Eighteen

Although nothing more than a proof shot, that beautiful
blue speck is an Indigo Bunting (species number 173, And
my 18th new bird that I didn't have last year)

 In my quest to reach 250 species of Rhode Island birds this year, I needed to get at least eighteen more species than I did last year. Last year I saw 232 species, so to reach 250, I needed at least eighteen more even if I saw every single species that I saw last year.  Now, there is no way I'm going to see the exact same 232 from last year because some of those same rarities just aren't going to show up,  But, unless I saw at least eighteen new species, I'd have no chance of reaching my goal.

While walking the trails of Trustom on Friday in between rain showers I saw an Indigo Bunting on the trail. I didn't see them in Rhode Island last year. The beautiful blue bunting was my eighteenth new species that I didn't see last year. I got six others in the last week (Ruffed Grouse, White Faced Ibis, Upland Sandpiper, Cattle Egret, Purple Martin, and Blue Grosbeak).

By far, Purple Martin is the easiest bird I missed last year. All I had to do was drive to a Purple Martin colony and look. There are at least four in Barrington alone. Because I had such great looks and pictures of P. Martins at Plum Island, going to some two hundred yards away at Barrington Country Club was never a priority. I needed them this year though.

So now that I got eighteen new birds, I can logistically start a countdown to 250. Any bird I find that I didn't see last year is one less rarity from last year I won't need to find. With only seventy three birds away from my goal and the entire month of May coming up, I should have a fun next few weeks for sure!

The reason I didn't look for Purple Martins in RI last
year was I took photos of them from twenty feet away
at Plum Island