there was always fishing, hiking, birding, (and a vacation, Philly) to take up the majority of my time. All in all, I went to a variety of different things.
2018
It does not take a nuclear physicist to know what my theme for the year was in 2018. You could click on any month on the right side of this page and see multiple posts about birds. There is no question birding took up the majority of my free time this year. I am still a long way from an expert, but the amount I learned this year surpasses the last few years combined. However, my year did not start out this way. I had no intention of making birding my priority for the year. I really didn't dedicate one day to birding until February 1. The following is the breakdown of my year birding. Daytrips, Goals, and Fishing will be discussed in following posts.
Birds-
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| By about 20 minutes I was the first person to see a Marbled Godwit in Rhode Island in 2018 |
Obviously, I spent a lot of time birding. I also did in 2016. In 2016 I broke my previous record of bird species in both Rhode Island and in New England. In 2016 I saw 161 species of birds in Rhode Island. I saw another 20 birds in the other New England states but not in Rhode Island for a combined total of 181. This year I saw 232 species in Rhode Island. I saw another 15 species in New England not in Rhode Island. My combined total is 247.
I blasted my Rhode Island number by 71 and my combined total by 66 species! I will never again be able to beat my old record by such a number as there just aren't that many species of birds in New England.
Looking back on the post I did on May 20- I had just broke my record for Rhode Island. I had seen 165 species of birds in less than the first five months of the year. However, even having over six months left, I predicted I had a good chance of seeing 180 species. Not only does it show my lack of confidence, but how much I have since learned. I thought I could only get another 15 species because that is all I thought I had the ability to find.
However, even with such a fun and record breaking year here is how the top birders in Rhode Island fared-
The number of species seen in RI in 2018 was 314. The three leaders have seen 299, 296, 296. species. This is why I am proud to consider myself a good birder, but am no where near the experts. Again, I've seen 232. This puts me in 8th place on the list I keep track on. Looking back on some of the birds I didn't chase such as a couple of wild geese in South Kingston and a Cattle Egret in Little Compton, I'm really upset I didn't chase them.
I ended up seeing at least 26 lifebirds. I say at least because there may be a couple gulls and terns I may not have previously seen but am not positive on. The lifers are
American Bittern Summer Tanager Prothornatary Warbler
Cerelean Warbler Lincoln Sparrow Wilson Warbler
Curlew Sandpiper Tricolored Heron Nelson's Sparrow
Atlantic Puffin Black Gullimont Little Egret
Wilson's Storm Petrel Red Necked Pharalope Solitary Sandpiper
Common Redpoll Red Crossbill Pine Siskin
Common Nighthawk Chuck Will's Widow Yellow Breasted Chat
Four species of Shearwaters - Cory's, Great, Sooty, Manx Orange Crowned Warbler
As with my record, I will never again see 26 new life birds in New England. There are still some warblers and flycatchers I have yet to see. But realistically I probably wont see 10 lifers next year even if I bird just as hard as this year.
The one real takeaway I have from the birding this year was really: how much fun I had and how much I got into it. I love birding for many different reasons. I enjoy getting an email and knowing after work I'm going to chase a good bird. I love planning my daytrips trying to figure out where I have my best chance of seeing something new. I love being the one to report a rare species.
I enjoy the people that are really into it. When there is a super rarity, the same ten people will make the trip no matter where the bird is in the state. I really didn't know most of these people before this year. Now we know each other by name. Although, I will never be invited to their houses on Super Bowl Sunday, nor to mine, it is nice to be included and respected as "a fellow birder".
The last reason why I have enjoyed birding so much this year is because of a very heavy, neck cramping camera lens I bought in April. Having my 500 mm Sigma has changed my life. I get almost as excited coming home from a day birding as I do leaving for it because I can look at the new pictures I took. Over the last 8 months I have taken more quality wildlife photos ( not including large mammals out west) than I have in the previous decade. My year started with frustration in Jan-March when I had my 300 mm and only got decent photos of Tundra Swan and Snow Geese. When I got my new lens I was awarded almost immediately with a three hour photo shoot of Summer and Scarlet Tanagers. A month later, I got to cross off of my bucket list "photograph Red Knots in their breeding colors". Ever since, every trip was been a photographic adventure.
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| Probably my favorite photo of the year |
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