2023 The Year in Birds
2023 was a decent year, especially here in Brooklyn where I added eight birds (almost 9) to my county list. I still haven’t left the country since quarantine, but I did make two trips to New Orleans and two to Arizona, so there were a few life birds to add. I finished the year with 345 species total (20 fewer than 2022) and 6 life birds (all in Arizona).
- Montezuma Quail 06 Aug 2023 Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary
- Blue-throated Mountain-gem 06 Aug 2023 Ramsey Canyon Preserve
- Lark Bunting 04 Aug 2023 De Anza, Tubac US-AZ
- Plain-capped Starthroat 03 Aug 2023 Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary
- Bendire’s Thrasher 06 May 2023 Willcox–Lake Cochise and Twin Lakes Golf Course | US-AZ
- Rufous-capped Warbler 04 May 2023 Patagonia Rest Stop
In recent years I’ve only added one or two Brooklyn birds to my list, but this year
I added a shocking 8 birds to my home county list, even though I whiffed on the Gray Kingbird at Canarsie Park, which I missed by a day:
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Western Kingbird
- Wild Turkey
- Anhinga
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Western Meadowlark
- Eared Grebe
- Black Vulture
Black Vulture I should have had before now, but I just got unlucky. Wild Turkey, Anhinga, and maybe Western Meadowlark were first county records though.
I also ticked Purple Gallinule on eBird for Kings County for the first time, though it’s not the first time I’ve seen it in Prospect Park. My first sighting there in the early 2000s came before eBird was a thing.
My Brooklyn total is now 297. Maybe in 2024 I can hit 300, especially if I spend more time at Plumb Beach where several uncommon shorebirds show up every summer. Regular birds I’m still missing here include Purple Martin, Brown Pelican, Whimbrel, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits. And of course there’s always the possibility of a good Western, Caribbean, or South American vagrant or two. Even Limpkin isn’t out of the question these days.
I added Black-chinned Hummingbird to my New York State list the day after Thanksgiving, thanks to a very cooperative first state record on Randall’s Island.
I added four birds to my Orleans Parish list, though none on the Christmas count:
- Snow Goose
- Bronzed Cowbird
- Chipping Sparrow
- Black Scoter
My total in Orleans now stands at 186 and there are many more obvious birds there if I can travel at the right times of year.
My Arizona list is now at 242, behind only New York (343) and California (318). Still lots of birds to find there though, including multiple possible lifers, especially if I can visit in the Fall or Winter.
My US list is around 600, my world list around double that. Possibly in 2024 I can get to Japan. That should add a few dozen birds. We shall see.
