Lifers: 63 (HI-32, AZ-17, CA-14)
Species seen: 325 (personal best)
#15 Groove-billed Ani
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| Sweetwater Wetlands | Tucson, AZ | Nov. 24 |
I found this bird while taking my first grade student on his first birding outing.
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| Reid Park | Tucson, AZ | Jan. 4 |
I didn't expect to find a Snow Goose in Kaua'i in June, it's considered "casual" to the Hawaiian Islands (according to The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific).
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| Hanalei NWR- Ohiki Rd | Kaua'i, HI | June 22 |
I got great views of this amazing bird and I got to meet Ben Feltner, famous among birders finding an Eskimo Curlew in Texas in 1959.
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| Whitewater Draw | SE Arizona | Jan. 7 |
#11 Mountain Bluebird
In February I noticed a pair of these birds outside my classroom window where I teach. The best part was that some of the teachers and all of my students got to enjoy them for the whole month!
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| Liberty Elementary | Tucson, AZ | Feb. 7 |
It was an amazing experience for Gaby, Geniece, and I to be in the presence of such a magical bird.
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| Upper Miller Canyon | Cochise Co. AZ | Sep. 1 |
This bird was seen on a snorkel cruise west of the island of Kaua'i.
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| Lehua, Hawai'i | June 20 |
In February I took Robert Mortensen and Laurence Butler on a tour of birding hotspots in Southeast Arizona. We were hoping for good looks and ended up getting within a few feet of three of these gorgeous birds!
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| Florida Canyon | Santa Rita Mountains | Pima Co. AZ | Feb. 18 |
I was at the right place at the right time in San Diego when this bird was found in nearby Julian. Good thing I checked the rare bird alert or I would have missed it! It was only a 23 mile detour on my way back to Tucson. Amazingly, Arizona's first record of this species was found eleven days later, but over 400 miles from my home. This was my first published photo, seen in the Ramona Journal News.
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| The Birdwatcher store feeders | Julian, CA | Feb. 5 |
I was thrilled to see this endemic Hawaiian honeycreeper on our incredibly beautiful hike overlooking the Na'Pali Coast.
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| Pihea Trail | Kaua'i | June 24 |
These endangered little shearwaters were seen zooming all around the Kilauea Point Lighthouse in Kaua'i. We found this one in its burrow along the path to the lighthouse.
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| Kilauea Point NWR | Kaua'i | June 19 |
On our hike down to the
Queen's Bath this handsome little bird gave us a great show as it bathed and
shook dry.
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| Queen's Bath | Princeville, Kaua'i | June 23 |
#3 Black Noddy (I
think)
On our snorkel cruise of
the Na'Pali Coast, the captain maneuvered the boat near the cliff to give
us an up-close look at these awesome birds. Unfortunately, as I quickly
grabbed my camera below deck I didn't realize the rough seas had bumped the
image stabilization switch to off, something I desperately needed as we rocked
back and forth. I'm still kicking myself to this day! But it's a
mistake I won't make ever again. After studying five field guides and
researching online, I believe these are Black Noddy terns. Apparently,
the Black Noddy seen in North America have
black legs and feet because I couldn't find any mention of orange legs and
feet. I read that there are two subspecies of Black Noddy in Hawai'i and
I believe one of them has orange legs and feet. Please correct me if I'm
wrong, they're very similar to the Brown Noddy. |
| Na'Pali Coast | Kauai | June 20 |
I'm including both
species of tropicbird I saw in Kaua'i. These two species could be found
along the coast. Fantastic flyers, they hoovered and
zoomed around the cove near the Kilauea Point Lighthouse.
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| Red-tailed Tropicbird | Kilauea Point NWR | Kaua'i | June 19 |
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| White-tailed Tropicbird |
This was the first
albatross I've ever seen and I was more than impressed. It knifed through
the air with ease and I barely caught all of this one in the viewfinder as it
zoomed by. What a good-looking bird!
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| Kilauea Point NWR | Kaua'i | June 19 |
