Life List Update As of 2023

Since I was a child, I have always been interested being outdoors and observing other animals. However, birding is rarely a hobby that young children become interested in, so I did not begin formally keeping a life list of birds until the latter part of 2013. I became interested in birding through my wife Apryle and over the years we have traveled to some beautiful places to track down new unique species of birds. Over the past ten years I have counted 489 unique bird species. Compared to avid birders seeking out a big year, counting over 800 unique birds in North America alone, my number is quite small. However, a big year has never interested me because it involves so much money and wasteful travel. I enjoy the process of finding new birds, and yes I have traveled to do so, but I like to keep my fuel usage to a minimum. 

In my home state of Washington, I get email alerts for rare bird sightings and then Apryle and I  sometimes travel to the location to go for a run and track down the bird if it seems feasible. In other circumstances, we travel to other areas of United States, Central or South America in search of new species of birds. In addition to birding, I also have a small flock of parrots, parakeets, doves, and chickens that share our property – Little Bird Landing. People often ask what made me adopt parrots and I cannot answer definitively. I think there are many reasons, but mostly I want our parrots to enjoy the best life possible in captivity. In my experience, no bird should be kept as a pet, they are highly intelligent beings and unless you are willing to spend as much time with a parrot as you would your partner, they will likely be depressed and lonely. However, because there are so many birds already living in captivity, I find meaning in trying to give them their best life and visiting friends who do the same.

So between birding and caring for birds, it has become a very important aspect of my life. It may come as no surprise based on my stats keeping for running, I also have stats for birding…

This is an extensive list of every unique bird species I have seen in my life. 

Some of the observations are retrospective but generally my biggest year of birding thus far has been 2016 with 133 birds. In 2016, Apryle and I got married a traveled to Peru, which yielded many new bird species, so it makes sense that it is the biggest year. The next biggest year was 2019 with 116 new species, which also makes sense because we traveled to Costa Rica on a birding-focused trip. It is deceptive that our birding totals have declined over the years because my list only contains unique birds, therefore, it becomes difficult to add to the list when many of them are already on it. For example in 2023, I observed about 151 unique birds, but only 34 of them were new to the life list. 

Below is a breakdown of life list birding totals per year. 

Here is a breakdown of birds by location:

Here is a breakdown of birds by state (or country if out of the USA):

I have had so many amazing birding experiences and I will highlight a few below.

Costa Rica Circumnavigation

In 2019, Apryle and I traveled to Costa Rica and visited many different places and saw 101 new birds:

• In Carara National Park we saw 24 unique species including the charismatic Scarlet Macaw. Carara National Park holds the record for most unique bird sightings on my life list. It is also noteworthy that we had a guide for this outing.
• In Monteverde National Park we saw 16 new species as we meandered through the cloud forest. This park featured many trogons and toucans. 
• In an impromptu stop to Bogarin Trail Park, a converted cattle ranch, we spotted 18 new species. This location was certainly a birding hub because the visitor center had feeders and bunches of bananas.
• In Curi-cancha, just down the road from Monteverde National Park we tagged another 12 species. This ecosystem was surprisingly drier than the Monteverde ecosystem which was just a little higher in elevation.
• In La Selva Biological Station we spotted 13 new species in this unique rainforest on the Atlantic side of Costa Rica. Additionally in the Puerto Viejo area we spotted another 2 new birds, most notably the Great Green Macaw which I heard and then spotted while running a dirt road just outside of La Selva.

Bosque Escondido Volunteering

In 2023, Apryle and I traveled to Costa Rica again, and this time the purpose was volunteering with the Macaw Society. The wildlife preserve was on the Nicoya Peninsula, and we spent all of our time at Bosque Escondido. We observed behaviors of released Yellow-naped Amazons, Orange-fronted Parakeets, Orange-chinned Parakeets, and White-fronted Amazons. In the process of our observations we also added 18 new species to the life list.

Peru Honeymoon

The focus of this trip was on the mountain adventures and sightseeing, but we still added 40 new birds to our life list including many species native to the Andes. However, the greatest quantity of new birds were found at the Villa Marshes outside of Lima, Peru.

Florida

Each December we typically visit Apryle’s parents in Florida and there is not shortage of beautiful birds. 

• In 2021, we made a trip to the Everglades National Park and kayaked near Snake Bight and there we saw 10 new species of birds including the Roseate Spoonbill, American Avocet, White Pelican, and Black Skimmer. 
• In other areas near the Treasure Coast, we saw the Wood Stork, Egyptian Goose, Black-bellied Plover, and Limpkin. 

Hawaii

In 2016, Apryle and I went on a November trip to Oahu and added 26 new birds to our list. 

• Many of the birds were non-native to the island, like the Rose-ringed Parakeet, and Java Sparrow. 
• But on an organized birding event at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, we identified 12 new species including: Bristle-thighed Curlew, Hawaiian Moorhen, and Black-necked Stilt. 

Ohio

• Growing up in northwest Ohio in a mostly agricultural landscape I managed to identify a 16 species in my own backyard. This list includes most of the common birds such as the Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, and American Robin. 
• However, in recent trips back to Ohio Apryle and I have volunteered with Tom Bartletts bird banding on Kellys Island and Springville Marsh. We have also went to the big week of Birding at the world famous Magee Marsh. At Magee Marsh we have observed over 20 unique warbler species. 
• With the help of Tom Bartlett we observed 23 new birds on Kellys Island, making it second only to Carara National Park in Costa Rica for my most species rich location. 

Washington

I moved to Washington state in December of 2015 and have observed numerous birds in my new home state. I have tagged about 105 birds around the state. The vast majority of these birds have been at Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle near the University of Washington.

• Union Bay Natural Area is home to many waterfowl species and the majority of the new birds I discovered here are ducks such as the Bufflehead, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Pie-billed Grebe, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback, Lesser and Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, and Redhead. Union Bay slots into 3rd position on my list (tied with 2 other locations) for species richness with 18.
• Skagit Flats is another excellent winter birding hotspot and I have spotted Eurasian Wigeon, Dunlin, Trumpeter Swan, and Tundra Swan.
• I have also had many unusual sightings in the city. Back in 2020, Dennis Gorsuch and I biked into Seattle to see a Snowy Owl perched on a roof top in a neighborhood of Queen Ann. In January of 2021 there was an Emperor Goose in a flock of Brants at the Bingo Hall Lagoon in Padilla Bay. Then in April of 2021, I spotted a Mandarin Duck in a retention pond in a shady area of Auburn. 
• In Eastern Washington I spotted a Burrowing Owl in a farm near Othello. Additionally, in Sinlahekin Wilderness I have spotted Lazuli Bunting, Western Bluebird, American Dipper, and Cedar Waxwing. Then at the Nespelem Bunkhouse I spotted Bullock’s Oriole and California Quail.
• Most recently after moving to Ravensdale, we have participated in the Vaux Swift counts and have witnessed thousands of Swifts entering a chimney at night.

Texas

When Apryle came to visit me while I was in graduate school in Austin, Texas from 2013 to 2015 we added 25 new species to the life list. 

• In the Austin Area these included Crested Caracara, Scissor-tail Flycatcher, Black Vulture, Greater Roadrunner, and Monk’s Parakeet.
• On trips to Padre National Seashore and Port Aransas we added 4 new birds including the Brown Pelican and American Oystercatcher.
• On a solo weekend adventure to Brazoria and San Bernard National Wildlife Refuges I added another 4 species including White Ibis and Black-belled Whistle Duck.

California

• In Sacramento California, Apryle and I snagged 4 species (3 of which are endemic species) on a hour run through suburbia. We saw the Yellow-billed Magpie, California Towhee, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Nutall’s Woodpecker.
• In wine country we spotted Black Phoebe, Hutton’s Vireo, California Scrub Jay, and Acorn Woodpecker.
• At Point Reyes we spotted tons of Common Murre along the ocean bluffs.

Oregon

Oregon has been a special place for birds both on the coast and the interior with a total of 13 life list birds.

• On a trip to Haystack Rock on the Oregon coast we have seen Tufted Puffin, Black Oystercatchers, and Harlequin Ducks.
• At Cape Falcon along the coast we added 7 new species including Pigeon Guillemot, Pacific Loon, and Yellow Warbler.
• In the Zumwalt Prairie in east Oregon we picked up Horned Lark, Lark Sparrow, and Gray Partridge.

Alaska

On a trip to Alaska we picked up 15 new species from the interior mountains to the fjords of the coast.

• On a ride through Denali National Park with spotted a Short-eared Owl, Willow Ptarmigan, Long-tailed Jaeger, 
• On a boat trip through Kenai Fjords National Park we saw: Rhinoceros Auklet, Black-legged Kittiwake, and Horned Puffin.
• At Potter Marsh we added another 5 species including Greater Yellowlegs and Orange-crowned Warbler.

Nevada

• In sin city we forwent the casinos in leu of visiting Springs Preserve where we added two new species to our list including the Abert’s Towhee and the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher.
• In the unique town of Pahrump at Discovery Park, we added 6 new species including the Phainopepla, Swan Goose, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Costa’s Hummingbird.

Colorado

In the state of Colorado first developed a love of birding and I have seen 21 unique bird species throughout the mountainous region.

• Rocky Mountain National Park is where it all started and Apryle introduced me to birding. I spotted 17 new species of birds during my time there including: Pine siskin, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Wilson’s Snipe, Stella’s Jay, and Pygmy Owl.
• At Horse Tooth Ridge I spotted Western Meadowlark and Spotted Towhee.

Of course there are many other trips and memories but these are the ones that most shaped me as a birder. I hope to continue to add to the list and the memories over the years!