The Little Year

I've been interested in birds ever since I read a book called "The Big Year" by Mark Obmascik.  It's a fascinating, often hilarious, account of three men competing to break the record for the most types of birds seen in the U.S. in one year.  The record is about 740, which is amazing since there are only about 650 types of birds that normally live in the U.S.

So, birding has been one of my hobbies on this trip, although I'm not persuing it as relentlessly as the men in the book did.  These are the birds I've been able to identify so far (this list is updated periodically):

1. Mountain Bluebird (Utah)
2. Mourning Dove
3. Rock Pigeon
4. Common Raven
5. American Crow
6. Turkey Vulture
7. Black Vulture (Mississippi)
8. Cattle Egret
9. Great Blue Heron (Texas)
10. Cardinal (Mississippi)
11. Red Tailed Hawk (Mississippi)
12. Red-shouldered Blackbird
13. Mallard (Tennessee)
14. Wood Duck (Louisiana)
15. Canadian Goose (Tennessee)
16. Boat-tailed Grackle (Texas, Florida)
17. Bonaparte's Gull (Texas)
18. American Robin (Tennessee)
19. Mississippi Kite (Mississippi)
20. Brown Pelican
21. Swallow-tailed Kite (Florida)
22. Purple Martin (Florida)
23. White Ibis (Florida)
24. Snowy Egret (Florida)
25. Red-billed Woodpecker (Florida)
26. Northern Mockingbird (Florida)
27. Herring Gull (Florida)
28. Laughing Gull (Florida)
29. Least Bittern (Florida)
30. Great Egret (Florida)
31. Magnificent Frigatebird (Florida)
32. Short-billed Dowitcher (Florida)
33. Reddish Egret (Florida)
34. Eurasian Collared-dove (Florida)
35. Double-breasted Cormorant (Florida)
36. Blue Jay (Florida)
37. Anhinga (South Carolina)
38. Muscovy Duck (Florida)
39. Common Moorhen (Florida)
40. Foster's Tern (Georgia, Louisiana)
41. Osprey (Virginia)
42. Red-Headed Woodpecker (Virginia)
43. Forster's Tern (Virginia)
44. Glossy Ibis (Virginia)
45. Cliff Swallow (Virginia)
46. Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (New Jersey)
47. Ring-Billed Gull (New Jersey)
48. Virginia Rail (New Jersey)
49. Mute Swan (New Jersey)
50. Gray Catbird (New Jersey)
51. Piping Plover (New Jersey)
52. Killdeer (Connecticuit)
53. American Goldfinch (Vermont)
54. Black Tern (Vermont)
55. Eastern Kingbird (Vermont)
56. Cedar Waxwing (Vermont)
57. Common Loon (Vermont)
58. Hairy Woodpecker (Vermont)
59. Black-Capped Chickadee (Vermont)
60. Magnolia Warbler (Vermont)
61. Chestnut-sided Warbler (Vermont)
62. American Black Duck (Vermont)
63. Spotted Sandpiper (Vermont)
64. Wild Turkey (New York)
65. American Redstart (New York)
66. Purple Finch (New York)
67. Tufted Titmouse (New York)
68. Chipping Sparrow (New York)
69. Northern Shrike (Pennsylvania)
70. Barn Swallow (New York)
71. Double-crested Cormorant (New York)
72. European Starling (New York)
73. Common Tern (New York)
74. Yellow Warbler (New York)
75. Red-breasted Nuthatch (Indiana)
76. White-breasted Nuthatch (Indiana)
77. Song Sparrow (Indiana)
78. House Finch (Indiana)
79. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Indiana)
80. Solitary Sandpiper (Wisconsin)
81. Northern Harrier (Wisconsin)
82. Whie Pelican (Wisconsin)
83. Eastern Wood Pee-Wee (Wisconsin)
84. Baltimore Oriole (Wisconsin)
85. Ovenbird (Minnesota)
86. Wood Thrush (Minnesota)
87. Tennessee Warbler (Minnesota)
88. Eastern Bluebird (Minnesota)
89. Common Nighthawk (Minnesota)
90. Downy Woodpecker (Minnesota)
91. White-crowned Sparrow (Minnesota)
92. Stellar Jay (Colorado)
93. Yellow-Rumped Warbler
94. Northern Flicker (yellow) (South Dakota)
95. Northern Flicker (red) (Colorado)
96. Solitaire (Colorado)
97. Pygmy Nuthatch (Colorado)
98. Black-billed Magpie (Colorado)
99. Green-winged Teal (Colorado)
100. Northern Shoveler (Colorado)
101. American Wigeon (Colorado)
102. Bald Eagle (Colorado)
103. Peregrine Falcon (Colorado)
104. Greater Yellowlegs (Colorado)
105. Lesser Yellowlegs (Colorado)
106. Least Sandpiper (Colorado)
107. Stilt Sandpiper (Colorado)
108. Belted Kingfisher (Colorado)
109. Song Sparrow (Colorado)
110. Pied-billed Grebe (Colorado)
111. Golden Eagle (Colorado)
112. Say's Pheobe (Colorado)
113. Red-naped Sapsucker (Colorado)
114. American Coot (Colorado)
115. Verdin (Nevada)
116. Gray Vireo (Nevada)
117. Cooper's Hawk (Nevada)
118. Orange-crowned Warbler (Nevada)
119. Roadrunner (California)
120. Gambel's Quail (California)
121. Cassin's Kingbird (California)
122. Kestrel (California)

Comments

[Christopher LaRocca]

Hey guys!! Uncle Joe, I was checking out your pictures from New Orleans, you look a little thinner than I remember you a couple years ago, have you lost weight? Also, did you happen to get that mule driver's number for me? She was cute...hahaha!!!

[Kathleen Kaan]

Just wanted to tell you both how much I'm enjoying your trip. I can't wait to see you when you get to NJ. You are certainly a great team. This could be the next best selling book. Think about it. Bet you already have. love, kat