2025 The Year in Birds
Time for the annual wrap-up of what I saw where. Overall 2025 was a medium year. I spent about two months out of the country, though I didn’t take any major birding trips. I finished the year with 389 species total including 32 life birds including the very endangered and hard to find Ridgway’s Hawk:
- Green-breasted Mango – Juan Jose Flores Park, Heredia Costa Rica
- Stock Dove – St. Andrew Square Garden, Edinburgh Scotland
- Willow Warbler – Yorkshire
- Eurasian Skylark – The Coach House, Mesnes Lane, Leyburn Yorkshire
- Red-legged Partridge – The Coach House, Mesnes Lane, Leyburn Yorkshire
- Common Swift – Middleham | Yorkshire, England
- Reed Bunting – Marfield Wetlands NR | Yorkshire, England
- Rook – Marfield Wetlands NR | Yorkshire, England
- Red Kite Road from Skipton to Masham | Yorkshire, England
- Red Grouse – Road from Skipton to Masham | Yorkshire, England
- Little Gull – Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–West Pond | New York
- Costa Rican Swift – Botanika Osa Peninsula | Costa Rica
- Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher – La perica | Costa Rica
- Riverside Wren – Botanika Osa Peninsula | Costa Rica
- Gray-cowled Wood-Rail – Botanika Osa Peninsula | Costa Rica
- Ruddy-breasted Seedeater – finca san martin | Costa Rica
- Gray-headed Tanager – Ecoturístico La Tarde | Costa Rica
- Charming Hummingbird – Ecoturístico La Tarde | Costa Rica
- White-crested Coquette – Ecoturístico La Tarde | Costa Rica
- Great Curassow – Finca Miguel Sanchez, Rio Piro | Costa Rica
- Laughing Falcon – Vía 245, Golfito | Costa Rica
- Bare-throated Tiger-Heron – Vía 245, | Costa Rica
- Golden-naped Woodpecker – Botanika Osa Peninsula
- Greater Antillean Bullfinch – Westin Puntacana | Dominican Republic
- Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo – Westin Puntacana | Dominican Republic
- Black-crowned Palm-Tanager – Punta Cana Ecological Reserve | Dominican Republic
- Stolid Flycatcher – Punta Cana Ecological Reserve | Dominican Republic
- Broad-billed Tody – Punta Cana Ecological Reserve | Dominican Republic
- Vervain Hummingbird – Punta Cana Ecological Reserve | Dominican Republic
- Hispaniolan Mango – Punta Cana Ecological Reserve | Dominican Republic
- Palmchat – Punta Cana | Dominican Republic
- Hispaniolan Woodpecker – Punta Cana | Dominican Republic
- Ridgway’s Hawk – Punta Cana | Dominican Republic
Closest to home in Brooklyn, I added Purple Martin and Greater White-fronted Goose to my county list. Purple Martin is a regular migrant, and Greater White-fronted Goose seems to be becoming more common. My Kings County list now stands at 302, not counting escapees and hybrids. I also pushed my New York County list to 200 by adding several new species, topped up with a Yellow-throated Warbler in Carl Schurz Park in December.
New birds for New York State included Little Gull and Black-necked Stilt (Queens, Jamaica Bay West Pond) and Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Manhattan, Randall’s Island). I also added ten species to my Louisiana state list,
- Canada Warbler
- Northern Waterthrush
- Yellow-throated Vireo
- Magnificent Frigatebird
- Black Tern
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
- Sanderling
- Hudsonian Whimbrel
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Baltimore Oriole
By visiting Grand Isle for the first time, I added 16 species to my Jefferson Parish list, now at 115 species, and 6 to my Orleans Parish list, now at 192.
I’m not sure what I’m doing in 2026, but I do hope to be able to chase a fee more birds closer to home.
