Update

It's time for a quick update to say how my year is going for numbers, my plan, etc.

I'm in perfect shape.  My current year total is 369 and I'm right in place for 400+ at year's end (400 is my goal).

My plan:

I have my eyes on a certain species that I hope to have be number 370.  I'm not going to let the 'cat out of the bag' on this one.  All that I can say is that it's a vagrant from the western US, it's hanging around at a certain out-of-state location, and if my mom and I are healthy and the bird sticks around we are going to chase it at the end of this week.

Next big trip is the Eastern Shore: Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Islands and Chincoteague.  Trip is leaving in 10 days and will last 3 days.  I hope to add 5 year birds here, some of my targets are Purple Sandpiper (easy), Great Cormorant (easy), Hudsonian Godwit (unlikely but possible), Nelson's Sparrow (hit or miss), Common Eider (hit or miss), King Eider (unlikely but possible), and any vagrant that might be in the area.  I hope to be at 375 after this trip.

After that I have a possible slot for a vagrant trip somewhere in the state, and then it's on to ARIZONA.  This is the trip that will put me to 400 if I will get to 400 which I very likely will.  This is my last resource for year birds, after this trip I will likely get no more year birds unless a vagrant pops up somewhere in my neck of the woods.  There are so many targets for Arizona but I'll just list a few..Western and Whiskered Screech-Owls, Phainopepla, Pyrrhuloxia and much else.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 12 2011: My mom and I have both come down with colds so we won't be chasing the vagrant that I mentioned in the first part of this post.  Well, for now anyway.  If it happens to stick around until we're back from Chincoteague we'll try to chase it then.  So unless a vagrant happens to show up right near home here the next place I'll add year birds is the Chesepeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Islands on next Friday.  This is the first part of my three-day long Eastern Shore adventure.  If I have internet connection where I'm staying I plan to post Friday Night.