End of 2022

 It was a typical year. The King Rail was an oddity a couple of Lancaster County birders found.

Out at Ft Robinson found a few birds. Cassin's Kingbird.

Magpies.

Lark Sparrow.

A Lesser Black-backed Gull ended up at a small marsh. Most years I find a few Northern Shrikes November and December.

Fall Warblers

 My warbler list for 2022:

It's not embarrassing, but could be better. Somehow I don't find Wilson's as well as other people, and not every year.

Black-and-white warbler I have recorded 20 times. It tends to move a lot so there are few photos. But there is this one with the bird on the tree trunk, unlike most warblers.

Virginia Rails and a King Rail

 We get through the end of May and the migrants settle down and move North, some. Then there is a time of peace and quiet and a few bird neighborhood squabbles. But little new to see. Usually we get a "summer surprise." One year it was the some Mississippi Kites, another it was Common Gallinule. This year it was a Limpkin in Omaha and these rails two birders found in our country. The site is not a super birding site, but as it is well  mowed, I walk there once or twice in June.

The Virginia Rails were in a small pond, fast drying, among cat tails. One rail this morning:

There were one or two today, up to 7 a week ago.

The real surprise was the King Rail that Steve and Linda found a week ago. The above rails are juveniles. The parents were not seen. The King Rail is an adult, a stray. Note the orange breast. The King Rail would have a similar spotty or striped breast to the Virginias if it were a juvenile. They do not nest here. A few pairs nest in Kansas and Iowa each year.

Not a very good angle, but the King Rail is front, larger, and the Virginia Rail in the back.

Here you see the marsh. Virginia Rail in front, King Rail in back. Rails have long toes to keep them on top of the mud. Got one photo where the toes show:

Ft Robinson, NW Nebraska

 These birds are from Fort Robinson State Park and Agate Fossil beds national Monument.

Magpies, Lark Sparrows and a black Lark Bunting plus a Blue Grosbeak. The Agate Fossil Bed is dry sandy ranch land:

The Lark Bunting

Not a frontal view, but enough for ID, Cassin's kingbird. A Western Kingbird would have white edges to the tail.

May birds

 A few photos came out well. Purple Martins.

Then Palm Warbler 

And Veery

Semipalmated sandpiper and Black-necked Stilt

Wood Duck

Then the less common Red-necked Phalarope, there were 25. I usually see 1-2.

Common Nighthawk

And Bobolink

Great Tailed Grackle

Got to 100 for the year

 The birds up to 75 got renumbered as I put in Varied Thrush at 64.

75-100 runs:

75	Lesser Scaup
76	American Coot
77	Killdeer
78	Double-crested Cormorant
79	Common Grackle
80	Hooded Merganser
81	Iceland Gull
82	Lesser Black-backed Gull
83	Blue-winged Teal
84	Green-winged Teal
85	Canvasback
86	Ruddy Duck
87	Eastern Phoebe
88	Pied-billed Grebe
89	Great Blue Heron
90	Tree Swallow
91	Eared Grebe
92	Wilson's Snipe
93	Loggerhead Shrike
94	Savannah Sparrow
95	Franklin's Gull
96	Greater Yellowlegs
97	Lesser Yellowlegs
98	Purple Martin
99	Least Sandpiper
100	Lincoln's Sparrow

Then there is a Rusty Blackbird at the end today:

101        Barn Swallow

102        Horned Grebe

103        American Avocet

104        Baird's Sandpiper

105        Field Sparrow

106        Rusty Blackbird

Pandemic Birding

I started making eBird lists in 2015. I got to 201 from May to December.  I had thought of it in Missouri, but there were so many birders making so many lists that I hesitated. All my birds noted before that are historical lists. In 2016 there was a lot of listing and also world travel. 2020 was not bad, as I could drive to local bird spots easily. Just needed gas. Before vaccination I wore a mask even getting has.

Anyway, not much travel West planned this year, and a trip East is not likely to yield lifers. I have two lifers from home this year!

For 2022 one or two pics:

 It has been a bit slow. Finally got the 75 birds for the year list. Went to see some gulls yesterday. If I had stayed another hour I might have got the Iceland gull. 

Ring bills:

A young gull catching a fish:

1 Canada Goose

2 American Crow

3 Dark-eyed Junco

4 Northern Cardinal

5 Wild Turkey

6 Rock Pigeon

7 Red-bellied Woodpecker

8 Downy Woodpecker

9 Northern Flicker

10 Black-capped Chickadee

11 White-breasted Nuthatch

12 American Goldfinch

13 Barred Owl

14 Blue Jay

15 American Robin

16 Mallard

17 Red-tailed Hawk

18 Red-breasted Nuthatch

19 Ring-necked Pheasant

20 House Sparrow

21 American Tree Sparrow

22 Harris's Sparrow

23 Western Meadowlark

24 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

25 House Finch

26 Fox Sparrow

27 Golden-crowned Kinglet

28 Brown Creeper

29 Mourning Dove

30 Northern Harrier

31 Bald Eagle

32 American Kestrel

33 Yellow-rumped Warbler

34 Sharp-shinned Hawk

35 White-throated Sparrow

36 Eurasian Collared-Dove

37 Eastern Bluebird

38 Red-winged Blackbird

39 European Starling

40 Cedar Waxwing

41 Song Sparrow

42 Hairy Woodpecker

43 Carolina Wren

44 Long-eared Owl

45 Horned Lark

46 Cackling Goose

47 Great Horned Owl

48 Cooper's Hawk

49 Belted Kingfisher

50 Common Goldeneye

51 Ring-billed Gull

52 Greater White-fronted Goose

53 Sandhill Crane

54 Herring Gull

55 Common Merganser

56 Brown-headed Cowbird

57 Snow Goose

58 American Wigeon

59 Northern Pintail

60 Ring-necked Duck

61 Ross's Goose

62 Trumpeter Swan

63 Turkey Vulture

64 Wood Duck

65 Red-shouldered Hawk

66 Northern Mockingbird

67 Eastern Towhee

68 Eastern Meadowlark

69 Bufflehead

70 Northern Shoveler

71 Gadwall

72 Redhead

73 American White Pelican

74 Lesser Scaup

75 American Coot

Year List Through Feb 16th

 Bird list finally got to 50

In that list there is a lifer, the owl. A blurred picture from a video shows the blunt head and wing shape.

2022: This is just my developing list. It will be modified, tracking to 100 here

 

Tree Sparrows. Number 21