Planning for BGBY 2009

I finished 2008 with 156 BGBY species, well behind the 200+ Neil Gilbert racked up in the same county, and he’s not as well situated as I am. In my defense I didn’t start until February, and was also dealing with a move to a new state. I didn’t even get my bike repaired from damage the movers did to it until April, and I lost a couple of weeks in the middle of Spring migration on a trip to China. With some effort, this year I might be able to crack 200.

However doing that is going to take some work. In particular:

1. I have to keep better tabs on what’s showing up at San Joaquin. Even though it’s practically next door, I still missed a dozen or more birds that showed up there this year.
2. I have to get to the beach more. I have to go at least once a month, and hit different sites.
3. I have to spend more time at Upper Newport Bay.
4. I have to get to Bolsa Chica, I could do this via bike or perhaps public transit.
5. It wouldn’t hurt to get to Huntington Central Park when something good is seen here either. I need to learn to use public transit in this county. The 176 goes from my house to just a couple of blocks away from Huntington Central Park. Too bad there aren’t any buses that go up Jamboree to Irvine Regional Park, Peters Canyon, and Santiago Oaks.
6. I have to walk or bike to work more often, especially when there’s something good at San Joaquin or Upper Newport Bay.
7. The toughest one of all: I’m going to have to get to the mountains at least once, preferably more often. That’s a long ride, but it should be doable if I build up my strength on longer trips to the beach first. The New Year’s Eve trip to Badham was a good start.

200 is a stretch goal but it should be possible with more rarity chasing, and more use of bikes and public transit.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 9:29 PM and is filed under Birding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the Atom feed. You can skip to the end and make a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.