Revised 2011 bird total:
437 species

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Orchard Oriole added!

My J. Big Year is just rolling on like a big burning fire!  Nearly every day in the last few weeks I have been getting at least one year bird with only a few days without one.  One day about a week ago I got an impressive 5 year birds, making the average for the last few weeks at least one even with the 'no year bird days'.  However, this rate is bound to stop.  This is an awesome time to birding, all the warblers, tanagers, buntings, vireos, flycatchers and tons of other summer birds are moving north at a rapid seeped making it easy for me to 'bag the birds'.  At this rate (if it continued all year), I could think about 400 bird species as a possibility for year's end.  Is this a goal to think about trying for?  Or should I keep it at 375?  Well lets see, I am now at 266 species, after my Ohio Warbler Trip coming up (early May) I should be at about 290 species or a few more.  By the end of the spring migration is over I hope to be over 300 which something I think I can achieve without too much hard work.  Is it possible to get 100 more species from June through December?  Well, lets see: 35 in Alaska will come without any problem with what I'm doing there and I may even get 50 on that trip.  Let's say that I'll get 40 because 35 seems surprisingly low given that there is tons of northern birds that I haven't gotten like both crossbills, Arctic Tern, just to name a couple.  That means I need 60 more to get to get to 400.  30 will come in Arizona and probably more.  There's still an Ontario trip but that is not a great birding destination but I still shall pick up about 10 birds.  If I get all my hoped for birds, then I still need 10-20 to reach 400.  This seems tough right now.  I'll keep my goal at 375 and I can always change it later into the year if I hit jackpots all the way.

Ok, that was just a bit of big year statistics.  Now lets go to the year bird I got today: I picked up Orchard Oriole while at a quick stop at a city park, the one that I got the Prothonotary Warbler at a few weeks ago.  I got good looks at 2 males.  Awesome birds!

Until later

KestrelSwan

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