How to Identify Birds: A New List for the New Year

There are so many ways to look at January 1! Whether you are a birdwatcher already or just starting out, this day can be the start of so many things. You’ve heard of New Year’s Resolutions, those things that you vow to change or do in the coming year. For a birdwatcher, the day marks the beginning of a log or three, keeping track of birds you see for the next 365 days! Let’s take a look at what lists you could start.

 
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Life List

This is the ultimate list for a birdwatcher. It is the record of all the different species you have seen. This is the only list that will not be marked by the end of the year. It is a great way to start your Life List though, on the first day of a new year. What do you keep track of in a life list? Well, that can run from minimal information such as the bird name, the date and location first seen. You can add on to that with weather conditions, whether you took a photo of it, whether it was a male or female and so forth. This is what makes birdwatching exciting. There really is a thrill in being able to see a bird that you have never seen before. When you first start out, everything is new to your life list. You’ll be surprised how fast it grows. Wanting to add to your life list will start sending you afield, first around your house, then your state, and then you’ll be planning trips around the country just to see birds. How do I know this? I’ve planned trips to Florida, Nevada, Washington and Alaska, just to see birds. There was a rush in getting about 50 new birds on my trip to Washington and Alaska (in 10 days).



Home List

This is the next list I started as a birdwatcher. I had already started my life list in April 1982, and was keeping track of that. When December rolled around, I made sheets ready to record birds around my parent’s house (I was 14 at the time). In those days, I wrote down species, date, location, and time. I included a creek by my house, as it added more habitat types which would add more species. Any bird that flew in that airspace counted, as long as I could see if from the house or the creek. Each year I tried to find the birds from the previous year and add new ones to the overall list. In the end, by the time I graduated from high school, I had recorded 104 species! That’s about 25% of my current life list. In addition to adding on to the Home List, it was also interesting to see the changes in the dates of first sightings each year, when looking at the birds migrating back north. If the family is birdwatching, you can add a little competition to the mix. Who can end of with the most first-sightings each year? Just making a list like this adds a renewed excitement for taking family walks around the neighborhood. Just this year, while walking our dogs my a village park, we spotted a merlin (a type of falcon) for 3 or 4 days this year. Just keep those binoculars and field guide with you at all times - you never know what you are going to see on a regular walk.

 
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Big Day

A short-term list that birdwatchers do is a Big Day. The idea behind this event is to see as many bird species in 24 hours as you can. You can set the parameters. Is it from your yard only? Your neighborhood? As much area as you can cover in a day? Investigate more types of habitats in your journey in order to add more birds. This can be set as a personal goal or get a little competitive with a fellow birdwatcher.

Next Steps

Big Year

A Big Year is just like a Big Day, but you have 365 days to log in those bird species. In this case, you are trying to cover as much area as you can. You may want to travel around your state or even plan a vacation or two around a birdwatching goal. Several books and even a movie have been written and made, respectively, about Big Years. If you are interested in checking those out, see the links at the bottom of this post.

I know I have geared this post towards the New Year, but you can start these lists at any time. There are many options to keeping a life list - you can do a digital record in a spreadsheet, make your own journal, or buy a dedicated life list journal for the field guide that you are using. I have 2 lists going; I like redundancy for the safety of my information. I have a spreadsheet in the cloud and a Sibley’s guide life list journal. It really doesn’t matter how you keep it, but it is best to start your lists right when you start birding. I’ve placed three life list journals that are available below, if you are interested.





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