2022 Wrap-up

 Guess I never did post the end of this, did I?

• 205. Semipalmated Plover
• 206. Caspian Tern
• 207. Semipalmated Sandpiper
• 208. Great Egret
• 209. Pectoral Sandpiper
• 210. Short-billed Dowitcher
• 211. Solitary Sandpiper
• 212. Black-bellied Plover
• 213. Ruddy Turnstone
• 214. Wilson's Phalarope
• 215. Rusty Blackbird
• 216. Fox Sparrow
• 217. Surf Scoter
• 218. Black Scoter
• 219. Tundra Swan
• 220. Horned Grebe
• 221. Razorbill
• 222. Red-throated Loon
• 223. Iceland Gull
• 224. Lesser Black-backed Gull 

A bit of time on the Hamilton waterfront and another December trip to Niagara worked the usual magic. Finally got my Lesser Black-backed, which is the one that got away on that same trip last year.

I probably could have pushed it even further, but I honesty kind of lost steam in the fall and winter and didn't go out nearly as much. Just proves to me that I could never do a real Big Year; I think it'd be exhausting.

June-July Recap

Yup.

• 198. Clay-colored Sparrow
• 199. Common Gallinule
• 200. Canada Warbler
• 201. Green Heron
• 202. Horned Lark
• 203. American Kestrel
• 204. Lincoln's Sparrow 

Summer is definitely slower in terms of new species and, eventually, bird activity in general. I really noticed this year when the dawn chorus stopped, effectively signalling the end of breeding season for 2022.

However, August brings with it the beginning of fall migration (yes, really; as soon as nesting finishes some birds are already on their way south, so it starts much earlier than most would think and stretches out over a far longer time period than spring migration does). And fall also tends to be better around here for shorebirds since water levels are typically lower in late summer, providing better foraging habitat along shorelines. So while I've been kind of taking a break from birds the last little while, I expect that the coming months will tempt me back out again.

Migration Madness

I took a short trip to Point Pelee in early May, like I've been saying I was going to do since I came back from my first trip there... five years ago now? More? I had what felt like a very good trip, and saw all of the species that I had hoped I was going to. Then, of course, two days after I came home, I happened to read the park birding report where they were like: best day at Pelee ever! So many birds! Weird rare species galore! So, clearly I mis-timed by trip by two days ;)

Mid-May there was the Great Canadian Birdathon fundraiser, which involved a full day of intensive birding in my home region. Then at the end of the month, I did the Carden Challenge again - actually in Carden for the first time since 2019! - for another 24 hours of intensive birding (mixed with hunting for other critters too, of course). Plus my usual volunteer migration monitoring at the Eramosa site started up again in May, plus field season really ramped up at work.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is:

• 126. Sharp-shinned Hawk
• 127. Wood Thrush
• 128. Grasshopper Sparrow
• 129. Bobolink
• 130. Ovenbird
• 131. Gray Catbird
• 132. Common Yellowthroat
• 133. Black-throated Green Warbler
• 134. Northern Waterthrush
• 135. Black-and-white Warbler
• 136. Dunlin
• 137. Baltimore Oriole
• 138. Great Crested Flycatcher
• 139. Prothonotary Warbler
• 140. Northern Parula
• 141. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• 142. Orchard Oriole
• 143. Red-headed Woodpecker
• 144. Warbling Vireo
• 145. Nashville Warbler
• 146. Cape May Warbler
• 147. Least Flycatcher
• 148. Yellow-breasted Chat
• 149. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• 150. White-eyed Vireo
• 151. Blue-winged Warbler
• 152. Magnolia Warbler
• 153. Blackburnian Warbler
• 154. Chestnut-sided Warbler
• 155. Black-throated Blue Warbler
• 156. Indigo Bunting
• 157. Black Tern
• 158. Marsh Wren
• 159. Least Sandpiper
• 160. Spotted Sandpiper
• 161. Greater Yellowlegs
• 162. Lesser Yellowlegs
• 163. Willow Flycatcher
• 164. Eastern Kingbird
• 165. Scarlet Tanager
• 166. Purple Martin
• 167. Red-eyed Vireo
• 168. American Redstart
• 169. Eastern Wood-Pewee
• 170. Chimney Swift
• 171. Bay-breasted Warbler
• 172. Wilson's Warbler
• 173. Swainson's Thrush
• 174. Philadelphia Vireo
• 175. Veery
• 176. Alder Flycatcher
• 177. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• 178. Black-billed Cuckoo
• 179. Tennessee Warbler
• 180. Wilson's Snipe
• 181. Common Nighthawk
• 182. Blue-headed Vireo
• 183. American Bittern
• 184. Common Tern
• 185. Eastern Whip-poor-will
• 186. Barred Owl
• 187. Blackpoll Warbler
• 188. Golden-winged Warbler
• 189. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• 190. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
• 191. Mourning Warbler
• 192. Upland Sandpiper
• 193. Loggerhead Shrike
• 194. Least Bittern
• 195. Vesper Sparrow
• 196. Yellow-throated Vireo
• 197. Hooded Warbler

Yeah. I'm not really worried about getting to 200 anymore? There's two species, at least, that I'm 100% sure I can get this summer locally, and more that are a bit harder to find but I definitely have a chance at. Beyond those, it's possible to keep climbing but I know I'd have to work a bit harder for it. I mean, there's a finite number of birds that it's possible to see, and we've already run through winter --> migration --> summer so now we're just going to do the same in reverse. Still, it'll be interesting to see how far I can actually get.